Cover for Liberator

Nick B

author Nick Bailey, formerly Quellist.
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Not sure where to post this so... here. Mods, feel free to move it if needed.

This is the current incarnation of the cover for Liberator. Just putting this up to guage people opinion, as we are close to publishing.

Liberator%20Digitl%20Cover%20FINALb%2023jan15_zps2jjyjpzw.jpg


We are going for striking rather than traditional sci-fi arty covers.
Opinions?
 
Sorry - I don't think it works. Specifically, as a thumbnail the author names and, indeed, the title will vanish. I think it needs stronger fonts. Also, I find the tagline a cliche that tells me little about the story, and doesn't draw me in.
 
I like the style. You're right, it is striking and in principle should stand out well on thumbnail previews. Generally, I quite like minimalist covers so in principle has two big thumbs up from me.

I do have a few points though.

The L is lost in the rifle outline. I totally get what your intention is, but it also makes this attractive minimalist cover congested at that point. Theory says you should have something which draws the eye to the beginning of the title... but I don't think it works as you have it. Also the head under the B seems to close.

Suggestions would include shrinking the character a touch or moving the title to the right (that does mess a little with my OCD though!)

I don't know what the... thing is in the lower center. I'm sure when you say I'll probably say 'Oh yeah...'. But you don't have that luxury with general buyers. I think it is unnecessarily confusing.

The name and title should be lightened a little. The top of Nick and Darren certainly.

Just suggestions to do as you will with.

But the key thing to take from my message is I think it looks great, but you should consider tweaks.
 
Thats what I'm here for (y) thanks for the comments. I agree, we probably hadn't thought thumbnail size/quality. Lightening and slightly enlarging the title is in order. Drop the figure a little and remodel the rifle and L.
The small object is a helmet, and I have to say I havn't been happy with it anyway.

The more feedback the better guys. I have rhino hide, so fire away.
 
Hey Q, I wonder if a lighter font, maybe with no shine to it would look better. Maybe a white to offset the black, or a nice blue like the outline color of the character on the cover. Could be a pretty cool look though.
 
Reflecting further:

Potentially justify the figure to the right and lower slightly into the gap after Nick. (this might work or it might look naff - only one way to find out).

If you have the option to remodel, angle the rifle towards the L of Liberator (The font may be able to be made bigger).

Justify 'no job to small' right. (Oh, on that note... I think you should reverse 'small' to 'large' or 'big'... a reader will probably be more drawn to the fact your mercenaries have a big London job on than having to clean the bogs) .

Justify 'No price too high' left to clear more space for the figure.

Lose the helmet (which to be honest doesn't look like a helmet).
 
It's nice and clean: except....

It looks like a typical cutout of a stock photo and instead of integrating the image, an aura was built around to hide the obvious cutout outline while using the excuse of black on black to explain the outline for contrast.

Perhaps leave the silhouette black and make the background charcoal slight bit of gradient darkness and ditch the outline.

Unless your character really has that aura around him.

I've seen the aura a lot lately on those stock photo covers--maybe too much.

That's just me though; maybe most readers love that look.


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No job too small? Does that mean he also "liberates" candy from babies and does your groceries? :D Maybe I'm missing something, but if you're going for impact--cliche phrases aside--it should be "no job too big" IMO (or is it a comedy/parody?). I do agree about the congestion of things at the top left corner. How about reducing the man and having him smack-dab in the middle? Maybe with a nice vanishing white shadow?

Also, that bag/satchel by his feet has a more central position on the cover than the man himself, and I think having it there greatly diminishes the impact and divides the observer's attention unnecessarily. Unless the bag is a sidekick or something ("Liberator and his trusty sidekick, Garby the Talking Satchel" would sell millions of copies surely), I can't find a reason for it to be included in the cover.

I also agree about the cover not telling us anything. It's really generic, and reminds me of 80s macho-hero movies a-la-Commando. If the book is a parody of that genre, go for it. Otherwise, I'd look at something more symbolic to reflect the book's essence. If you still want/can only get a generic image, you could at least do like a rifle muzzle and a bullet leaving it, and have the name of one author (or the title) on the bullet, the other (or both authors) on the muzzle, centralizing the whole thing more, or something like that. Play around. Doing book covers is incredibly fun.

I do like the color contrasts and light outlines.
 
To be fair though, not that many book covers really reflect the story within. How many spaceships having a battle covers exist in sci-fi? It is more a case of the cover makes sense when you have read the book or the blurb, including the tag line.
I am more on the side that the cover should be eye catching rather than tell you anything important. However, the man is A Liberator, not THE Liberator, which is immediately apparent from the blurb, which also makes sense of the tag line. No job too big would also make sense, but it is the fact they will take small jobs as well as full on warfare that makes the distinction. I think maybe the tag line may be better on the back cover, with the blurb.
I don't want to discuss the story here though. I am concerned with the cover being eye catching and pleasing to look at. Good feedback so far, we will make alterations in due course.
 
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Oh, and the picture isn' t a stock photo, Darren designed and created it. It is a fairly typical hero pose, but it is supposed to be.
 
Tinkerdan, I can't see the images you posted
 
Your fonts need to have stronger contrast - ie, lighter. As mentioned above, this is especially important to make your text readable in Amazon thumbnails (around 120x185 pixels). I would also suggest dropping the fancy font decorations as they may make the text harder to read in thumbnails.

Personally speaking, I'd suggest bringing the figure forward so the legs are hidden to make it more prominent and active. I like what you did in the first to make it show up better, but I'd suggest you experiment with not having the text run over it, which could also limit readability.

2c.

EDIT: I'd also change the "No job too small" to "No job too big" - unless you're trying to imply comedy.
 
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Okay, so I'm thinking - move the figure down so the rifle is pointing at the L, increase the title size slightly, brighten it, maybe make the L and R slightly larger. Remove the helmet from the floor. Maybe remove the tag line and put on the back cover, change it to no job too big, maybe even change it to no war too big?
 
i like the cover but agree with most of the comments above - especially about increasing the contrast between the title and background, and moving the figure.

Okay, so I'm thinking - move the figure down so the rifle is pointing at the L, increase the title size slightly, brighten it, maybe make the L and R slightly larger. Remove the helmet from the floor. Maybe remove the tag line and put on the back cover, change it to no job too big, maybe even change it to no war too big?

i think that will work, although the thought i had as i was reading through the thread was you could change the tag line to "no war too small", either with or without the price tagline
 
The tag line seems an issue. The reason it is used makes it make sense, but yeah, i think it wants moving to the back page.
The reason for it is this - The Liberators are a mercenary corporation, they differ because they only take jobs that the believe are honourable and just. The corp maxim is (was, subject to change) No job too small, no price to high.
The price part, is to themselves, as in once they take a job on, they see it through, no matter the cost (in lives etc) to themselves.

So it makes sense once you know that. Hence, moving it to the back, where readers will learn just a tad of who The Liberators are.
 
If that's how it is, the tagline is fine in my eyes, but yeah, moving it to the backight help. The minimalistic feel u are going for gets lost in all the words.
 
"No war too small, no toll too high" ??

Think you need to use another word for price. just my thoughts. and i wouild agree moving it to the back, above the blurb, is a better idea.
 
I'd say conformity is probably better than originality when it comes to book covers: they're not high art, just a marketing tool for the content. Anyway since I'm shooting my mouth off here I may as well tell you my initial reactions were:

1. Looks more like a cheap 90s straight to video Terminator knockoff VHS tape cover than a sf book.

2. Waaaay too much blank space.

3. Barely readable font.

4. Stock image.

5. Naff tagline.
 

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