Every Author Needs a Cover [] Natalie Taylor

Published October 2, 2023

The word “cover” has various meanings, and many apply to writers. It may be a taken as a metaphor for a journey, as in “covering ground,” because a good story creates a narrative journey taking you to new territories. Another meaning is mask or disguise, such as hiding behind a different name. Many writers’ pseudonyms are better known that their real names: Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair), Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson), Stephen King (Richard Bachman), and many others. Yet another meaning of cover is physical concealment, which some writers have done after writing works that defy norms of society, religion, or when they expose political leaders. Some writers have gone into hiding to protect their lives: Emile Zola, condemned for calling out anti-Semitism in France; Pablo Neruda, for protesting against Chile’s military regime; Salman Rushdie, accused of blasphemy by conservative Muslims; or Oscar Wilde, exiled because he was a homosexual.