Category: Art
- Anna Gregson - August 2nd, 2011
The Dwarves are back. And they will have their vengeance…
Presenting our cover for the third book in this epic series from international bestseller Markus Heitz – about the bravest, sturdiest and most formidable of warriors, the Dwarves. Their hero Tungdil is back – and if you think he’s been through the wars so far then I assure you there is much more adversity waiting on the horizon for this unfortunate fellow. It’s just lucky that he’s a dwarf through and through, because the courage of the dwarves has never been questioned…
The fantastic cover comes from the talented illustrator Bob Lea. His site here is well worth a look - but beware: you could be lost in there for days marvelling at its treasures!
I’m delighted with this image because it’s exactly how I picture the Dwarves: fearlessly heroic, ever-armed for battle and raising the ferocious war cry. For me the cover says: “In the face of danger, a dwarf never surrenders!” Well, that – and also: “MWWWAAAAAAARRRRRGGGHHH!!!!”
And I’m honoured to say that The Revenge of the Dwarves will be storming the Orbit defences worldwide this coming October. Read on for the blurb and a larger image below… Read the rest of this entry »
by Anna Gregson • 1 Comment • Posted in: Covers, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK, Orbit US
- The Orbit Team - August 1st, 2011
This is to launch the wonderful, fiery and dramatic cover for Cold Fire (US | UK | ANZ), book two in Kate Elliott’s new Spirit Walker series. This was illustrated by Larry Rostant and designed by Peter Cotton and I think they’ve created a fabulously atmospheric cover.
To me, this gives off hints of magic and danger in an age of adventure, where a young girl must choose her path. It’s certainly exciting stuff and this fantasy adventure is published by Orbit internationally next month, so not long to wait now! And if you want to quickly get up to speed on the series, Cold Magic (book one, US | UK | ANZ) is published in mass market this month. Elizabeth Moon found it ‘a definite hands-down great read’ and FantasyBookCritic ‘utterly loved it’.
And here’s a little more on the story of Cold Fire itself:
Trapped within a maze of blood, treachery and magic …
Cat and her cousin Bee are key players in a drama of dragons and politics. Warring factions want to use or destroy their growing powers, and they’re closing in. The Cold Mages are conspiring to take them prisoner and the warlord Camjiata thinks it’s their destiny to help him conquer Europa – whether they want to or not. And the man Cat was forced to marry is back, as arrogant and annoyingly handsome as ever. Worse still, as Hallows Night approaches, powers hidden deep within the spirit world are rising. Cat must seek allies against these threats, for if she makes the wrong choices, she’ll lose everything. Only one thing is certain. When Hallows’ Night comes the Wild Hunt will ride – and it feeds on mortal blood.”
by The Orbit Team • 3 Comments • Posted in: Covers, New Titles, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK, Orbit US
- The Orbit Team - July 28th, 2011
We’ve been counting the days until we can unleash Jim Butcher’s Ghost Story (UK | ANZ) onto the world – and publication day is at last upon us. And you can catch the first four chapters here before you rush out, waving your arms around, to get the new book!
We also have some great GIVEAWAYS, in the shape of five signed hardback cover proofs and five A3 print-outs of front cover artwork. Full terms/conditions plus pictures of the great stuff itself are here and to enter just fill in the small form below this post and click submit. And it’s for UK residents only! Lastly, if you didn’t catch the great mini interview with Jim Butcher on Harry Dresden, plus rereads of the entire series, these are here.
Early reviews have been rightfully amazing too, and we couldn’t agree more …
The Dresden Files defines all odds by getting better and better … If you love Urban Fantasy drop everything to catch up now. There is no other UF series that comes close”
GavReads.co.uk
“Ghost Story is a wonderful addition to the Dresden Files series … one of the most consistently well-written urban fantasy series in existence”
LoveVampires.com
“This stunning, exciting series entry with its heart-stopping action will shock and thrill”
Library Journal
‘Fans will be gratified … plot twists and high-stakes combat with an assortment of supernatural beings”
Publishers Weekly
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by The Orbit Team • 1 Comment • Posted in: Art, Contests, Covers, New Titles, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK, Reviews
- Kirk Benshoff - July 26th, 2011
The Troupe by Shirley Jackson Award winner Robert Jackson Bennett hits shelves February 2012. When you have an intelligent combination of thriller, horror, and Americana…you end up with a book that stands on its own.
I’m going to write more about the process and how I got to the final design. But since we’re so excited about launching the cover, here it is today!
After the jump see the cover full-size with a teaser…
Read the rest of this entry »
by Kirk Benshoff • Post a Comment • Posted in: Art, Covers, Orbit UK, Orbit US, Uncategorized
- Lauren Panepinto - July 19th, 2011
Mid-series covers are at the same time a relief and a challenge. On one hand you already have the general look and feel of the art established, so a lot of the trial and error is skipped. Unless something has gone terribly wrong you are usually commissioning art from the same artist, and they start working a lot closer to the target. The type style is usually set, and overall it’s kind of fun to be able to play within those constraints. However you also can’t play it too safe and end up with boring art, or at least, art that isn’t pushed to its full potential. Because sometimes, especially in the case of a new author, the second cover is even more important than the first—you want to really show this author is establishing a strong series and the world is something you want to be drawn into. I know a lot of people—in fact, I am married to one—that won’t start a series if just the first book is out. (For example, he’s recently got into Game of Thrones on HBO and was really interested in reading the books until he heard it wasn’t a completed series…and yes, these are the fights that go on in my house) Thus, it’s really important to make mid-series covers as awesome, if not MORE awesome, than the first cover.
This brings me to Exogene, the next book in T. C. McCarthy’s Subterrene War series (Germline is the first, which just came out and is getting great reviews). Steve Stone did a fabulous job on the Germline cover – it was the perfect tone – obviously military SF but the attitude tells you there is something deeper going on here. Of course, this makes the Exogene cover harder. For one, a female lead character which means you are immediately fighting certain clichés, and (I don’t want to give away anything here) she is a character full of contradictions. We wanted to capture her maybe right on the edge between blind belief and doubt. A soldier still heroic, but perhaps with just the slightest uncertainty beginning to show on her face. And add to that delicate proposition the fact that it’s a beautiful young woman who also happens to be bald. And then make her look like a convincing soldier. Not an easy task. But in my opinion, yet again, he nailed it.
After the jump, see the cover next to Germline and get a teaser…. Read the rest of this entry »
by Lauren Panepinto • 3 Comments • Posted in: Art, Covers, Orbit US
- Lauren Panepinto - July 14th, 2011
Philip Palmer’s Red Claw was one of the first covers I designed when I joined the Orbit team, and it’s still one of my faves. I love working on these covers, they’re so much fun, because his writing has this fabulous pulp scifi feel to it, and you can get that feel with the photo shoots. That’s one of the fun things about establishing a really strong author look, it anchors a book, and let’s you get crazy within that framework. It’s kind of like a mullet—business up front, party in the back! (Yes, I really just compared Book Cover Design to Mullets, call the graphic design police, it’s been a rough week.)
Photographer Laura Hanifin was my partner-in-crime for this cover, which we shot at the same time we shot for Hell Ship and the new e-book cover for Debatable Space. It was an exhausting (and smelly!) shoot, but we got three fantastic cover images out of the day, and you don’t get 3-cover-days very often, trust me!
After the jump, see the whole series of covers together, as well as a teaser!
Read the rest of this entry »
by Lauren Panepinto • Post a Comment • Posted in: Art, Covers, Orbit UK, Orbit US
- Anna Gregson - July 5th, 2011
Here in the UK, Nicole Peeler’s Jane True series has got a brand new look – and I’m very excited to now be able to unveil it.
Presenting the first 4 covers for the series, designed by the talented illustrator Mark Swan:
Tempest Rising and Tracking the Tempest will be re-released in this brand new style this coming August. Then hot on their heels, Tempest’s Legacy will be released in September, followed by Eye of the Tempest in October. So Nicole Peeler will truly be making a splash in the UK this summer!
And if you haven’t discovered The Jane True series yet, here’s what people have been saying about it:
‘Peeler packs a hell of a punch with writing that is bold, bawdy, and bright, and breaks the usual paranormal boundaries with sensitivity and style to burn. I can’t wait for the next one!’ Kat Richardson
‘A new star is rising in the urban fantasy world. With her Jane True character, Peeler launches a first-person series that’s an exciting journey of self-discovery and murder mystery . . . A notable debut’ Romantic Times
‘A fascinating, fast-paced sexy storm of a book’ Rachel Caine
‘Peeler’s Jane True series is one that readers will want to see through to the end’ Impact
Look below for the covers in their full glory:
Read the rest of this entry »
by Anna Gregson • 3 Comments • Posted in: Covers, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK
- Lauren Panepinto - June 27th, 2011
People often ask me, how do I find artists for books. And there’s never one good answer…I try to stay on top of established scifi and fantasy artists through places like Spectrum and assorted illustration annuals. I also like to keep an eye on people working more in the fine-art and urban art realm thru mags like Juxtapoz and Hi Fructose. I have a long history in comics (yes I was a Comic Shop Girl) and I pull artists across the divide between comics and books. Agents send me updated work from artists constantly. And facebook, believe it or not, has been a great tool for me to find emerging artists.
The real problem isn’t finding good artists, it’s wishing I had enough good projects for all the fabulous artists I know of! And I love getting people who haven’t worked on a lot of book covers to work on a cover for me, I think it keeps the art really fresh. So I am always walking around with a “dream team” list in the back of my head. And David Seidman was on that list for a while…until I heard that we were going to do an omnibus edition of Trent Jamieson’s Deathworks Series, and I knew he would be perfect for it. I’m not sure where I first saw David’s work. It was either on facebook or it was his Coheed and Cambria picture disk. Either way I just had a gut feeling he would have a fabulous take on these books, which is kind of a little Constantine by way of The Office. Or Office Space, actually. We really wanted to capture the bored sick-of-this-damn-cubicle attitude, while showing a bit of the supernatural. If you want to get a good intro you can read the opener here.
As you’ve been reading over the last few cover posts, I love doing omnibus editions. I like them as a fan, there’s nothing better than getting a big honking bible-sized edition of a series, and as an art director, I love getting a chance to reinvent a character. This redesign started with shooting the right photo reference with Shirley Green. (Often an artist shoots his own reference photo, but the editors and I had such a strong sense of what we wanted that I art directed the shoot then sent the images we picked to David). We had a heck of a time finding the right model. We knew we wanted someone out of the vein of beefcake, someone cool, who could look so very fed up and a bit pissed. And look good in a suit, of course! But we settled on Jonathan Taylor and he was a great model, and totally a geek too, which makes it all so much more fun. Anyway then we picked poses we liked in-house, then sent the winner to David. He & I went back a bunch talking about tone and color, and he produced this fabulous illustration. So enjoy BIG after the jump, along with some shots of the various stages. And a teaser, of course…
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by Lauren Panepinto • 5 Comments • Posted in: Art, Covers, Orbit UK, Orbit US
- Lauren Panepinto - June 22nd, 2011
One of the best parts of my job is getting to collaborate with fantastic artists on covers. And one of Orbit’s favorites is the stellar Sam Weber. When I heard we were going to collect the first three Spirit Thief books into an omnibus edition I knew I wanted to give Sam a crack at creating his version of the incorrigible rogue & sorcerer Eli Monpress. So here it is, The Legend of Eli Monpress by Rachel Aaron. It’s out in February in satisfying tome-size trade paperback. This edition collects The Spirit Thief, The Spirit Rebellion, and The Spirit Eater, and set’s the scene for the next story, The Spirit’s War, out in June 2012.
And speaking of The Spirit’s War, we know you guys are going to love this cover so much that we already have Sam working on the cover for the new book. And Art Director Kirk & I snuck out of the office for a few hours and went to visit Sam at his studio and see the cover-in-progress! We also took along our trusty cameraman Eric Westpheling to tape a studio tour and chat with Sam about his process. That video will debut with the cover launch of The Spirit’s War in a few months, but for now, here are some images of our visit and a SNEAK PEAK at the next cover!
I don’t remember the first time I saw Sam’s art but here at Orbit we love that he can capture such a strong feeling of fantasy and adventure, yet in a fresh way and in his unique style. Our first project together was The Gaslight Dogs, which was a stunning cover, but I have of course also been jealous of all the lovely work he’s been doing for other clients as well. Especially that drop-dead-gorgeous Ender’s Game ebook. And I have to say I was curious to see exactly what his process was…the transparency & textures he gets in his illustrations just blows my mind. I definitely learned a lot. I guess you’ll just have to wait for the cover launch of The Spirit’s War to hear him explain it himself…
Meanwhile, after the jump you can see a few more still shots of Sam in action, as well as this cover BIG, and a better shot of the art-in-progress…and if you haven’t had the chance to “meet” Eli Monpress yet, do yourself a favor and download the first two chapters as a free pdf here. I know I’m not supposed to have favorites and all, but this series is definitely on my list of manuscripts that I bug the editors about when I know it might be coming in…My early comparisons to The Princess Bride and Locke Lamora are completely on-target with everyone I’ve recommended this book to. Eli is a fantastic antihero, and, guy or girl, you can’t help fall in love with him a bit. Read the rest of this entry »
by Lauren Panepinto • 7 Comments • Posted in: Art, Covers, Orbit UK, Orbit US
- The Orbit Team - June 21st, 2011
We are very excited to unveil, at last, the stunning cover for The Dread (US | UK | ANZ). The Dread is the epic concluding volume in Gail Z. Martin’s Fallen Kings Cycle and is fantasy adventure at its most adventuresome. We published the first book, The Sworn (US | UK | ANZ), in February 2011 and The Dread will be available from February 2012. Both covers have been illustrated by talented fantasy artist Steve Stone and Peter Cotton developed the designs to great effect.
Today’s cover launch comes as part of Gail Z. Martin’s annual summer solstice online book ‘event’ . So please do check out her site for details of a sneak peek from the new book itself, plus there will be giveaway contests, interviews and online goodies spread across her website, blog, social media pages and also on other selected host sites.
And for a little look at just some of the great quotes we’ve had in for The Sworn, see below, a taster of what’s to come!
Top notch, engrossing fantasy”
SFRevu.com
“Very well-written and intricately plotted…I can’t wait for the second book in the cycle, The Dread”
The Civilian Reader blog
“I found myself caught up in the story and the characters almost from the first page …very enjoyable”
Bookgeeks.co.uk
“Those who enjoy the large-scale fantasy of George R.R. Martin and Robert Jordan should enjoy this”
Library Journal
by The Orbit Team • Post a Comment • Posted in: Art, Covers, New Titles, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK, Orbit US
