The author says:
This book will collect a 10 – 18 short stories and poem, each with a small preface relating to the story/poem.
Nathan says:
The artwork is obviously splendid. Two things I would suggest:
- Switch out the font for something that fits the genre better — a little more angular, a little less serif-y.
- “Anthology” is a collection of work by different authors. (Yes, I know, indie authors have been misusing it for at least a decade and muddying the waters, but we need to hold the line against the barbarians.) You’ve got a “Collection” here.
Other comments?
I would move the title down some. It’s probably okay if it overlaps the spires. Right now it looks squeezed in at the top.
I like it but for a few possible improvements.
The title really is pretty much lost. It is too small, it is crowded into the top of the cover and there is insufficient contrast between it and the background.
There is more than enough room in the upper half of the illustration to allow the title to be lowered further into the cover and to be made significantly larger—and possibly in two lines instead of one.
If you are going to capitalize “Fiction” and “Musings” you might also want to capitalize “Anthology.” And unless the book is a volume of works by various different authors you ought to use the word “Collection” rather than “Anthology.”
I LOVE the art!
It might be fun to switch it like this:
https://imgur.com/a/fGgCKx5
(Font used was BodegaSans-Medium)
VASTLY better!
Yes, my only comment is that the title is lost and yellow, despite normally being highly visible, is the wrong color for that titling, unless it’s limned with something or changed somehow. I’d also say that a serif font is wrong for it. It needs something else–I vote for the Bodega Sans font that Shel used. I rather like that font and as it happens, it really suits this cover.
(You can also say compendium if you don’t care for collection.)
Hitch
All right, the art’s kinda generic science fiction art (architecture which wouldn’t be out of place on Coruscant or Trantor), but generic is more or less the proper approach when doing an anthology or collection of various poems or stories or the like. (These writings are science fiction for the most part, right?) The cover imagery is therefore quite sufficient for the subject at hand.
About the only improvement this cover needs is bigger and bolder captioning. Don’t be shy with your byline or title, and don’t worry if enlarging them covers up some of the tower: as long as the flying ship there in the middle is clearly visible, the cover will retain its focal point and the genre will remain clearly spelled out. I recommend splitting both the byline and title into two lines apiece and covering the entire top and bottom thirds of your cover with them.
some great comments here. the book will be going to kickstarter and there is the possibility I bring in other writers. the suggestions about the font and colour are great. I’m 25% colourblind so that really helps.