Hi, friends,
I need some cover sleuths to help me decide whether this design accurately signals what this book is about. (Yes, I’m asking you to judge a book by its cover!) Are you game for it? If so, please see my questions below and give me your thoughts in the comment box.
First of all, let’s be clear: this is a revised cover for my already-published book, The Truth About Daniel. It’s like a rough draft. I checked it out with a few people and still need more input.
It doesn’t matter whether you’ve already read the book or not. The most helpful way for you to comment is if you first stand back to take it all in. Then get closer to examine it more fully.
My questions about this cover
In the comments below, please answer as if you know nothing about the book or the author. (If you aren’t allowed to comment, that probably means you have to subscribe to the posts.) And give me your honest opinion!
- When you’ve stepped away from your screen, can you still read the title? How do you like the fact that the text is partly orange and partly black?
- Do you like the general color scheme? Would you prefer something else?
- Why do you suppose the ship is there?
- Now get closer. What genre book do you think it is? (fiction, nonfiction, historical, mystery, romance, biography, horror, or something else). Give me as many reasons as you can for your answer.
- Would this cover make you interested to learn more about the book?
- What do you think about the orange “bubbles?”
I have to respond to the designer on Friday, so if you get the chance, please reply as soon as you can.
Thanks for chiming in on this design. As always, your participation means a lot.
Jeanne
P.S. Once I get this new cover under my belt, I’ll launch Book Two. I promise! Launching a book is a big project, and you’ll have a chance to be part of that process too, if you wish. (Frankly, having your participation would motivate me.) In the meantime, there are plenty of topics to discuss on this blog. Meet me back in this space this Friday for a post about some very adventurous women.
P.P.S. If you want to learn more about cover design, here’s a link to the Ukraine firm that’s handling this design for me.
Thank you, Shaynee. I’m glad you like it, and you are right about the silhouette evoking classic portraits. I am especially fond of this kind of portrait and hope to use more of them in the future–especially for real people who have few (or no) existing images. Interesting answer to number 4!
1. When you’ve stepped away from your screen, can you still read the title? – YES
2. How do you like the fact that the text is partly orange and partly black? – It adds artistic interest but makes it harder to get the title at first glance.
3. Do you like the general color scheme? Would you prefer something else? – It’s OK. Neither love or hate.
4. Why do you suppose the ship is there? – Because her long lost love Is or was on it?
5. Now get closer. What genre book do you think it is? (fiction, nonfiction, historical, mystery, romance, biography, horror, or something else). Give me as many reasons as you can for your answer. –
Historical Fiction/Romance: The woman in the silhouette with the ship on the sea in her head. The silhouette is evocative of the classic 18th Century portrait silhouettes. Also the title font reads romantic and feminine.
6. Would this cover make you interested to learn more about the book? – Yes
7. What do you think about the orange “bubbles?”- I didn’t notice them at first…not sure if I like them or if they are a distraction. Could imply that memories are bubbling up 😉 But I’m probably trying too hard.
Thank you, Elaine. I’m also delighted with it Much better than earlier renditions.
I like this cover and the bubbles and the orange and black make the title stand out. It is a blend of genres so I think the cover represents adventure, romance, biography, history…
Elaine
Thanks, Bill. Most people don’t notice the orange/black writing, which surprise me! I appreciate your taking the time to comment.
Until you brought it up, I didn’t think about the text color. I easily noticed the title at first glance but the color scheme wasn’t important to me, one way or the other. I assume the ship is there because Daniel is dreaming about travel, at a time before airplanes. The title makes me think it’s fictional, maybe involving a scandal or incorrectly perceived scandal. That’s just a by product of fiction publishers using titles to try to get my attention…..I tend to avoid those sensationalized strategies. I’d be more likely to read it if I knew that it was a true story. Honestly, I didn’t notice the orange bubbles until you pointed them out.
Thanks, Mary Ann. The designer chose the ship from among many images I supplied. It does call to mind Annie’s initial disappointment about her father’s ship that was sunk by Confederates.
Thank you, Ren, for answering every question! I appreciate your explanations, too.
The ship and woman image does conger up a romance novel. I didn’t notice the bubbles. The cover only hints to a romance novel instead of historical fiction but that depends on what you’re after. Because of the ship image I would suspect adventure on the high seas. I suppose the “truth” comes not on the sea but rather the Kansas plains.
I can still read the title from a distance.
I wouldn’t think orange would be readable for text but contrasted with the black, it is.
The color scheme is subdued, as if it is not trying to hard (my preference for book covers).
The ship means travel to me; that kind of ship implies a historical narrative.
Fiction because there is no subtitle. And because it has a women’s silhouette but the title references a man. Maybe romance but I am not convinced.
I like historical fiction but do not gravitate to romance so I might pick this up.
The orange “bubbles” seem to soften the field of water (the ship might look a bit slapped on otherwise) and is contextually appropriate related to the water.
Thanks, Kathy. Glad you like it and that you can see it from the distance.
I really like the cover
Could be fiction or nonfiction
Can see from a distance
Thank you, Karen–not only for your comments today but also for suggesting a new cover in the first place!
I love the new design! I think the ship combined with the silhouette conveys historical romance better than the current cover. I am already familiar with the book, but to me this says the woman is the main character, but the ship (and more likely someone on it) is a large part of the story. The two-color title doesn’t bother me. And I didn’t really notice the orange bubbles at first, but I think it’s a subtle touch that adds some depth to the design.
Wow. A Ukranian firm. Fascinating.
I do think romance, because the image is a woman, apparently conjuring up the truth about a man. the Bubbles also lean it toward fiction, i.e., what’s in someone’s head as opposed to what is on a document..