News Flash! HBP covers released!

[Hannah]

No: HPFGUIDX 125846


> Punkie wrote:
> 
> It is my impression that Mary GrandPre is the only artist that has 
> read any of the books at the time that they were contracted to 
draw  the covers. Has that policy changed for the Brits? Does anyone 
know  the answer to this? I've read the links to interviews on TLC 
and  Mugglenet and nowhere is this discussed. 
> The Potions cover may be similar to the catalogue blurb. Just made 
up  by the photographer who took the picture.

Hannah now: Well, since they let Mary Grand Pre read the book in 
order to design her cover, I'm sure they let the other cover 
illustrators do the same.  Or at least read parts of it (the UK 
editions don't have individual pictures for each chapter, so maybe 
the cover artists don't have to be given the whole book).  The cover 
art for PS, CoS, PoA, GoF and OotP all come from more than just a 
clever guess; they couldn't have been drawn without the artist 
having read at least the scenes they'd depicted.  

Plus that title sounds like pure JKR.  The catologue blurb is one 
thing, as it's not officially linked to the books (I think).  The 
cover of the book itself is a different matter.  They're not going 
to put out what will undoubtably be the biggest bestseller of the 
year in a cover that doesn't have anything to do with the content 
(however small or large the role of the book in the plot), 
especially given how we fans seize on every detail like this!

Hannah, who is equally clueless, but this is what she guesses!