The Deal

NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARD

Winner

A young, well-connected real estate millionaire in New York City gets involved in a deal that looks really exceptional. It turns out to be a different deal entirely, involving the Russian mafia and every kind of danger. He barely escapes and must go into hiding for the rest of his life. The fast-moving story deserves this award, one of many this year for Oceanview Publishing. The author, Adam Gittlin, is a very talented writer. This is his second book.

For the cover, I wanted to convey that the "deal" is really two deals -- the enticing bait and the hidden trap -- so I made the title appear twice over a New York City backdrop. One title was totally visible, the other hidden behind and ominous looking. Clever! Rejected. Well, twenty-five design variations and proofs finally brought us to the simple cover design you see here. We tried versions with NYC at night, daytime, day and night together, as well as the title in many color choices and combinations. It can be a long process to end up with a simple design that really works. It's unpredictable, and worth the effort.

I put the oval on the back cover so we could convey the two deals after all. The hidden deal is in plain sight but not obvious. You'll have to read the book to get what I mean. Sorry. I should not spoil the surprise.

Click either image above to enlarge.