This is one of those difficult choices but I hope you will help make it simpler, as you did in helping us select the cover for the children's book "If I Were Your Monster." (Which turned out very well, thank you!)
Today's mission is to help select the cover for my supernatural mystery novella. Maybe it's more of a paranormal noir, or an afterlife romance with guns and vindictive ex-lovers, or a love story with dead people in it. I get easily confused these days. At any rate, feel free to weigh in. There may be a prize in it for you, such as an advance copy of Transparent Lovers! (Leave your email address like hauntedcomputer AT yahoo.com to get a free advance copy).
(Top cover image via Simon Howden. Bottom cover image via Graur Codrin.)
Here's a revised version of the Blue Cover.
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28 comments:
voting for the first cover.
Definitely the second cover. Far more mysterious IMHO.
Tough choice. The second cover is more romancy, and the first cover is definitely more thriller/mystery.
I prefer the first cover. It drew me much better. But I'm in love with roses.
I think I like the first cover better based on eye appeal, but having read the story, I think the second cover captures its essence better.
-Neal
2nd for imagery but the title font needs work, maybe more like #1.
Could you do a white version of #2?
I honestly like both but am leaning toward #1.
I can see these comments are really going to help you out with that decision making you've got going on :)
I like image 1 better. The woman on 2 is really scary! I would stay away from her :-)
For me, the second for sure. More mysterious. The first evokes nothing supernatural.
I vote for the second cover. The eyes really jumped out at me (if eyes could jump!). Good luck with your choice!
Second. Sorry, the first one inspired a "seen it" impulse in my brain. The second one was more "huh, transparent...what does that mean?" I might pick up the second one in a book store and read a bit more about it, but not the first.
I'm thinking the first cover, The second one is just too blue for me, the first one is more mysterious and eye-catching.
I like the second better.
Thanks everyone, I will probably use the "outcast" for a different project and I may tweak the lettering a little, so both will probably eventually be used. I will give it some more thought.
Scott
Ever the non-conformist, I vote neither. The cover as posted on 12/21 was what I saw elsewhere on the web and caused me to come here seeking out more info on the book. The two here are great, but like someone else mentioned, invoke a "seen it" feeling; the other made me want to know more about what I was looking at.
I like the first cover a lot better. It has to do with the contrast and colors. It makes for a nice bright, inviting look without sacrificing the fact that it is evidently a thriller as displayed by the gun and blood splatter.
...SN, either would be great, but then a third (like Jim, the nonconformist), might be offered. Something more pronounced, communicating the 'transparency' concept. IMO.
My vote goes for the second one. I'm immediately drawn to the eyes. The gun and rose just doesn't look right to me although the blood is always a nice touch for a book cover. The second one leaves me interested though and already makes me curious about the book. No matter what, I am looking forward to reading it.
I blame my limited design skills, I've only been doing this a year or so. I'd like to do some kind of smoky skein over the art in the first one, to suggest the supernatural, since it's really a paranormal noir with romance. However, since many purchases are made straight from the kindle, the color scheme may be secondary at this point (but become more important as more color readers enter the market). Thanks, I am still tweaking. Now I have to go back and see what I posted on 12/21!
Scott
I gotta go with Codrin's. The eyes have it, as it were. The other cover gives me the impression that the story is more of a crime thriller/mystery than a paranormal tale.
If you figure out how to do that smoky skein over the art, I go for the first cover. If not, I go for the second. varbonoff22 at cox dot net
I chose the top one with the rose. I see romance and murder with that one plus I would be more apt to buy that one. I frequently will pick up a book to buy according to what is on the cover. The bottom one is mysterious, yes; but I would be less apt to even pick up the book. Doesn't catch my eye.
I like them both but prefer the steelhead of the first and think thumbnails of it would stand out more.
Dwdorow at gmail dot com
I like the color of the first one but would strike the shadows on Transparent Lovers.
Yes, the artwork on the limited edition hardcover (which I believe is the 12/21 post) is stunning...I love it. But I'm sure the publisher has the rights to that, and I'm assuming the e-book is not being published by them.
-Neal
Okay, I think I am leaning toward the first and I think I can get a real artist to put the smoke over the images, or maybe just over the lettering. That's the "transparent" concept at work I was trying to convey with the drop shadow but it's hard to be mysterious and legible at the same time. All being equal, go with legibility.
I like the first better. The combination of rose, blood, gun is intriguing.
Christa
I'm for the first cover, too. Guns & Roses are always an eye draw for me and you never really know what you're getting. The first time I saw the band Guns & Roses logo, I thought country/country rock...far from it, as it turns out...lol.
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