Pendant: Badlands Fantasy

KimaPrince · 09-17-2014, 11:42 AM

Buy on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OKUHLFI
The Badlands.
A place where the Fantasy Kingdom sends their greatest criminals and the scattered plains the Human Territory considers haunted.
Alexandros, a young elven man, is banished to the Badlands, and despite the Elf's tough attitude, he really doesn't know what he's doing or where he’s going. He also seems unlucky enough to get a hyper Halfcat boy following him. The Cattish boy thinks Alexandros should head to the safest city in all the Badlands, but is this kid just going to lead him into more trouble, or is the boy right in his attitude of being the only one who can help the Elf survive the Badlands?
While Alexandros is figuring out the Badlands some already have it figured out. Or do they? When investigating the recent strange behavior of the Dark Creatures Alliance member Jafaunz gets a phone call from a friend named Saven. Saven has something concerning the Alliance he needs to talk to Jafaunz about, and it’s too important to say over the phone. So, taking his findings of the Dark Creatures with him, Jafaunz heads to Black Crystal City to meet with Saven.
Thus starts Pendant, the first book in the Badlands Fantasy Series.

KimaPrince · 10-03-2014, 12:10 PM

[Bump]
Okay, if I can, I don't want to just post a bump thread, I want to ask people something too, if I can. (newbie here)
I'd like feedback on what people think of my book's cover. I want to change it actually, but I'm not one to use Photoshop/Stock images, I like drawing, but what do you think when you see my cover?
Also, it's an ebook that Amazon says is about 61 pages long. It's a Novella. Knowing that, what price would you pay for a novella sized book? 0.99? 1.99? 2.99? Just curious.

Also, for purely promotional purposes here is the Badlands Fantasy series twitter:: http://twitter.com/BadlandsFantasy

Thank you

crich70 · 10-03-2014, 04:32 PM

The word "badlands" makes me think of a dark, desolate, type of setting. Maybe something of the hero interacting with other characters in such a setting with a overlay of the pendant going slantwise in the lower right corner of the cover. At least that's what I visualize when I see your title. Hope this helps some.

cromag · 10-03-2014, 08:35 PM

(Note: My covers, especially my older ones, are really bad. So, I might not be the right person to listen to on this subject. Also, I'm not a huge fan of epic fantasy, so I'm probably not your target audience. But I do like to see Indies succeed.)

Most "artwork" I've seen on self-pubbed work tends to be amateurish. Your cover is an exception -- I don't think it would turn anyone off, but it also doesn't draw me in. If you could apply the same artistic standard to a scene that illustrates some action from the story, that might work better.

As far as pricing goes, I tend to adhere to the $X.99 formula. I have no expertise here, either.

To me, the term "badlands" reminds me of the American west.

KimaPrince · 10-04-2014, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crich70

The word "badlands" makes me think of a dark, desolate, type of setting. Maybe something of the hero interacting with other characters in such a setting with a overlay of the pendant going slantwise in the lower right corner of the cover. At least that's what I visualize when I see your title. Hope this helps some.

That's actually a good idea, thank you.

I'll see what I can do with that.

~~~

Quote:

Originally Posted by cromag

(Note: My covers, especially my older ones, are really bad. So, I might not be the right person to listen to on this subject. Also, I'm not a huge fan of epic fantasy, so I'm probably not your target audience. But I do like to see Indies succeed.)

Most "artwork" I've seen on self-pubbed work tends to be amateurish. Your cover is an exception -- I don't think it would turn anyone off, but it also doesn't draw me in. If you could apply the same artistic standard to a scene that illustrates some action from the story, that might work better.

As far as pricing goes, I tend to adhere to the $X.99 formula. I have no expertise here, either.

To me, the term "badlands" reminds me of the American west.

I must admit I feel relieved when you call my cover an exception and understand how it doesn't 'draw in' that's what I've been noticing about it. Your suggestion fits with crich70's and I think I can pull off something from that. Thank you

0.99 cents was what I was going to put Pendant at when I came out with the second book, and I'm still learning a lot so I'll see how things go. Thank you for your input.

~~~

dark, desolate/American West. That's pretty close ^_^

Thank you both for the input it is very appreciated

crich70 · 10-04-2014, 01:33 PM

You're quite welcome kimaPrince.

KimaPrince · 10-10-2014, 01:12 PM

(Promo Over Now)New Promo post comes with an actual promo:
Pendant is on free promo 10/10-10/14 (Promo Over Now)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OKUHLFI

Reviews are appreciated. I really do want to know what people think of the first book. Everything's a learning process.

My previous questions about opinions of the cover and price are still open. I really do like the suggestions the others have made, and I plan to remake the cover and release the new cover when I release the second book of the series.

Thank you for reading

dickloraine · 10-10-2014, 08:15 PM

You didn't ask about it, but I find the blurp of the book a little bit to complicated and specific. The first two sentences are great! But I would not use the term "Fantasy Kingdom". That is generic and breaks the suspension of disbelief immediately.

The infos about the boy are okay, but I find the description of him a little bit strange. I would also describe the ambivalence of the relation in another way.
The last paragraph is in my opinion to long for what informations are given. And I just don't like a formulation like "named Saven". Why not just "gets a call from his friend Saven"? Also there is this mention of the alliance, as if I already should know about it. It is of course good and okay to just slip in things in a blurp, but I think, here is a little bit of information necessary.

Finally some more information about the setting could be intersting, but this is not a must. But a description like you gave a few posts above like "reminding of a desolate american west" could help to establish a feeling for the world of your book.

I hope I did not sound to harsh, and this is just my opinion and first reaction to it. I wish you much luck with your first book!

09-17-2014, 11:42 AM	#1
KimaPrince Member Posts: 20 Karma: 400610 Join Date: Sep 2014 Device: Kindle Fire HD (2012)	Pendant: Badlands Fantasy Buy on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OKUHLFI The Badlands. A place where the Fantasy Kingdom sends their greatest criminals and the scattered plains the Human Territory considers haunted. Alexandros, a young elven man, is banished to the Badlands, and despite the Elf's tough attitude, he really doesn't know what he's doing or where he’s going. He also seems unlucky enough to get a hyper Halfcat boy following him. The Cattish boy thinks Alexandros should head to the safest city in all the Badlands, but is this kid just going to lead him into more trouble, or is the boy right in his attitude of being the only one who can help the Elf survive the Badlands? While Alexandros is figuring out the Badlands some already have it figured out. Or do they? When investigating the recent strange behavior of the Dark Creatures Alliance member Jafaunz gets a phone call from a friend named Saven. Saven has something concerning the Alliance he needs to talk to Jafaunz about, and it’s too important to say over the phone. So, taking his findings of the Dark Creatures with him, Jafaunz heads to Black Crystal City to meet with Saven. Thus starts Pendant, the first book in the Badlands Fantasy Series. Last edited by KimaPrince; 10-18-2014 at 11:18 AM.

10-10-2014, 01:12 PM	#7
KimaPrince Member Posts: 20 Karma: 400610 Join Date: Sep 2014 Device: Kindle Fire HD (2012)	(Promo Over Now)New Promo post comes with an actual promo: Pendant is on free promo 10/10-10/14 (Promo Over Now) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OKUHLFI Reviews are appreciated. I really do want to know what people think of the first book. Everything's a learning process. My previous questions about opinions of the cover and price are still open. I really do like the suggestions the others have made, and I plan to remake the cover and release the new cover when I release the second book of the series. Thank you for reading Last edited by KimaPrince; 10-18-2014 at 11:19 AM.

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10-03-2014, 12:10 PM	#2
KimaPrince Member Posts: 20 Karma: 400610 Join Date: Sep 2014 Device: Kindle Fire HD (2012)	[Bump] Okay, if I can, I don't want to just post a bump thread, I want to ask people something too, if I can. (newbie here) I'd like feedback on what people think of my book's cover. I want to change it actually, but I'm not one to use Photoshop/Stock images, I like drawing, but what do you think when you see my cover? Also, it's an ebook that Amazon says is about 61 pages long. It's a Novella. Knowing that, what price would you pay for a novella sized book? 0.99? 1.99? 2.99? Just curious. Also, for purely promotional purposes here is the Badlands Fantasy series twitter:: http://twitter.com/BadlandsFantasy Thank you

10-03-2014, 04:32 PM	#3
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,310 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	The word "badlands" makes me think of a dark, desolate, type of setting. Maybe something of the hero interacting with other characters in such a setting with a overlay of the pendant going slantwise in the lower right corner of the cover. At least that's what I visualize when I see your title. Hope this helps some.

10-03-2014, 08:35 PM	#4
cromag Surfin the alpha waves ~~ Posts: 26,303 Karma: 459765791 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: New Jersey Device: Jetbook Lite & Mini, Nook STR, Kobo, Hanvon N516, Kindle 2, Androids	(Note: My covers, especially my older ones, are really bad. So, I might not be the right person to listen to on this subject. Also, I'm not a huge fan of epic fantasy, so I'm probably not your target audience. But I do like to see Indies succeed.) Most "artwork" I've seen on self-pubbed work tends to be amateurish. Your cover is an exception -- I don't think it would turn anyone off, but it also doesn't draw me in. If you could apply the same artistic standard to a scene that illustrates some action from the story, that might work better. As far as pricing goes, I tend to adhere to the $X.99 formula. I have no expertise here, either. To me, the term "badlands" reminds me of the American west.

10-04-2014, 01:33 PM	#6
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,310 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	You're quite welcome kimaPrince.

10-10-2014, 08:15 PM	#8
dickloraine Guru Posts: 631 Karma: 7544528 Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Berlin Device: PRS 350, Kobo Aura	You didn't ask about it, but I find the blurp of the book a little bit to complicated and specific. The first two sentences are great! But I would not use the term "Fantasy Kingdom". That is generic and breaks the suspension of disbelief immediately. The infos about the boy are okay, but I find the description of him a little bit strange. I would also describe the ambivalence of the relation in another way. The last paragraph is in my opinion to long for what informations are given. And I just don't like a formulation like "named Saven". Why not just "gets a call from his friend Saven"? Also there is this mention of the alliance, as if I already should know about it. It is of course good and okay to just slip in things in a blurp, but I think, here is a little bit of information necessary. Finally some more information about the setting could be intersting, but this is not a must. But a description like you gave a few posts above like "reminding of a desolate american west" could help to establish a feeling for the world of your book. I hope I did not sound to harsh, and this is just my opinion and first reaction to it. I wish you much luck with your first book!