Gaertk at aol.com wrote: > It varies a lot. In some cases (like with Robert Jordan), > the publisher needs the completed cover art *months* before > the manuscript is turned in. On the other hand, I've heard > that the artist Robert Whelan requires the finished > manuscript a year before the deadline for the artwork. Michael Whelan - http://www.michaelwhelan.com - and (all this iirc) although he prefers having the complete manuscript, he does often work >from just completes scenes / chapters (and definitely for the initial sketches / concepts), with a waiting period of 'just' a handful of months rathen than a year. The FAQ on his site states that he takes about a month per cover. Hmm, there used to lurk some interesting walkthroughs on his site on how he went from initial sketches for books to the final versions (in particular I remember him doing this for Tad Williams' A Sea of Silver Light), but I can't quickly refind it. Doncha just hate sites redesigning all the time? :) Still, definitely an interesting place to browse through if you have a spot of time; he's one of those fantasy artists producing covers almost everyone seems to like. Sander