Too corny for a book cover?

[mr ploppy]

http://i50.tinypic.com/209r7ub.jpg

I know the lettering needs a lot of work, it's more the image than anything else.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

It doesn't "say" anything to me.

[JSWolf]

The text would look better if it wasn't as large and if it looked like it was carved into the stone/brick. But the boots are just not doing it for me.

[teh603]

Try flipping it horizontally; right now the eye is drawn to "Come and have a read if you think you're hard enough" and then the boots, completely skipping the title. The boots could also be darker; they look more like an old set of Aggie senior boots than something a skinhead would wear.

[orlok]

I think it's okay, apart from:

- the yellow. I just don't like yellow
- as teh603 said, the boots should be darker - they need to look like they are part of the same photo as the wall

[mr ploppy]

I make a big thing of the boots being red in the book. So it doesn't suggest romance in any way? The text on the yellow bit is just a placeholder until I think of something to put there. Boots, braces, birds and bonking, that sort of thing probably. And the title text will be spray-painted on the wall when I figure out how. Maybe the boots should be hung on a nail or something?

[ATDrake]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

So it doesn't suggest romance in any way?

Is it supposed to suggest romance? You could have some hearts in the eventual background graffito (or dot the I in the title with a heart, though that might be too cheesy, though if it's a bleeding, dripping, stabbed/broken heart I don't know if that would enhance or diminish the cheese factor).

The boots look more brown than red on my hand-me-down netbook. A redder red might make them pop out a bit more from the background, and if the title text is supposed to be graffiti-like on the "wall" behind, then that might give a nice contrast of elements.

Or depending on how everything looks, perhaps change the yellow placeholder to red to pick up the colour of the boots and keep it as a "sidebar" element, like those some of those Harlequin romance lines have (i.e., the "Desire"-line cover from the Try Harlequin freebie site).

[gmw]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

I make a big thing of the boots being red in the book. So it doesn't suggest romance in any way? The text on the yellow bit is just a placeholder until I think of something to put there. Boots, braces, birds and bonking, that sort of thing probably. And the title text will be spray-painted on the wall when I figure out how. Maybe the boots should be hung on a nail or something?

Maybe the boots should be "looking" at each other (toes touching, pigeon toed) ... or if you want corny: flop the tongues out over each other, or tie the laces together. And rather than try to merge the boots against the wall, separate them more by making the boots more red and the background less coloured. (No idea if any of this works, just thoughts as I passed through.)

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

So it doesn't suggest romance in any way?

Are you serious? It suggests boots and a fake brick wall... and sorry, but "skinheads" and "romance" don't play in the same sandbox.

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

Are you serious? It suggests boots and a fake brick wall... and sorry, but "skinheads" and "romance" don't play in the same sandbox.

Where do you think baby skinheads come from?

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

It doesn't "say" anything to me.

Yea... cant tell what the book is about by that cover at all. Not sure at all what message you are trying to convey there.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

Where do you think baby skinheads come from?

Handcuffs and ballgags?

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

Handcuffs and ballgags?

You've been watching skinhead porn again haven't you?

[teh603]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

Where do you think baby skinheads come from?

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

Handcuffs and ballgags?

What about locking the boots' top eyelets with a heart- shaped padlock? Assuming you own those boots and can re-shoot the pic, of course.

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by teh603

What about locking the boots' top eyelets with a heart- shaped padlock? Assuming you own those boots and can re-shoot the pic, of course.

I like that one, or doing it with the laces themselves trailing on the floor

I also thought of having 2 pairs of boot soles in a shagging position, but that would probably give the wrong impression.