Help deciding on a cover.

[carlieplum]

I would seriously rethink the font. This is a goth/horror work and your font screams "wedding invitation." And as others have said, you need to rethink the red/black for a more high-contrast pairing.

Once you have what you think you want, play around with it at various sizes and resolutions to see how it looks.

Good luck with your book!

 

[lovecraft68]

Much of which you (and some others) have had the means to check out and you've gone blind to because for some reason you want to be competitive and don't like seeing what the balance is. Which is your problem, not mine. You're just a jealous little turd. So fuck off on that stuff. You are messing the forum up with your personal vendetta that you weren't authorized or elected to pursue in the first place.

Once again, I'm not going to cut my life down to meet your life's expectations. And when it comes to writing/publishing erotica, anyone here can clearly check us out on their own--even though it's only you who thinks this is some sort of competition.

On this particular topic--on working publishing--you're in kindergarten compared to me. That's been clear from the first day you posted to Lit., asking questions on publishing, and not liking the informed answers you got, and immediately (and forever) turning into a petulant child. You can't even hold back from whining about it in your sig line.

I am not going to go round and round with you this time Pilot. Except to say that when you are always throwing whatever success or credentials you want us to believe you have around that is being "competitive", but more in the case of oneupsmanship.

Be that as it may, I posed a question, you rendered an opinion and I responded that I thought the opinion was valid and would look into doing what you suggested.

I'm going to leave it at that. Thanks for the advice.

 

[sr71plt]

You're not going to go around with me on this because you simply don't have anything but your childesh petulance and obsession to stand on on the issue.

And more than once today (including in your last post) you yourself have shown the idiocy of your sig line statement.

You're more than a bit insane on this issue.

I'm not going say I haven't done what I have done when it's relevant to topics on this forum just because you feel (and usually are) inferior on that point.

 

[PennLady]

The size of a thumbnail image it kinda important, I suspect. I think the wings should not be as wide and the face clearer (& is the noose significant ?)

I think so too. When people are searching, it's the first thing they're going to see, along with the title. If all you have is a blob, I imagine that's not too intriguing.

 

[lovecraft68]

I think so too. When people are searching, it's the first thing they're going to see, along with the title. If all you have is a blob, I imagine that's not too intriguing.

True, part of what I was thinking with the flames. A splash of color on an otherwise dark landscape.

I could also send this to the person who has designed some covers for me in the past and have them "jazz" it up better than I can.

This is my first shot at doing something other than just a stock photo

 

[lovecraft68]

The size of a thumbnail image it kinda important, I suspect. I think the wings should not be as wide and the face clearer (& is the noose significant ?)

The nooses are significant actually.

 

[lovecraft68]

I would seriously rethink the font. This is a goth/horror work and your font screams "wedding invitation." And as others have said, you need to rethink the red/black for a more high-contrast pairing.

Once you have what you think you want, play around with it at various sizes and resolutions to see how it looks.

Good luck with your book!

Interesting analogy. My oldest jut got married and trust me there was plenty of screaming over wedding invitations and everything else

 

[carlieplum]

Interesting analogy. My oldest jut got married and trust me there was plenty of screaming over wedding invitations and everything else

I believe it. Weddings bring out the crazy in everyone, somehow.

 

[danger2no]

So I have two versions of a cover I made for my latest e-book and I am totally undecided on which one to go with.

Asked a few friends and I keep getting either no answer or a 50/50 vote.

So I figured I would try to get some feedback from the AH.

Basically its the same cover except one has a flame effect. The flames are relevant as the character can control fire.

ON one hand I do like the flames and feel they are fitting, but....

The cover looks darker and more "ominous" without them.

Any opinions one way or another and why?

Honestly, I don't like either one. They both look cheesy. I like your writing a whole lot, but neither cover would persuade me to buy your book. An abstract cover would be better. Just saying.

 

[lovecraft68]

Honestly, I don't like either one. They both look cheesy. I like your writing a whole lot, but neither cover would persuade me to buy your book. An abstract cover would be better. Just saying.

Well thanks for both the insult and the compliment! At least you lubed me up before you shoved it in!

But okay, a vote for neither, fair enough.

 

[bashfullyshameless]

You and Pilot already ARE going round and round. Put one another on ignore and be done with it.

As for the cover: If you want to keep working with the flames to make the whole deal look sharper, I'd say go for it... but if you don't think you can improve on that, I'd say go without them.

I am unsure how this will look shrunk down to thumbnails and such. I don't have enough experience to really say one way or the other, but it is a very legit concern.

 

[PennLady]

FWIW, I googled "how to design an ebook cover that sells" and this link came up:

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2012/01/3-secrets-to-e-book-cover-design-success/

It's just one link, but I thought it was simple and straightforward and made sense. One of their three "secrets" is to concentrate on the small version of your cover, as that is what people will see in searches and likely see first.

You could always size your cover down and see what it looks like. You may need to let some functionality take precedence over your preferred font, color, etc.

 

[sr71plt]

You and Pilot already ARE going round and round. Put one another on ignore and be done with it.

Sure, that might work if we both did it and no one quoted his "ripping me apart" posts. But I tried that for a while at least, not checking his posts until I was bored or seeing his attacks on me quoted in posts of others, and he kept ripping away at me on anything I posted, so I decided "screw that." If other posters didn't like to see it, they could just tell him to shut up (which they've done from time to time with no lasting effect on him--thus far in all the time I've been here he's the only one I've seen Laurel personally, directly step on. Not Scouries or Freddie. Lovecraft68. The badest behavior boy here is Lovecraft68). I don't accept the concept that I should just let him rip me apart on this board with innuendo. (And, if you do, then screw what you want too.)

The answer is for LC to grow up and stop acting like he's the appointed vigilante for vetting people's backgrounds here. (And if he was--that he'd do a better, more objective job of research)

 

[lovecraft68]

FWIW, I googled "how to design an ebook cover that sells" and this link came up:

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2012/01/3-secrets-to-e-book-cover-design-success/

It's just one link, but I thought it was simple and straightforward and made sense. One of their three "secrets" is to concentrate on the small version of your cover, as that is what people will see in searches and likely see first.

You could always size your cover down and see what it looks like. You may need to let some functionality take precedence over your preferred font, color, etc.

I actually already did that. I shrunk it down to smaller than a lit AV. What I saw was yes, I need a brighter bolder font.

Interesting though was that in the case of the thumbnail the flames made it "pop out" more.

This is the non flame version at 100x150 as opposed to 600x900

 

[NekoParks]

So I have two versions of a cover I made for my latest e-book and I am totally undecided on which one to go with.

Asked a few friends and I keep getting either no answer or a 50/50 vote.

So I figured I would try to get some feedback from the AH.

Basically its the same cover except one has a flame effect. The flames are relevant as the character can control fire.

ON one hand I do like the flames and feel they are fitting, but....

The cover looks darker and more "ominous" without them.

Any opinions one way or another and why?

First, congratulations on your new book. Second, I like the nonflames cover with the silver type instead of the red type. (I think you said that you had considered a lighter type instead of the red color.) Either way, I will be buying your book. When will it be published? Are you publishing on Smashwords and Amazon?

 

[sr71plt]

This is the non flame version at 100x150 as opposed to 600x900

Couldn't read any of the design lettering and the rest of the cover is just too dark.

If you are a name-brand author, the most important element of a book cover is the author name; if you aren't, the most important element is the title (and the author name is second). No other elements supersede those as design priorities.

 

[PennLady]

Re: the new version. I could sort of read the title, but I think that was b/c I knew what it is. Could not read the tagline or the author's name. And now the woman with wings looks a lot like a bird. Again, I know what that is, but if I was looking at it cold, I'd have to puzzle it out.

A lighter, plainer font would probably help a lot.

 

[NaokoSmith]

I liked the flames, it was more eye-catching, which I think is important when you have a small thumbnail aimed at pulling you in off the Publishing website to the main book blurb.

Gosh, LC, you were very restrained here, although Pilot has a point about your signature. Pilot, I think you need some more pancakes, I'm sorry there hasn't been a SPAM thread for a few days in which I could make you some, perhaps a low calorie bun without cooked raisins will keep you going.

BTW of course weddings are crazy. This is not actually the special day for two people who are In Love, it's the moment when two families suddenly realise they are going to be linked for a long time and maybe have to spend holidays like Christmas together, and they're not sure they want to.

 

[sr71plt]

Pilot, I think you need some more pancakes, I'm sorry there hasn't been a SPAM thread for a few days in which I could make you some, perhaps a low calorie bun without cooked raisins will keep you going.

Pancakes are good on a snowy day, and my area has been told that this week's snow is the one we're not going to escape (haven't gotten more than a dusty all season yet), so, by all means, ship some over. Thanks.

 

[NaokoSmith]

Pancakes are good on a snowy day, and my area has been told that this week's snow is the one we're not going to escape (haven't gotten more than a dusty all season yet), so, by all means, ship some over. Thanks.

Coffee with cream to go with that?

 

[sr71plt]

Coffee with cream to go with that?

Irish cream creamer, please. And a packet of Splenda, I'm sorry to say.

 

[NaokoSmith]

Irish cream creamer, please. And a packet of Splenda, I'm sorry to say.

Oh dear! But by all means. I'll just run into Naked Party and get some for you.

 

[lovecraft68]

Couldn't read any of the design lettering and the rest of the cover is just too dark.

If you are a name-brand author, the most important element of a book cover is the author name; if you aren't, the most important element is the title (and the author name is second). No other elements supersede those as design priorities.

I am going with a silver font which should show up better. I am also going to add a border around the image itself to "frame" it.

Funny on the name brand author remark. Because right now with the games amazon is playing my being self published will be what causes the book to be next t invisible, not the cover

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Go with the flames. Psychologically flames add action to the effect. Flames are always more appealing than, say, ashes or still-life. The same girl in a swing is more appealing than a girl sitting in a chair.

 

[lovecraft68]

I liked the flames, it was more eye-catching, which I think is important when you have a small thumbnail aimed at pulling you in off the Publishing website to the main book blurb.

Gosh, LC, you were very restrained here, although Pilot has a point about your signature. Pilot, I think you need some more pancakes, I'm sorry there hasn't been a SPAM thread for a few days in which I could make you some, perhaps a low calorie bun without cooked raisins will keep you going.

BTW of course weddings are crazy. This is not actually the special day for two people who are In Love, it's the moment when two families suddenly realise they are going to be linked for a long time and maybe have to spend holidays like Christmas together, and they're not sure they want to.

Well I believe in tit for tat and he did make an effort to give me some fair advice.

As for the wedding I was the typical father I only got drawn into an argument when it was "How much did you say that was?"

But we obviously had to deal with my ex-wife, so many of the pre wedding "pow wows" were my ex, my wife, my sister(my daughters god mother) my other daughter and the mother of the groom.

NOw the grooms family has serious money. You wouldn't know it from my new son in law or the father, but the mother is pretty snotty.

Anyway I sat back with the groom and his old man and listened to many catfights all of which seemed to end with either my daughter in tears or one of the other ladies declaring "well, if you don;t want my help, maybe I shouldn't be involved."

High drama, but the day itself went very well, and that's all that matters.

As for the book, I'll be listing it on both, but will send you the amazon link. Indy authors need all the sales they can get over there these days.