06-13-2012, 09:34 AM | #16 |
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There may indeed be people who are not influenced by the cover of the book. I'm highly skeptical of such claims, but it is possible. If a cover looks sloppy or incoherent, that's an indication that the book itself might be sloppy or incoherent.
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06-13-2012, 09:43 AM | #17 | |
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Quote:
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06-13-2012, 10:11 AM | #18 |
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I was browsing the B&N Free Nook books earlier and saw more of the same terribad book covers. It's just silly cause any 14 year old who uses Photoshop to make forum signatures can do much better (and I've known several who definitely can do better).
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06-13-2012, 04:12 PM | #19 | |
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If a self-published author does not think his/her book is worth the effort to create a somewhat professional looking cover I have to assume the same is true for edititing, proofreading and layout. |
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06-13-2012, 05:03 PM | #20 |
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Those are probably from Smashwords where any hack can put up a cover that's worse then awful.
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06-13-2012, 06:36 PM | #21 |
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We all know you have a personal vendetta against Smashwords, but, seriously, can you leave it at home? Any hack can put the same cover on KDP, Ibooks, Lulu, Pubit, CreateSpace, or guess what? Anywhere.
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06-13-2012, 08:19 PM | #22 |
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I would most likely pass by most of these books due to the unappealing covers. The only one that looks remotely decent is Outlaw Heroes. There are a lot of eBooks I don't even look at because of cover issues. In the Sony store there are some publishers one called Wattpad and another called Ellora's Cave which use the same stupid cover for every book. At least I have seen many nice looking covers for books published by Smashwords.
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06-14-2012, 08:52 AM | #23 |
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I have one of the books on that site (the Mike Resnick, a couple of pages in.) It does have a bad cover, but it has an author's name I recognise, it was free, and other people recommended it.
The cover is not of paramount importance, but if I'm browsing a list of books, it's quite likely that I'll only have the title, author and cover image to go from, and I have to triage somehow. The title is probably at least as important, and it's something I'm struggling with for my own current work-in-progress (and I can't do a proper cover without it). The working title is too vague, and some meaningful alternatives I've come up with give the wrong impression. And okay, I still need to work on the words inside a bit, too. |
06-14-2012, 08:57 AM | #24 |
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OH MY!
Yikes. so glad you posted. I'm pasting the link into my Facebook page for a few friends who have told me they have seen some atrocious covers. They will appreciate this. oiy. |
06-14-2012, 09:01 AM | #25 |
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The cover for Outlaw Heroes shouldn't be on the list. It actually looks pretty good to me.
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06-14-2012, 10:44 AM | #26 |
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Outlaw Heroes isn't too bad, but the photo clashes. A picture of a pair of boots isn't what you would normally expect on such a document hanging on the wall. I would have at least Sepia toned it, and probably replaced it with a photo of a person.
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06-14-2012, 11:47 AM | #27 | |
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I agree that this cover isn't nearly as bad as the rest, mainly because it looks much more finished, even if atypical in depiction. |
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09-10-2012, 02:13 AM | #28 |
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I just couldn't stop looking at those covers! Fascinating. But it's almost like trying not to stare when you drive past a car crash.
Some are (in my humble opinion) just awful. But, I do sympathise with someone who wants to write and has no money. Their book might be well-written but they just can't afford to pay anyone to make them a decent cover. It doesn't follow that they don't really care about their book. But now I'm seriously worried that my own (home made) cover is going to get the same harsh judgement. Perhaps I should promote it in a plain brown paper bag.. Edit: Just a thought but it might be useful if there was a place where you could post your cover design and get some (gentle) constructive feedback? Or is there such a place already? Last edited by AncientGardener; 09-10-2012 at 02:19 AM. Reason: Addition |
09-10-2012, 04:35 AM | #29 |
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Why not post it here for comment (we'll be gentle. Promise...). Or start a new thread (others have done so). I think it would be a good opportunity for people, myself included, to get some constructive criticism.
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09-10-2012, 12:03 PM | #30 |
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What about just making a thread for cover critique? There'd have to be a "Constructive or GTFO" rule, though, because it could quickly descend into a troll-fest.
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