Suspense thriller cover feedback?

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by theducks

I saw the bottle and the glass, so I guessed he had been drinking .
Other than still gripping the Glass, I did not see a clue he was still alive.

The phase "Death Grip" comes to mind

Yeah, ducks, I guess that could be. I'm doing a new version sans-blood. Thanks. I'll post it. (He should look thoroughly alive.)

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The yellow around the title doesn't work. I cannot say about the face in the title as the image is not large enough and without the yellow and a different cover pictures, it may or may not work.

The US J. D. Robb covers use the words (in this case it's the author name) in a background like your yellow and it too is awful. I prefer the UK covers that don't do that.

Thanks Jon. I just looked at hers and don't like hers either. And I like the ambiguity (in mine) of the face being seen or not seen. Whatever you think about black and yellow it makes for a killer visible thumbnail.

I'm posting a new version without the blood. I'm thinking it may be just right because I have "bloody" in the title.

[Gregg Bell]

I was concerned because with all the blood a lot of people thought the guy lying in bed was dead and the book was a murder mystery. (It's a suspense thriller.) So I did a version without the blood. Thanks.

[Cinisajoy]

Hun,
Tone down that sun. You have midday not sunrise. The color is so blinding I am losing the title.
I do think it would be cool if the colors were sunrise not NOON.

[JSWolf]

I've said the yellow background with the title doesn't work (it looks tacky). Yet it's still there.

[theducks]

Yeh! A Sunrise is a partial Solar object just peeping over the horizon, with the sky still mostly dark.
I don't think dark works behind the title unless the letters go from Black (in the crescent) to white (top)

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by theducks

Yeh! A Sunrise is a partial Solar object just peeping over the horizon, with the sky still mostly dark.
I don't think dark works behind the title unless the letters go from Black (in the crescent) to white (top)

I was thinking more reddish orange maybe with a gradient.

[theducks]

Sunsets are red-orange

(I took this,so any MR member has my permission to USE (but not charge).

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by theducks

Sunsets are red-orange

(I took this,so any MR member has my permission to USE (but not charge).

Gorgeous.
The colors on both sides of the sun would be great for the background to his title.
Thanks for putting a color to my thoughts.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Gorgeous.
The colors on both sides of the sun would be great for the background to his title.
Thanks for putting a color to my thoughts.

I got many Sunsets, a few Morning Overcasts... but no Sunrises.
I guess I was more interested in Chow Call that going on deck to shoot film

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by theducks

I got many Sunsets, a few Morning Overcasts... but no Sunrises.
I guess I was more interested in Chow Call that going on deck to shoot film

I have seen a couple of sunrises but very few. I am not a morning person.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by Gregg Bell

I was concerned because with all the blood a lot of people thought the guy lying in bed was dead and the book was a murder mystery. (It's a suspense thriller.) So I did a version without the blood. Thanks.

Okay, so I no longer think he's been shot. (Sure the hand out to the glass thing might have been proof of life, but with all that blood in the previous images it was certainly not my first reaction.)

I think this latest is more appropriate to a suspense thriller. (I was going to say that a bit of blood wouldn't have hurt the image, but since his eyes are closed I suspect any blood is going to give an impression of mortal injury, and a small amount is going to be lost in thumbnail view - so I think you are probably right in removing it all.)

The concern now is whether the more sedate image is too sedate for what you wanted - why's this guy sleeping when the girl is screaming? Okay, so he's not sleeping, he's reaching for the glass ... but somehow the image doesn't give the impression of movement, which is why it was so easy to assume he was dead previously. (He makes an elegant corpse or sleeping beauty; he does not look like a man struggling.)

I don't have a problem with the yellow background to the title, except my previously mentioned thought that a gradient might be appropriate. On the other hand, I can see the advantage (that you mentioned) of clarity in thumbnails with what you have now. (Still not sure about that screaming face behind the title.)

While this latest version will still stand out from your other covers, I no longer think it will clash so harshly.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've said the yellow background with the title doesn't work. Yet it's still there.

Please don't get offended. Even if someone asks you directly, personally, for an opinion, they are not obliged to act on it. On a forum, where the request is not direct or personal, acting on every opinion would not only be unwise, it is more often than not impossible.

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I have seen a couple of sunrises but very few. I am not a morning person.

Nor I, though I do see more sunrises than I'd like - from the wrong side (the sun coming up as I'm heading to bed).

[JSWolf]

I was thinking what might work is the yellow behind the title was removed and we just had blank walls behind it. Then the title can go on the wall.

[Cinisajoy]

With the title and the picture, tequila sunrise color would be perfect under the title.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Hun,
Tone down that sun. You have midday not sunrise. The color is so blinding I am losing the title.
I do think it would be cool if the colors were sunrise not NOON.

Cin, It doesn't have to be literal. And blinding is good. It makes for a good thumbnail and perhaps people will be wondering what's in the text that it looks different. I'm doing an even more blinding one. I'll post it soon.