HELLO FRIENDS, I AM BACK WITH ANOTHER AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT! NATASHA SNOW HAS DONE TONS OF BEAUTIFUL COVERS, AND I AM GONNA FEATURE A FEW OF THOSE HERE, AS WELL AS AN INTERVIEW, AND AS A SURPRISE FOR NATASHA, POSTS FROM THE AUTHORS WHOSE COVERS I FEATURE! THEY TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING FROM WORKING WITH NATASHA, TO THEIR LOVE OF THE WORK SHE HAS DONE FOR THEM! IT IS GONNA BE FUN GUYS! FIRST HOW ABOUT A BIT ABOUT NATASHA AND HER INTERVIEW TO START THINGS OFF?
Hi!
I’m Natasha.
I work in advertising as a graphic designer by day, and am a freelance book cover designer most other times during the day–when I’m not playing video games, of course.
I LOVE THIS LITTLE GEM I GOT FROM HER WEBSITE, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS WEBSITE FRIENDS, IT IS AMAZING
NOW FOR THE INTERVIEW, YOU ARE GONNA LOVE IT!
Thanks for joining me Natasha, I am really excited to ask you a few questions, so let's get started:
1. How long have you been doing cover art and what got you started?
I designed my very first cover a little over a year ago. I started by designing some covers for my wonderful author friends for their DRiTC stories in 2014. After that, I had a few requests from other authors to do covers for their books. Once people started to see my covers around, probably mostly on Goodreads, I got a lot busier. :) Since then, I’ve gotten to work with some of my favorite authors. What could be cooler than that?
Bec- Oh yeah, that's Don't Read in The Closet right? Such a great idea that is! Wow, your career snowballed fast huh? That is awesome!
2. Is there a particular theme you love working with most (example) Vampires, MM, etc..?
LGBTQ! I started off doing mostly MM covers, but since then I’ve worked with a wide genre of books. I’ve designed lesbian fiction covers, transgender romance covers, middle school covers, horror covers, YA dystopian covers… and so many more. It’s been great trying new genres!
I also enjoy working on darker, emotional covers, especially ones that rely heavily on typography. I want to fill a niche for authors who are looking for romance covers without having to default to a typical romance cover.
But honestly, I like working on all genres of covers! I want to dip my toes in all genres at least once!
Bec- Well you know I am down with the LGBTQ lol, but diversity is nice too, and you do great work no matter what genre it is!
3. How long does it typically take you to do a standard cover?
Oh, that one’s tricky.
Anywhere from an hour and a half (if I’m lucky) to eight hours (rarely).
I spend a dumb amount of time working on typography.
It also depends on the revisions. I offer unlimited revisions until the author is perfectly happy with their cover, so if the author has a lot of revisions, it takes longer.
That being said, there are some authors I work with where I email them something and say, “I just had to show you this! This concept was stuck in my head!” and they love it and I love it and everyone is happy and we dance under a rainbow.
Bec- Well who doesn't love a happy dance under a rainbow? I know I would ;p
4. Do you typically work with an author one on one or just get an idea and go with it?
This depends entirely on the author. Some authors tell me the blurb and a bit of info and let me run with it, some ask to see (or not to see) specific things on the cover that will help convey their book.
Creatively, sometimes it’s a bit more fun to take an idea and run with it myself. That being said, most of the time when the author provides input or suggestions, the book cover comes out much better because of it.
Just recently I worked on a series redesign for an author, and after two rounds of his input, I’m at least ten times happier with the final covers. On the other hand, I did another redesign of a cover for an author who looked at the first mockup and said, “Yep, that’s perfect!” and I was equally happy with the results. I think it varies by project. :)
Bec- Well that keeps life interesting, and it sounds like you have had good experiences working with authors so that is great!
5. What has been your most challenging cover to date?
This is a tough question! I actually can’t think of one. :)
Oh! I’m actually going to go ahead and say the audiobook cover for Snowball in Hell for Josh Lanyon. Josh was incredibly lovely to work with, very patient, and overall an ideal client, but since Josh Lanyon IS my favorite all-time author, I’ve never wanted to impress someone more.
Other than that, I can’t think of any. I’ve been so incredibly lucky to work with so many wonderful authors who are not only amazing writers, but sweet, appreciative people. There have been a few authors who’ve contacted me for book covers and I want to reply in shouty-caps to tell them how big of a fan I am. I often try to avoid turning their book cover request into fan mail, but sometimes a few “OMGILOVEDYOURBOOK”s slip through the cracks. :)
I know exactly what you mean about dialing back the fangirling, I struggle with that when asking to do release day or the like! That is great that you got to work with Josh Lanyon, that must have been a dream come true for sure!
Thanks so much Natasha, that was both tons of fun and very enlightening! I could interview you all day! :)
I AM GONNA PUT THEAUDIO COVER FOR SNOWBALL IN HELL BY JOSH LANYON HERE, IT IS A GREAT ONE! (CLICK THE COVER FOR AUDIBLE INFO AND LINK)
NOW FOR THE AUTHOR POSTS AND COVERS I WAS TELLING YOU ABOUT: CLICK ON THE BOOK COVERS FOR DIRECT LINKS TO INFO AND BUY/PRE-ORDER LINKS!
I WILL START WITH DEBBIE McGOWAN, AND HER STUNNING COVER FOR CRYING IN THE RAIN!
HERE IS WHAT DEB HAD TO SAY ABOUT NATASHA:
The cover Natasha made for my novel,
Crying in the Rain, is the most beautiful cover I have ever
seen. I mean this most sincerely. And it sells books... :)
Thanks, Natasha, for a truly gorgeous
cover. I think this is definitely one of those moments when a picture
speaks a thousand words, so I'll just leave it at that and let the
cover do the talking.
THAT IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL COVER! THANKS DEB!!
HERE IS WHAT LARRY BENJAMIN HAD TO SAY ABOUT NATASHA, SHE DID LARRY'S STUNNING COVER FOR HIS NOVELLA VAMPIRE RISING, OUT SUNDAY!
I first came to work with Natasha Snow on my most recent book, the novella, Vampire Rising. It’s a book with a lot of symbolism and color was an important part of that. There were also key elements that comprised the Vampire world. When it was time to do the cover my editor, Deb McGowan, who recognized that the cover would be almost as important as the story itself, suggested Natasha. I checked out her website and within a few covers I knew she was the perfect person to execute my vision.
We had two email conversations, and then she presented me with two cover options. I was blown away because she had nailed my vision exactly. Then she went a step further and chose a font that I would never have considered, but which captured the spirit of the book perfectly. One of the main character’s in the book is an artist so it seems fitting that a true artist like Natasha Snow should have done the cover.
I AM ALL KINDS OF IN LOVE WITH THIS COVER! ANOTHER STUNNING EXAMPLE OF NATASHA'S WORK, BUT WE ARE FAR FROM DONE!
LET'S HEAR FROM CON RILEY, (WHO WROTE A PIECE FOR THIS WHILE RECOVERING FROM THE FLU, YOU SERIOUSLY ROCK LADY!) FOLLOWED BY THE STUNNING COVER OF CON'S BOOK TRUE BRIT:
I searched for a cover artist as soon as I’d settled on the title of my latest self-published release, True Brit. My shortlist was simple. I wanted an artist to:
- help me to access a wider MM readership,
- who was innovative,
- and who could respond within my limited timeframe.
Natasha Snow matched my needs perfectly.
There’s always an element of worry with cover design. It’s like asking someone who hasn’t met your first-born child to paint a portrait of them based on second-hand description. The lack of control can be terrifying. Natasha checked if our concepts meshed well every step of the way.
Sexy, simple, and stylish, True Brit looks very different to my Seattle or Salvage series. Natasha created the distinct visual difference I wanted, and so helped me reach new readers.
I have no doubt that the book has been so successful because its title is clearly visible no matter which device it’s viewed on. And on a bigger screen, a standard but gorgeous MM torso looks unique and on trend because of Natasha’s design skill.
I wish Natasha every success. She was an easy-going pleasure to collaborate with on True Brit. I think her designs are magic, and I hope we can work together again!
Con x
HUMM.. WHOOPS, SORRY I GOT 50 KINDS OF DISTRACTED BY THAT SUPER HOT COVER: MOVING ON ;P
NEXT WE HAVE HANS HIRSCHI, HE WROTE A BIT ABOUT NATASHA, WHO HAS DONE TWO COVERS FOR HIM, AND OF COURSE THEY ARE STUNNING!
Natasha came highly recommended, and even though I had never heard of her before, I contacted her, we had a short chat (I'm weird that way, I need to hear people to assess if we are on a similar wavelength) and I decided I would trust her. I sent her the manuscript in a very early version and she came back to me with a cover suggestion that had me in tears (easily done, mind you) but I love the cover for The Fallen Angels of Karnataka. It is so adequate for a book so deep and difficult.
When time came for Willem, I wanted to try a human on the cover, and Willem really is the focal point for the novel. Natasha came to me with a couple of early drafts, and when the first model came, I knew we were onto something. Finding a model that has the right hair, right eye color and right age isn't easy, and I finally found one I liked. When the cover came back, and Natasha had worked him into the other elements, with the sun, the stars, the ominous clouds and the Table Mountain, I was in love. It is an amazing cover. Trust me, once you've read the book, you'll see just how many elements of the story she's managed to cover on her amazing cover design. Natasha is a pleasure to work with, she's dependable, her work of the highest quality and her personality is easy going. I look forward to Natasha working her magic on Spanish Bay...
TOLD YOU THESE WERE STUNNING, AND HANS IS RIGHT, I HAVE READ WILLEM, AND THIS COVER CAPTURES THE MAGIC OF THE BOOK PERFECTLY! A WONDERFUL JOB ONCE AGAIN!
NOW WE HAVE NICO JAYE, WHO ALSO HAD TWO COVERS DONE BY NATASHA:
Natasha Snow covers FTW! I've been lucky enough to have two stories with Natasha Snow covers, and I love them. Natasha is super friendly and easy to work with, and her cover design is visionary. She'll take a vague idea or two and turn them into polished gems. I'm always excited to see what she comes up with because her covers are invariably exciting and beautiful.
I HAVE READ BOTH OF THESE LITTLE GEMS, AND I HAVE TO SAY THESE COVERS ARE HOME RUNS ALSO!
THE LAST AUTHOR WE HAVE IS K.A. MERIKAN, WHO HAS WORKED WITH NATASHA ON TONS OF COVERS, I MEAN TONS, ;P, SO I WILL FEATURE TWO OF THEM, THE UPCOMING RED HOT, (OUT FRIDAY), AND NO MATTER WHAT (COFFIN AND NAILS MC), OF THE SEX AND MAYHEM SERIES: HERE IS WHAT K.A. HAD TO SAY ABOUT NATASHA AND HER WORK:
"I love working with Natasha. Her design always has a modern feel to it, like a breath of fresh air. What I especially like about her designs is the effort she puts into typography. Not just throwing in a random font with a clash of Photoshop effects, but she always puts thought into what the typography conveys. Our 'Guns n' Boys' series has a pulpy, movie vibe to it, so the author name is spread out to create that cinema poster quality, the 'Sex & Mayhem' series on the other side, is done in the same font as the 'Sons of Anarchy' title in the TV series and it compliments the images with vibrant colors. I always come to her with ideas, and she'll find a way to make things work so that the fonts and images work.
Thank you for your creativity and eye for design, Natasha! :)"
(NOTE FOR RED HOT I LINKED THE GOODREADS LINK, AS THERE WASN'T ANOTHER ONE YET)
THANKS NATASHA, FOR THE GREAT JOB YOU ARE DOING ON THESE COVERS, I KNOW WE WILL SEE MUCH MORE FROM YOU IN THE FUTURE!
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