What does anyone think of this cover?

[Rachel]

I want honest opinions about the proposed cover to my upcoming novel Run, Clarissa, Run. For right now I am not even going to tell you anything about the book, because I want a clean response. Does it capture your interest? Do you want to know more about the book? Do you feel like you have a clue what it's about?

http://anotherkindofwoman.blogspot.co...

[Kaje]

To me, it's clever but a bit cool. I usually look for something more character-driven and warm/emotional in my stories and would probably not pick this one up based on the cover. But that's my personal preferences - I'm big on photo covers or realistic artwork, not graphics.

[Rachel]

I am trying hard not to give my opinion because I don't want to bias anyone. I will when the threads grown a bit. Thanks for your input.

[John]

What it is about? I would assume it is a book for women based on the colors only, but it tells me nothing of the book at all.

[Rachel]

hint, the background colors are the trans pride flag.

[John]

I can see that now, but I honestly did not see that at first. I am used to the center stripe of white I guess.

[Patricia]

It's a lovely cover but at the same time it's a bit plain. Of course, I didn't know the background colors were the trans pride flag colors so any significance of that was lost on me when I looked the first time.

[Byron]

Well, I think it is ok. But that's about it. Sorry luv. It just isn't luring me in. I don't know how else to phrase it. :(

[Jo]

I agree with what others have said; the cover is plain and doesn't give any indication as to even what genre the book is, never mind what it's about. On the other hand, I'm a curious sort, so if I saw that on a bookstore shelf I might pick it up to read the blurb. (If I saw it online, though, to be honest I'd probably overlook it.)

I also didn't know anything about the trans pride flag, so the colors wouldn't have meant anything to me.

I'm sure that the trans pride colors have significance with the story, but if you intend to market this book to the general public, that significance might be lost on a number of readers. Just like things within the story have to stand on their own merits and not rely on the author explaining them, a book cover has to stand on its own and its meaning/relation to the story should be clear. In my opinion, anyway. (Ask my long-suffering cover artist friend how many covers from more than one publisher I've bounced back to her because "it didn't fit the story"...)

[Anke]

I'm with Byron and Jo - the pink on the cover would make me stop and look, but not enough to get me really interested.

[Rachel]

I have been holding back because I don't want to bias the response, but I pretty much feel the same. It's okay but not great. It's kind of a shame. I like the artist who did and I am paying him, but so far he's not giving me anything I really like. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be. I might do a mock up of my own and then post that. Thanks for all the input. It was really helpful.

[John]

Rachel wrote: "I have been holding back because I don't want to bias the response, but I pretty much feel the same. It's okay but not great. It's kind of a shame. I like the artist who did and I am paying him, bu..."

If you are paying him you should get what you like.

[Kaje]

Rachel wrote: "I have been holding back because I don't want to bias the response, but I pretty much feel the same. It's okay but not great. It's kind of a shame. I like the artist who did and I am paying him, bu..."

Can you give him your mock-up and ask him to work from that? If you're paying him you should be getting something that fits your preferences, but maybe he's not hearing what you think you are asking for. He might be able to just polish your design?

[Rachel]

Yeah I've already decided to do a mock-up of one of my ideas and see how it looks. Here's the idea. I am going to print the title Run, Clarissa, Run on a pink T-shirt and have a skinny boy wear it. (The main character is trans-male to female and I want to capture a sense of ambiguity about the figure). I will take their picture from the neck down (so there's no face). I might even have them wearing a messenger bag. What I haven't decided is the back drop. Still it gives you the notion of a gender ambiguous person on the run, which captures what the novel is about better.

[Kaje]

Rachel wrote: "Yeah I've already decided to do a mock-up of one of my ideas and see how it looks. Here's the idea. I am going to print the title Run, Clarissa, Run on a pink T-shirt and have a skinny boy wear it...."

That would certainly give me a much better feel for the MC than the graphics cover.

If they're on the run, you might want the back-drop to have a dark, ominous or motion component. (The blur of a train, a gloomy tenement, something that fits your story) because pink is cheerful, unless you make it smudged or dirty, so you might want to offset that.