I swear, RA Salvatore is one of the luckiest authors going.
Without a doubt.
I’ve known Bob for seven or eight years. He has created arguably one of the most well known fantasy characters ever in Drizzt Do’Urden and writes some of the best battle sequences every year.
Beyond that, Bob is just a super nice guy, easy to talk to, and after two decades of professional writing loves it as much now as when he began.
A man who works hard deserves all he receives.
No, when I say he is lucky, I mean the covers he gets!
Authors have little to no input about cover art. Sure, the publisher asks the writer for some scenes that might work for cover art but rarely does it become a reality in a meaningful way. If a writer does not like the cover they are given, tough. They are stuck with it. If the marketing department believes covers with blue pin-striping are selling this year and you are an author, you are getting a cover with blue pin-striping.
I may be over simplifying it a bit, but not by much.
And most of the time, those covers with blue pin-striping become bestsellers. The art and marketing departments do usually know what they are talking about.
The same goes for covers Bob receives. He probably does not get a whole lot of say about the process. But he gets great covers anyway! The last two covers on his Drizzt trilogy Transitions have been great, both pieces of artwork by artist Todd Lockwood.
Well, Bob can now add another great cover to his portfolio for that trilogy's conclusion!
Here is the cover art for The Ghost King!
Do you likey? Me likey. Todd always produces a great piece of artwork, usually dynamic and alive with great light sources. On top of that, the art department at Wizards of the Coast has taken that artwork and accentuated it with a fantastic layout and great fonts.
To me, the entire cover is a piece of art.
You are so lucky, Bob!
The Ghost King will be released in October 2009.
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