The story behind the cover of TMEA

I’ve been asked by a few people about the cover of Through my Eyes. Again. as  it’s a bit different from the ‘usual’ modern covers. As I started  writing an explanation, I thought that you might like a glimpse of what  goes on behind the final production of the book. A cover is the ‘hook’  that first attracts a reader and so it needs to be well baited with  elements that hint at the story.

The overall  design of the cover echoes an East German propaganda poster from 1970  (below) by a Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR - communist East  Germany) artist, Klaus Bernsdorf. This was found by Chris during his  research and you can see this influence in the cover design.

The 1970 East German propaganda poster by Klaus Bernsdorf
The text translates as “See, great things have been accomplished.”

Initially  we planned to use the poster on the back cover and our echo on the  front. I got in touch with the German Historical Museum in Berlin,  trying to track down copyright. They were very helpful and were able to  locate the name of the artist, but could not trace an address. As the  copyright had returned to the artist when the DDR ceased to exist with  the reunification of Germany, that meant we could not use the poster  itself without breaking copyright. Work on the back cover continues -  but it will only be needed if I decide to produce a print edition. (I  have acknowledged Klaus Bernsdorf’s work as the inspiration for the  cover design in the front pages of the book.)

The  novel is mostly set in Herne Bay and Beltinge, in the county of Kent in  the UK during the Cold War in the early 1960s; I felt the cover should  reflect this time and location. Herne Bay is a seaside town on the north  Kent coast and used to have one of the longest 19th Century piers in  Europe. Initially, I thought we could use an image of the pier. However,  neglect, fire and storms have practically destroyed the entire  structure and I couldn’t find the right picture from earlier times. As a  result I went looking for some other landmark.

On  the Herne Bay seafront, close to what was the entry to the pier, is a  clock tower. After considering various options with Chris, I decided  that this was an appropriate landmark for the top part of the cover.

One  of the important characters in TMEA is a child that grew up in the city  of Leipzig in what was then East Germany, before escaping to the West a  few weeks before the start of the novel. As with all German cities  during World War II, Leipzig suffered extensive damage from bombing by  the RAF and US Army Air Corp - and was then fought over in the closing  stages of the war. The lower picture is of Leipzig in 1945. Chris came  up with the idea of eyes of different ages - picking up the time-slip  element of the novel.

As you've seen, the cover for TDE keeps this look - at least for the moment.

TMEA is released on Wednesday...I'm oscillating between nervous and excited (mostly just nervous).

Take care of you and yours,
Robert
(Iskander)