Book Cover Illustrations

Before I created the cover illustration for Thomas D. Bryson’s Ouroh trilogy, the author asked me to read his book manuscript (and, yes, paid me a handsome sum for the task). It was a thick manuscript — actually three whole books — and a daunting read due to the marvelous word play that demands some […]

Normally the summer is a slow time for publishing. But with many authors now going the self-publishing route, this summer is proving to be an exception – busy, busy, busy. Which is just how I like it because I love my work — and there’s always a need for a little more money, right? This […]

I got word from reporter Ashley Fetters that she had several quotes from me in her article about book covers and publishing that appears at the Atlantic Magazine website. It wasn’t too much of a surprise given she’d interviewed me a few days ago. But I was happy to see I was quoted extensively in […]

Over my years of illustration, I’ve created quite a number of paintings. Some never really “grab” me. But others seem to have a place in my heart. Or nightmares. And I thought I’d take a blog to share those in the science fiction category, with the caveat that often a book cover illustrator (like any […]

Self publishing authors and indie press operators often wonder what the illustration rates paid by big publishers of books and magazines are. Fortunately the answer to that question isn’t a big dark secret these days. In fact the industry rates for magazine and book illustrators are pretty standard (and sadly have not gone up much […]

The “Great Raven” blog reprinted my article “How to Kill a Book Cover” — which also gives a few tips on how not to ruin a book cover. If you’re hiring an illustrator of graphic artist to design a book cover for you, you’d do well to read this article before investing your hard-earned cash.

Here’s a nice interview with my favorite book cover illustrator (me, of course): Portrait of a Book Illustrator: Duncan Long Arguably I’m a bit wordy… Sue Bursztynski only asked four questions, and I spun out the answers to the point that it formed her entire column. Of course you can see more of my book […]

A society’s morbid fascination with zombies can be interesting — if not horrifying. And like the subconscious worries that generated stories about alien invaders and “pod people” during the Cold War era, it’s very possible that today’s popularity of zombie stories reflects a subconscious fear of the foreign invader, illegal aliens, and similar problems of […]

Have just added the finishing touches on the cover illustration for the third book in Paul B. Thompson’s Brightstone Saga being marketed by Enslow Publishers. The process was a tad convoluted (and I’ll not bombard viewers with the many variations produced). We had a series of ideas. Originally the concept was to have a werewolf […]

I received an amazing surprise via FedEx yesterday. A package from Unicorn Castle Books. I’ve been working on a cover for a supernatural novel (a novel based on actual events, interestingly enough) HIM by Kerry D. King. And the surprise in the packing container was a giant “blow up” of the book cover. Well, it […]