Anatomy of a book cover

I am very fortunate. I love the designs chosen for both the US and UK editions of Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend.  Both are very different, but I like them almost equally.
   

To be honest, my preference wavers constantly. There are days when I like the UK version better, and there are days when I think the US version is far superior.

Either way, I like both designs a lot.

Below are two earlier proposals for the UK edition that found their way onto the Internet.

 

While each design appeals to me in some way, I think that my publisher made the right choice in passing on both.

The first design seems to target the young adult market rather than the adults for whom I was writing. While I would be perfectly happy (ecstatic, even) to see my book cross over into the YA market, it is a book first written for the adult market, and I would expect the cover to reflect that.

The second design is eye catching, and I love its graphical underpinning, but I can’t quite figure out who the two figures on the cover are supposed to represent.

When the author can’t make that distinction, there is probably a problem with the design.

I have yet to see designs from the dozen or so other countries where the book will eventually be published, but I will share them with you when they come my way. It’s been a lot of fun to see the way in which various markets around the world have interpreted the cover of my first novel, Something Missing.