My Rejected Book Covers

It's OK to laugh

Last week I shared about how The Small and the Mighty got its title in this article.

And y’all. If you thought naming the book was ridiculous, please hold on to your hat, because you’re about to see some really, really bad book covers.

---

First up, we have an old-timey woman about to hurl herself off a cliff. Doesn’t she seem like an unsung American who changed the course of history?

Some people told me that this picture made their hands clammy with anxiety. Why is she so close to the edge?

Next we have a lot of negative space with a man wearing a life jacket building a fire? Pardon? My feedback on these first two covers (and there were a bunch of others in this vein): this seems like an oil panting that someone brought into a Word doc and typed the title on top of. Not mindful. Not demure.

More eye catching, I said. More Target shopper, less “my history professor wrote this book and made me pay $129 for it so it can be a text in his class.”

Eye catching=orange, apparently? With an eagle statue that appears to have been in a paintball war?

Now this next one… where do I begin. First of all, why are there so many weapons? What about this book says, “The cover should have ALL weapons available in revolutionary America?” Do we need cannons, swords, spears, muskets, buckets, ropes, shovels, torches, shields, bugles, AND drums?

And… the figure at the top. Who is she? Doesn’t the flag have too many stars? The eagle doesn’t look very happy it’s being ridden, right? Who is she pointing her sword at?

But for real, why IS it so many weapons?

Circus tent Small and Mighty?

Fluorescent yellow and a striped horse. I just… I can’t.

Ah, the good old quill and ink. Nothing says exciting story like a quill resting in a bottle.

Fine, you want exciting? How about a REALLY AGGRESSIVE SUNSET behind the TOTALLY UNSUNG and SUPER TINY Statue of Liberty.

I am not sure if you’ll be able to see this easily, but see if you can zoom in on the lower right and see the small child PICKING THEIR NOSE. And then look at the faces of every single other person on this cover. Not one of these people seems happy to be walking on planet earth, let alone gracing the cover of a book.

The Small and the Mighty: summer beach read edition. My husband Chris did not get what this small figure was doing? Dancing? Doing warmup arm windmills? Also, why is she a six year old girl? Children are not really characters in the book.

My concern with this cover is that it seemed like GIRL HISTORY FOR GIRLS. Agree? Are any Grandpas getting this for Christmas and actually feeling happy?

Well, if the previous cover was GIRL HISTORY FOR GIRLS, how about double the little girls on the cover and add an eagle?

Finally, we found a concept we all liked. But this is not the final cover. Sit with it for a moment and see if you can put your finger on what’s off about this.

It’s the flag. The way she is oriented means that the stripes are draped across her face, and the red stripes are reminiscent of a bloody blindfold.

Instead, the final cover has a different vibe. She is looking up into the stars, instead of having her sight limited. She sees the past for what it is. And it is at once heartbreaking and beautiful.

I love her.

Congratulations to Brian Lemus on a truly inspired cover design, and as the publisher noted, “One of the most handsome covers in our entire portfolio.”

She comes out in seven days. I cannot believe it. I can’t even tell you what the anticipation is like.

Many retailers have the hardcover for under $25 right now, and in addition to a beautiful addition to your home library, might I suggest this for a holiday gift for your child’s teacher, a friend at work, your mother- or father-in-law, or for a college student you know?

In the words of the great Candice Millard, author of Destiny of the Republic: “McMahon is a world class educator, now with millions in her digital classroom, but she is also a master storyteller, and that powerful combination is what makes The Small and the Mighty such an essential and irresistible read. If you want to really know your history and be deeply inspired—and have a great time!—along the way, read this book!”

Snag a copy on Amazon
Buy it from Target
Books-a-Million has signed copies
Barnes & Noble

And then be sure to grab your preorder bonuses here.

Thank you so much for your support!

P.S. SEVEN DAYS!