COVER REVEAL!

PAUL ZUNCKEL'S "SECRETS AND LIES"


KREST Publishers proudly presents to you the cover of Paul Zunckel's war-set drama-romance, "Secrets and Lies".

Book cover design is possibly one of the most exciting steps in the publishing process. It surpasses the stringent rules of editing and the time-consuming task of typesetting. Cover design is a time for publisher and writer to play together. The cover of "Secrets and Lies" is a proud collaborative effort between KREST and Zunckel.

Zunckel was asked, in the early days of production, what sort of cover he might like. The fiction novel is an intricately layered story. It traverses multiple years and characters' lives, expertly bouncing back and forth to create a drama epic. Starting off the in late South African seventies, it follows the enrollment of young men into the SADF. Although the story is set across the African continent at a time of war, it is, in fact, a tale far less about the battles than it is about the characters' ominous personal affairs. A novel with interlinking plot lines! Being so, Zunckel gave the publisher a few different image ideas that could be used as a base to create their own cover concept.


The pictures given, above, are allusions to prominent settings - The Indian Ocean during a treacherous storm, an old houseboat on the Congo River, and a burning farmhouse in the Drakensberg, among others. It was initially suggested by both parties to attempt a cover with multiple images layered over each other to create a collage effect of multiple plots. (You'll notice that the final cover looks nothing like this initial idea - but that's the dynamic excitement of cover design!)

KREST gave the cover designer the following excellent book covers as examples of the envisaged look:

Here, we liked the overlay of a battle image inside a character. However, we weren't entirely sure about using such a direct reference to war - the book is not actually a war story; it is a character-driven drama about the lives of the soldiers, their families, and their friends as they love, lose, and betray each other.







We liked that this cover incorporated a mysterious silhouette  laid over a setting. Our overall aesthetic would be a lot less mystery-inclined as the "Secrets" in our book are of a different kind!










We liked the well-integrated mixture of characters on the cover. We did want want more of a photographic look for a modern appeal, though.










Our cover designer took the initial image ideas and combined each with the preferences above to give us 3 samples to debate.
A pleasant discussion ensued, both internally and with the author. The conclusions were so:

Left: The colours of this image are so striking! A perfect ode to one of the most dramatic highs of the book. This was Zunckel's preferred cover.

Middle: Effortless layering of a beautiful African sky over the Congo River. Both parties were happy with the general appeal of this cover. Just one thing to be changed - the highly authentic writer (who served in the SADF border war himself) picked up in a second that the uniform the soldier wears belongs to the American army, not South African!

Right: It is fascinating to note that this is the cover the publisher initially preferred to isolate and work with to refine. The cover has a mainstream appeal and subtle allusion to war (the bullet holes in the window.)

As book cover design goes, there was an abrupt twist in the road when the publisher made the decision to go with the 'burning house' cover because, well... it takes the breath away, doesn't it?

We have almost arrived at the final cover now. Just a few things needed to be touched up. The silhouette on the cover was to be changed - something with more of a character element (rather than a vague shape) would do.

In the following final samples there are 3 different silhouettes and - if you look carefully - 2 different title fonts.


After playing around with them and settling on a good combination, KREST drew cover design to a happy close.

KREST Publishers proudly reveals the cover to our upcoming release, "Secrets and Lies" by Paul Zunckel.


Combining setting, the novel's antagonist standing ominously in the foreground with his characteristic Draper hat, and a hard-hitting title font, KREST and Zunckel co-created a spectacular cover for a spectacular book.

KREST Publishers looks forward to keeping you in the loop about Zunckel's upcoming release. Secrets and Lies will be thoroughly enjoyed by readers of the epics/drama genres,

Book: "Secrets and Lies" by Paul Zunckel
Publisher: KREST Publishers (an imprint of LOCHAN MEDIA PTY LTD)
Estimated release: eBook July 2020. Print to follow.

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