The author says:

Genre: psychological thriller Third in a series. Book one and two had been compared to V.C. Andrews and Book three is similar vibe.

Working Blurb: After The Girl Once Known and The Bond Once Broken, this family story reaches its thrilling conclusion in The Name Once Erased. Mira is now married with children, and she believed she had her family’s dysfunction under control—until her grandmother’s funeral. She had always thought her father’s side of the family, despite his past indiscretions, was the more stable one, free from secrets. But an online ancestry test reveals a cousin her father insists he doesn’t know. Then her estranged paternal aunt and cousin resurface, and Mira pushes to find answers because if she knows one thing, it’s that secrets have a way of coming out. As Mira digs for the truth, someone seems willing to go to any length to bury the family name and its secrets for good. But Mira is determined that the lies, betrayals, and past hurts must end with her even if it puts everything she loves at risk.

Nathan says:

Let’s look at the previous two books to check the branding:

I can see where you’re trying to go — “similar but different” — but the photo for the third book is over-processed, and it’s distracting.

The raindrop motif is also much subtler, so much so that even in the full size, it only appears at the second glance. In keeping with the trend toward fewer raindrops on the previous two covers, I would confine the drops on the third one — maybe just to the lower half, or just to the margins — but make them large enough to be noticed.

Other comments?

The author says:

A fantasy fiction about 2 women that happen to be werewolves. One is a retired alpha grandmother that finally gets a chance to live life how she wants. The other women is her 21 year old granddaughter that get drug into shenanigans and a life on the run thanks to her grandmothers actions. She is dealing with some ptsd from seeing her grandmother rip her boyfriends heart out after a murder attempt. The book is a bit bloody with hints of adult themes so id say it would be rated YA or older.

This is my first attempt at a cover. I want to know if my skills are good enough or if I should just pay for someone to do it.

Nathan says:

Your skills are good enough; you just need some guidance.

The first thing that leaps out is that nothing leaps out. All of the color values are moderate, which means that nothing catches the eye — especially in the thumbnail, where the moon is sorta visible but not really eye-catching. Even at normal size, the wolves can be easily overlooked.

And the font used adds nothing.

I can’t tell some important details from your description: Is it a family drama with werewolves? A domestic comedy with werewolves? Action-comedy? This is important info to convey on the cover, not just that there are werewolves in it.

Here’s a first draft of what I would do with your existing artwork, assuming we were going for a “classic monster, not too scary” vibe:

• Cropped the unused space so the important elements are larger.
• Made the lights and darks “pop” more.
• Made the title pop, and used a font with some character.

Things I would still do.

• You have, by my count, four layers of landscape between the moon and the wolves. Lose at least one (that light blue one that stands out strangely) so the moon and wolves are closer together.
• With that blue forest layer removed, you’d be free to limn the wolves in more bluish light to have them stand out.
• Change the title font to something that more closely matches the novel’s mood.
• (And of course, put your byline back in. I just got lazy.)

Other comments?

The author says:

Sci-fi/Space Opera action/adventure story. Targeting older children/pre-teens. Newly qualified Captain Aurora Starlight sets out on a time and space-bending adventure to save a uncontacted race of aliens from annihilation.

This is final and published cover, but returning back to the writing world after a long break and considering a redo.

Nathan says:

Consider that redo! This cover may win some nostalgia points among readers who are old enough to remember the simplified covers of SF for young readers in the ’60s and ’70s, but that’s not really your target audience, is it?

I just looked at the top-selling science fiction books for readers age 9-12 on Amazon. (Click to see it larger.)

What I see is colorful, dynamic artwork, mostly with figures in action. (Red Sun is an outlier — in other words, that’s statistically not the example you want to follow.)

The good news is, this is exactly the kind of thing that A.I. is good for. Play around with it; see if you can come up with an illustration that evokes the kind of reaction you want in your readers.

Good luck!

The author says:

In the vast depths of the oceans, Hinemoana, the Māori Goddess of the sea, watches over all marine life, narrating the poignant tale of Melody, a dolphin born in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Melody’s life, marked by tragedy and music, turns dark after the loss of her mother and her baby to human hands. Haunted by a freezing spectre of hatred, she struggles to find peace and a voice to communicate with mankind.

Onshore, the artist Manaia faces her own battles, mirroring Melody’s pain and loss. As Melody seeks solace through astral journeys and divine promises, her path intertwines with Manaia’s, leading to an extraordinary alliance with Manaia’s husband, Rōreka. Through acts of sacrifice, love, and interspecies communication, Melody finds hope and healing.

A journey of sorrow, redemption, and the powerful bond between humans and dolphins unfolds, revealing the potential for unity and understanding between worlds.

Nathan says:

Conceptually, if the “hook” of the novel is the interaction and relationship between human and dolphin, make that visible on the cover (by which I mean, use a human).

Technically, I have two comments about the current cover:

• I understand that the ocean depths are dark. However, giving more bright spots for contrast will help this cover be visible.
• There’s a lot of unused space. Nothing would be lost if you trimmed the live area roughly like this:

(It may seem that I have a problem with open space. Not so; I have a problem with open space that doesn’t add anything to the whole.)

Other comments?