On the plus side, I like the font for the title. It fits the, um, vibe. :-/
As a mom, I can relate to being proud of what our kids do, even when it’s something simple. But this is taking that pride too far. That sort of parental pride stops at the refrigerator door or maybe makes an appearance on faceook for gran and grandpa to enjoy. It does NOT belong on a book cover. Ev-er.
brian
9 years ago
Hey everyone! Happy holidays and you can go fuck yourselves. You should not speak on topics you don’t know shit about! You do not know this author but I do. So, if you have more shit to say you can direct it my way
Please, Brian, enlighten us. What exactly do we not know shit about but you do?
Are we wrong in stating that the book cover was drawn by the author’s child?
Are we wrong in saying that the cover is not going to appeal to young adults, the supposed target audience?
Are we wrong in saying that once someone publishes a book, it has to sink or swim in the marketplace of ideas, without taking into consideration that the author (or her son) is a special snowflake?
Are we wrong in assuming that YOU would never buy a book with a cover like this unless you knew the family?
Are we wrong in assuming that you are only offended that we criticized YOUR friend, and that your actions are from gut-level loyalty, not a conviction that we have objectively mistaken the quality of the illustration?
Are we wrong in assuming that you are thus personally OFFENDED, and further that you think your OFFENSE somehow automatically grants you the moral high ground?
This isn’t shit really, but I will direct it your way Brian, as you asked nicely and can help.
Face the facts: This cover is laughable. Look at it. Even someone who knows this child and can appreciate them knows that this doesn’t belong on a book. The parent is blinded with pink-tinted glasses because they love their child. It isn’t wrong to love them, but it is wrong to do this with their artwork.
It does nothing but cheapen what might otherwise be a fine novel. Nobody in their right mind would buy a book cover drawn by (a wonderful I am sure) six year old except ironically, especially not one directed at young adults. The furthest thing young adults and teens want to be associated with is young children.
So please, as you know this author personally… take them out for a coffee, sit them down, and tell them the reason their book isn’t selling is the cover. Tell them to take the original cover drawn by the child and frame it in their house, cherish it always, and then to hire a professional to make an actual cover. Tell them they are not a failure in literature like they think they are because their book never sold, it was because of the cover not because of the writing.
Brian – Judging by your eloquent use of the English language, I would guess you have not yet reached adulthood, and therefore don’t have the experience to understand what is going on here.
Books ARE judged by their covers, and by STRANGERS. Someone’s good intentions, or beloved grandparents, do not play into a buyer’s decision in any way.
That said, this book is only for sale on Smashwords, so it is clearly meant for family members, and not the general public. In a case like that, you can use any cover you want.
Ditto to all that Nathan said. The The author may be a fine person [but of course this isn’t the point]. The cover of the book is not up to marketplace standards. And yes, Nathan does know shit.
Naaman Brown
9 years ago
The cover is by a grandchild of the author and I have no doubt this watercolor has sentimental value to someone. BUT this cover on this book simply does not suggest “YA” to potential buyers.
Madeline J. Huss, “The Dandelion Patch”, Northwest Pub (Jan 1997) paperback and Wing ePress 2003. Age range: 9 – 12 Years.
Eleven year-old Gloria endures the hardship of the Great Depression through the love and strength of her family. Dandelions work into this in a symbolic way.
Madeline J. Huss (b 15 Mar 1925, d. 12 Dec 2008) was a freelance author as well as mother and grandmother. When she first self-published her only novel, her hometown school system (Lyndhurst NJ) bought 12 copies for the 8 school libraries.
Dropping f and s bombs on LBC does not change the fact this book and the memory of its author would be better served by a more appropriate cover no matter the personal sentimental value of the cover art. A book cover is the advertising face of the book to the outside world.
Holy smokes. I’m an author and have been critiqued on several of my Lousy Book Covers. Hurtful – never. Authors need thick skins and authors who publish need thicker skins and authors who drape their book in home made covers (like I do), need a sense of humor also. I’ve authored 36 books and have published 26 of them and have drizzled them with covers that I enjoy and some readers like and other readers hate. Am I a graphic artist? No. But I try and when others poke fun at my covers, I laugh along with them, ignore some stuff, learn from others. My question is, if the author of the book is so offended, why isn’t she commenting herself? This site is a critique site, not a review site. Authors should never engage a reviewer under any circumstance, but when the subject is the cover, have your say. And keep the peanut gallery under wraps.
Myself, I think it’s better that a bad-cover-perpetrator feel hurt and insulted, rather than just laughing off all criticism. Ugly and incompetent covers are an insult to potential readers, an insult to the book underneath the cover, an insult to competent cover designers, and an insult to the art of cover design. If someone is telling you that you’re guilty of that array of insults, you shouldn’t treat that information as nothing but a jolly joke.
edward C. Patterson isn’t talking about laughing at his mistakes. He’s talking about treating the awfulness of his covers as a jolly joke, rather than as a mistake that might be corrected.
And yes, when “thick-skinned” comes to mean that a person is utterly impervious to criticism, to any and all comments about what they’ve created, that’s a bad thing.
katlyn
9 years ago
This is my grandma you all are talking about. As a marketing and design major, I understand there is absolutely no compelling design to appeal to buyers but her choice wasn’t motivated by sales or profit. My grandmother had a huge heart for her family and sharing thus story, so she let my cousin do the artwork for it. I hope you will take the time to read it one day and see from her perspective.
And that’s all well and good. But the fact remains that this book was offered for sale to the public — that is, readers are asked to exchange money for the privilege of reading it. We don’t invade people’s kitchens and criticize the art hanging on their refrigerators, but as soon as they distribute it publicly and put a price tag on it, it’s fair game for public criticism.
Can you please redesign and market this properly to actually honour your grandmother?
Honour her huge heart by sharing some of yours, like she would have wanted you to.
Maybe if you market this properly then people would want to read it based on the cover. Maybe it will be a best seller and then you can take the proceeds and donate them to your grandmother’s favourite charity.
Take this situation, turn it into something positive, and make the world a better place.
*Fuzzy feelings all around*
Matthew Huss
9 years ago
Are you all professional critics?….i didn’t think so. This is my grandmothers’ book as well as brians. She was a author by hobby and chose her grandson to draw a cover when he was 10 and she was healthy, do you know why? Because she was an unbelievably excellent and unimaginable grandmother… she grew up in poverty and made a life for countless grandchildren. 5 children she had, my father being one of them. Have you ever heard the saying don’t judge a book by its cover? Obviously not this website is based on judging a book by its cover. I bet everyone that commented on this post is unhappy and goes to sleep at night with hate in their hearts. Well, my grandmother fell asleep every night with love in her heart and I know that for a fact. You are a bunch of uneducated fucks….merry fucking Christmas you degenerate soulless fucks.
Wow, that escalated quickly.
The book may be wonderful, but with that crappy cover, no-one will ever know.
Sorry for your loss, but change the damn cover.
See, the thing is, the drawing has sentimental value to you, but it has zero sentimental value to the potential buyer. When you’re selling something, YOU are the one trying to appeal to the BUYER, but this cover is YOU trying to appeal to YOU, which doesn’t make any sense. Are you selling this book to family members only?
Face reality: covers sell books. And this cover sells the book ONLY to you and your family.
Matthew Huss
9 years ago
And for sirona….what does belong on a book cover….does ugly appearance match the ugly insides?what i see on this website you all have horific personalities and probably untouchable appearences. I’m surprised anyone on this website is able to read. Your comment says ” as a mother” well by your response your obviously a careless and loveless mother/grandmother
Wow. Really, Matthew? THAT’S how you want to defend your grandma, by making personal insults against everyone? Either she was a shitty grandparent and parent, or you’re just a shitty individual. Either way, you make me glad not to know your family.
Congratulations. I don’t usually ban people, but you’ve won the “Sphincterhead of the Day” prize. Go stew in your own juices, you hateful piece of flotsam.
If you are going to reply to Sirona’s comment, be sure and click the ‘Reply’ button. It makes the conversation easier to follow when others look on this board.
Just a helpful friendly tip for the next time you want to call someone a careless and loveless she-demon with a heart of pure evil. (On a different forum obviously)
Perhaps what is missing here is constructive criticism of those things that we as consumers and publishers find objectionable in the cover.
1. The title is obviously hand written, which is fine, but the spacing is irregular and the letters are irregularly formed, which makes it difficult to read.
2. The cover lacks a point of focus, so that the viewer does not know which element is supposed to be emphasized.
3. The artwork lacks detail, making it difficult to identify the road or the dandelions without actively thinking about the cover.
These are the first three things I see. No one here is trying to be mean, but a great deal about marketing art in general and cover design in particular can be learned by studying images that are not effective.
Her kid drew it. And signed it. And she thinks that’s a good thing?
Eww. It looks like the goat-thing puked up the dandelions.
I see poor goat has allergies, and is sneezing up yellow mucus.
I see two random brown lines which serve no purpose.
Is it some kind of road or path?
$4.99 for this. Yikes. Let’s order 2 books so she can get a better cover off fiverr.
On the plus side, I like the font for the title. It fits the, um, vibe. :-/
As a mom, I can relate to being proud of what our kids do, even when it’s something simple. But this is taking that pride too far. That sort of parental pride stops at the refrigerator door or maybe makes an appearance on faceook for gran and grandpa to enjoy. It does NOT belong on a book cover. Ev-er.
Hey everyone! Happy holidays and you can go fuck yourselves. You should not speak on topics you don’t know shit about! You do not know this author but I do. So, if you have more shit to say you can direct it my way
Please, Brian, enlighten us. What exactly do we not know shit about but you do?
Are we wrong in stating that the book cover was drawn by the author’s child?
Are we wrong in saying that the cover is not going to appeal to young adults, the supposed target audience?
Are we wrong in saying that once someone publishes a book, it has to sink or swim in the marketplace of ideas, without taking into consideration that the author (or her son) is a special snowflake?
Are we wrong in assuming that YOU would never buy a book with a cover like this unless you knew the family?
Are we wrong in assuming that you are only offended that we criticized YOUR friend, and that your actions are from gut-level loyalty, not a conviction that we have objectively mistaken the quality of the illustration?
Are we wrong in assuming that you are thus personally OFFENDED, and further that you think your OFFENSE somehow automatically grants you the moral high ground?
This isn’t shit really, but I will direct it your way Brian, as you asked nicely and can help.
Face the facts: This cover is laughable. Look at it. Even someone who knows this child and can appreciate them knows that this doesn’t belong on a book. The parent is blinded with pink-tinted glasses because they love their child. It isn’t wrong to love them, but it is wrong to do this with their artwork.
It does nothing but cheapen what might otherwise be a fine novel. Nobody in their right mind would buy a book cover drawn by (a wonderful I am sure) six year old except ironically, especially not one directed at young adults. The furthest thing young adults and teens want to be associated with is young children.
So please, as you know this author personally… take them out for a coffee, sit them down, and tell them the reason their book isn’t selling is the cover. Tell them to take the original cover drawn by the child and frame it in their house, cherish it always, and then to hire a professional to make an actual cover. Tell them they are not a failure in literature like they think they are because their book never sold, it was because of the cover not because of the writing.
Please, we are begging you. Help them!
Brian – Judging by your eloquent use of the English language, I would guess you have not yet reached adulthood, and therefore don’t have the experience to understand what is going on here.
Books ARE judged by their covers, and by STRANGERS. Someone’s good intentions, or beloved grandparents, do not play into a buyer’s decision in any way.
That said, this book is only for sale on Smashwords, so it is clearly meant for family members, and not the general public. In a case like that, you can use any cover you want.
This book cover really sucks.
Ditto to all that Nathan said. The The author may be a fine person [but of course this isn’t the point]. The cover of the book is not up to marketplace standards. And yes, Nathan does know shit.
The cover is by a grandchild of the author and I have no doubt this watercolor has sentimental value to someone. BUT this cover on this book simply does not suggest “YA” to potential buyers.
Madeline J. Huss, “The Dandelion Patch”, Northwest Pub (Jan 1997) paperback and Wing ePress 2003. Age range: 9 – 12 Years.
Eleven year-old Gloria endures the hardship of the Great Depression through the love and strength of her family. Dandelions work into this in a symbolic way.
Madeline J. Huss (b 15 Mar 1925, d. 12 Dec 2008) was a freelance author as well as mother and grandmother. When she first self-published her only novel, her hometown school system (Lyndhurst NJ) bought 12 copies for the 8 school libraries.
Dropping f and s bombs on LBC does not change the fact this book and the memory of its author would be better served by a more appropriate cover no matter the personal sentimental value of the cover art. A book cover is the advertising face of the book to the outside world.
Holy smokes. I’m an author and have been critiqued on several of my Lousy Book Covers. Hurtful – never. Authors need thick skins and authors who publish need thicker skins and authors who drape their book in home made covers (like I do), need a sense of humor also. I’ve authored 36 books and have published 26 of them and have drizzled them with covers that I enjoy and some readers like and other readers hate. Am I a graphic artist? No. But I try and when others poke fun at my covers, I laugh along with them, ignore some stuff, learn from others. My question is, if the author of the book is so offended, why isn’t she commenting herself? This site is a critique site, not a review site. Authors should never engage a reviewer under any circumstance, but when the subject is the cover, have your say. And keep the peanut gallery under wraps.
Sorry. I didn’t read the post above. I have my answer. We should never desecrate the dead.
Yes, I know what you mean :S
The point still stands though. This book should honour her memory properly, not like this.
Myself, I think it’s better that a bad-cover-perpetrator feel hurt and insulted, rather than just laughing off all criticism. Ugly and incompetent covers are an insult to potential readers, an insult to the book underneath the cover, an insult to competent cover designers, and an insult to the art of cover design. If someone is telling you that you’re guilty of that array of insults, you shouldn’t treat that information as nothing but a jolly joke.
Eh? You can laugh at your mistakes and still learn from them. In fact that’s probably more conducive to growth than feeling “hurt and insulted.”
Are you suggesting authors SHOULDN’T have a thick skin?
edward C. Patterson isn’t talking about laughing at his mistakes. He’s talking about treating the awfulness of his covers as a jolly joke, rather than as a mistake that might be corrected.
And yes, when “thick-skinned” comes to mean that a person is utterly impervious to criticism, to any and all comments about what they’ve created, that’s a bad thing.
This is my grandma you all are talking about. As a marketing and design major, I understand there is absolutely no compelling design to appeal to buyers but her choice wasn’t motivated by sales or profit. My grandmother had a huge heart for her family and sharing thus story, so she let my cousin do the artwork for it. I hope you will take the time to read it one day and see from her perspective.
And that’s all well and good. But the fact remains that this book was offered for sale to the public — that is, readers are asked to exchange money for the privilege of reading it. We don’t invade people’s kitchens and criticize the art hanging on their refrigerators, but as soon as they distribute it publicly and put a price tag on it, it’s fair game for public criticism.
“readers are asked to exchange money for the privilege of reading it.”
And it isn’t even especially cheap.
No thanks.
If you are a marketing and design major…
Can you please redesign and market this properly to actually honour your grandmother?
Honour her huge heart by sharing some of yours, like she would have wanted you to.
Maybe if you market this properly then people would want to read it based on the cover. Maybe it will be a best seller and then you can take the proceeds and donate them to your grandmother’s favourite charity.
Take this situation, turn it into something positive, and make the world a better place.
*Fuzzy feelings all around*
Are you all professional critics?….i didn’t think so. This is my grandmothers’ book as well as brians. She was a author by hobby and chose her grandson to draw a cover when he was 10 and she was healthy, do you know why? Because she was an unbelievably excellent and unimaginable grandmother… she grew up in poverty and made a life for countless grandchildren. 5 children she had, my father being one of them. Have you ever heard the saying don’t judge a book by its cover? Obviously not this website is based on judging a book by its cover. I bet everyone that commented on this post is unhappy and goes to sleep at night with hate in their hearts. Well, my grandmother fell asleep every night with love in her heart and I know that for a fact. You are a bunch of uneducated fucks….merry fucking Christmas you degenerate soulless fucks.
“Are you all professional critics?….i didn’t think so.”
Wait, so if we *were* professional critics, you wouldn’t have a problem?
“Because she was an unbelievably excellent and unimaginable grandmother”
Who has been attacked by absolutely nobody here.
“Have you ever heard the saying don’t judge a book by its cover?”
We aren’t judging the book by it’s cover, we are judging the *cover* by it’s, um, cover.
“Well, my grandmother fell asleep every night with love in her heart and I know that for a fact.”
In that case, I doubt she’d approve of what you wrote here.
“merry fucking Christmas you degenerate soulless fucks.”
Merry Christmas to you too.
Wow, that escalated quickly.
The book may be wonderful, but with that crappy cover, no-one will ever know.
Sorry for your loss, but change the damn cover.
See, the thing is, the drawing has sentimental value to you, but it has zero sentimental value to the potential buyer. When you’re selling something, YOU are the one trying to appeal to the BUYER, but this cover is YOU trying to appeal to YOU, which doesn’t make any sense. Are you selling this book to family members only?
Face reality: covers sell books. And this cover sells the book ONLY to you and your family.
And for sirona….what does belong on a book cover….does ugly appearance match the ugly insides?what i see on this website you all have horific personalities and probably untouchable appearences. I’m surprised anyone on this website is able to read. Your comment says ” as a mother” well by your response your obviously a careless and loveless mother/grandmother
Wow. Really, Matthew? THAT’S how you want to defend your grandma, by making personal insults against everyone? Either she was a shitty grandparent and parent, or you’re just a shitty individual. Either way, you make me glad not to know your family.
Congratulations. I don’t usually ban people, but you’ve won the “Sphincterhead of the Day” prize. Go stew in your own juices, you hateful piece of flotsam.
If you are going to reply to Sirona’s comment, be sure and click the ‘Reply’ button. It makes the conversation easier to follow when others look on this board.
Just a helpful friendly tip for the next time you want to call someone a careless and loveless she-demon with a heart of pure evil. (On a different forum obviously)
Perhaps what is missing here is constructive criticism of those things that we as consumers and publishers find objectionable in the cover.
1. The title is obviously hand written, which is fine, but the spacing is irregular and the letters are irregularly formed, which makes it difficult to read.
2. The cover lacks a point of focus, so that the viewer does not know which element is supposed to be emphasized.
3. The artwork lacks detail, making it difficult to identify the road or the dandelions without actively thinking about the cover.
These are the first three things I see. No one here is trying to be mean, but a great deal about marketing art in general and cover design in particular can be learned by studying images that are not effective.