Rejected Covers 2017
2017 was a great year for us here at The Frontispiece. We delivered over 50 book design projects for a growing number of clients that now include some large publishers like Amazon Publishing, indie startups like Cynren Press, and new self-publishing authors like Ami Toben. The process of designing a book cover varies greatly from client to client, with one common denominator: rejections.
Any book designer understands that rejections are a huge part of the process. Cover design is a collaborative effort between the author, the designer, and the publisher—and, when things get really messy, the editors, the marketing department, the author's family, the "public," beta readers, the author's ex-husband Marc who "is a designer himself," the author's dog Sam, and many more opinionated people we'd rather not get involved. It's not that we don't appreciate the enthusiasm, but like the old adage goes, when you try to make everyone happy, very often no one is.
As we look back on 2017, it can be hard to see the forest for the trees—for the 50 or so final cover designs delivered, there were hundreds of rejections. Below is a comprehensive list of some our favorite rejected covers from 2017.
