[tiggerella]

I have a book that I've been working with a publisher on since March. It's not my first day at the rodeo, as my first book has been offered since 1999, but I keep getting the feeling that the publisher is trying to pull the wool over my eyes, as she seems to think me clueless in the publishing biz.

When I sent in the manuscript to her, she asked me if I had an idea for a cover, and since I'd had several friends tell me that the first book's cover was a little "cheap looking" compared to the story it contained, I took the opportunity to work with a marvelous photographer friend to put together a really artsy cover. After difficulty getting permission to use a photo from the first model I was working with (he didn't have the copyrights to his photos and the photographers didn't want to grant permission to use), I got a local model to work with, my photographer friend did all the Photoshop work I needed, and we sent a beautiful cover to the publisher. Because part of the story takes place in New Orleans, my photographer friend used a blend of deep purple, emerald green and gold highlights as the background with my dark-haired young lady, representing the female lead, in the center of the cover.

I just got the galleys (the pre-publishing proofs) back yesterday in a PDF file for me to check for any mistakes throughout the tale and get the final corrections in to the publisher before we go to print. I felt sick to my stomach when I opened the PDf for the cover, as the colors on the cover are now navy blue, emerald green and gold. When asked for an explanation, the publisher insisted that "the program changed the colors in the TIF file you sent to CMYK colors. I meant to warn you about that."

After reading about CMYK color vs RBG color, I have the impression that the color that appears on the file may not print exactly as it's shown on a computer screen, but I'm seeing nothing in the descriptions of CMYK that say anything about the colors changing on your screen, that it the colors may not PRINT exactly as what you see on your screen. I'm really upset about this because, just as when she went to put the title on the TIF cover and put two white specks into the model's hair that she tried to claim were "hair pins" (when the model wasn't wearing any hair pins), she's made the beautiful artsy cover my friend and I made look really cheap and not at all like something I would pick up off a bookstore shelf.

So I ask this of anyone who does printing press work: Have you ever seen a deep purple turn navy blue BEFORE it gets printed? Am I just being an over-sensitive writer/artist, or am I right in thinking that this publisher is trying to sabotage the sales of my work? (She's also a writer and publishes her own work through her publishing company, so I'm starting to suspect she doesn't like the competition and that I should seek another publisher.)

Thank you, as always, for any and all feedback.

[ScottGem]

It is possible for the colors to be misdisplayed. I would definitely not use a TIF file for this. A JPG or PNG would be better, but a EPS would be optimum.

[tiggerella]

Thanks for your input, as always, ScotGem.

The TIF format is what the publisher insists on because she claims that JPG or PNG or EPS don't transfer into her PRINT program format properly. Her exact requirements for a cover submission are: "8.5 inches tall and 5.5 inches wide, 300 dpi, TIF format" which she claims her program transmits to CMYK colors to show exactly what it's going to look like before she sends it to the printer. I've been trying to explain some of my problems with my own flawed Photoshop version - and that she may need to have a professional check for viruses or Trojans, then update her program so it won't be changing the colors. She insists it's only doing this to reds and purples, but is otherwise "perfect"...

I'm sincerely hoping she gets the cover colors "fixed" as she's promised, but if not, there will be a release delay while I make arrangements with a new publishing company that uses the formats you suggest...

[ScottGem]

Publishers I've worked with generally don't like TIFs, so it could be the program she uses.