The original image I found for the cover of The Redemption of Erâth: Exile.
Those of you who've been following me over at www.satiswrites.com will know that I've been struggling to find an appropriate cover image for the second book of The Redemption of Erâth series, Exile. A while ago I found the most spectacular mountain picture on the internet, but try as I might I couldn't find the original photographer, or discover anything about licensing the image. Therefore, as much as I wanted to use it for the cover, I new that I'd never be able to.
So began a very long search for a replacement. I scoured Getty Images, googled for images that were licensed for commercial use, asked friends of photographers, but alas—no luck. The biggest problem was that the picture I had in mind was a perfect representation of a pivotal moment in the book. Near the end, when Brandyé and Elven are slowly making their way through the Reinkrag Mountains, there comes a point where they emerge through the perpetual clouds, ascending to the top of a peak, and look down upon a vast sea of clouds. I simply couldn't imagine a better scene from the book to put on the cover.
After a while, I gave up the search, and began working on other things—editing the second book, continuing the writing of the third, publishing the History of Erâth, and so on. For the first book and the history, I actually used my own photos, so of course licensing issues were avoided altogether. But I simply didn't have the photo I needed for the second book in my possession.
And then, a couple days ago, I was working on updating this site, and I came across, in a search of iStockPhoto, a nearly perfect substitute for the original picture. An incredible mountain sunset, the sun hidden behind snow-capped peaks and turning the sea of clouds a gorgeous, deep violet. And best of all, I could license it for only $12!
So here I give to you my new draft for the cover of The Redemption of Erâth: Exile. Please take a moment, and let me know what you think!
