My cover artist, Jeroen ten Berge prepared this concept art for my cover. This is the first image we have considered, and I would like your honest opinions!
As an added bonus, here is the product description I am considering:
One man, labeled monster, secretly imprisoned for 200 years.
His brother, the only remaining jailor, weary of life and dying.
A foster son, witness to an impossible testimony of deceit, jealousy and murder.
Three men.
Shackled.
Fans of Anne Rice's "Interview with a Vampire" and Umberto Eco's "The Name of the Rose" may also enjoy this read.
There are a few things I like and a few things I am unsure about. Let's pass it around the table, shall we?
Opinions: GO!!!
Addendum:
I took this "Who Do I Write Like" Analysis I saw on Amanda Hocking's blog. Here was my result...
TOLSTOY?!?! I'm shocked and flattered by this program!
Well, if you're going for scary, I think I might have nightmares. *shudders*
ReplyDeleteThe title and your name stand out pretty good. I like it.
Angeline Kace
Very cool cover! I love the detail (i.e., wrinkles) in the guy's face, along with the dash of color in the eyes. The elongated H and L bring to mind teeth and/or stakes--either way, something menacing. The more I look at it, the more I like it. I think your product description could use more detail, however--the cover doesn't give me any idea what the book is about and the description is vague. Karen McQuestion had a good post on the 29th about product descriptions--did you happen to see that?
ReplyDeleteJE, I absolutely LOVE the cover. That said, this is a fantasy novel, correct? To me, the cover--and even the description to some extent--say horror or dark fiction.
ReplyDeleteYou may want to find a way to convey better the genre. Interview with a Vampire is more in the horror category as well. Whereas Name of the Rose would tend to fall more under literary fiction? Not sure, but I think it will be VERY important to get the tone right for your audience...
@Angelina: It IS supposed to be scary :) "Deceit, treachery and murder" aren't very happy-go-lucky words :D
ReplyDelete@James: In a story about vampires, I'm glad the cover conveys that without being cheesy! I -DID- happen to read Ms. Mcquestion's post, actually! I decided to go with a simple description and some buzzwords, as well as comparing it to other well-known authors. "Murder" is an overused buzzword, so I prefaced it by adding "jealousy". Are the murders because of jealousy? Who was deceived? Those are questions I would ask myself if I had read (instead of written!) that description. How would you improve it?
@Aaron: It is paranormal fiction/horror. I think job well done, then :) People shouldn't confuse my story for one about just fantasy, I hope *fingers crossed*. Wiki defines The Name of the Rose as an "historical murder mystery". My book isn't so much a mystery as a recounting of events... but there is murder. As for "Interview..." there is a definite correlation there, as the main character is confessing his life. (And he is a vampire :P)
JE, If i may be so bold--I predict good sales for your book. This cover will sell. Period. I may look into having mine done professionally in the future as well, I think I just became convinced...
ReplyDeleteJE, I wouldn't go so far as to say I could improve it--it's sooo much easier to criticize than create! :) While you do have brevity going for you--it's amazing to see how many descriptions are overwhelming with (too much) detail--I think you should indicate something about the plot, even if only to clarify what genre it is. What you have is intriguing (Shackled? Literally? How did that happen? If not literally, in what way?) but I think that some readers might need a bit more detail before they'd bite. So to speak.
ReplyDelete@James: Please check out the next post and tell me what you think of the updated blurb!
ReplyDelete@Aaron: You make my heart sing like a thousand angels <3 Thanks for the vote of confidence! My cover artist has been a pleasure to work with. His pricing/payment set-up is also VERY reasonable! You can check him out here!