Nathan!
I can accept helpful criticism and negative posts. This title, albeit up and down for me, has an average four-star review on Amazon. True, I only have 52 reviews.
So, be constructive here. Don’t just slam me. What is it that, specifically, gives me such a high honor on your list? Seriously? The fonts?
Yes, sorry. I’ve got the site set for first-comment moderation; if you haven’t commented before, your comment is held for review, and I was rather busy yesterday.
In answer to your earlier question about constructive criticism etc.: Part of the assumption of this site is that indie publishers should seek such constructive criticism BEFORE publication, at which point their work is free to be judged as a public spectacle. (For the constructive side of the coin, you should visit CoverCritics.com.)
That being said, yes, the fonts were the straw that broke the back of this particular camel. They don’t play well together, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the changes, and they aren’t really evocative of anything; they don’t help me anticipate a mood, theme, or even genre for the book.
But the cover image itself is problematic. The first problem is that the overall dun color scheme isn’t dynamic or interesting; it’s the kind of color that the eye passes over in favor of the next book on the shelf or webpage. The second problem is that, even if I stop and examine the sculpture depicted (and I have no problem with the sculpture as such), I STILL have no idea as to what the book is about, what sort of mood I would want to be in to read it, who it’s aimed at…
Remember that a book cover is, first and foremost, a form of ADVERTISING for the book; this book neither tells me about the book, nor entices me to find out.
It’s interesting how people’s perceptions of art can differ. For me the art is anything but boring. I love the colors, though as I said above, I’m not into the mess on the figure’s head. Does it tell me what the book’s about? Not so much.
If you don’t like Nathan’s comments, you could always get a second opinion from Joel Friedlander. He runs a monthly assessment of e-Book Cover Designs.
![cover[1]](https://lousybookcovers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/cover168.jpg)
Yet again, an author I know… I think that makes five (one has been posted multiple times…)
🙂 OR 🙁
Nathan!
I can accept helpful criticism and negative posts. This title, albeit up and down for me, has an average four-star review on Amazon. True, I only have 52 reviews.
So, be constructive here. Don’t just slam me. What is it that, specifically, gives me such a high honor on your list? Seriously? The fonts?
Lala
1. Reviews on Amazon have nothing to do with a bad cover. Using that as a defense is circular logic.
2. Four different fonts is ridiculous. There’s absolutely no continuity, no flow at all.
3. Turd brown is never an attractive color for a background. Neither for that matter is a statue with Mardi Gras mask rejects thrown on it.
4. Nothing about this cover tells me anything ezcept the author skimped on a real artist.
If it wasn’t for the mess of crumpled paper and feathers hanging off his (her?) head, I would like the art.
Interesting, LydiaFCG, your comment has come through but mine hasn’t.
Nathan? Are you there:
Yes, sorry. I’ve got the site set for first-comment moderation; if you haven’t commented before, your comment is held for review, and I was rather busy yesterday.
In answer to your earlier question about constructive criticism etc.: Part of the assumption of this site is that indie publishers should seek such constructive criticism BEFORE publication, at which point their work is free to be judged as a public spectacle. (For the constructive side of the coin, you should visit CoverCritics.com.)
That being said, yes, the fonts were the straw that broke the back of this particular camel. They don’t play well together, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the changes, and they aren’t really evocative of anything; they don’t help me anticipate a mood, theme, or even genre for the book.
But the cover image itself is problematic. The first problem is that the overall dun color scheme isn’t dynamic or interesting; it’s the kind of color that the eye passes over in favor of the next book on the shelf or webpage. The second problem is that, even if I stop and examine the sculpture depicted (and I have no problem with the sculpture as such), I STILL have no idea as to what the book is about, what sort of mood I would want to be in to read it, who it’s aimed at…
Remember that a book cover is, first and foremost, a form of ADVERTISING for the book; this book neither tells me about the book, nor entices me to find out.
Constructive enough?
It’s interesting how people’s perceptions of art can differ. For me the art is anything but boring. I love the colors, though as I said above, I’m not into the mess on the figure’s head. Does it tell me what the book’s about? Not so much.
If you don’t like Nathan’s comments, you could always get a second opinion from Joel Friedlander. He runs a monthly assessment of e-Book Cover Designs.