Dolphin Melody

Covers

The author says:

In the vast depths of the oceans, Hinemoana, the Māori Goddess of the sea, watches over all marine life, narrating the poignant tale of Melody, a dolphin born in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Melody’s life, marked by tragedy and music, turns dark after the loss of her mother and her baby to human hands. Haunted by a freezing spectre of hatred, she struggles to find peace and a voice to communicate with mankind.

Onshore, the artist Manaia faces her own battles, mirroring Melody’s pain and loss. As Melody seeks solace through astral journeys and divine promises, her path intertwines with Manaia’s, leading to an extraordinary alliance with Manaia’s husband, Rōreka. Through acts of sacrifice, love, and interspecies communication, Melody finds hope and healing.

A journey of sorrow, redemption, and the powerful bond between humans and dolphins unfolds, revealing the potential for unity and understanding between worlds.

Nathan says:

Conceptually, if the “hook” of the novel is the interaction and relationship between human and dolphin, make that visible on the cover (by which I mean, use a human).

Technically, I have two comments about the current cover:

  • I understand that the ocean depths are dark. However, giving more bright spots for contrast will help this cover be visible.
  • There’s a lot of unused space. Nothing would be lost if you trimmed the live area roughly like this:

(It may seem that I have a problem with open space. Not so; I have a problem with open space that doesn’t add anything to the whole.)

Other comments?

Terminally Immortal

Covers

The author says:

Book 2 of the Abrahamha’s Strays series: Terminally Human. Sci-fi set in the 25th century. Large cast. Symbiotic microorganisms in humans grant them longevity and rapid healing (the thingy in the center is supposed to represent how a few can perceive them). A few have extraordinary powers, that come with considerable limitations. The first book had solved a mystery and rescued an ancient hero. This book is a quest for her original attacker.

Nathan says:

I haven’t looked up Book 1 to see how you’ve maintained the branding, because even if Book 2 follows Book 1 visually, it’s still got a major problem:

I CAN’T SEE ANYTHING.

Remember, most readers are going to see your cover first at thumbnail size, with other books’ thumbnails on either side of it. And what do I learn about your book from the thumbnail? Nothing. I can’t read the title, I can’t recognize any image. As a reader, I might not even register that your book cover is there, because of more intelligible and attractive covers to the left and right.

Even at full size, the reflective tricks on the title only add another half-second to my comprehension, which is a half-second you can’t afford. The “thingy” doesn’t stand out from the background, and the one intelligible part of the image — the human silhouettes at the bottom — blend into their background.

You need to start over with a single question in mind: “What can I convey to my target audience in the limited time and real estate of the thumbnail that will get them to stop and find out more?”

Other comments?

Riven Calyx

Covers

The author says:

Riven Calyx details the rise of a knight haunted by the children he was forced to kill. He is commissioned by the equally haunted king to find a wizard to remove a curse affecting them both and the area just conquered. It should appeal to young adults and all fantasy fans.

Nathan says:

While there’s nothing technically wrong with anything on this cover… it’s not terribly dynamic or exciting, is it? For a book with “haunted” and “forced to kill” and “curse” and “conquered” in the description, the cover just seems like two people on a springtime picnic, enjoying the ruins.

A more dynamic scene is definitely the best course, but even playing with the color scheme of your current artwork boosts it:

(This is only an “open Photoshop and grab a filter for an example” version. It is not the best possible example.)

The other advice I have, if you’re still planning on using the current artwork, is to decrease the dead space. Remember, 99% of readers will first encounter your cover as a thumbnail; thus, make the important elements — including the type — understandable at that size.

If you move the byline up, you can crop even more and still lose nothing important.

Other comments?

Bitten By The Y2K Bug

Covers

The author says:

In late 1999, Deak and Marie work for different businesses in the same office complex. At the big Halloween party, they each meet a heartthrob from the other’s office. Once they discover this, they decide to help each other spy out clues to win their crushes before New Year’s Eve arrives, and the dreaded Y2K bug destroys us all.

This is a light-hearted romance — not sauna steamy, just a portable tea kettle. I’m trying to appeal to people of any age interested in art, games, and computers (aka nerds and geeks like myself.) It’s strictly Teen YA, and I intend to let my 6th grade daughter read it.

Nathan says:

There are no huge problems, but I think you can see what needs to be fixed by looking at these smaller versions: The type is hard to read, and the background fades into irrelevance. Remember, most readers are going to see your book cover first in thumbnail, and only if that hooks them will they click through and see the rest.  So make the type larger and easier to read from a distance. Can the background do something more than just be there?  Maybe a pink color scheme, or something to help indicate the romance story?

Other comments?

The Human Bet

Covers

The author says:

Set on a fantasy medieval island. The genre is Monster Romance (Monster Smut) The target audience is women 25-55. This book will be published exclusively on KindleUnlimited.

Leeja the half-orc has bedded dozens of males, but not one has initiated the mating response in her. Without compatible mates, She will never foarm a horde. She’ll never be truly happy. When her friends bet her to try dating “like a human”, Leeja meets a smooth talking, fun loving human who seems like the answer to her problems. He even has her “dantû” stirrung. But when she learns about his playboy past, Leeja must decide if she’ll protect her heart, or bet on love.

Nathan says:

Observing from outside the target audience, I’d have to say that the “monster smut” audience isn’t too discriminating.  But even if these comments make no difference, they have to be said.

The artwork isn’t at a professional level.  You can see that best in the hapless human, who’s got disturbingly warped anatomy. Also, shadows don’t work like that.

All of the print is hard to read, between heavy outlining and a lack of value contrast with the background.

But the biggest problem (and may God have mercy on my soul for saying this): IT’S NOT SMUTTY ENOUGH. A reader who peers through the general murkiness of the cover may come away with an impression of romance, but if this is supposed to appeal to the readers of Taken by the Troglodyte and Bred to the Parasaurolophus*, it apparently needs in-your-face eroticism more than it needs technical skill.

Other comments?

*Please tell those titles don’t exist.