A.S. King and the Cover of The Dust of 100 Dogs

I have been admiring this cover for many months now, anticipating the release of this book. It was simple, yet enticing at the same time. A.S. King is one of the first authors I came into contact with when I first started reviewing and I was even more excited when I found out she lived in PA (haha). What I love most about this cover is not the colors, not the graphics, but the simplicity. This is the perfect example of 'less means more' and it came out beautifully. Now, I must warn you about this cover story, as A.S. King decided she would spruce it up a bit. I am going to put in her foreword as well as her answers...I think you will all enjoy it and even get a few giggles in as well.

Thanks so much for having me, Book Nymph! I’ve read a lot of cover stories, and usually, due to changes or mixed feelings from artists, editors and authors, those stories are pretty exciting. My story – for the cover of The Dust of 100 Dogs – is boring compared, because the cover was perfect from day one. So, I have added sharks to the ends of these answers to keep readers on the edge of their seats, because sharks, on a whole, are really exciting. 1. How did the cover of THE DUST OF 100 DOGS come to be? A very talented artist at my publishing house was having a very good day when he designed this cover. I’m not really sure how he got the idea. In fact, I would love to ask him, because from the moment I saw it, I loved it. (I was swimming beyond the surf before work, when a shark began to circle around me. I knew from my training that I probably wouldn’t make it out alive.) 2. Were you a part of the decisions about the cover of THE DUST OF 100 DOGS? My editor asked me for input. He asked me what covers I liked and suggested I trawl through online images for ideas of what might work for me. I sent him a few cover images that I like. These were more graphic-oriented than photo-oriented. I mentioned that if I was to do the cover myself, I’d probably put a tiny white skull & crossbones in the middle of an all black cover. Lame, right? (Though I knew I’d probably only entice him more with my kicking, I started to swim for shore at record pace. Just when I got close enough to yell for help, I felt the shark rub up against my leg. It was like a million tiny needles had stabbed me at once.) 3. Is the final cover what you had in mind for THE DUST OF 100 DOGS? I had nothing in mind. But there is no other cover I can imagine on this book now. It really is just genius. (I kicked through the pain and suddenly, I was in shallow enough water that I could feel the sand and shells beneath my hands. I pushed myself the final meter, and sat in the beach surf for a moment to catch my breath. I could see the shark swimming out to sea again, his dorsal fin still above the surface.) 4. Is there anything you would want to change about the cover of THE DUST OF 100 DOGS? Nothing. I pretty much owe the design team at Flux a two-mile-high skyscraper or three million buffalo or something. (I limped to the lifeguard station and grabbed my whistle and blew it. When the other guards arrived, they saw the brush on my calf and knew what it meant.) 5. Are you happy with the final product? Yes. I am insanely happy with the final product. (Beach Closed. Shark Attack.)