Groups / Speculative Fiction... / seeking feedback on...
seeking feedback on cover for my upcoming SF novel
I'm getting close to self-publishing my SF novel, TWIN-BRED, and am having second thoughts about my cover. I have two versions, one for print and one for the e-book, but I'm not sure whether they look professional enough. I'm attaching both (the one with the smaller planet is the e-book cover), and would greatly appreciate any feedback! Please let me know as specifically as you can what does and (especially) what doesn't work for you. Thanks!!
part of the SparkPoint Studio Family
:) Leave it to me to be a year behind the schedule, sorry! Glad to see your book published and congrats, it looks great!
The novel was published in October 2011, with a realistic star background added. Here's the Amazon link:
Twin-Bred on Amazon
Looking at the newer ones, I do like the one where the stars are removed. Cleans it up and makes it look more professional. Still needs something, I'm not sure what.
My first response was, "Oh no, another thing on abortion." Seriously, I'm not sure where that came from, but it was an immediate turn-off for me. I looked closer, and it didn't bother me so much when I saw one was the traditional alien picture and the other a human, and then I got intrigued about what that might mean.
I don't love the font, but I do like the simplicity of it. The overall look is not as professional as others I've seen (no offense, just my opinion). I think if you took the planet with the the fetuses and blurred it--smudge it and lighten it, leave the stars dark, change the font--not sure to what though--it would look more pro. Maybe make the graphic a little smaller and off-set too. I like that you don't have a bunch of verbage on the front!
Now, I'll go read what others have said. Thanks for sharing, hope I'm not way off on this. Good luck to you!!!
I've been tweaking.... If there's anyone who isn't sick of this cover, I'd love to get reactions to some of the latest alternatives. All of them have a somewhat darker planet and larger artwork. I've also tried adding stars to the black background -- either larger, more stylized ones or smaller, closer-to-realistic-size ones. And I've also tried a different color font. (I've tried some other fonts, but haven't found one I really liked. If anyone has a recommendation for a good raised 3D font, please let me know!)
I've also had a private message from someone on another website, apparently a professional designer, saying that "the layout is amateurish, the serif font is crude and the illustration is poor. . . . Currently it brands the book as an amateurish attempt at publishing." If that's the impression it gives, I really, REALLY want to know about it . . . so please don't worry about being kind! (OTOH, if readers like it, I won't worry too much about what professional designers think.)
What's working for me: The picture gives an immediate "synopsis" of what the book is about, which is incredibly intriguing.
What's not working for me: I wonder if you could add something small after/before your name, such as a credential or a quoted review, etc. to give it a little extra somethin-somethin ;-)