Cover Interview: Janet Ruth Smith and The Babysitter Murders

 Today I have Janet Ruth Young who is here to answer questions about her book cover for The Babysitter Murders.  So check it out and come back tomorrow and see my review of The Babysitter Murders.

1. What were your first thoughts when you saw the cover the first time?

I liked the role reversal. Normally, the babysitter would be throwing the child in the air.  Here the child seems to be throwing the sitter in the air, which suggests that the child is more stable than the adult. That’s unsettling in a good way.

2. Did you have any say in your cover?

Yes. Originally I thought Dani would have to be shown as a strawberry blonde. But once you’ve read the story and look at the cover again, this image makes more sense. I discussed the hair color with my editor and we decided to leave the image as is.

3. If you could add one thing to the cover what would it be?

A subtitle. Originally the whole title was “The Babysitter Murders: A Tale of Obsession.”  The subtitle fell by the wayside, and although I didn’t much care about losing it, it would have given readers a hint about Dani’s illness and conveyed some of the themes. Dani has her own obsessions, but nearly everyone in the book is obsessed with something. And as the story builds, hundreds—perhaps thousands—of people become obsessed with Dani.

4. What do you think is most eyecatching about your cover?

As I said above, the role reversal. I also liked the color of the type and the fact that the word MURDER is under the ground like a dead body. In terms of catching the book buyer’s eye in bookstores, the type treatment on the spine really jumps out, too.

5. What do want the cover to tell people picking up your book?

“Something is wrong here, and it will take you a while to learn what that is. So suspend your assumptions.”

Thanks Janet Ruth Young for joining us today - make sure and check out this great book!