a critique site for book lovers, hosted by author Jude Hardin
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Blood and Treasure by Jennifer Bray-Weber
What's the genre? What is it you like or don't like about this cover?
Does it make you want to know more about the book? Does it make you want
to BUY the book? Discuss.
I agree with Diana. The cover tells the reader exactly what to expect -- pirates, adventure and lots of romance. Colors are pleasing, author's name stands out. Great job!
I'm not so enthusiastic. The background art with the ship and the omon is fine, but the hero and heroine are too small and very flat against the background, it doesn't look like a good masking job. Their flat lighting doesn't meld at all into the background.
The title is difficult to read, both in typeface and color. The author name and tag line are readable, just kind of banal. To me, this says amateur-made cover very clearly.
Robin, are you a he or a she? :) I was going to say "she always knows what she's talking about" and realised that can just as easily be a guy's name. :)
Anyway, you always know what you're talking about.
I think this isn't bad. It is better than most from an amateur. I don't think it will hurt sales and it has the advantage of clearly showing the genre. I'd work on the title though because you want that easy to read.
I agree wih Diana. You know exactly what you're getting with this cover. Although I am not a big fan of using cursive on book covers, this one is easy to read and works well because there is nothing behind it to distract the eye. The use of red for the title seems to indicate blood and reinforces the idea of danger and adventure.
I am a she. I apparently cannot spell moon (omon? really?) The cover isn't awful, but it could definitely be improved and it is amateur work. And what I mean by "amateur" is done by someone without much in the way of graphic design training or knowledge. There are a number of non-professionals out there who actually do an amazing job. This one looks home made. I've seen far worse! But with some improvement it could shine.
Like a couple of others, I like this one because it is adventurous and romantic and it lets you know exactly what the book is about in one glance. I love the blue background and the moon hovering in the distance. This is def an above-average cover IMHO.
I like the colour scheme of this cover, how the red of the dress is repeated (more or less) in the title, the blue of the sea is repeated in the sky, the white of the shirt is repeated in the moon.
It looks harmonious.
I wish the title was bolder, and the byline bigger.
I also wish the costumes could give a clue about the period, but I guess this is a generic stock photo, and it's almost impossible to find period-correct stock photos of couples.
The shape of the ship works well, but it looks odd to me that the ship is given as a stylised silhouette while everything in front of, behind and around is is real.
I'm in no way an artist, but this book cover DID make me buy the book. Looks romantic and adventurous.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Diana. The cover tells the reader exactly what to expect -- pirates, adventure and lots of romance. Colors are pleasing, author's name stands out. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI'm not so enthusiastic. The background art with the ship and the omon is fine, but the hero and heroine are too small and very flat against the background, it doesn't look like a good masking job. Their flat lighting doesn't meld at all into the background.
ReplyDeleteThe title is difficult to read, both in typeface and color. The author name and tag line are readable, just kind of banal. To me, this says amateur-made cover very clearly.
Robin, are you a he or a she? :) I was going to say "she always knows what she's talking about" and realised that can just as easily be a guy's name. :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, you always know what you're talking about.
I think this isn't bad. It is better than most from an amateur. I don't think it will hurt sales and it has the advantage of clearly showing the genre. I'd work on the title though because you want that easy to read.
Really like this cover. It conveys romance and swept away adventure.
ReplyDeleteI agree wih Diana. You know exactly what you're getting with this cover. Although I am not a big fan of using cursive on book covers, this one is easy to read and works well because there is nothing behind it to distract the eye. The use of red for the title seems to indicate blood and reinforces the idea of danger and adventure.
ReplyDeleteJ. R. Tomlin, back at you! Are you a he or a she?
ReplyDeleteI am a she. I apparently cannot spell moon (omon? really?) The cover isn't awful, but it could definitely be improved and it is amateur work. And what I mean by "amateur" is done by someone without much in the way of graphic design training or knowledge. There are a number of non-professionals out there who actually do an amazing job. This one looks home made. I've seen far worse! But with some improvement it could shine.
I like that I know exactly what kind of story to expect with this cover: Romance, adventure and pirates. Good job!
ReplyDeleteConsidering the covers that we have seen over the past few months, this one is above average, however, that doesn't' mean that it can't be improved.
ReplyDeleteAs Robin said a little color correction on the people could make this a bit stronger.
But where the real improvement is needed is with the text. A new choice of bigger and bolder text for the title will really make this stand out.
Like a couple of others, I like this one because it is adventurous and romantic and it lets you know exactly what the book is about in one glance. I love the blue background and the moon hovering in the distance. This is def an above-average cover IMHO.
ReplyDeleteI like the colour scheme of this cover, how the red of the dress is repeated (more or less) in the title, the blue of the sea is repeated in the sky, the white of the shirt is repeated in the moon.
ReplyDeleteIt looks harmonious.
I wish the title was bolder, and the byline bigger.
I also wish the costumes could give a clue about the period, but I guess this is a generic stock photo, and it's almost impossible to find period-correct stock photos of couples.
The shape of the ship works well, but it looks odd to me that the ship is given as a stylised silhouette while everything in front of, behind and around is is real.