Cover recreation or real interior page?

[Reno McCoy]

I recently co-edited an anthology for Image. It's my first "published" effort. So I wanted to commerate that fact by buying some art from the book. Unfortunately, the cover has been sold. On top of that, my two favorite pages aren't for sale.

 

So, here are my options. I can either get an interior page, or I can get a cover recreation (the artist already offered to do one). If I do the cover recreation, I was thinking of having him do it as close as possible, but with some differences to set it off as being done for me and not the original.

 

So, if cost wasn't a factor and you could only buy one, would you go with a page that actually appeared in the book, or a cover recreation?

 

[Also note that investment plays no part in my decision.]

[Thomas]

An actual published page hands down for me.

[jjeanius]

I agree.

[Reno McCoy]

Why?

[*paull*]

If investment isn't your concern, then why don't you just take the better piece?

[Reno McCoy]

If investment isn't your concern, then why don't you just take the better piece?

 

I'm not sure I understand the question. There's an established piece (the interior page) and what essentially amounts to a commission piece (the recreated cover). I'm just trying to gauge what others think. For me, it's about owning a "real" piece vs owning something that's close, but one that I know isn't the original.

[Thomas]

Well for one, I only collect published pieces. Secondly, I'd rather have a real, published piece that has a direct link to the project you worked on rather than a recreation which you could get done at any point in the future and has no direct relation to the published art. I'd personally always look at the commission wishing I had the real cover.

[Mighty Hal]

I can understand why you'd want a piece from the project. It seems to me that all of the "best" pieces are taken. tThe cover is sold and your favorite pages aren't for sale. Does that mean that the pages are sold to someone else, that the artist has the pages but isn't willing to sell them yet, or that the pages will never be available? Will the artist consider notify you first if he considers selling them?

 

Like Thomas, I don't have an interest in a cover recreation -- my Xerox machine can do a cover recreation -- so I'd pass on that option. It ain't the original, it will never be the original, and I'll bet you're spending some serious coin to get an approximation of what you really want. That doesn't mean you'll never get the true cover. Who has it and what (if anything) would they take in trade?

 

Another option: If the anthology goes to a second print, will Image reprint with a new cover? And, if so, can you be first in line for that piece?

 

But, beyond any of that, congrats on the anthology! What's the name of the publication?