a critique site for book lovers, hosted by author Jude Hardin
Sunday, April 1, 2012
The Beauregarde Affair by Brian M. Talgo
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.
Okay. Seriously. WTF is this? I'm sorry, but this is, just... ugly. I don't get the two different fabric styles, the celtic border, the pink slug thing below the marijuana leaf... I don't get any of it.
Sad thing is, it looks like somebody spent some real time on this cover. It just didn't turn out very well I'm afraid.
Disclaimer - I don't have the foggiest technical clue about cover design, so I can only comment on what the average reader's perception might be and how they might respond upon seeing this cover while browsing through e-book listings. First impression - the book is about drugs (it even says so in the subtitle). That will most likely polarize readers - they'll either go, "Oh, cool, drugs," or "Oh, drugs, no thank you.". And that's OK - you want to cut straight to your target readership, and I think that visually, this cover achieves that. Second impression - the name of the novel is completely out of odds with (what I'm assuming are) the topics and themes of the novel. If I saw the title on its own, I would think of a completely different kind of story (spies, steamships, languid women in big floppy hats). If you're going for deliberate dissonance there, then you've achieved that too. That little pink thing, that I think is meant to be a snake...ewww. Something about it creeps me out.
Okay. Seriously. WTF is this? I'm sorry, but this is, just... ugly. I don't get the two different fabric styles, the celtic border, the pink slug thing below the marijuana leaf... I don't get any of it.
ReplyDeleteSad thing is, it looks like somebody spent some real time on this cover. It just didn't turn out very well I'm afraid.
Yeah I agree. It's pretty bad. (Sorry to author/designer)
ReplyDeleteThis would be completely unreadable in thumbnail and that's what you have to sell it from!
I have to also agree. I'm scratching my head on this one.
ReplyDeleteI would guess that it's something about drugs but beyond that I don't have a clue.
The text is very hard to read and the graphics are just odd.
I know that this is harsh but I really recommend that the author / publisher rethink this and start over.
Oh well, I was shooting for offbeat; looks like I achieved that goal.
ReplyDeleteDisclaimer - I don't have the foggiest technical clue about cover design, so I can only comment on what the average reader's perception might be and how they might respond upon seeing this cover while browsing through e-book listings.
ReplyDeleteFirst impression - the book is about drugs (it even says so in the subtitle). That will most likely polarize readers - they'll either go, "Oh, cool, drugs," or "Oh, drugs, no thank you.". And that's OK - you want to cut straight to your target readership, and I think that visually, this cover achieves that.
Second impression - the name of the novel is completely out of odds with (what I'm assuming are) the topics and themes of the novel. If I saw the title on its own, I would think of a completely different kind of story (spies, steamships, languid women in big floppy hats). If you're going for deliberate dissonance there, then you've achieved that too.
That little pink thing, that I think is meant to be a snake...ewww. Something about it creeps me out.
There is offbeat, then there is just not very well done. Unfortunately this cover is just not very well done.
ReplyDelete