Book cover feedback?

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by gmw

Hitch, to be fair, Gregg comes here looking for "feedback", not advice. The fact that we can't stop ourselves from trying to give advice (even down to sounding apologetic when we don't have it - as in my post above), is kinda our problem, not his.

You know, you're right about the feedback. I'm looking to see how the covers are being received. And sometimes people make suggestions and they're offended that I don't take them. (And of course sometimes I do take their suggestions--just never Hitch's.) But yeah, if the suggestions are not resonating I'm not going to take them. That's just common sense. It's feedback, not a collaboration.

[gmw]

Yes, I like this font better (it seems less familiar to me).

I don't much care about the actual colour names, but suggest making the background paler than it is now - the orange text may work better, or make it more brown so that it does.

And speaking of gratuitous advice...

Even though you have tried rearranging the title, the balance is still wrong. Have you tried moving that "One nuclear ..." text over to the right and down a bit?

On the subject of that text: "One nuclear crisis. Two idiots." would be enough in my opinion. I think the "Any better ideas?" is not required.


Given that not long ago I read a Clive Cussler set in Cuba, I can't help but wonder if one or your idiots is named Dirk. (Okay, so Dirk Pitt is not a Navy Seal, but he proves himself bigger, better and stronger than them in the book that I'm thinking of, so he might well be one of the two idiots referred to in your title.)

[JSWolf]

Check your cover on an eInk screen. I'm thinking the contrast may not be all that good when not in color. Also, the font on the new cover looks like a child drew the letters for a magic marker about to run out of ink.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by gmw

Yes, I like this font better (it seems less familiar to me).

I don't much care about the actual colour names, but suggest making the background paler than it is now - the orange text may work better, or make it more brown so that it does.

And speaking of gratuitous advice...

Even though you have tried rearranging the title, the balance is still wrong. Have you tried moving that "One nuclear ..." text over to the right and down a bit?

On the subject of that text: "One nuclear crisis. Two idiots." would be enough in my opinion. I think the "Any better ideas?" is not required.


Given that not long ago I read a Clive Cussler set in Cuba, I can't help but wonder if one or your idiots is named Dirk. (Okay, so Dirk Pitt is not a Navy Seal, but he proves himself bigger, better and stronger than them in the book that I'm thinking of, so he might well be one of the two idiots referred to in your title.)

Thanks gmw. I put the tagline on the right and it was lop-sided with the parachuters being on that side too. I also tried it with just the two lines and I think it's better with the three. I've never read Cussler. I've heard the name Dirk Pitt but that's about it. And no--lol--my idiots are Earl and Shelby.

I added the question mark to the title. What do you think?

And made the blue background a little easier on the eyes.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Check your cover on an eInk screen. I'm thinking the contrast may not be all that good when not in color. Also, the font on the new cover looks like a child drew the letters for a magic marker about to run out of ink.

Hi Jon. You know, I'm not really concerned about what it will look like in an eInk screen. And no, I'll show you what it looks like when a child drew the letters with a magic marker about to run out of ink.

[gmw]

Just to be perverse: I think the pale background version is now too dull (it looks boring, which doesn't suit the cartoon flavour of the images).

Personally, I think you should leave off the "?". Punctuation in book titles can be confusing when doing searches and so on, so if it's not important to the title then leave it off.

The balance is a little better with the "One nuclear..." text down a bit lower ... it's still not exactly right, though; not to my eye.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by gmw

Just to be perverse: I think the pale background version is now too dull (it looks boring, which doesn't suit the cartoon flavour of the images).

Personally, I think you should leave off the "?". Punctuation in book titles can be confusing when doing searches and so on, so if it's not important to the title then leave it off.

The balance is a little better with the "One nuclear..." text down a bit lower ... it's still not exactly right, though; not to my eye.

Thanks gmw. There are books with question marks of course. I put it in there because I thought "Navy Seal Rescue" sounded too much like a non-fiction book. I don't know. The balance is better without the ? . (But maybe the ? could be a branding thing--every title has "Navy Seal" in it and ends with a question mark.)

Anyway, ha ha, yeah, the new background (on the missile cover) is a little dull. Maybe I went too far trying to get rid of that bright blue.

I did another one with the tag line in the old cover. I don't know, I think this one's a lot more stylish than the missile one. Although the missile one is funnier. But since this is a series and if I want some branding, it's kind of important which I decide on now. (And most books like mine really use icons more than cartoonish stuff.) Yeah, I'm leaning toward using something like this.)

[gmw]

Re question mark: I've decided that don't much like "Navy Seal Rescue?" If you really wanted a question mark then I'd use "Navy Seal: Rescue?" but then you run into trouble with it looking like "Rescue?" is a subtitle, which was not intended. ... I doubt whether the question will make a huge difference either way (to the reader interpretation, searching or presentation).

Re the dark background cover: The only reason I can read the orange text on the dark blue is because I know what it says. It seems to me that this is much more likely to be interpreted as non-fiction (or serious fiction) than the light cover; those icons don't say "comedy" to me (on the other funny thriller the icons are not comic either, but are in comic juxtaposition). OTOH the balance of this cover is good.


ETA: Gregg, if you took the "One nuclear..." text back to just two lines as I suggested earlier, you could have "One nuclear crisis" on the left of the missile, and "Two idiots" on the right of the missile. This may (just guessing) give the balance that is currently missing from that version of the cover.

[latepaul]

I prefer the cover in #22. The earlier ones look like they're well-done but amateur whereas that one looks like a real book cover. (btw I paged through about 60+ pages of KU books the other day and I automatically skimmed past books with amateurish book covers, make of that what you will...)

I don't know if the cover says comedy but I definitely wouldn't be expecting serious non-fiction. Definitely light-hearted.

I'm not keen on "Any better ideas?" because, better than what? and who is that question directed to? Unless it's a choose-your-own-adventure I, the reader, am not going to be contributing any ideas into this story, so even as a rhetorical question it doesn't work. Even "What could possibly go wrong?", though a cliche, would be better.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by gmw

Re question mark: I've decided that don't much like "Navy Seal Rescue?" If you really wanted a question mark then I'd use "Navy Seal: Rescue?" but then you run into trouble with it looking like "Rescue?" is a subtitle, which was not intended. ... I doubt whether the question will make a huge difference either way (to the reader interpretation, searching or presentation).

Re the dark background cover: The only reason I can read the orange text on the dark blue is because I know what it says. It seems to me that this is much more likely to be interpreted as non-fiction (or serious fiction) than the light cover; those icons don't say "comedy" to me (on the other funny thriller the icons are not comic either, but are in comic juxtaposition). OTOH the balance of this cover is good.


ETA: Gregg, if you took the "One nuclear..." text back to just two lines as I suggested earlier, you could have "One nuclear crisis" on the left of the missile, and "Two idiots" on the right of the missile. This may (just guessing) give the balance that is currently missing from that version of the cover.

Thanks gmw. Well, maybe I need to lighten up the tagline. I don't know though. I think with the font and the icons, I can't see anybody mis-interpreting this as non-fiction. And then there's my blurb. I don't think it will be a problem.

But I'm leaning toward the cover with the blue and the orange parachuters. The cartoonish characters in the other are just kind of grating on me.

Question: Do you think I need the question mark in the title? (I thought I needed it to amp up the idea that the book was fiction, but now I'm leaning away from that thought. And like you were saying about search issues.)

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by latepaul

I prefer the cover in #22. The earlier ones look like they're well-done but amateur whereas that one looks like a real book cover.

I agree.

Originally Posted by latepaul

I don't know if the cover says comedy but I definitely wouldn't be expecting serious non-fiction. Definitely light-hearted.

Good.

Originally Posted by latepaul

I'm not keen on "Any better ideas?" because, better than what? and who is that question directed to? Unless it's a choose-your-own-adventure I, the reader, am not going to be contributing any ideas into this story, so even as a rhetorical question it doesn't work. Even "What could possibly go wrong?", though a cliche, would be better.

I think you're right. I think the 5 words in "What could possible go wrong?" might be a little long for the space, but "What could go wrong?" should work.

Have an opinion about the question mark in the title? I thought I needed it to distinguish the title from being non-fiction. But now I don't think so. (And there is already a romance out there called NAVY SEAL RESCUE.)

Thanks.

[UncleIvor]

There are 101 PhD theses waiting to be written on the semiotics of book covers.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by Gregg Bell

[...] But I'm leaning toward the cover with the blue and the orange parachuters. The cartoonish characters in the other are just kind of grating on me.

Question: Do you think I need the question mark in the title? (I thought I needed it to amp up the idea that the book was fiction, but now I'm leaning away from that thought. And like you were saying about search issues.)

I don't have big problems with the dark background version, it's has the minimum to offend, but I think it also has the minimum to attract. (I do understand how the cartoon characters may come to grate. In this house we refer to that effect as "be-sharpish" - in reference to the Simpsons's Barbership Quartet episode where Skinner says: "we need a name that's witty at first, but that seems less funny each time you hear it.")

I don't like the question mark, I'd be happy to see it gone.

[HLS]

I agree too cartoonidh. The dark navy blue background I like best. Reminds me of some of the Kindle Stephen King covers

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Gregg Bell

Oh, Hitch. You're such a meanie!



Now I realize you're baiting me (shame on you!) but just for the record: I have never been in the military. (But I could enlist--you never know.)

I'm not baiting you. If you haven't served, in any capacity, then I doubt you know enough about Seals--or any branch--to write a "regular" novel about them. As this is a send-up, a comedy, not a serious book, then it probably doesn't matter--altho, I'd argue that it takes more knowledge to parody something properly. I have served--and I'm 99% sure I couldn't write competently about the Seals.

I agree the blue needs to be toned down but actual "blue sky" (#007fff) is way too dark. And yeah, the orange works better but then I'll lose my "Navy" blue in the title, which actually I think works. So I needed the sky to be lighter but I agree that it's too light. I tried to take Granny's advice and add some green but it didn't seem to do much of anything. Blue on blue is the problem.

Whatever.

Here's a new one with a different font. (I thought the first font was too juvenile.)
It still has the blue problem though.

BTW I'm thinking of changing the title to:

NAVY SEAL RESCUE?

to obliterate anyone thinking that this might be a non-fiction book or a fiction book that is not a parody. It also plays into my story because the success of their rescue is very debatable. What do you think?

I gave you my thoughts on the title, and use of Seals, US Navy, etc., in our PM conversation. I think you'd be better off using different nomenclature--a made-up, obvious-parody name--but as I said, you're gonna do what you're gonna do.

Hitch