This is the cover art for The Knights of Breton Court Book Two: King’s Justice by the incredible Steve Stone (the model’s name is Lloyd Nwagboso*). Now contrast this with this news item:
Lavie Tidhar’s already done a great blog that lays out the situation. For the sake of staying focused, we’ll ignore that Bloomsbury’s new cover featured the lightest black person they could find. Though, this was a fact noted by Ellen Datlow (who is quite white) and she goes on to point out in her open letter to Bloomsbury.
I was trying to explain this scenario to a friend of mine who is not connected to the publishing world at all. He found it stunning that in this day and age such racism is openly practiced. The idea that white people won’t buy books with black people on a cover or that there’s not a book buying public among the black community who would purchase books borders on the irrational. Yet it seems that once again it seems like racefail is in full effect.
Now would be the time when I would point out that not all publishers buy into the cycle of reinforcing racist ideas. I would point to Angry Robot’s cover for South African writer Lauren Beukes‘ second novel, Zoo City (art by John Picacio). Or my own novel from them, Knights of Breton Court: Kingmaker. Instead, I will point to the just released art for my second novel, Knights of Breton Court: King’s Justice one more time because it’s just so pretty:We’ll soon find out whether or not black people on a cover will hurt sales. Nevertheless, having this conversation won’t hurt. Apparently it’s long overdue to happen.
*Lloyd was actually the second model chosen. In an interesting parallel to the Bloomsbury debacle, Angry Robot asked me what I thought of the first model the artist was leaning towards. I said that I thought he was too light as I had imagined King as much darker. The folks at Angry Robot immediately, and I mean, IMMEDIATELY agreed and changed course. You can’t ask much more than that from your publishers.
Gods! That's pretty. Or do I mean aesthetic? Sorry to hear about the "racefail" cover debacles. Glad to hear Angry Robot (isn't it a British-based imprint?) aren't being prats over the issue. Also realised however that I have little to compare it with though: as I tend to see very little fantasy/sci fi by/about black people. Ah for the joys of a larger marketplace!On the realism front, I like to read what they often call "misery memoirs" (British/Irish/Australian, some American) and on the GB editions, they almost never use a picture of the real person; but if they *are* black or Asian, usually a representative model is selected. (However I did see a cover of two kids meant to look Malaysian looking more Spanish!) I expect Bloomsbury, who only have their lucky punt on Rowling to thank for being anywhere, relied on crap market research. Corporate think. Someone has to pioneer stuff that doesn't look like all the rest.
Your cover model Lloyd – he's a Brit – how appropriate! Mancunian(!!) (Hey Yanks – bet you don't know: that means from the northern city of Manchester! Had to say in case people think it means something uncouth!) Gotta ask: the "King Maker" cover pic on his Twitter page looks quite a bit different from the one on here – bigger, bolder! Pls explain?
he's posting the art for king maker. the art i'm posting now is for book two, king's justice.
the books will be released only three months apart, that's why you saw one cover posted last month and the second one so soon.
Wow, another awesome cover. You are a lucky man.
i am SOOOOOO not taking it for granted.
Yes, Michele, Mo sure is a canny/lucky man with the covers he's had so far! (None of them have ever been "vague"; rather in-your-face: I like iyf and specific rather than generic.) Yes Maurice I get what you are saying; and am not such a mug as to mistake Book I for Book II or vice versa; the colour schemes are deliberately different. No: at first I was inclined to blame my pathetic little handheld; then I realised it must have sth to do with the fact that your blog shows the whole jacket; and Lloyd's was focusing on the front cover of the first book, I think. But it seemed to me even on my inadequate interface that in that which you showed, the protagonist was not directly staring at the viewer; whereas on the "bigger" pic of him he seems very "full -on". Are there any differences between the UK and US covers? Hint: Rush Limbaugh wouldn't like being stared down by that guy! Maybe s. should send him an advance copy for some negative blowhard publicity – seeing as it didn't hurt Barack!
it's interesting that you note the full on vs. to the side poses. that actually ties in with the themes in the respective books.
Does it? If so, it makes it very subtle and integrated as a presentation! But – you still didn't answer my niggling question: hmm I must go back and find the post of your cover for Book I: could you put up both one under another? Yes; I do indeed have an eye for detail, but am hampered without easy access to a PC and laptopless for months (Hewlett Packard's fault not Loki's; most heathens say he wrecks computers but HP wouldn't honour the guarantee; so who's the antisocial thief?) Anyway: I wasn't, primarily, attempting to compare the 2 different volumes but wondering if *Book I* had different covers in 2 countries; because it appeared to me as if King (?) was slouching a bit to the side in the FIRST one; maybe even looking at or kicking sth with one of his feet. Am I imagining things now? Anyway I remember the colour scheme of that one (including back cover part) was tinged bluish; maybe that's why I said "Blade". But anyway I like it in close-up! They're both good!
To be clear: of course i notice/acknowledge the obvious differences in the covers of the two separate volumes; they have completely different moods; and of course the figures have completely different stances/orientations. "Justice" is looking inwards; towards that light and to our left. Tell me is that light on a lighthouse like I think it is; or is it on a truck? If it's the latter then I'm chucking this phone and going for an eye test. (Is there a Lady of the Lake in your world? And have you got a Merlin?) Anyway, previously, you derailed me mid-jest (did Arthur have a jester? Looks like u've got one! Lucky u!) I was going to do this big, sharp-tongued, Britishly irreverent riff on Limbaugh, and dare u to print it by urging u not to.. but then, well.. I read most of those links; v. interesting, but one thing I noticed is that Yanks (sorry: tired of putting Ameri.. and what's USians..) have NO sense of humour on this topic at all; only exception "mixed-race dragon" ha :ws. average Brits'd be full of banter!
Small final correction: In above picture, I believe protagonist has been looking at light (*what* is it btw??) but has just started to turn "our way" again; that is, towards viewer. Yes: and *I also think that you and pals are onto a good and necessary cause here*; with the "racefail" in speculative fiction of various types; but you've only started to reach the real political-economic meat now, with the war on the deceitful covers! Keep on keeping on! – this is the substance of the matter; you all have to confront the corporations! Finally: American authors hit political paydirt! (Whereas I vaguely remember some rather nasty attacks on Elizabeth Bear and her ideas on "writing the other" last year or whenever; and I thought: this is no good at all; being mainly privileged whiners engaged in internecine warfare; as ever, with left-of-centres; like to see teabaggers attacking each other!) But now you've got the covers as a uniting cause; the gods will smile on you! Summation: there is definitely sth strange
going on in American culture with respect to race – to even acknowledging it exists! (Maybe it affects fantasy fiction particularly because that's the mythical heart of the culture. But it affects more tangible things too – politics, policing.) Anyway; as I said, I can't imagine the UK publishing industry getting their knickers in such a duplicitous twist over the same thing (note: I noticed that the Aussie writer with the French name was pretty 2-faced over the whole thing too, at first – does she think that was clever? I don't: more like embarrassing!) Brit matter-of-factness seems to demand that if the book has ethnic characters on the inside; it has them on the outside as well; even if in colourful semi-abstract pictures; Alexander McCall Smith an example. Memoirs another. In fact, I remember plenty of UK childrens books from the 1970s and onwards where this is so; anything associated with the BBC bends over backwards to be multi-cultural; also anything illustrated by Quentin Blake.
In fact, I even remember an early D W Jones novel (fantasy) that had a black child as a secondary protagonist: guess what: *he was on the cover!* It was written during the early 70s but I didn't get to her work til the 80s. It's called "Wilkins' Tooth" (sth else in the States) and it is a little gem as it is one of her few books to feature non-European characters (and not Arabian Nights ones either.)But the viewpoint characters are white kids in a mixed suburb. 2 villains: a mean old white lady who is a witch; and a white bully boy kid who heartwarmingly reforms! And all his swearwords are rendered as colours of the rainbow!) Middle school level like the earlier Harry Potters. But the Kid Of Colour was on the cover with the white ones (unlike the HP KOCs, hmm!) And I haven't seen him on the recent US ed. on Amazon. Hasn't dated much overall; google it for your kids. Does it make it "easier" for the publishers if the black kid is portrayed in a mixed group? Was 70s "schools" fiction more progressive? U Decide!
Wow, that is a fantastic cover and I… I… I'm sorry, I had a point but then I looked at the model's Twitter page and now I'm DROWNING IN MY OWN DROOL. I'll remember it later. You understand.
Oh, and fascinating to see your take on why horror hasn't had a RaceFail; I hadn't seen it last year amid all the other stuff going on at the time. Glad I caught it here. =)
Anyway, hello fellow spec ficky brown person!
Now, uh, back to that Twitter page…
oh, i'm not stupid. there's a reason i posted a link to his twitter page…
I don't think it'll hurt sales at all. If anything it'll increase sales, black people who think that science fiction/fantasy is a white thing, will see scifi in a different way.
And everyone may see the cover and think, hmm? this is new, lol and pick it up just because it's different.
But in reference to the model chosen for the book cover, why didn't they just…I don't know…ask the author?
[…] TO SHOW US GABOUREY SIDIBE’S ‘LIGHTER’ SIDE – you think white washing only happens in book publishing or on movie posters? I think […]