Request for feedback on four versions of cover

[Cinisajoy]

Gregg, go back to the green cover.
Something just dawned on me.
The hands look almost like a famous painting. Unless your book is inspirational, you could grab the wrong audience.

[theducks]

Baby can't wait, yellow-green

(But better than the screaming red)

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Better but the baby hand needs to be a bit smaller. The girl's hand looks good.

Agree about the baby's hand. I think the girl's hand could be smaller too.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

As I mentioned before, in my opinion, the reaching out of hands motif is an over-used and very tired cliche. It doesn't do justice to what MIGHT be an otherwise good book. (I haven't read your book, so that's why I use the qualifier.)

I would really think twice about using such a cover.

Do you have examples of how it's over-used? I did a Google image search with the image and it brought up almost nothing.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Gregg, go back to the green cover.
Something just dawned on me.
The hands look almost like a famous painting. Unless your book is inspirational, you could grab the wrong audience.

I like the green one too but it just seems too sci-fi even to me. And horror-ish.
(And my book's pretty inspirational.)

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Gregg Bell

I like the green one too but it just seems too sci-fi even to me. And horror-ish.
(And my book's pretty inspirational.)

Is your book at all religious?
The painting I am thinking of is God's hand reaching down and a person's hand reaching up.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Is your book at all religious?
The painting I am thinking of is God's hand reaching down and a person's hand reaching up.

The book has a spiritual aspect to it at points, but nothing religious. And yeah, the cover does resemble the "spark" painting by Michelangelo a bit. I think it also reminds of the "praying hands" image somehow too.

But I don't know--is that necessarily bad? Are people going to go, "oh, this is a religious book--not for me."

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Gregg Bell

The book has a spiritual aspect to it at points, but nothing religious. And yeah, the cover does resemble the "spark" painting by Michelangelo a bit. I think it also reminds of the "praying hands" image somehow too.

But I don't know--is that necessarily bad? Are people going to go, "oh, this is a religious book--not for me."

In a nutshell yes.
What genre are you trying to reach?

[David Munch]

If the childs hand gets scaled smaller, and thus moved further towards the bottom-left corner, it may move the notion away from Michelangelo?

I personally liked the girl looking at the doll. You can see something is wrong, but since she is facing the reader by looking ar the doll, I dont think rape, as she appears open. Something with the doll is just bothering her.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

In a nutshell yes.
What genre are you trying to reach?

Suspense. (Not spiritual suspense or religious suspense just Suspense.)

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by David Munch

If the childs hand gets scaled smaller, and thus moved further towards the bottom-left corner, it may move the notion away from Michelangelo?

I personally liked the girl looking at the doll. You can see something is wrong, but since she is facing the reader by looking ar the doll, I dont think rape, as she appears open. Something with the doll is just bothering her.

Thanks David. I think the smaller hand will help, yes, but I'm thinking that cover with the hands is just a little too highbrow for the Suspense genre. I heard a cover designer say, 'make it obvious.' I think that's good advice for genre fiction.

Personally I like the highbrow stuff but I don't think the average supsense reader will go for it.

And you're making me re-think that cover with the girl looking at the doll. So many people were like, "That's perfect!" but then a bunch started coming in with 'it looks like she's been raped' or 'she lost a baby in stillbirth,' stuff like that.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Gregg Bell

Suspense. (Not spiritual suspense or religious suspense just Suspense.)

In that case, do not use the hands.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

In that case, do not use the hands.

You know what, though, the book is pretty spiritual. Maybe the Michelangelo/praying hands association might not be bad.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Gregg Bell

You know what, though, the book is pretty spiritual. Maybe the Michelangelo/praying hands association might not be bad.

Completely up to you.
Now if you use the hands will you please let me know if it is successful?

[David Munch]

Originally Posted by Gregg Bell

Okay, thanks everybody.

Here's a new one.

Try making the title smaller, so it doesn't cover the eyes, and move your name up above the title. And it may be too strange, but rotate the subtitle ~25° and move it down, so it follows the wood in front of the childs mouth. Then it is also scewed in the same direction as the baby is, as if the statement is comming from the child.

(Just tossing out an idea here)