The author says:

A murder mystery in a military setting, the story takes place in the present, but relies on flashbacks, 25 years in the past. The story is written for adults, most likely 35-yo and over, and would be rated R.

The cover concept is a first-pass result.

Raymond Allen was the Commanding Officer of D-Company, and he had the responsibility of molding the minds and bodies of the freshmen cadets under his command. But something went wrong, and he lost sight of his future plans – to fly fighter jets in the Air Force – becoming a sadistic leader instead; consumed by the corrupting influence of absolute power over the lives of his young charges. The freshmen suffered; their numbers steadily dwindling and their futures disappearing. Until they finally took matters into their own hands, kidnapping Ray Allen and leaving him in the dense, piney woods of south-central Texas, never to be heard from again. A quarter of a century passed, the events of that fateful night intentionally forgotten, until suddenly re-emerging into the present with the discovery of human remains just south of the school’s campus. They had survived once before by relying on the indivisibility of the bond between them, forged by common misery and hardship. But had their past deeds finally caught up with them? As each layer is peeled opened and exposed, as each piece of evidence is unearthed, will their determination, their resolve, their lifelong friendships be enough to get through it this time? Will their pride endure once again?

Nathan says:

You’ve thrown a lot of elements together, but you don’t seem comfortable with how they relate to each other.

The most striking covers have one overarching focal element, and make clear to the viewer that everything else is subordinate to that.  In this case, the best candidate is the solder-and-flag combo: make it big enough that the stars run off the cover on the left, and the soldier’s left arm runs off the right.

Tighten the leading (the between-lines space) on the title, so that it’s more of a unit.

A personal rule-of-thumb is “never use more than one silhouette on a cover.” Maybe you should find an old photo print or Polaroid of two friends together — let bleached-out colors and general wear convey that this is a photograph of the past.

Switch out the font for subtitle and byline; it’s so lifeless it sucks the life out of the stuff around it.

Other sugggestions?

The author says:

Second test of concept, previously submitted under the title Ravaged Worlds. Changed it to give more emphasis on the type of story it truly is.

Keisha Rose has a curse. She’s an empath, able to feel the emotions of everyone around her, overwhelming her, forcing the young woman to live a life of isolation. When a race of alien telepaths invade her colony world, they do so by projecting overpowering waves of despair. They quickly capture Keisha, and unwittingly unlock her full telepathic potential. Keisha Rose must not only come to grips with her own curse, but must now deal with the fact that the fate of all humanity now rests on her ability to control her mental powers and use them against the invading “Mind Assassins.” This is the first book of a trilogy. The novel is science fiction.

The submitted cover is a test of concept.

[original submission and comments here]

Nathan says:

It certainly works better than your original submission. So does the new title inasmuch as it related better to the book described, although it somehow seems pointedly inelegant. I’d play around with combining words from your book title and series title to see if you can find one that flows more trippingly from the tongue.

I like the idea of the rest; here’s how I would look at refining it:

• The star pattern isn’t recognizable as such from the thumbnail. I’d add at least a few bright twinklers than can see seen from a distance.
• I don’t think we need to see the whole face. If you crop it at the bottom of the nose, then the focus will be even more on the eyes.
• I don’t think the completely monochromatic skin works. I’d add at least a little tint.
• Play with that font. Yes, it conveys “science fiction,” but it’s also harder to read than it needs to be, and it’s more than a little bit ugly.

Other comments?

The author says:

Book description: YA fantasy: An exiled princess must unite six elemental clans to overcome the ancient society that destroyed her family. Her clan’s abilities are nature-based, including shape-shifting.

Nathan says:

The image’s file name as sent is “Unearthed idea 1.JPG,” so I assume that this is still at the concept stage, ad we shouldn’t criticize rough edges, yes?

Thought #1: The title blends into the background — the hue may contrast, but the light/dark values are too similar.  And the inconsistent drop shadow doesn’t help. Make it POP.

Thought #2: There’s a lot of unused space above the title. If you’re planning to use that for the series title and a blurb or tagline, fine. Otherwise…

Thought #3: The model’s stance is too much “unthreatening hippie chick” and too little “strong young woman standing up to adversity.

I assume that, because of the unfinished state, the animals roughed in around the border are placeholders.

Other thoughts?

The author says:

A terrorist tracks professor Jason Butler to reclaim secret sacred texts.Can Jason conquer his inner demons in time to survive the deadly poison called Blue Sky, rescue his family, and save his life? After a tumultuous past, Jason and his wife are at a turning point where everything looks wonderful. But disaster hits. Taking place on a university campus in 1986, Jason sees a terrorist assassinate a colleague who sent him sacred religious manuscripts. The manuscripts are deadly to possess, and the terrorist must reclaim them. The assassin kills with a poison called Blue Sky. To his dismay, the police pursue Jason as the prime suspect. Wherever he turns, Jason can’t escape: he can’t go to the police, he can’t find his family, he can’t return the manuscripts, and he can’t elude the assassin. Why has his family disappeared? Will he survive the deadly Blue Sky?

[original submission and comments here]

Nathan says:

I think you’re getting closer, at least in the elements you chose. Here’s where I would concentrate my efforts:

• The ginger background, while pretty, doesn’t add anything except filing space.  I’d darken it enough to really contrast with the running figure.
• Your description mentions “sacred religious manuscripts,” and with the definite Da Vinci Code vibe here, one would expect something Latinate, not hieratic Egyptian.  Better change either the image or your description.
• In fact, I’d overlay the hieratic text lightly across the whole dark area, like so (five-minute version):

It needs a lot more work, obviously, but that’s the direction I’d go.

Other thoughts?

The author says:

All Sophia wants is to leave work and see her favourite artist in concert. She meets him: Josh. He’s friendly and dreamy and they click. But before Sophia and Josh know what’s happening, their champagne is drugged and they wake up in a fashion museum. At least, it used to be. The museum is dark and unattended. The two of them are dressed in strange costumes, as are the mannequins and dress forms. Exhibits display creepy designs, unnatural taxidermy, random boxes and step ladders, putrid food in the employee lounge… No one’s coming back. They meet the other people in the museum. No one knows how they got there, and with no outside doors or windows, no one knows how to get home. The phones are cut, but surveillance is running. Tempers flare as food runs out. If they don’t kill each other, the museum will.

________ Suspense, mystery, 20 minutes into the future (2nd attempt at this cover — used to be called The Museum)

[original submission and comments here]

Nathan says:

I honestly think you’re getting farther away. The text is hard to read, and the museum isn’t comprehensible as such without a good long look. And “warm gray” really doesn’t read as “suspense.”

Here’s what I think you need to do:

• Identify a half-dozen novels that you would expect to be in the same shopping cart as yours.
• Examine the covers for those novels. Look for commonalities.  As yourself, “How does the reader of these novels know that these novels are meant for him/her?”  Is is bold type? High contrast? Backlit silhouettes? A color scheme dominated by one strong color?
• Use the visual cues you just gleaned to come up with your cover concept.

Other comments?