Filed under: Art, Marketing, Promotion, Publishing, Science Fiction, Writing stuff
Take a look at the top of this blog. See that wonderful image of the McBaine Burr Oak by Peter Haigh? I’ve always loved that image, and Peter has been kind enough to grant me use of his image for my blog, for the Communion of Dreams website, and now, for the cover of the book.
So, my wife and I have gone over different cover designs, and have decided that we like the idea of having the image over the entire cover, slightly offset so that all of the trunk of the tree is on the front of the book, with the rest wrapping around. But now I would like your help in deciding the final cover design.
Below you’ll find seven different versions of the cover, titled 1 – 7. Take a look, and let me know in comments how you would rank them, in order, from favorite to least favorite. If you want to offer other thoughts or feedback, that’s OK too. I reserve the right to make the final decision, but I would really appreciate your feedback.
So, here we go:
So, there ya go. Everyone who comments/sends me an email with feedback will be entered into a drawing for a signed copy of the book. Deadline this time tomorrow.
Thanks!
Jim Downey
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13 Comments so far
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Great covers!
Comment by Shari Taylor January 12, 2012 @ 6:53 pm7, 4, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6
4,1,6,7,5,2.3
Comment by Kathy Brewer January 12, 2012 @ 7:08 pm5, 7, 1 are my top three. The others are pretty much tied, I guess. But I do like having the “by” omitted, and just having “James T. Downey”.
So, I guess this means there’s movement on the book? (By which I mean to say, ‘I guess I should read more blogs and fewer spreadsheets…’)
Comment by Paul January 12, 2012 @ 7:36 pmI don’t think *any* of the current font options really work, Jim.
I’ll try putting a few other options together for you in Photoshop to see if I can get something that really captures what I think would serve you best.
The more I look at this arrangement of design elements, the more it reminds me of a book cover, by the way.
Comment by Dave Schroeder January 12, 2012 @ 8:32 pmUm, thanks, Dave – but it will be one of these.
Comment by James Downey January 12, 2012 @ 9:21 pmMy preference is no “by” needed, and fonts as follows: 6, 7, 2, 5, 4, 3, 1. (I’m trying to keep in mind how dated the cover may look in 20-30 years, and thinking of fonts that might minimize that.)
Comment by Ann Gunther January 12, 2012 @ 9:28 pmI like them in the following order, without the “by” if you please: 7, 5 (except not quite so much black ‘white’ space above the lettering if possible), 4, 2, 6, 3, 1.
Comment by Lyriel January 12, 2012 @ 10:50 pm1 (without “by”), 7, 4, 5, 2, 3, 6
Comment by ML January 12, 2012 @ 11:25 pmDetailed comment left on facebook. But number 7 is the most balanced and inviting image to me.
Comment by Nike January 13, 2012 @ 12:35 pmI like the first and last covers. But it’s hard to choose! I worked in graphics engineering for awhile, so I tend to think of fonts more in terms of their representation than their existential meaning,,, Love the tree and backlighting, though.
Comment by Karen Locke January 13, 2012 @ 5:07 pmI’m for #7 too.
Comment by Ken Kowalski January 13, 2012 @ 6:47 pm[...] thanks for all who weighed in on the cover design question the other day. We’re going to go with #7 – this [...]
Pingback by Another question. « Communion Of Dreams January 15, 2012 @ 12:24 pmI know it’s too late, but for what it’s worth I really like #3.
Comment by Liz Soldwish-Zoole January 15, 2012 @ 3:03 pm