The author says:
Being a boy mom of five is… fun. It’s an adventure, it’s hard, it’s messy, and very stinky. In this light-hearted collection of true stories from a boy mom, we get a glimpse into the hilarious moments as well as the challenging and difficult ones that have life lessons behind, and in spite of the madness. If being a boymom teaches us one thing, it’s that there’s never, ever a dull moment. Like, even a little bit.
Nathan says:
I don’t have any “heavy” criticisms — if I were to see this cover in a bookstore or on Amazon, I’d see nothing wrong with it.
I would try a series of tweaks:
- Does the original photo have enough headspace that it could be the background to the subtitle?
- How about upping the contrast of the subtitle with its background?
- Could the photo be shifted down so that it’s the background to the byline? (Obviously, you’d have to darken the byline.)
- Why is “Tales” capitalized in the subtitle? Should “boy mom” have quotation marks around it, to set it off as a unique coinage?
But as it stands, good job!
Other comments?
I suspect that the photo is probably a personal one with great meaning and significance for you, but I don’t think it really gets across the idea of the book. One problem with it is that there is much too much scenery and not enough mom and her boys.
The teal top and bottom panels add absolutely nothing to the cover. I agree with Nathan that the cover would be much more effective if the art filled more of it and the text were on top of the photo.
The phrase ‘boy mom’ is throwing me. I thought it was about a boy being the mom– raising himself sort of book
Maybe a simple change like-From a Mom Who Survived 5 Boys
also, I don’t hate the panels (I think the panels are a GREAT pop of color and that the color is really appropriate)but the text on them is bugging me because it looks forced into the space. I’d recommend resizing those panels so that you could center the text between the lines and I’d use a whiter text probably a color pulled from the decking in the picture.
But speaking of the picture, I’m also wondering if you have a funnier pic that could show you surviving. This looks like a happy carefree kind of scene. Now, If one of the kids was about to jump off or bees were chasing them in the background…lol something like that. You need to show them being cute and mischievous
But you could do that without showing them at all. A skunk in the bathtub (been there done that) A sink full of frogs, Paintball marks all over the Livingroom, the baby dyed with clumps of hair around him. You don’t need to reproduce a scene from the book but set the tone for the book. So think funny
A drawing of something funny would suit this very well.
PS. I don’t hate the font but a handdrawn one instead of a typeface one might suit this better.
FYI, the “boy mom” phrase threw me for a loop as well and I think it’s quite awkward.
I agree! I had an entirely different image in mind when I read that!
All in all, I agree with my colleagues that this is pretty decently done and mostly only needs minor tweaks. If it’s at all possible, however, would you happen to have any pictures of this mother and her boys for your cover that come in a portrait orientation rather than the obviously landscape orientation of this one? I know those are difficult to find, but pictures taller than they are wide are pretty much ideal for book covers. If you could fill the entire cover with your picture instead of having to put vinyl siding (or whatever that is) over the dead space, everyone and everything of any importance in the picture would be a lot easier for prospective readers to see in the thumbnail.
First impressions:
Title: “Which boy is filling the mom role?”
Photo (after reading author blurb): “Where is boy #5 (missing from the photo)?”
I would suggest rephrasing your title, and if you’re set on using an image with boys have all five in it.
I really like your cover. I would take the critique of getting a picture of all 5 boys. I do like the photo. I like the colors and the textures of the photos and type.You just need a bit more space for your name down the bottom. Maybe call it a Mom of 5 willful boys. Boy mom threw me off a bit as well, even though i get tit after reading it twice and seeing the lovely picture. Love the book idea. How fun! I wish I had kids.