Your opinions on my novel cover?

[S.C. Barrus]

I am currently writing a novel and am about to start generating some buzz using my blog.  I've created this cover for it which I'm planning on using whenever I talk about the book, and I would love to hear your opinion.  Any feedback would be much appreciated. 

[Atterton]

That image tells me very little about the story. It looks more appropiate for a collection of short stories.

[Crescat Scientia]

You may wish to reconsider your proportions.  The text at the top looks a little crowded, especially the way the "S" in "Sea" overlaps the "D" in "and."

[S.C. Barrus]

That image tells me very little about the story. It looks more appropiate for a collection of short stories.

Hello Atterton,  Thanks for your input.  However, i must respectfully disagree as the I believe cover suggests much about the story.  First there is the skull suggesting adventure and/or peril.  Then there are the frogs which become a major part of the novels plot.  The Bowler hat and the port town are meant to help signal the era, the setting, and the genre.  The ocean is prominent suggesting that there may be a voyage of some sort.

For these reasons I would suggest that this cover actually hints quite a lot in way of the plot.

You may wish to reconsider your proportions.  The text at the top looks a little crowded, especially the way the "S" in "Sea" overlaps the "D" in "and."

Hello Crescat Scientia, thanks for your input.  I've been debating the layout of the text for a while actually, so I'm glad you brought that up.  I'll play around with it some and see if there is a better way to go about it.

[Lady Chrystal]

You may like to make the green frog more visible - it's quite hard to see it clearly enough to recognise it as a frog.

I wasn't certain whether the detail on the left-hand horizon was a town or a steamship. Perhaps a more visible beach in front of it...?

I suggest you add something on or near the right-hand horizon. Even a couple of birds in flight would balance the overall picture.

I agree with other comments about the text layout.

I also understand the comments about it looking like a collection - the images are a little disconnected, which suggests to the viewer that it may not be a single story. Also the title, which has a slight tautological ring to it. Assuming you do not wish to change such details, you may like to add the phrase, "a novel by" before your name to prevent any possible confusion in the viewer.

[The Corsair]

The blue frog doesn't look right somehow... Like it's obviously a different layer to the image

[Augustus Longeye]

Personally I'd ditch the frog, then the image is pretty spot on. Frogs may be important, but the vivid blue compared to the blander colours makes it look far too artificial (I realise how strange that sounds when I say the skull in a bowler hat isn't artificial...). As for the text you either want to move it further apart, or have more of it overlapping. Just that one overlap is a little discordant.
~Longeye~

[Seaton Begg]

"For these reasons I would suggest that this cover actually hints quite a lot in way of the plot."

Not to me.

Sorry if that is not what you want to hear but that cover does not really hint to me at all. It could be a book of poetry in a modernist-Poe style for all I know.

You know the story, we don't, and that cover tells me nothing.

[Lady Evelyn Grey]

To add my own two cents....

Agree with what has been said before about receiving very little information about the plot from the cover.

Agree also with the need to format the text- maybe get rid of the bottom bar of texture just to give a bit more room for the title and your name.

Also, agree with Mr. Longeye about the blue frog. It looks very pasted randomly onto the hat. Ditch that. The other frog in the eye socket is enough to suggest the frog's importance to the plot while remaining subtle. The reader, after realizing how important frogs are, will flip back to the cover and find that little jewel- no doubt with a great deal of surprise and joy.

I do like the watercolor quality to the cover. It gives it a nice tone.

[Captain Braid]

I too, have to say that the cover suggests nothing about the content.

A bowler hat says nothing about timeplacement (my grandfather was still wearing his to work in the late 1960's), the skull just suggests a skull, the frogs indicate nothing either.

The title is the 'Island and the Sea' but neither of these key items are prominent in this depiction.
Utilise the two main named items as the core structure for the image and fade the skull into the background at 70% transparency 30% visibility and as if you suggest that the frogs are "core" to the plot have ONE emerging from an eye socket facing towards the viewer.
Use the type face to suggest the time placement with either a Victorian Gothic or Newsprint style font.

[Crescat Scientia]

The image suggests it's a murder mystery.  There is a resemblance to the artworks of the Surrealist René Magritte which suggests to me a timeperiod between the 1920s and the 1960s.

If that isn't your intent, some further thought may be necessary.

[S.C. Barrus]

Thanks to everyone for throwing in there two cents thus far.  Your input has given me a lot to think about.  I'll post another version of the cover as soon as I can get around to making one which will be in the next few days.

Thanks!

[Narsil]

Personally I think that that book covers have very little possibility of enhancing a book and a lot of potential to spoil it.

The reason being that, as most novels aren't illustrated, the cover will be the first and only visual image which your reader associates with the book and since imagery is very driven by personal taste it can have a big effect on how they react to the writing.

Its very much t he same syndrome which makes most cinematic adaptions of good books a bit disappointing...the whole point of a book is that you are entirely free to construct  your own imagery, as soon as anything else intrudes on that its a little bit uncomfortable, especially when characters are involved.

I would say that the best option for a book cover is something at least abstract and perhaps even  just plain bland.

With this in mind the cover you have posted is pretty good since its pretty cryptic yet interesting and distinctive.

I think the detailed graphic design could do with a bit of work though...as others have said the text looks a bit cramped and I might be tempted to flatten  down the image a little. perhaps by desaturating it slightly or maybe overlaying a texture. You will notice that a lot of modern novel covers have a very limited colour palette and often a lot of fairly random  textures....there is a good reason for this. I allows you to convey a broad mood without setting up any too specific imagery.

[MWBailey]

It's an eye-catcher, no mistake; but personally it seems as if the derby-topped skull, the ocean, and the boat off in the distance are merely background for the blue frog, and the yellow one doesn't emerge or separate itself from the background immediately, which kind of dulls or even kills the circular dynamic that would make the whole a much better illustration.

Reducing the size of the skull and putting it off-center, maybe postioning it opposite the ship in the distance, and adding shadows and highlights to the frogs (maybe rearranging them as well) might serve better to lead the eye through the image and up to the text of the title. Also, I concur with Narsil that the typography (the way that the lettering is designed and executed) could do with some improvement; the leading (space between the lines) between the lower line and the upper at least should be increased by several points, in my view.

[Inflatable Friend]

I have to agree with the comments about it looking cluttered. The text at the top seems crammed in without any room to breathe, I'd suggest shrinking the skull slightly or lowering the font size to reduce the clutter, also take a look at the lower text, it's encroaching onto the chin of the skull.

The smoke from the background element seems very unnatural - It was the first thing that popped out as jarring. Compared to the rest of the image it seems to have to much high value white in it, try adjusting the values of the smoke until it blends more naturally with the rest of the background.

The Blue Frog, as others have suggested, also pops out as being out of place. Giving it a semi-soft shadow would help blend it in to the image, currently it just looks like a seperate element.

Also look at the shadow of the hat as it falls on the skull, the hat and skull appear to have fairly soft lighting on them, but the shadow cast on the skull is sharp. Also think about how the skull exists in 3D space, the current shadow is a perfect curved line. A shadow cast by an object with a straight/curved edge will still be affected by the topology of the item receiving the shadow.

Other than that it's looking good - A few tweaks here and there and you'll have it looking fantastic!

[Crescat Scientia]

Personally I think that that book covers have very little possibility of enhancing a book and a lot of potential to spoil it.

The reason being that, as most novels aren't illustrated, the cover will be the first and only visual image which your reader associates with the book and since imagery is very driven by personal taste it can have a big effect on how they react to the writing.

Its very much t he same syndrome which makes most cinematic adaptions of good books a bit disappointing...the whole point of a book is that you are entirely free to construct  your own imagery, as soon as anything else intrudes on that its a little bit uncomfortable, especially when characters are involved.

I would say that the best option for a book cover is something at least abstract and perhaps even  just plain bland.

With this in mind the cover you have posted is pretty good since its pretty cryptic yet interesting and distinctive.

I think the detailed graphic design could do with a bit of work though...as others have said the text looks a bit cramped and I might be tempted to flatten  down the image a little. perhaps by desaturating it slightly or maybe overlaying a texture. You will notice that a lot of modern novel covers have a very limited colour palette and often a lot of fairly random  textures....there is a good reason for this. I allows you to convey a broad mood without setting up any too specific imagery.

Interesting.  So you're something of a minimalist about book cover art?  Would these be something like what you had in mind?

It seems to me that a book cover is a kind of introduction to the content, and as such may use any of the visual arts and visual styles to convey a sense of what is inside.  Abstraction is certainly one possible style, blandness also, but they are not the only possibilities, and not necessarily the best choices for all books.

I agree with you that a book cover is important insofar as it is an introduction, but it is subservient to the book itself.  That is why it should give, through whatever artistic device, a good sense of the story, while not overwhelming that story with its visuals.

[S.C. Barrus]

So based upon the input so far I've made quite a few changes to the cover.  Let me know if you think its an improvement or not.

[S.C. Barrus]

Personally I think that that book covers have very little possibility of enhancing a book and a lot of potential to spoil it.

The reason being that, as most novels aren't illustrated, the cover will be the first and only visual image which your reader associates with the book and since imagery is very driven by personal taste it can have a big effect on how they react to the writing.

Its very much t he same syndrome which makes most cinematic adaptions of good books a bit disappointing...the whole point of a book is that you are entirely free to construct  your own imagery, as soon as anything else intrudes on that its a little bit uncomfortable, especially when characters are involved.

I would say that the best option for a book cover is something at least abstract and perhaps even  just plain bland.

With this in mind the cover you have posted is pretty good since its pretty cryptic yet interesting and distinctive.

I think the detailed graphic design could do with a bit of work though...as others have said the text looks a bit cramped and I might be tempted to flatten  down the image a little. perhaps by desaturating it slightly or maybe overlaying a texture. You will notice that a lot of modern novel covers have a very limited colour palette and often a lot of fairly random  textures....there is a good reason for this. I allows you to convey a broad mood without setting up any too specific imagery.

Interesting.  So you're something of a minimalist about book cover art?  Would these be something like what you had in mind?

It seems to me that a book cover is a kind of introduction to the content, and as such may use any of the visual arts and visual styles to convey a sense of what is inside.  Abstraction is certainly one possible style, blandness also, but they are not the only possibilities, and not necessarily the best choices for all books.

I agree with you that a book cover is important insofar as it is an introduction, but it is subservient to the book itself.  That is why it should give, through whatever artistic device, a good sense of the story, while not overwhelming that story with its visuals.

I actually agree with both of you.  I think a cover should should represent the feel, the atmosphere, or a theme of the story itself.  It should also be tantalizing for its particular audience.  There are definitely many ways to do this, from minimalistic covers (one of my favorites is The Curious Ingredient of the Dog in the Night-Time) to a more classical approach like the one I'm taking which is inspired by an old copy of Treasure Island I own.  All are valid as long as they take into consideration the material of the book itself.

Now, what I disagree with is the thought that a cover should tell the story which I was a bit surprised so many people on this thread are commenting on.  I have never seen a book cover and expected it to tell me a story, rather I expect it to be a vague graphic representative beckoning me to read what it's sheathing.

I hope the latest version of the cover puts this across.

[Lady Chrystal]

It's interesting to see people's opinions of what they expect from a bookcover. It's once of the aspects I teach in workshopping. Readers do judge a book by its cover and there are conventions that act as a shorthand to tell the reader what kind of book it might be. There are also ways to break the conventions that sometimes work, but are risky for an unknown author. The feedback on here about the messages conveyed by the images has been very useful and it's good to see the improvements that result from it.

I think the latest cover is a significant improvement. I'd still look at the shadow of the hat - shouldn't it form to the skull more than it does? I would also experiment with moving the skull slightly off-centre. Also, if there's any likelihood of reusing the characters, you might wish to change "The Adventure..." to "An Adventure..." or "The First Adventure...". Finally, I would even up th elne spacing of the title a little - move the middle line up a little.

Looking good - I'd pick it up and read the back, now.

[MWBailey]

So based upon the input so far I've made quite a few changes to the cover.  Let me know if you think its an improvement or not.

Much better, I think. The skull is still in the center, but that might be a matter of necessity; I just tend to shie away from centered main subjects. There's a definite eye-leading dynamic in your design, so perhaps I'm just nitpicking.

[Crescat Scientia]

Much improved.  It's interesting how much better it is with essentially the same elements and atmosphere.  The presence of the island helps, as does the brief description of the story.

I think the addition of the pipe helps the skull avoid that dead-symmetrical feeling.  So does the jauntily tilted hat.  I agree with Lady Chrystal that the shadow of the hat over the skull could perhaps use some nuance.

I originally thought the text "A Novel By" might be centered like the rest of the text, but now I see the virtue of some asymmetry.

[The Corsair]

There's now only one small thing that seems to be throwing me off. It's the shore beneath the 'a novel by S C Barrus' bit. Somehow it detracts from the isolation of the island in the image and makes it seem... less... adventurey? I don't know, it just doesn't seem quite right.

[Crescat Scientia]

Oh, and I don't think a book cover should tell a story.  The story tells a story.

The book cover is an adjunct work of art intended, as I said, to serve as an introduction to the story.  It is a kind of presentation which may use any visual device at all to bring across some aspect of the story, ideally in such a way as to connect with the potential audience.  The cover should always be subservient to the book.

I say this as a professional artist who has made a few book covers.

[S.C. Barrus]

Thank you for all of you sticking around through the creation process of this cover.  I'm only an artist by hobby, so I don't tend to get much input and I appreciate each comment made so far.

I definitely see the point of maybe removing the shore at the bottom of the image, it was mostly serving to create a space for my name (a little cocky I know, but I'm a little cocky).  I also need to move the word "sea" down a bit.  That's been bugging me but I havent been able to get around to fixing it yet.  I'll play around with the placement of the skull, but I'm not sure how it will look off center, worth a shot though.

[Seaton Begg]

I concur regarding the pebble shoreline in the foreground.

I would get rid of the pipe (and I speak here as a pipe smoker) as it seems a bit of a cliche.

Also you may consider 'A Dr Fitzgerald mystery' as this is more of a hook than the current tag line. And personally the convoluted character names put me off straight away.