WELL, I CAN HELP YOU WITH THAT.
So, here’s the thing. I tend to be very lucky with book covers. Some authors struggle to get great book covers out in the world, but so far, I’ve won that lottery damn near every time, with a rare exception here or there. (Related: did you see that Barnes & Noble did an exclusive cover reveal of my upcoming “hackers versus an NSA artificial intelligence” book, Zer0es?) The original Miriam Black covers were pretty much the perfect example of this — Joey Hi-Fi did a trio of covers that were images that lovingly encapsulated the books, and each image was itself a collection of smaller images. They played particularly well on-screen (though maybe less so in the physical, where the mass market paperback size made some of the details harder to parse). They were beautiful, and so, when it came time for SAGA Press to step up and create new covers for the book — obviously, I felt some apprehension in my gut.
Turns out, though? I had no reason to worry.
Simon & Schuster was eager to make these covers as iconic as their former ones, and were equally interested in hearing my thoughts along the way. And the trick about creating new covers for these books is, you need them to be as distinctive, but at the same time, not ape the former covers. You can’t out Joey Hi-Fi Joey-Hi-Fi. He is at the top of his game, so you gotta go different. But you also can’t go so different that nothing of the original remains, right? Right.
So, I’m pleased to reveal:
The brand new Miriam Black covers.
These covers are done by the artist Adam S. Doyle (his website here). Adam did the covers for the beautiful Maggie Stiefvater books (behold: Raven Boys). He does amazing work.
When, you may be asking, will the Miriam books be on sale?
The new e-books should land next month: 4/21.
Then, for print, there will be a rolling series of releases:
Blackbirds: 9/28.
Mockingbird: 10/6.
Cormorant: cough cough sometime a few weeks later
The fourth book, Thunderbird will come out in early 2016 in print and e-book.
No scheduled dates on the last two books in the series.
(Stay tuned for more news and some cool giveaways.)
So, wanna see the covers already?
YES OF COURSE YOU DO.
Ame says:
Oh my gosh.
March 9, 2015 — 2:54 PM
Chris Lites says:
Man, your name sure is big. It’s like the name sells books or some such.
March 9, 2015 — 2:55 PM
William Grit says:
Yeah, Chris , I like the bold (red) Wendig, it’s like a verb (isn’t it?), like you can tell someone I’LL WENDIG YOUR ASS and they’ll be like, O, shit, sorry bro. Haha, yeahman, the letters grab your attention. But doesn’t kill the attraction of the sharp-abstract-CLEAR-Chuckbirds. Or warbirds. I like how I can see the bristles strokes embedded in the Wenbirds: that screams authenticity.
(oh shit, I gotta wipe my nose, a hot girl is looking at me, really)
*uses shirt*
March 9, 2015 — 10:45 PM
Maya Langston says:
They’re quite gorgeous, Chuck! You lucked out both times.
BTW, I spied that ‘Soon to be a TV Show’ sticker! Too awesome! Congrats!
March 9, 2015 — 2:57 PM
Lawerence Hawkins says:
So pretty!
March 9, 2015 — 2:59 PM
Terry says:
Wow. Those are awesome, and well-deserved! Congrats!
March 9, 2015 — 2:59 PM
Michael Patrick Hicks says:
I was worried the new art would pale in comparison to the Joey Hi-Fi covers, but damn if these are not sharp as hell. Very nice! And I love that they had to censor Lauren Beuke’s blurb. Too perfect, man!
March 9, 2015 — 3:00 PM
missmoneypenny says:
GREAT covers! Now, about that television series …. any idea where/when it’ll be available?
March 9, 2015 — 3:02 PM
terribleminds says:
Starz is the network — though, I like to remind folks that the show isn’t definitive until it’s on your TV screen. 🙂
March 9, 2015 — 3:07 PM
Demonified™ (@swtlyevil) says:
I’m hoping that with it being on Starz that means it’ll be instant on Netflix as well. (Because I refuse to pay for cable/satellite. Sorry man.)
March 10, 2015 — 9:43 AM
Spofforth says:
If I had enough money I’d fund the films of these books myself and make them exactly as they are written, because when the network get their hands on the rights they’ll rip the books to shreds and all of Miriam’s character and delicious language will be lost in language that is suitable only for tv.
Miriam isn’t suitable for tv. Or tv isn’t suitable for people to watch people acting as fictional characters like Miriam.
We’ll end up with a “BASED on” version.
March 11, 2015 — 9:05 AM
Pam says:
Oh, dear God! I hope and pray not.
March 11, 2015 — 1:49 PM
Elizabeth says:
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
!!!!
!
Cool.
March 9, 2015 — 3:06 PM
Andrew T says:
Wow, those are gorgeous. I second the question of when/where the TV series will be available.
March 9, 2015 — 3:08 PM
powerjacob says:
Very cool! Well done.
March 9, 2015 — 3:10 PM
Gallifreyan1218 says:
As much as I love the old covers, I had prepared myself to hate the new ones no matter what, but… I have to say, these are fantastic.
I can’t wait for Thunderbird (2016? I thought it was this fall? 🙁 )
And now a show too! YES!!! Shame I don’t get Starz… I’ll have to find a friend with cable, or maybe Amazon Instant Video will have it on Prime or on sale per episode. *hopes*
March 9, 2015 — 3:11 PM
Jon McGoran says:
Look at the size of your NAME! (the Wendig part, not the Chuck part) …Great looking covers….
March 9, 2015 — 3:12 PM
Kathryn Goldman says:
They are beautiful, Chuck. But why new covers? What in your publishing journey caused that to be necessary?
March 9, 2015 — 3:13 PM
terribleminds says:
New publisher, Kathryn. SAGA Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
March 9, 2015 — 3:14 PM
stranger says:
Will the Mookie books also get new covers? I like both the old and new Miriam Black covers, but dammit, The Blue Blazes has one of -if not the- best book covers of all time, hands down.
March 9, 2015 — 8:42 PM
terribleminds says:
Nope. Same covers, there.
March 10, 2015 — 6:43 AM
stranger says:
Nice.
March 10, 2015 — 7:33 AM
Stefan (Far Beyond Reality) says:
Beautiful, Chuck. You’re absolutely right that you can’t out Joey Hi-Fi Joey Hi-Fi. The decision to go in a different direction was spot-on, and worked out very well.
Aaaand I think I’ll take this re-release as the perfect excuse to re-read the first three books.
March 9, 2015 — 3:23 PM
Mike Douton says:
The Lauren Beukes blurb is right up there with Scalzi’s “I do not wish Sam Sykes dead” for best blurbs ever.
March 9, 2015 — 3:27 PM
Sarah E. says:
Love them
March 9, 2015 — 3:40 PM
kalebruss3 says:
These covers are freaking beautiful!
March 9, 2015 — 3:46 PM
Peter B. says:
I’m stoked for you, Chuck. These are fantastic!
March 9, 2015 — 3:47 PM
Cam Mezé says:
OH! MY! GAWD! TAKE MY MONEY! All the yes! The Joey Hi-Fi covers will always have a special place in my heart (and arm!), but these covers are awesome! Just stunning!
March 9, 2015 — 3:49 PM
terribleminds says:
omg your arm
SO AMAZING, that arm.
March 9, 2015 — 4:05 PM
Alice E Keyes says:
I am so glad your covers don’t follow the norm of late; bad touched up photography of a person with either the head cut off or staring through a doorway. Looking forward to the releases.
March 9, 2015 — 3:57 PM
R. M. Webb says:
Stunning.
March 9, 2015 — 4:06 PM
Pam says:
Oh wow! That is such awesome news! Go you!
March 9, 2015 — 4:11 PM
Johann Thorsson says:
WOW. Chuck… Seriously, you are the cover king.
March 9, 2015 — 4:31 PM
wardent says:
wonderful covers! so happy for ye!
March 9, 2015 — 5:39 PM
mermaidmaddie says:
IM SCREAMING IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU AND IM SO PUMPED ABOUT THE TV SERIES
March 9, 2015 — 7:02 PM
Miriam Joy says:
I adore the covers of the Raven Cycle so I’m glad you got so lucky with artwork! I can definitely see that vibe there, with the swooshy paint effect, but they’ve got that darker, modern edge that really reflects the books themselves. Pretty cool. Does Adam specialise is books with things related to birds in the title? It seems like something he’s good at. 😉
March 9, 2015 — 7:38 PM
tracikenworth says:
Awesome!!
March 9, 2015 — 7:50 PM
R.F. Kacy says:
Very nice and well deserved accomplishment!
March 9, 2015 — 8:19 PM
Spofforth says:
Ok I’m being honest here. If I was in a book shop and saw those versions on a shelf next to the originals I’d pick the originals. Couldn’t you have had Joey Hi-Fi to create new covers Chuck or was that not an option? Or better still just use the original covers. I don’t see why Simon & Schuster/Saga Press wouldn’t want that. Plus we’d get to see more Joey Hi-Fi art when Thunderbird releases and 5 and 6 etc…
March 9, 2015 — 8:48 PM
terribleminds says:
I love the Hi-Fi covers, too, as noted in the post. But also noted is, we wanted to do differently, to differentiate these as being with a new publisher and to create a new visual imprint when it lands on shelves. So, going with the old covers wasn’t an option.
March 10, 2015 — 8:29 AM
William Grit says:
Postscript.
Am I the only one who looked at the Zeros cover, then thought about putting the binary on the cover –in a binary translator– to see if it says anything. I’m not going to do it because. I’m lazy. However, if you do do it. Let me know what it says. But you’re probably lazy too…
March 9, 2015 — 11:16 PM
Demonified™ (@swtlyevil) says:
You’re not alone. I wondered if someone would be so kind as to see if it translated. That would be awesome if there is a message there. (Too much to hope for, maybe.)
March 10, 2015 — 9:44 AM
Wendy Christopher says:
I loved the Joey Hifi covers, but these are also beautiful in a different way. A good different way – which is a completely redundant sentence to follow the one before it, but what the hey…
Can I ask a totally dumb question though? Are they going to pixellate the f-word on the front cover of the actual book like that? I was trying to imagine you’d done it just for displaying on this post, out of some sense of – I dunno, I’m coming up empty ’cause that doesn’t really compute somehow… 😉
March 10, 2015 — 8:40 AM
terribleminds says:
No idea, re: pixellation, but they won’t print the whole F-word on the cover, no. 🙂
I’m to understand that MOCKINGBIRD and CORMORANT may see different blurbs on their covers, so I dunno. These covers are final, but technically not final-final until print editions happen in the fall.
March 10, 2015 — 8:44 AM
Dale Eldon says:
Well I am still partial to the original covers, but, these covers are still epic! I love the setup, kinda reminds me of Marvel MAX, the comics for the naughty grown ups. Glad to see these books are still going to be out. I read the first one, freaking awesomesauce! I have two and three in my reading list. You always draw me in with your characters.
March 10, 2015 — 9:01 AM
Demonified™ (@swtlyevil) says:
These are good, but I’m still loving the old covers more. I understand the need for an update with all the changes… and I’m wondering why would they put the same blurb on each cover instead of a different one on each cover? And instead of blurring ‘fucking’ they should just remove it.
March 10, 2015 — 9:49 AM
Nick Nafpliotis (@NickNafster79) says:
These are awesome…although I still hold onto my dream that you and Joey Hi-Fi will do a graphic novel together some day.
March 10, 2015 — 10:33 AM
Meagan Wilson says:
Beautimous!
March 10, 2015 — 10:39 AM
Alexa says:
Oh my god, as soon as you said he’s the same guy who does Maggie Stiefvater’s covers I freaked out a little, I love love love his creepy painted birds. These are gorgeous. I am going to have a very pretty bookshelf.
March 10, 2015 — 11:17 AM
Carolina Mac says:
Love the covers, Chuck. You the man.
March 10, 2015 — 12:38 PM
anonymous says:
Will the eBooks have the older covers? I really prefer the old ones to the new ones. But if not, I’ll probably just suck it up and buy the eBooks anyway.
(Also the “Soon to be a television series” is too huge, man. I know they gotta advertise it for you but *damn*, you know?)
March 10, 2015 — 1:12 PM
Jenn Lyons says:
Niiiice.
Also congrats on the TV series (Yes, it will happen. These books are too awesome!)
March 10, 2015 — 1:18 PM
J. Kathleen Cheney says:
Gorgeous!!!
March 10, 2015 — 4:11 PM
totiltwithwindmills says:
Those covers are breathtaking!
March 10, 2015 — 6:24 PM
Sabrina E. Ogden (@sabrinaogden) says:
Sweeeeet!
March 10, 2015 — 9:30 PM
ElctrcRngr says:
Until I started learning about the publishing business, I never gave much thought to how important a book’s cover is. It’s amazing to me now how one cover will get me to pick a book from the shelf I’ve never heard of and read the first few pages, while the one next to it goes unnoticed. These are definitely eye-catching.
March 11, 2015 — 8:20 AM
Puck says:
These covers are gorgeous! And I’m definitely excited about the TV series thing!
March 30, 2015 — 5:28 PM