Book cover feedback?

[Gregg Bell]

It's for a humorous thriller set in Cuba. Thanks.

[gmw]

Doesn't do it for me, Gregg. Too cartoonish for my tastes - although maybe it suits the book?

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by gmw

Doesn't do it for me, Gregg. Too cartoonish for my tastes - although maybe it suits the book?

Thanks gmw. I think you're right. It looks like a children's book. I'm bailing on it. Appreciate it.

[crich70]

I agree and I have to wonder would the seals parachute in or be more covert?

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by crich70

I agree and I have to wonder would the seals parachute in or be more covert?

Thanks crich.

[Gregg Bell]

I did a couple more.

[gmw]

I really don't like the top (navy-blue background) one - contradictions between the fun font and the boring/serious background and images.

I do rather like the second (light blue background) one. Despite having said of your OP example that it was too cartoonish, in this case the cartoon seems to fit with the tag-line text and make it come out okay ... sort of. But there is something wrong with the balance. I can't tell you how to fix it, but it's wrong. (Oh, and the orange text is a bit hard on the eyes when up against that light-blue background.)

[GrannyGrump]

I prefer the second choice.
But ---
The background seems a very very bright turquoise-cyan blue. (I always find that to be a very harsh and unforgiving color.) How does it look if you tone down some of the green, and make it more of an actual SKY blue? That might contrast better with the orange and red, with less of a vibrating jar.

[issybird]

I'm going to take the opportunity to ask if you can come up with a more alluring title? Not only is there a displeasing redundancy between the title and the series' name, it also strikes me as awfully pedestrian in itself. Ho-hum.

Your books seem to cover a broad range in background. I'm also going to ask if you know enough about Navy Seal ops to pull off a convincing story? Nothing is more offputting to me than a story that gets the facts wrong. Even a humorous story has to be right if you're going to get people to suspend disbelief.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by gmw

I really don't like the top (navy-blue background) one - contradictions between the fun font and the boring/serious background and images.

I do rather like the second (light blue background) one. Despite having said of your OP example that it was too cartoonish, in this case the cartoon seems to fit with the tag-line text and make it come out okay ... sort of. But there is something wrong with the balance. I can't tell you how to fix it, but it's wrong. (Oh, and the orange text is a bit hard on the eyes when up against that light-blue background.)

Thanks gmw.I like the second one too, especially since the story is totally off the wall. I'm going to play with the colors too to make that orange text work better. The balance, I hear you but I too don't know how to fix it.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by GrannyGrump

I prefer the second choice.
But ---
The background seems a very very bright turquoise-cyan blue. (I always find that to be a very harsh and unforgiving color.) How does it look if you tone down some of the green, and make it more of an actual SKY blue? That might contrast better with the orange and red, with less of a vibrating jar.

Thanks Granny. I was going for sky blue. I will tone down the green as you suggest to see if that helps.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by issybird

I'm going to take the opportunity to ask if you can come up with a more alluring title?

Thanks issybird, but I'm committed to the title.

Originally Posted by issybird

I'm also going to ask if you know enough about Navy Seal ops to pull off a convincing story?

Yes.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Gregg Bell

Thanks issybird, but I'm committed to the title.

Despite LOTS of folks arguing otherwise, for tons of reasons. I find, Gregg, that in all our dealings with you on this forum, it seems that you ask for advice, and then find ways to ignore it. Ever notice that?

Yes.

I didn't realize you'd served in the military, Gregg.

The blue is far too cyan. In fact, it is Cyan, not sky-blue. I don't know what program you're using, Gregg, but Cyan is around 100, 0, 0, 0 in CMYK, (and that's awfully close to it), while sky-blue is more around 43, 12, 0, 8 or so. BIG difference.

I mostly like the second one, if the blue would get toned down. Also, perhaps the orange will work better, on the sky-blue, although..perhaps it won't. I find that contrast on blue can actually be surprisingly difficult to do, in any tasteful way.

Hitch

[gmw]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Despite LOTS of folks arguing otherwise, for tons of reasons. I find, Gregg, that in all our dealings with you on this forum, it seems that you ask for advice, and then find ways to ignore it. Ever notice that? [...]

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.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Despite LOTS of folks arguing otherwise, for tons of reasons. I find, Gregg, that in all our dealings with you on this forum, it seems that you ask for advice, and then find ways to ignore it. Ever notice that?

Oh, Hitch. You're such a meanie!

Originally Posted by Hitch

I didn't realize you'd served in the military, Gregg.

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.)

Originally Posted by Hitch

The blue is far too cyan. In fact, it is Cyan, not sky-blue. I don't know what program you're using, Gregg, but Cyan is around 100, 0, 0, 0 in CMYK, (and that's awfully close to it), while sky-blue is more around 43, 12, 0, 8 or so. BIG difference.

I mostly like the second one, if the blue would get toned down. Also, perhaps the orange will work better, on the sky-blue, although..perhaps it won't. I find that contrast on blue can actually be surprisingly difficult to do, in any tasteful way.

Hitch

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.



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?