The author says:

This is a concept/composition cover for a title I probably will self-publish. You know, after the publishing houses reject it. Title: Jackman Genre: Space opera, science fiction and fantasy mash-up Target Audience: SFF readers Short synopsis: As Arekan traveled the stars as a crewman aboard merchant vessels, he used many names. It was safer that way. The young man had his own secrets to keep. But Sinlon Mor’a’stan, a member of the outlawed family that once ruled the Kyn Empire, did not know these secrets. When he taps Arekan as his son Santir’s guide and protector, he unchains a force that would change not only Santir and Arekan’s lives, but the Empire of Kyn forever. But before the two young men get to Santir’s home world they face many dangers, including Santir’s failed spacewalk, pirates, and their intense dislike of each other. Thanks for taking a look at this!

Nathan says:

I like the fact that the image you sent me is labeled “concept art.”  This is a starting place, and a good one.

First, when I look at the thumbnail, it seems oddly bleached — and by “oddly” I mean that the lack of contrast doesn’t seem to be for any reason in particular.  I can see that you were going for a glow/aura/nimbus look, but I still think you can work some contrasts into the figure.  Especially with a light title across the figure, it just looks washed out.

Also from the thumbnail, I can see that the proportion is a little wider than standard. Obviously with an ebook cover you can technically make it at any proportions you want, but there’s still reader expectation to deal with.  Readers of genre fiction unconsciously expect their book covers to approximate the standard dimensions of a mass-market paperback — two-to-three, or 6″ x 9″ if you’re printing at Createspace.  The good news is that I think that trimming the right side of the image would actually make for a better layout of the figure.  I mean, it’s not like you need to see his left shoulder…

Moving from the thumbnail to the full image, here’s my first impression:

BUSYBUSYBUSYBUSYBUSY

The combination of filters adding “fake detail” to the photo plus the textured font for the title adds up to “too dang much.”  What’s worse, it looks like you’re trying to compensate for a blurry or too-small photograph by gussying it up.  There are ways to do that that work better than this.

And finally, your synopsis puts this book firmly in “space opera/science-fantasy” territory, but the cover doesn’t hit that bull’s eye nearly so well.  From the cover, I’d guess maybe SF, or maybe urban fantasy, or possibly a light-hearted post-apoc adventure…  What can you do to up the “sciffyness” of it?  More futuristic fonts?  The silhouette of a Kelly Freas-like spired city on the horizon?  A multi-colored planet peeking in from the upper left?  Whatever you choose, give more definite clues to your potential reader.

Other thoughts?

The author says:

Dr. Elijah Snow wanted to record history, not become a part of it. But after stealing the T714 time-displacement craft from his US Air Force benefactors, he quickly found out that witnessing an event without participating in it was easier than it sounded. Accompanied by his quirky A.I ‘Fuzzy’, Dr. Snow sets out to document many of the major historical occurrences which had always intrigued him. From the Mongol Invasion to the crowning of the Danish king Harald Bluetooth, Elijah does his best to record without getting involved. But invariably he ends up becoming embroiled, time and time again, in these events, never failing to leave his footprint on the pages of history.

Nathan says:

I sometimes have “opposite” days where I think I have a good design concept, and yet everything I do to make it better instead makes it worse, until the only thing left for me to do is scrap it.  This cover reminds me of my output on those days: there may have been a good starting point (“good” meaning “something that caught your imagination”), but a succession of decisions that didn’t seem bad at the time bury it.

From your description, I’m envisioning a novel of obviously wide scope, colorful adventure, and more than a little humor. Unfortunately, I don’t get any of that from your cover.  The only indication of adventure or thrills is the silhouette of the running man, and he’s not central enough to draw the eye, nor specific enough to convey anything.  After reading your description, I can recognize the clock face as meant to convey the time travel element, but clock faces are also used to convey “ticking clock” tension in contemporary thrillers.  The buildings, likewise, are modern, as is the stolid typeface; there’s absolutely nothing here to clue the reader in on the genre, tone, or scope of the novel.

And the color scheme… waaay to murky to draw the eye.

This is a link to the current bestsellers in the Time Travel subgenre on Amazon. (You can refine the sub-subgenre further to Horror,  Humor,  Mystery,  Non-Romantic,  Romantic,  Thriller — and the fact that they have “Non-Romantic” as a specific sub-subgenre fills me with despair for my species.)  Ignore the covers from books by Stephen King and Douglas Adams, since the most important element of those covers is the author’s name.  The rest? These are your comrades, and your competition.  This is how readers of time travel novels expect their novels to look; this is what they look for.  Could your cover attract the positive attention of someone who just read one of these books and wants more?

My advice, cruel as it may seem, is to scrap what you’ve got and start over.  Start with a color scheme, or maybe with a font — those are the things a reader will see first, and they have to be interesting enough that they’ll take a second look.  Build from there.

If that’s beyond your skill set, seeking help from a reasonably-priced professional is your best bet.

Anything feel differently?

The author says:

A short story about the end of the world, told through the eyes of an eleven year old little girl, hiding inside her parents pet shop.

Nathan says:

It never pays to spend an inordinate amount of time or money on a short-story cover, so if any suggestions here seem extravagant to a modest budget, cut back where necessary.

That said, it’s a great cover, but I’m not so sure it works for the story you describe, for one reason: the eye. I think that if the viewpoint character is a little girl, then the eye central on the cover should be that of a little girl.

Other than that, I’ve got the minor tweaks that are one designer’s preference over another, but they don’t impact the design in any major way. Anyone else got a major issue?

The author says:

When Bo, a grieving widower, meets Gabby, he’s struck by her beauty, grace and laughter that wash over him like the sweetest song in heaven. Gabby is unlike any angel ever dreamed of—evil has no strength against her and the dark one and his minions are no match for this warrior of God.

What if You Knew Your True Love Was Meant for a Higher Calling?

Bo is a widower, trying to raise two kids by himself. His life is changed forever when he meets an angel in a black dress and a pair of killer stilettos. Little does Bo know at first that his new love, Gabby, doesn’t just look like she’s from heaven, she is God’s messenger. Gabby isn’t just a pretty face. She can also be an avenging angel, striking down anyone trying to block God’ plans. But, when the biggest obstacle to Gabby’s mission surfaces things get dangerous and complicated fast. As Bo and Gabby race forward on a crucial mission, Bo learns the healing power of love, but also becomes more attached to Gabby. She is everything he has always been looking for. Will Bo’s determination to get what he wants ruin not only his future, but also all of mankind’s? This story of peace, love, and hope will show every loss has a purpose and that no sorrow is forever.

Nathan says:

It’s a very pleasant image. That said, I’m getting more than a little bit of “suspense thriller” vibe from your description that I don’t see reflected in the cover.  Would a cover with more contrast help convey that?  Maybe not quite so broad a smile on her face? I dunno, because I can’t really tell how much of the appeal of the book comes from the suspenseful part.

The only technical issues I have are:

1) The selection edge on the top of her hair is too distinct; blurring that out will keep it from calling attention to itself.

2) The title looks fine at full size, but fades out for the thumbnail. That might solve itself if you use more contrast in the art behind it.

3) I have bad reactions whenever two different script fonts are used together.  In this case, I’d say to keep the ornate font for the title, and change the byline into something non-italic.

I have to admit, I’m not really the target audience for this kind of book, so I’ll have to supplicate other input even more than usual.