Daisy Whitney’s New Book Covers + An Interview About Them

 

Daisy Whitney’s books The Mockingbirds and The Rivals have received a little cover-makeover. I had the opportunity to interview Daisy about these fabulous new covers. I hope you enjoy the interview!

 

1. So lets start with the obvious question, what do you think of the new book covers compared to the old ones?

I am crazily in love with these covers! Personally, as a reader I prefer photographic covers and am most often drawn to covers with strong women or girls on them, so the paperback of The Mockingbirds appeals to me for that reason. But beyond my personal tastes, these covers are definitely in line with the stories. The first book is about a teen girl finding the strength to stand up for herself and speak her mind, but also to reclaim her heart, mind, and body after a traumatic event. That the girl on the cover is looking directly at the reader and not away is exactly what I want for the story! I also love her red lipstick because I think it's a powerful statement that Alex, in a way, is reclaiming her right to wear red lipstick. Even after the trauma of an assault, she can heal and she doesn't have to hide. That's what the new cover says to me. As for The Rivals cover, it's really the mirror, the perfect pair, to the first book. And the story is about the other side, the opposite, of the Mockingbirds. So a teen boy is the perfect complement to the first cover. Plus, he's, you know, easy on the eyes!

2. Is there one new cover you prefer over the other? (The paperback cover of The Mockingbirds vs. the hardcover of The Rivals)

No! I love them both so so so much! I do like those blue eyes on the boy though....

3. I know that most authors are given very little say in what their book covers will look like. Since this is the second go-around of the covers, did you get any say in what went into them?

My publisher and especially my editor Kate Sullivan were fantastic through this whole redo. Kate really wants her authors to be happy with their covers, and she absolutely listened to my opinions on the type of covers I like and took that into account while working with the design team. I think teens respond well to photographic covers so I sent her a list of my favorite book covers as she began the work on the redesign. She took it from there and a few months later came back to me with these beauties. Liz Casal is the designer and I bow down before her. Liz has made this author very very very happy!

4. For people who haven't read it, can you quickly describe what The Mockingbirds is about?

The Mockingbirds is about an underground student-run justice system at a prestigious boarding school and the cases they try, including one involving a date rape. The Rivals is a sequel that follows another case, this one involving a cheating ring at the school and how it challenges the Mockingbirds to the core.

5. The hardback cover of The Mockingbirds is very broad- but in a way it pays homage to To Kill a Mockingbird. How do you think the new covers will be perceived by teenagers, and what do you think people can learn about the book from looking at the covers?

There will still be a bit of homage paid to To Kill a Mockingbird on the back of the paperback! (Wait til you see the back!) I certainly hope teenagers like these new covers. I think they have a lot of teen appeal and I think they're exactly the type of covers teens are apt to pick up in a bookstore. I also think the other elements in the covers from the title font to the tagline font to the yearbook photo feel of the pictures underscores the themes of the stories -- students writing on the walls, writing in code, passing around notes and info, tracking other students, etc. I truly could not be happier with a set of covers.