I've been working on some covers for my short stories. Which do you like best? What works? What doesn't?
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What a great project! And it deserves to be published. For me I think the third one is best. Definitely the graveyard but the first isn't clear that the stories are about different methods, and the third one is. Yikes, I'm the first to comment - bet everyone else says something different!
ReplyDeleteI like Number 2.
ReplyDeleteI liked 2 and 3.
ReplyDeleteI'd work more on all three. The black ones are a bit too sketchy, and the middle one looks better but has a lot of unsolved areas.
ReplyDeleteMay I make a few suggestions?
ReplyDelete#1 is splitting the page in two.
#2 needs a border or it'll look like it's floating.
#3 aside from dividing the page is using too many fonts.
What you might try is the black background and then take the cemetery picture and ghost it out to about 20-30%, placing it at one of the corners.
Or....
Take a look at some of the old pulp noir covers from the 40s. You had a little bit of that going on with "Death" at an angle, but you didn't go far enough.
Are you having fun yet? :) Keep going. You're on the right track.
Number 2 sold me. It also left more to the imagination.
ReplyDeleteI like the first one - simple and straightforward with a strong image. I agree however that you need to work on the type coming over the cemetary so that it isn't split. And I wouldn't have the rose unless it is has something to do with something! I like number two as well and like it without a border - I might add a spoon so it is clear that it is a bowl of soup and not a coffee. Well you asked!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun project- mucho fun with it.
These are great comments! This is exactly what I needed to know.
ReplyDeleteWow, I didn't realize how little I understand covers until I read the other comments.
ReplyDeleteI like the feel of the black and the cemetery but agree the arrangement needs to be changes a little. Number two didn't draw me in at all.
Tends to lead the eye from the word death to your name. The description of what manner of death is missed, Clarissa.
ReplyDeleteI like the last one the best but I'd move DEATH BY to the top, and then underneath say 'Intriguing tales of ...'
ReplyDeleteI like #2 the best. I love Alpha-Deadly and the simplicity of it. I wouldn't mind seeing a title like "Alpha-Deadly" on the first cover instead of "Intriguing Tales of Death By..." to see the difference.
ReplyDeleteI like number two best. Number 1 and 3 reminded me of my daughters YA ghost stories books.
ReplyDeleteNo.1 cos I like the red rose next to the tombstones! Stunning! Take care
ReplyDeletex
The alphabet soup idea is kind of fun, and a bit more intriguing to me. I wonder if the title and tagline might be made a little more zippy? "A-B-C-DEath Stories: Murder through the alphabet" or something along those lines. I'm just finding "stories based on the alphabet" not as dynamic sounding as your concept really is.
ReplyDeleteI find #2 most intriguing, though it could be the title. With #3, it looked like the smaller type would be hard to read.
ReplyDeleteHi Clarissa .. I prefer no 3 - but I too am too comfortable with so black around ..
ReplyDeleteGood luck with this - those posts will be excellent in a book - cheers Hilary
#3
ReplyDeleteNUMBER TWO, ALL THE WAY!!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I would just leave it at 'Twenty Six Tales of Death.'
ReplyDeleteI think two is too pretty for your stories if you know what I mean. ;0
ReplyDeleteSo I vote for 1 (not three too busy) but with pulling the top font down a bit.
T
I like number 2. However it seems to be missing something. I keep thinking a tiny skull and cross bones in the middle of the cup, but that doesn't seem right either. The grave yards bother me and they seem to be of a military grave yard(all the plots are uniformly placed and the exactly the same).
ReplyDeleteI kind of like the middle one called "Alpha Deadly".
ReplyDeleteDefinitely the second one.
ReplyDeleteAlpha deadly! Its brilliant!
ReplyDeleteI'm loving the second cover. Have to let me know when I can get a hold of this :-)
ReplyDeleteI like #2 and #3. Not sure I could choose...Alpha-Deadly sounds like a cozy mystery novel, though. Soooo...maybe #3?
ReplyDeleteAlpha Deadly! :)
ReplyDeleteNo. 2! :)
ReplyDeleteI like number 3
ReplyDeleteI really like the second and the first, but the second was my favorite.
ReplyDeleteI thought the third one was too wordy. I did like the second - the alphabet soup is great, but it needs more somehow. The first one is good, but as others have said the page is split. A cemetery on a hill perhaps, maybe a silhouetted tree on the side to give it a vertical line. Some shading on the fonts would give it more depth too.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with it!
Number 2, but it needs a little something to stand out more.
ReplyDeleteI like the third one. Death by umbrella???? I like the sound of that :)
ReplyDeleteClarissa, I like the first example with the grave markers.
ReplyDeleteThe alphabet soup - brilliant!
ReplyDeleteHeather
Sorry. I hit enter too quick.
ReplyDeleteReally like the soup bowl.
My addition: Should say: ...true tales of death... and maybe a soup spoon somewhere.
I like the first one the best. It has a simpleness to it that I find appealing.
ReplyDeleteI'm drawn to the first. BUT the word "Intriguing" is very weak.
ReplyDeleteHow about: 26 Shots of Death.
Tough call. I like the second because it's so different and interesting, but think it needs some blood drops nearby or a bloody spoon or something. The letters could be a bit rougher too, (more noodle-y?) so they appear like actual noodles from a soup can.
ReplyDeleteGreat start tho!
I like 1 & 2. You should see how the dark ones look in b&W and tiny. Most people will see the cover tiny.
ReplyDeleteThese are fun! I like the third one, but with the final two lines of text shortened to one line. M. Pax makes a very good point about the importance of looking good tiny.
ReplyDeleteI like the first one
ReplyDeleteReally hate to be a spoil sport, but none of the three grabbed me. I, personally, would not buy a book about Death, per se. But I would buy a book about Death with bizarre, even gallows humor twists. I just don't think these covers do your posts justice. "The Maltese Falcon" and Raymond Burr type covers come to mind.
ReplyDeleteI think probably the third one - it gives you more of a clue as to what you'll be in for :)
ReplyDeleteHere is an award for you Clarissa:
http://thefarseas.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/great-comments-award.html
I like the first one best, but without the rose. It's clean and it says immediately what it is. The 2nd one kinda looks like tomato soup.
ReplyDeleteOh, Clarissa, they're all great. I liked the first one best, though.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the first one. It leaves more to the imagination. The second one say "poison". The third has too much text. I think a bit more fiddling and it will be perfect.
ReplyDeleteI agreed with Maria that it look cut in two. Letting it fade into the background or adding some fog might work.
Great project! I like number 2
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend!
Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
Ooo, these are great, Clarissa!! I'm so glad you're doing this. I like #2 best, but if it was on the third cover. :)
ReplyDeleteAs a designer I really like #1 best....
ReplyDeleteBut it depends on how dark the stories are. If they are dark, maybe thriller, maybe even a touch horrific, that's the cover to go with.
#2 is less intense, but also gives the feeling of a different genre. Maybe now exactly cozy, but lighter. It had a contemporary mainstream feel.
The third... I actually like the design, but the darker red on the font is muddy and not as effective. The words in the middle kind of appeal to me, but at a glance it makes it look like a non-fiction book about writing thriller. (The graveyard is reminiscent of a keyboard from a famous black and white book from WD.)
(Note, the red of the first would be harder to print.)
i like no. 1. It's easy on the eyes and the subtitle tells me what I want to know without too many details.
ReplyDeleteThose with curious minds will probably like 3 better.
To be honest, I don't care for any of them. Especially 1 and 3 because they look kind of cliched.
ReplyDeleteHave to say #2 then.
Alpha-Deadly.
ReplyDeleteShort and catchy.
But as others have said, the image needs a little work.
I am partial to the second one.
ReplyDeleteI like them all, but prefer #1. I think it clearly sets the tone of the book. What ever the cover is, I'm looking forward to the stories!
ReplyDeleteHmm... well, #2 appealed to me most, but I do like all the options listed in #3. So maybe that's a better choice? Piques the interest more? I thought #1 looked too much like Arlington. Yay for your new project! :o) <3
ReplyDeleteI like the first one.
ReplyDelete.....dhole