Cover advice for new series - Land of the Lions

[Steven Lake]

Hi all! I'm starting the stage two work on my newest series (ie, Land of the Lions) now that my current series is done (Earthfleet Saga) and I'm finally nearing completion of all four books. Well, I'm technically 70% done, but at the same time this is the point when I start the secondary work anyways, so no biggy there.

Anyhow, I'm looking for some cover ideas, or actually some feedback. I've been watching other authors who have book series and carry a consistent theme for the cover through all of their books, so I want to do the same with this series as well. The titles of the books are as follows:

Lion in the Wind
Lion of the Earth
Lion on the Water
Lion and the Fire

As you notice, the titles carry an elemental theme. The book series itself is about a group of sentient, cybernetic lions who become proxies in a millennia long battle between two deity like super powers who are fighting over control of the galaxy. They are tasked (by deity being #1) with defending their people from the attacks of the dark entity (deity being #2) who seeks to destroy them.

I don't want to give away too much at this point until all four books are released so as not to spoil them. Now obviously I don't have an agent or publisher for these yet, but when I do, I want to have a design to throw at them for the covers. However, if I decide to self or PTP publish them instead, I'll need to have a cover design built in advance. Anyhow, here's the key elements of the four books.

In book 1, most of the action happens out on the prairie. In book 2 most of it is in the mountains and their surrounding valleys. Hence the use of "earth" in the title. Book 3 is a trip through time to the past, and the story is split between two areas, one filled with an incredible array of extremely advanced technologies, and the other with a primitive, almost Roman era style society. (they're not romans, but rather it's the same approximate level of technology) So it's more or less contrasting environments. Sorta like how air contrasts with water on a lake or ocean, and how it drives the water into great waves. Book 4 is a future time when an old enemy reappears and threatens to destroy their world, and they get caught up in many different "fires" (ie, trials), including the impending death of their world, wars, old hatreds, etc. IE, it's an "end of the world as we know it" type story.

Now I was thinking for the cover of using the old symbols for earth, wind, fire, and water, and combining them with images of lions, and possibly nature, as the entire series focuses heavily on these robotic lions and their long, trouble lives. What do you guys think? How should I approach this cover design?

[John Carroll]

As far as keeping them the same, I would keep the font and positioning of titles and signature the same. After that, I would go with panoramic themes. A prairie with an image of a gust of wind for the first, mountains for the second, a split cover of both societies next to water on the third and an image of a world on fire for the fourth. Add lions for each. The lions and font will mesh the four books together nicely.

[Steven Lake]

*jaw drops* John, your idea just floors me. I love it! I hadn't even considered doing something like that, but I can already picture the covers and I think you hit a grand slam winner with it.

[John Carroll]

Sweet! I'm really glad I could help.

[RoxyJ]

Take a look at the Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning. I would say that this is a good representation of how to tie together a series. Here is a link. Notice the font, title & author placement, and the unique way the designer delineated the cover. Something similar would work really well for your series. I would also suggest including an image of a lion throughout, either as a recurring photo, or as a logo.