cover feedback?

[Gregg Bell]

It's a humorous thriller called:

The IWS Rules: Book One: Rise of the Animal Rescue Feminists

It's along the lines of the Stephanie Plum books but funny.

[gmw]

Um... I have to say that the cover doesn't do much for me. It gives me the impression that the numeral "1" is something important, but other than that ... nothing. It's not until I blow up the image that my failing eyesight can make out "Rise of the Animal Rescue Feminists" and guess that this is fiction - and hope that it might be funny because I don't think I'd like a book with that title that was trying to be serious.

For humour/parody, I think covers that have fairly simple drawings suggestive of the humour tend to work well - but obviously that will mean paying someone to do it (unless you are skillful in that area).

[kennyc]

what gmw said, plus I have no idea what IWS Rules means or is???

I guess bottom line, it's not doing much if anything for me....

[kennyc]

I did a search on "animal rescue public domain images" and got some interesting images that might possibly be used for a cover (+ text of course) but you'd need to be able to manipulate images etc with photoshop or gimp or something. (this is the process I use for the most part)

https://www.google.com/search?q=anim...w=1222&bih=783

I thought this image in particular might fit your topic:

[kennyc]

Or maybe this: http://philosophermouseofthehedge.fi...imedia-org.jpg

[crich70]

I agree the cover image in the OP seems too stark (IMO) and the eye is drawn right to the numeral 1 as it is so large in comparison to the title.
Something like:
Click
Or:
Click
Adds to the humor.

[Gregg Bell]

Thanks for the feedback! (Love the pics!) Appreciate it.

[Anna Drake]

I've read it's good to study the covers of popular books in your genre to learn what sells your kind of book. The other piece of advice I recall is to include things on your covers that people expect from traditionally published books. That would include author tags and tags following the book's title. Readers expect to see those things. They've been conditioned to it from the way things are done in publishing houses -- or so goes the advice I've encountered.

If your book is like the Plum books, then your covers should look something like hers as well. And I think you've zeroed in on that idea. But experts say the most important thing is that the book's title and author name should be large enough to be read in the small postage stamp size most books are displayed in online. And that your typography should be creative and interesting. I suspect the numbers are large on her covers because they are the book's title.

[Lazer]

Covers and titles are tough. It doesn't pull me in. We used to shop for books at bookstores and news stands. We looked at the actual book. Not anymore. We look at a tiny image. Scroll through Goodreads' giveaway page and look for a cover that jumps out at you.

It's my belief that book titles need to be short. Or at least the main title, you can add a subtitle that'll help with Internet searches. Look at Plum's titles. She takes her titles on the cover that are four words and makes them appear to be two by minimizing the extraneous words using two different sized fonts:

ONE FOR THE MONEY

RISE OF THE
ANIMAL RESCUE FEMINISTS
#1 IWS RULES
GREG BELL

If you can, you might try to put the #1 as a background layer and your title over the top.

[Gregg Bell]

Thanks very much to all who've helped me with this but I'm done with my cover. Appreciate it!