I’ve Been Dying to Show You My New Book Cover…

Dear Friend,

I’m so excited to finally reveal the fabulous new book cover for my latest novel!

First, a quick throwback—remember the title contest? While there wasn’t exactly a runaway winner, Viola Restrung did come out on top (with four votes). I love that title, but I worried people might think it’s a guide to restringing a viola, or that it might not stick easily in people’s minds.

As for the other options, none received more than two votes. So, as the only voter who had actually read the entire book, I had to make an executive decision.

I wanted something memorable. You know that moment when you’ve just read a great book and someone asks for the title—and it’s suddenly gone? Maybe that’s just me, but it happens all the time. I didn’t want that for this book.

So I chose a title that’s easy to remember, not just because it’s a familiar phrase, but because it resonates. It sparks a reaction. The kind of title that makes someone think, yes, I want to read that. Simple, clear, and relatable—that was the goal.

Once I had the title, it was time for the cover—and this time, I did things differently.

In the past, I worked one-on-one with a designer: they’d create a concept, I’d give feedback, and we’d refine it together. But I always wondered… was there something better out there? I’m not an artist, so I never really knew.

Then I discovered 99designs.

It works as a contest: you upload your title, blurb, and a few style preferences, and designers from all over submit their ideas. Suddenly, instead of one or two concepts, you have dozens.

I chose to make the submissions visible to all the designers. That meant they could see which designs I rated highly, and yes, some began to echo those elements. I wasn’t sure at first if that was the right call (I could have kept everything private), but in the end, it worked. They saw what resonated and kept refining and improving.

There were plenty of designs I liked. But nothing really stood out—until one did.

The moment I saw it, I knew. That was the one. Exactly what I’d been looking for, without even realizing it.

If I had only seen a handful of concepts from a single designer, I never would have found this. While 99designs is more expensive than hiring one designer, it’s absolutely worth it for the chance to discover a cover that fits your book perfectly. I’ll definitely be using them again.

And now… here it is.

I hope you love it as much as I do.

❤️Margie

More on my new book and my deranged life in next week’s post. If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter yet, what are you waiting for? Grab your free ebook of short stories before they run… oh, who am I kidding, the supply is infinite. Tell your friends! Go to margiebenedict.com and click on Subscribe from the menu bar.