C.B.’s Comments (group member since May 01, 2015)

C.B.’s comments from the Support for Indie Authors group.

P.D. wrote: "What do you think about #4? I really dislike covers with extra text on them..."

I think that it really depends on the book and the cover. Some genres / covers do look better with a hint, or a little slogan. Too much text can quickly overwhelm though and it should be used cautiously.

Anyway, it's true: the right cover sells. That means I desperately need new covers... :/"

G.G. I don't think it is desperate. I just looked over your books and I think they are quite nice. I do think they would benefit greatly from changing the colour of the title text to anything but red / reddish, especially on that dark background.

If you make the text 'pop', like it says in the article, I think your cover would be much more effective overall! :)

Riley, not a problem. I hope people can find it useful.

JN, I know what you mean. I was designing my cover and after I was 10 hours into my custom painting I realized it was completely wrong for the book and I started all over. The end result was worth scrapping what didn't work. :)

Here is a useful post I have directed people to before so I thought I would share it. I found it useful when designing my cover.

It was written by Derek Murphy and it has some good tips that you can take away and ponder on. Use what is right for you! :)

http://www.creativindie.com/8-cover-d...

Hope it helps!

Ann,

Oh goodness! I wouldn't just rip a cover from the group shelf and say all that is wrong with it. There is all sorts of wrong with that.

:D

I would only help and critique someone that is legitimately asking for help! Been cut down far too many times in my own life to really cut down others!

Christina, I do agree with you.

Things need to be kept civil. Personally I would never just say "This is a bad cover and it is wrong." I would offer examples of what I thought wasn't (or was) working and suggestions on how to improve on what is there. As I would hope anyone that commented on such things would act.

I think that if you submit your cover for help, your novel for beta-readers, or your spaghetti for pastamancers and the feedback you get reflects that your project isn't working, then that is still helpful advice and very valuable.

If many beta-readers say that your book needs editing, you should listen.
If many pastamancers say that your pasta lacks flavour, you should listen.
If many viewers say that your cover isn't working, you should listen.

Constructive criticism is a great thing, it is helpful, but we shouldn't be so scared of stepping on toes that we never tell someone what isn't working. That doesn't help them at all, in fact it is a disservice!

There are some design rules you shouldn't break as they will negatively impact your design.
There are some writing techniques that you shouldn't use, or your writing will be illegible.
There are some sauces that do not go with certain magic pastas or they will implode the universe.

I would happily help anyone that breaks a rule, and will help them correct it. :D

I have no idea how to organize anything on Goodreads, or the folders, or forums, or even make myself an author page yet, so take all the time you need. I am not in a rush, it was just an idea. :) It will be faster than if I tried to do it, that is for sure. I just wanted to offer help to any that needed it. :)

I find that looking at both good and bad examples of cover designs (or anything else for that matter) will help the people here to better understand why their covers do or don't work. :)

It is true that these authors Harold are showing haven't given their permission to display their art here, but they are good examples of this divided cover style nonetheless.

If you look at the three Colin Falconer covers for example...

Isabella is a clear winner. It is professional and sharp. A great cover, and it sets the tone of the book.

East India is good, but ghost panels are hard to pull off, and often look like they were designed by someone who doesn't understand graphics. You need to know what you are doing to make a transparency layer work properly. Even if they are easy to make, they are very hard to make work. While this one is still very nice, I think the cover would have been better without it.

Cleopatra is almost a what not to do for this style. You can tell it isn't working just by looking at it in comparison to his other covers. That is all I will say about it, as it wasn't placed here with permission. If I knew Colin Falconer I would tell him to redo this cover and increase his sales of that book. I am willing to bet that it isn't selling as well as his others.

I really think that showing what works versus what does not would be beneficial for indie authors. Covers are a key component to book sales. If your book isn't selling but has good reviews it is probably the cover.

Can we maybe start a folder here specifically for covers / design. They are such a big part of books. As a graphic designer I would be happy to comment on anyone who posts there asking for cover advice. Perhaps I could even look through the group bookshelf for covers that DO work really well and we could get permission to feature them in topics.

I really think that covers are something that many indies need help with, and that many do have the talent to make themselves. But improvement and helpful advice / how to fix things would make so many of the covers I see go from nice to outstanding eye stoppers!

Lilly wrote: "#SwordPrincess"

Yeah, that is going on Twitter now! :D

V.M. wrote: "Hey CB, how about #princesskillsthevillain?"

Also great! I am all for giving princesses more active roles in their stories... and swords. Give the ladies some swords! #SwordPrincess!

I love strong female protagonists in novels. #PrincessSavesHerself!

Phillip, it is always hard to be truthful, but it is appreciated later we can hope.
That is a nice concept, but it breaks the first rule of cover design. The title is near illegible as it is both painted with red on a Gray background, and by the looks of it painted second. For that reason alone it needs work.

the symbolism is not as important as the cover itself. neither is story elements, not events that happen in the book.

many covers by authors try to fit the entire book onto the cover, or a theme, or an idea. That doesn't sell books. people buying books haven't read them yet, they don't understand the symbolism!

Nothing in publishing is more expensive than a bad cover. Covers sell books. Not symbolism, themes, or art that your child drew and are proud of.

Good luck!

My novels are porny as well. That is why it needs to be an HBO series. They are all about the subtle ... and not so subtle... sexyness!

Iffix wrote: "Hey, he's just got that deep voice that I think would have been CRAZY if it had a bit of synthesizer to it. (Limited of course. But I still think it would be fun.)"

The list of characters which could be from any genre and then the sudden splash of robots! It was amazing. :D

I enjoyed the phrase "Various Robots: Ving Rhames" more than I care to admit.

That was fun.

Apparently I write dialogue like Cory Doctorow (I blame the video game references).
Action scenes like Anne Rice (I blame the swords)
And sex scenes like JK Rowling (I blame the minotaurs)

My book isn't going to be a film... It is going to be an HBO series.

Hey dream big right?

I recently read a pricing article and $1.99 is the dead zone, for pricing your books and to never price it there for pretty much the exact reasons Christina just said.
You will be overlooked if you price there Pavan, at least statistically and would be better off pricing at either .99 or $2.99.

Sorry, I was more posting that other site to maybe tell others that their covers might be there so that they could take steps to fix the problem. I can see your point though, it is not really a helpful resource like the other one.

My character is in a grassland, crosses a bridge over a river, and is in a desert and confused about it. I still laugh every time.

I do like the idea of a garment that changes depending on where you are. that is a neat idea.

I suggest the name 'Sunday Squirts' for this. :)

I am curious as to what works as well.

I have a website and post Flash Fiction from my writer's group but was considering doing Slash Flash Fiction based on reader's suggestions for pairings.

I started a Twitter feed and the character from my book that is really into #SocialMedia instantly took it over and is now 'running it'.

On my facebook page I post the blog post artwork and try to make people win prizes if they can pictionary the title.

Getting some hits, but not many yet. I suspect releasing my book will help with that as well though.