Cover feedback please?

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Not kill you, but choose not to read your books again. Personally I think doing your research properly and getting all your facts right is critical; don't just say "my American readers won't know the difference".

I agree, Harry.

[Cinisajoy]

Hey Gregg,
How much research did you do on the Royal Ballet?

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Hey Gregg,
How much research did you do on the Royal Ballet?

A lot. I don't know. As much as I could. But, Cin, it can get crazy. Somebody sent me a link on how the rhythm of British speech is different. Sorry, I'm not going there.

If somebody reading it says, "Gee, I think the rhythm of that sentence isn't quite right" I've failed making my story compelling.

[Cinisajoy]

Ok Gregg,
Here is a question.
How does a ballerina get into the Royal Ballet?

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Gregg Bell

True enough. Sure it would be great if I wrote a story about a kidnapping in Somalia if I went there, interviewed the warlords, felt the searing 120 heat, ate the dust. But is that going to happen?

Will the people who have been to Somalia be taken out of the story. Probably.

What if I want to write a book about outer space? Should I sign up for Branson's space shuttle so I can be accurate?

Yes, research is important. For certain kinds of books cultural accuracy is more important than others. (Historical fiction comes to mind.) Which isn't to say it's okay to be a slouch about it. But there will always be somebody that is not a happy camper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAHR7_VZdRw

I don't know one person who's been to Somalia or outer space, but nearly everyone I know has been to London. And those who haven't been still know a considerable amount about it; it feels familiar from TV, books, movies, etc. Which suggests that a lot more people are going to be raising their eyebrows and throwing the book across the room if the details don't match what they know about London.

[pdurrant]

Mind you, the dreadful inaccuracies in Diana Galbadon's Outlander don't seem to have hurt sales. (Well, except to me and anyone else who knows anything about Scotland.)

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Gregg Bell

True enough. Sure it would be great if I wrote a story about a kidnapping in Somalia if I went there, interviewed the warlords, felt the searing 120 heat, ate the dust. But is that going to happen?

Will the people who have been to Somalia be taken out of the story. Probably.

Yes, they will, if you get it wrong. If you say something that's slightly off, but not completely, they'll likely let it go. If you claim it's a "true story," and you put a crucial location in the wrong place, they won't let it go. It's all relative. Do you need to be Tom Clancy, on the 'Hunt for Red October?' No. But there's a bloody good reason that people--me included--couldn't put that thing down.

What if I want to write a book about outer space? Should I sign up for Branson's space shuttle so I can be accurate?

Ditto. If you're writing space fantasy or Space Opera, you can probably get away with a lot. You can have people have "anti-grav" magical stuff. You can make aliens appear. You can stretch the limits of the imagination. On the other hand, if you're the screenwriter for Gravity, you can't. (n.b.: that wasn't a movie that I enjoyed, but I'm simply making a point here. Please don't leap all over the technical mistakes in that film, thanks.)

Vis-a-vis your Ballerina--getting all of that right will be absolutely necessary. If you screw that up, you're likely toast.

By the way: I think your assumption that somehow, Americans won't read the book because the word "London" is in the title is kind of insulting. Not everyone in this country is some sort of slab-sided jingoistic nut-job that won't or can't read a book set in another country. I could name 20 authors off the top of my head (Elizabeth George, anyone?) without leaving my chair who write about locales, countries, climes, etc., that aren't in the US that seem to do quite well. My client Timothy Hallinan writes a series set in Bangkok, (the Poke Rafferty series) that was Edgar and Macavity nominated two years ago.

Yes, research is important. For certain kinds of books cultural accuracy is more important than others. (Historical fiction comes to mind.) Which isn't to say it's okay to be a slouch about it. But there will always be somebody that is not a happy camper.

Well, I'm not sure that I agree with you. What type of cultural accuracy do you think would take precedence over factual accuracy? In fact, what's the difference in those two?

Back on topic: sorry, I don't love the cover. Too much murk, not enough GRAB ME on it. I get where it is, and all that, but...I simply feel that you can do better. I think we've gabbed before about this, and for genre (and even non-fiction), I'm a huge fan of Derek Murphy's terrific blog piece on Covers and Cover design: http://www.creativindie.com/8-cover-...-buying-books/ . I firmly believe that if you stick to his guidelines, you shan't go far wrong. I give this link to every client that doesn't yet have a cover, in the hopes that at least they'll read it.

To me, for what it's worth, the cover does not need to have ANYTHING on it that points directly to the story (e.g., something British or something at the Barre/Ballet). What matters is that it gets buyers to CLICK. Too many authors, IMHO, make the mistake of trying to tell their story on the cover, as if it's an IMAX screen, when it isn't. (When you read that article, look at the covers for Allegiant or Ignite Me, for example). I think, given you have a would-be Prima in the book, you should be able to find nicely creepy images that you could use, to convey a sense of dread anticipation. (P.S. Getty has one of a ballerina, in boots smoking a ciggie, that's hilarious. Not suitable for you, but...hey.) What about the usual toe shoes? Bloody toe shoes, abandoned toe shoes....or, this is one of the few times I'd think a silhouette might work, IF (big if) the rest of the cover was sublimely perfect. Getty does have another one, in B&W, of a girl in a ballerina's aspect, in a big, empty, abadoned-looking room/building, that might work...(don't know the plotline that well, so...guessing here.)

What about this one?: http://www.canstockphoto.com/woman-b...-15731395.html

I should think that that could be adequately creepy/tension-filled, depending on what you do with the rest of the cover...

Ah, well, back to work for yours truly. Enough goofing off.

Offered FWIW.

Hitch

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Hitch

What about this one?: http://www.canstockphoto.com/woman-b...-15731395.html

I should think that that could be adequately creepy/tension-filled, depending on what you do with the rest of the cover...

That looks like an evil, predatory, soulless dancer. I would not want to read about her.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Catlady

That looks like an evil, predatory, soulless dancer. I would not want to read about her.

Catlady:

Wouldn't that depend on what the rest of the cover looked like? In fairness to that ballerina, that's a pretty typical pose-hold for a dancer. It's a strength move that requires YEARS of training to be able to do (correctly).

Just sayin'.

Hitch

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Catlady:

Wouldn't that depend on what the rest of the cover looked like? In fairness to that ballerina, that's a pretty typical pose-hold for a dancer. It's a strength move that requires YEARS of training to be able to do (correctly).

Just sayin'.

Hitch

I liked the last pose on that page best because it is a pose that even non-dancers recognize immediately.

Oh and that first pose made my legs hurt just thinking about trying it.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I liked the last pose on that page best because it is a pose that even non-dancers recognize immediately.

Oh and that first pose made my legs hurt just thinking about trying it.

Sorry, Cin: which one did you mean? That scrollbar changes for each viewer?

Hitch

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Sorry, Cin: which one did you mean? That scrollbar changes for each viewer?

Hitch

The standard pose with one leg straight out and arms up.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Catlady:

Wouldn't that depend on what the rest of the cover looked like? In fairness to that ballerina, that's a pretty typical pose-hold for a dancer. It's a strength move that requires YEARS of training to be able to do (correctly).

I don't doubt the skill or training involved, but to me that photo looks ugly and evil. If not for the toe shoes, it would seem more modern dance than ballet. The dancer looks like a horrible spider. That's a cover photo for a book about a dancer who murders all her rivals in the dance company.

Additionally, the dancer in the photo is strong and powerful; I didn't have the impression that the character in Gregg's novel could be described that way.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Not that I know of. You are good on the title.

So I got that going for me.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Ok Gregg,
Here is a question.
How does a ballerina get into the Royal Ballet?

Come on, Cin. (You're on the verge of badgering the witness.)