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Cover art done, next step

Sep 11, 2018#1

Hailey Knight

I'm getting ready to release a 99 cent ebook novella and while most of the work for that is done, one last but crucial detail is the cover art. Julie is going to paint it, because she is wonderful and talented (AND generous). She's already painted a gorgeous cover for another project that I don't know when will ever get finished because I'm not as wonderful and talented as she is.

But for this project, we're having a hard time figuring out an attention-grabbing cover. I haven't shown these crummy Photoshop mockups to her yet, though I have a favorite already, but I thought I'd run them by you guys. None of these will be the final cover, but it'll essentially be the source image for her eventual painting that'll be the cover. All the placeholder images within were from Google.

1, 2

3, 4

5, 6

Sep 12, 2018#2

Dave

Anything other than 2 or 5 has too much unused space and makes the cover look sparse. In my opinion, of course.

Sep 12, 2018#3

Bubble181

Dave said:
Anything other than 2 or 5 has too much unused space and makes the cover look sparse. In my opinion, of course.

To counter, I think 5's too busy and full, and I prefer a more clean, tight look for a cover. I do like 2 too, though.

Between 3 and 4, I think it depends on what kind of skull is implied/used/suggested in the story. Is it about a werewolf, or an attack dog, or whatever?

Sep 12, 2018#4

Hailey Knight

Bubble181 said:
To counter, I think 5's too busy and full, and I prefer a more clean, tight look for a cover. I do like 2 too, though.

Between 3 and 4, I think it depends on what kind of skull is implied/used/suggested in the story. Is it about a werewolf, or an attack dog, or whatever?

I've learned over time that the cover content and the story relationship can be near zero. What matters is to get the mood across. That's nonsense to me as a story teller, but that's advertising.

I'm glad I did a poll. My favorite was 3, but no one's voting for it

. Dave seems to have the right of it for 2 or 5. For an ebook cover, where all you have is that tiny space on Amazon, that little bit counts.

Sep 12, 2018#5

Terrik

5 is the only one that caught my interest.

Sep 12, 2018#6

PatrThom

I voted 2 and 5 for much the same reasons that Dave did. I wanted to also include #1, but the poll only allows for a max of 2 selections. 2 and 5 look like the best ones for a single-cover picture BUT #1 lends itself to wrapping from the front cover around the jacket to the back cover. Not as important if it's just going to be an e-book, but something to consider if you decide to do a print copy.

--Patrick

Sep 12, 2018#7

Hailey Knight

PatrThom said:
I voted 2 and 5 for much the same reasons that Dave did. I wanted to also include #1, but the poll only allows for a max of 2 selections. 2 and 5 look like the best ones for a single-cover picture BUT #1 lends itself to wrapping from the front cover around the jacket to the back cover. Not as important if it's just going to be an e-book, but something to consider if you decide to do a print copy.

--Patrick

No print book unless some time in the future I plan to collect multiple novellas together, and if I do it'll be a different cover, so no worries for this particular one.

Sep 12, 2018#8

Tinwhistler

I didn't look at the pics very closely.
I quickly scanned them and then chose the one that would most likely make me want to click it if it were on amazon (which is pretty much how I, and I think most people, impulse buy on Amazon).

So, #5

Sep 12, 2018#9

Dave

That is an excellent way of doing things. I still like 2 better as it leaves more to the imagination than 5, but that's just me.

Sep 12, 2018#10

Tinwhistler

Dave said:
That is an excellent way of doing things. I still like 2 better as it leaves more to the imagination than 5, but that's just me.

My own book covers fail that test, incidentally. But I like them too much and I'm not yet willing to shell out $600 to have it redone to my liking that still fits within marketing goals.

But, when I (finally? ever?) finish book 3, I'm having all of the covers redone.

Sep 12, 2018#11

Hailey Knight

Sadly the days of the elaborate detailed cover are gone since on Amazon it will just look like a small rectangle of messy colors.

I'm pretty sure I'll only be showing #2 and #5 to Julie at this point, but my feeling is we'll go with #5 for her to paint.

Thanks for the input, everyone!

I'm hoping to get it up on Amazon by the start of October.

Sep 12, 2018#12

Bubble181

Tinwhistler said:
My own book covers fail that test, incidentally. But I like them too much and I'm not yet willing to shell out $600 to have it redone to my liking that still fits within marketing goals.

But, when I (finally? ever?) finish book 3, I'm having all of the covers redone.

Just make sure it physicially fits with the other two, yours and Nick's are all the same size and I don't want one book that's just a quarter of an inch taller or shorter

Sep 12, 2018#13

PatrThom

Hailey Zero Mission said:
Sadly the days of the elaborate detailed cover are gone since on Amazon it will just look like a small rectangle of messy colors.

You know, you could potentially use this to your advantage by leveraging hybrid images. Might even fit the feel of the story.

--Patrick

Sep 12, 2018#14

Dave

That's an interesting idea. See what happens when you merge 2 & 5?

Sep 12, 2018#15

Grytpipe-Thynne

Number Four.

Sep 12, 2018#16

Tinwhistler

Bubble181 said:
Just make sure it physicially fits with the other two, yours and Nick's are all the same size and I don't want one book that's just a quarter of an inch taller or shorter

9X6 is a standard size, and I don't intend to change it

Sep 12, 2018#17

Hailey Knight

Welp, things went in a different direction than expected. Julie didn't really care for any of them and felt that bones/teeth were outside her wheelhouse, so either I come up with a cover that works in her comfort zone or try to do this myself. I'm kind of stumped on what else to come up with (she'd feel better if it was something abstract, a landscape, a house, so maybe a moody house like The Haunting of Hill House), but for the moment this is my WIP based off #2.

My vector skills aren't too advanced, but it being just teeth and text, I think I can manage. Any feedback is super appreciated!

Sep 12, 2018#18

PatrThom

If she wants something like a landscape, but you want a skull, then see if you can find someone to put together one of those "It's a landscape but not really" kind of compositions, like this:

--Patrick

Sep 13, 2018#19

drifter

Hailey Zero Mission said:
View attachment 27584

My vector skills aren't too advanced, but it being just teeth and text, I think I can manage. Any feedback is super appreciated!

I like how this turned out. The tighter crop and slight abstraction of the teeth turned out great imo. My only suggestion would be to work on the word spacing/placement and try for a font that’s a little less generic-looking.

Sep 13, 2018#20

Hailey Knight

drifter said:
I like how this turned out. The tighter crop and slight abstraction of the teeth turned out great imo. My only suggestion would be to work on the word spacing/placement and try for a font that’s a little less generic-looking.

Word spacing as in tighter together or farther apart?

PatrThom said:
If she wants something like a landscape, but you want a skull, then see if you can find someone to put together one of those "It's a landscape but not really" kind of compositions, like this:
View attachment 27585

--Patrick

That's brilliant! I'll have to run it by her and see if she wants to.

Sep 13, 2018#21

Hailey Knight

Of and Natalie could be on the same line on the right side of the House with the last name beneath at the same length, actually.

Sep 13, 2018#22

drifter

Hailey Zero Mission said:
drifter said:

I like how this turned out. The tighter crop and slight abstraction of the teeth turned out great imo. My only suggestion would be to work on the word spacing/placement and try for a font that’s a little less generic-looking.

Click to expand...

Word spacing as in tighter together or farther apart?

Probably a bit of both. Also maybe experiment with overlapping the text on the image a bit if you haven’t already. You can use outlines or drop shadows if legibility suffers.

Sep 13, 2018#23

Hailey Knight

drifter said:
Probably a bit of both. Also maybe experiment with overlapping the text on the image a bit if you haven’t already. You can use outlines or drop shadows if legibility suffers.

I'll play around with it, especially since I need to make my base image larger, but I want to be careful not to obscure the minimal imagery so much that what is is becomes unclear.

PatrThom's idea may have to wait for a future cover for something as Julie and I are struggling on any other concept, so what I'm doing off #2 will most likely be the cover.

Sep 13, 2018#24

Hailey Knight

Or do something Julie likes, such as the first edition for The Haunting of Hill House.

Flowers!

Sep 13, 2018#25

PatrThom

Eeeevil flowers.

—Patrick

Sep 13, 2018#26

Hailey Knight

PatrThom said:
Eeeevil flowers.

—Patrick

In a move that is completely not surprising to me or her, this is what she wants to do

Sep 13, 2018#27

ThatNickGuy

I dig the hell out of #2. I like the way the jaws wrap around the title. It's the most eye-catching to me.

Sep 13, 2018#28

Hailey Knight

ThatNickGuy said:
I dig the hell out of #2. I like the way the jaws wrap around the title. It's the most eye-catching to me.

Well, we're going with the jaws, but the image is less the placeholder and more the permanent now.

It's going to be one of these. I'll figure out which soon based on either input or not feeling my eyes burning out from staring at Photoshop the past five hours (weeeee!)

I will really need to buy a copy of The Red Brain after using it for all these mock-ups

Sep 13, 2018#29

PatrThom

The placement of the text is better in the first two (they don't intrude over the canine on the lower left), but I almost wish the "The" could be moved up and left somehow, so the red-tipped canine in the second one would fit better into the pocket formed by the H and A in "Haunting," but I can't think of a good way to do that without either making "The" vertical or enlarging/widening the H enough to tuck the "The" between its uprights (though maybe that would be a little too much Sue Grafton?).

--Patrick

Sep 13, 2018#30

Hailey Knight

PatrThom said:
The placement of the text is better in the first two (they don't intrude over the canine on the lower left), but I almost wish the "The" could be moved up and left somehow, so the red-tipped canine in the second one would fit better into the pocket formed by the H and A in "Haunting," but I can't think of a good way to do that without either making "The" vertical or enlarging/widening the H enough to tuck the "The" between its uprights (though maybe that would be a little too much Sue Grafton?).

--Patrick

I can move The over the H; most of the words each have their own layer. I don't think I'd sit The between the prongs of H when the image is going to be so tiny. That said, some people like everything nestled and clean, others like it when the letters cross over/interact with the image, so no one design will please everyone. But no harm in moving it around and seeing how I feel about it.

In the morning, when I haven't been staring at it for so long.

Sep 14, 2018#31

Hailey Knight

I think next time I'll browse this place for my own sanity:

https://thebookcoverdesigner.com/

They have pre-designed covers that will insert your title and name, and from then on you own that design and it won't be sold again. The prices vary, as you'd expect, but even some of the lower end ones are pretty nice.

Sep 14, 2018#32

drifter

Hailey Zero Mission said:
Well, we're going with the jaws, but the image is less the placeholder and more the permanent now.

It's going to be one of these. I'll figure out which soon based on either input or not feeling my eyes burning out from staring at Photoshop the past five hours (weeeee!)

F:

I will really need to buy a copy of The Red Brain after using it for all these mock-ups .

I like number 3 the best. I think the red added to the teeth looks kinda cheesy. I'm also not a fan of having your name in between the upper and lower jaw, feels awkward to me.

Sep 14, 2018#33

Hailey Knight

drifter said:
I like number 3 the best. I think the red added to the teeth looks kinda cheesy. I'm also not a fan of having your name in between the upper and lower jaw, feels awkward to me.

That's where Julie and I have come to. I wanted to break up some of the white with more red, but I haven't been able to get it ... probably because it looks cheesy.

Last round of editing will be this weekend, and then I'll release the novella before October.

Sep 17, 2018#34

Hailey Knight

Welp, it's up in its way. The actual release day will be October 2nd.

I can't help feeling I'm being too hyperbolic in the book blurb, but from what I'm told, if I don't feel like I'm going too far, then I'm not going far enough.

But the cover looks good, and I want to thank everyone for their input. I know it looks a bit different from #2 in the original poll, but the source of it was there. I appreciate all the help

Sep 18, 2018#35

Hailey Knight

If I sent anyone the novella, would you be willing to write a review on Amazon when it releases? It's about 50 pages. Two or three sentences would be a big deal (honest sentences, even if you didn't care for it).

At this point I know I'm asking a lot, but if anyone's up for it, please let me know here or PMs and I'll send the file (Word or ebook or whatever format).

Sep 18, 2018#36

Tinwhistler

You can send me the novella early, if you'd like, and I'll mention it as "The author sent me an ARC to review..."
Amazon will strike reviews if they think they're quid pro quo, or if they're written by friends and family.

Sep 18, 2018#37

Hailey Knight

Tinwhistler said:
You can send me the novella early, if you'd like, and I'll mention it as "The author sent me an ARC to review..."
Amazon will strike reviews if they think they're quid pro quo, or if they're written by friends and family.

Did not know that! I guess things have advanced a bit. Which is probably for the best.

I'll send it when I get home this evening. Thank you, Tin!

Sep 19, 2018#38

Tinwhistler

Finished it up. I've spent more money on books that I enjoyed far less. Here's the review that I'm going to put on Amazon.

This review based on an Advanced Review Copy sent by the author.

Let me state right up front, I really enjoyed this tale. I love horror and supernatural drama when it's well written. I hate it when it's full of cliche and melodrama.

This is a brisk and tightly written story, which got under my skin right away and kept me hooked until the very end. Hailey Piper has an excellent grasp of language and metaphor, and the writing and grammar are impeccable. There was nothing to get in the way and distract me from the story itself--which was suspenseful and well-paced. While resting comfortably within the horror genre in terms of theme and subject matter, I didn't feel like any part of the story was stale or formulaic. It felt fresh and new, and like any good horror author, she kept the nature of the danger shrouded in mystery right up until the end.

I would love to see more of Hailey Piper's work, and I would definitely pick up an anthology of such stories, if she ever put one together.

Sep 19, 2018#39

Tinwhistler

Which, I guess will have to wait until Oct 2. to go up on the site.

FWIW, I felt the story was totally worth the price, and even though I got the ARC for free, I went ahead and pre-ordered the book. So, when my review is written, it'll say "verified amazon purchase" on it, and I'll strike the line about reviewing from an ARC (since I paid for it, after all)

Sep 19, 2018#40

Hailey Knight

Tinwhistler said:
Which, I guess will have to wait until Oct 2. to go up on the site.

View attachment 27626

FWIW, I felt the story was totally worth the price, and even though I got the ARC for free, I went ahead and pre-ordered the book. So, when my review is written, it'll say "verified amazon purchase" on it, and I'll strike the line about reviewing from an ARC (since I paid for it, after all)

Wow, thank you, Tin! Not just for reading and reviewing, but I really appreciate your kind words on the ability. It means a lot.

Re: an anthology, I have enough stories to put an anthology together, but right now only one short has been accepted by a magazine and I'm hoping more of them will get that chance before I put them out as a collection.

Though Tin very kindly paid for his in the end, if anyone else would like to read it to review, I'm happy to send an advance review copy.

Sep 28, 2018#41

Hailey Knight

The last day before I can edit anything and I'm still conflicted about price. I originally wanted to charge 99 cents for the book because it's a 50-page novella, but now that a magazine is, divvying things up, essentially charging people $2 for a 6-page story I wrote, I feel like I should put it up to at least $2.99. Also, that way I can come down in price later, whereas if I start at 99 cents then I'm already as low as I can go without giving it away.

I think my next novella I'll try to shop around to smaller presses so I don't have to think about this stuff

. But I couldn't find one that would look at a 15k word story. It's too long for short stories, too short for what they want in novellas (usually 17k and I couldn't justify padding it by 2k words; I didn't want to ruin the pacing).

Oct 2, 2018#42

Hailey Knight

Release day!

I'm really excited! I wish I could focus on it more than all this housing nonsense, but I'm making time where I can to promote here and there online.

@Tinwhistler Whenever you get a chance, I hope you'll post your review. Sorry it was such a stretch between.

Oct 2, 2018#43

Tinwhistler

Hailey Zero Mission said:
Release day!

I'm really excited! I wish I could focus on it more than all this housing nonsense, but I'm making time where I can to promote here and there online.

@Tinwhistler Whenever you get a chance, I hope you'll post your review. Sorry it was such a stretch between.

Done

I got the notification of the charge last night, but it wouldn't let me actually post a review then.

Oct 2, 2018#44

Hailey Knight

Tinwhistler said:
Done I got the notification of the charge last night, but it wouldn't let me actually post a review then.

Thank you! I really appreciate it.

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