The author says:

An action-thriller set in a 1980s retro-future after a devastating world war. It takes place in the South East Asian refugee metropolis of New Saigon and details one man going against a ruthless mercenary company he used to work for to rescue his love.

Nathan says:

Hmm.  It definitely has an ’80s vibe, but I don’t know if it’s in the way that you mean — I look at this, and I think of cheap direct-to-video action movies on VHS cranked out by Roger Corman starring Don “The Dragon” Wilson. The fact that your stylized setting sun graphic looks like the logo for Corman’s New Horizons production company exacerbates that:

I don’t know how many people are in the target audience for that kind of ’80s nostalgia.

Also, “Fury” is very hard to read in thumbnail, and the UZI becomes almost invisible.

Unless the ’80s-ness is a big of the appeal — everyone wears Swatch Watches, there’s lots of kickboxing, and you can practically hear the synth-score when reading it — I think you might instead want to play up the post-apoc/cyberpunk vibe that I imagine from the description. (Remember, Blade Runner was ’80s too.)

Other comments?

The author says:

The realm of Belkin is now in open civil war. The southern county of Turgany rises up to try to defeat the self-proclaimed President and end his tyrannical rule. Will Arbor, Freamhaigh to the druids, must find a way to counter the threat of Erebus. Gaea has been wounded and no longer responds to her druids. Meanwhile, the Sect of the Church of the New Order rises with greater power and threatens to destroy the unstable harmony of the Realm. Will Arbor and the druids are all that stands between Erebus and the land of Belkin. As Freamhaigh, Will must be ready to sacrifice all he holds dear.

Nathan says:

I looked at the previous three volumes up on Amazon, and they all show consistent branding. Unfortunately, those consistent parts are the biggest problems.

• Your title font is the plainest, most non-evocative font imaginable.
• The white type disappears against the light brown background.

In addition, while I understand the progression of the central tree from a sapling on the first cover to a full-grown tree on this one, the tree in the center clashes with the foliage behind it.

Now, I also saw that you have some combined volumes up on Amazon, one with the first two volumes and one with the last two:

I think these covers are a lot closer to what you need.  Simply switch out the title font with something a bit more evocative of ancient Britain, and I think you’re good.

Other comments?

The author says:

Amberee The Millionaire’s Best Asset is a fictional autobiography / industry exposé, which fits into the Contemporary Fiction genre and is about how a young woman came to work as a porn film and live action actress. Amberee’s life comes under escalating danger, and she secretly penned her autobiography to get the truth out into the world, because her life differs greatly from the business savvy marketing. (The book is Adult Content Only due to the nature of the content as well as the graphic descriptions within, so I’ve chosen to include a small warning on the cover.) I will understand if you don’t wish to critique the cover on your website because of this – but would love to gain some great feedback. I have tried to capture looking at Amberee through a video camera viewfinder, because (to me) it conveys the subject matter of the character being filmed as well as outsiders looking in (which is what she is trying to address).

Nathan says:

I can see where you’re going with this, and I like the basics.  Here’s where I’d go:

• Lose the “Amberee” from the title and just go with “The Millionaire’s Best Asset.”
• Punch up the colors and contrast — use warmer colors, especially the skin tones, and make it pop with better highlights and shadows.
• The pink-against-black of the byline makes it almost invisible in thumbnail, and still hard to read at full-size (overspacing a cursive font doesn’t help, either).  If you must have the dark bar at the bottom, use a bolder, less fancy font that’s more easily readable.
• Nothing on the cover points toward it being fiction — in fact, the subtitle works against that.  If you don’t want confused readers — and you don’t — you need a subtitle that doesn’t make it seem like nonfiction.  (Part of the solution would be to set it in present tense; past tense definitely makes it seem like the account of an actual event.)

Other comments?

The author says:

Hi again, New name, blurb, and cover. The author did the cover art, this was finally acceptable after many collage-type attempts. Freeforce is set in current time, on earth, a spaceship, then mostly on the planet Tarin. The genre is soft, biological,science-Fiction with a tinge of fantasy. The target audience is adult females who enjoy reading epic (this has 180000 words), character-driven, space adventures

The blurb draft: All Humans live on Earth Aliens don’t exist. It’s easy to believe in lies. Ruthless aliens enslave veterinary student, Lianndra Ross, and force her to take part in an archaic planetary war. Amid chaos and death, she discovers the only chance of freedom lies with the very beings she is fighting against. After all hope seems lost, an unexpected meeting offers her an opportunity to rebel. With the help of her fellow captives, Lianndra pursues the one thing most people on Earth take for granted. There is a catch—if the rebellion doesn’t succeed, life on the planet Tarin and possibly the entire universe will be decimated.

[original submission and comments here]

Nathan says:

You know what? My only problem is that the moons don’t look like they’re lit from the same light source. Other than that, well done.

If anyone else has other comments, have at it.