Ebook Cover - Thoughts?

I'm usually not a fan of covers that the author made for themselves. It's just a personal choice thing, nothing against authors who choose that. I probably mostly feel that way because I have friends who design book covers for a living and I'd hate to see them out of work.

BUT this is great. Are you a graphic artist? This looks like something people would pay for. I'd hire you to do my cover!

I love the concept: both the model and the slant of the text. I'm just not sure that font is right. I'm wondering if something skinnier or more ornamental might work.

And then this thought just occurred to me: what about making the word horizontal, and inverting the last half of the word?

Hmm... I like the font better here, but maybe have the T up top, so there could be more than one twist in the title. The S, E, and D are all just as easy to read upside down as they are right-side-up, but the T is throwing me a little bit.

I think you might be able to do a bit better on the tagline too. "Some things are better left in the dark" is pretty cliche`, and I think you could come up with something that aligns with the title a bit better.

Just my two cents.

I'm really into this. The photo is gorgeous!

I'm not entirely sure about the bright white and red in the title. You might want to play around with colors a bit. Also not really sold on the title font. Maybe something thin, elegant, sanserif? Play around with it, save ten very different versions, look at them all and see what clicks.

And I would take out the quotation marks.

TBH, I liked both options for general title placement. If you stick with the second version's placement, I don't think you should move the second T back up. I also think it could look really nice with just a simple, elegant font and the title straight across. You've got such a lovely photo and an easy title to work with, there are tons of great options.

Not feeling the photo. Not really sure what I should be taking from it; it doesn't clue me in on what the story or genre of the story would be. With the filters on it, it feels like all impact is lost from it.

I like the original's slanted title. It's much easier to read than the second (and you can't read the second's title when in thumbnail). But the font is a bit bloated and the color with the filters over the photo makes everything seem rather dull.

I do like the focus on the second's author title. Bigger, bolder, but I'd move it up a bit.

I like it! I think it looks clean and professional. I would like to see some more text options though, just to compare. I wasn't crazy about the 3d font effect in the first one. As for the second, the text is well balanced, (Positioning and in proportion to the rest of the picture,) but if I had to crit, I would say the title feels a little disjointed, split across two lines like that. Overall I like where you're headed though.

I think I preferred aspects of the original to your latest version, but they're both quite well done. Dropping the gradient and bevel were both good ideas. Have you considered this less frilly textual treatment with the original design of having TWISTED in all caps, tilted S, running diagonally across the page?

For the second one, I would not know what the word was.

I can't read the word on the second version. However, I like the basic layout a lot better. The second version is a lot more professional-looking, except for the upside-down text, which is hard to read. (And I can usually read upside-down or mirror-image text pretty well. I think it's the fact that it's only half a word that's throwing me.) Definitely avoid the 3D (drop-shadow/beveling) effect, as it almost always looks cheap and gimmicky.

sreeves2 said:

Alright, so I added some changes to the title and author name!

http://i.imgur.com/jhjcMei.jpg

Click to expand...

I like the initial one better, though the red "S" was a little flat.

In Version 2, I would try...

• TWISTED all on the one line
• Keeping the reversed 'S', it's great
• Make '-TED' non-reversed.
• Keep the lovely white/red contrast, or make only the reversed 's' red. (Try both, see what works.)
• Shrink that tagline a wee bitty, and consider moving it below the title. It can go above the title if you want, though -- it's a personal choice, do you want viewers to read the title or the tagline first?

Version 2's a really strong improvement, but you need to remember that a key purpose for book covers is readability. Even in thumbnail size, the title should be readable. You can get away with a reversed 'S' because that character reads clearly even reversed, but you want the title to be easily read by passing viewers.

(Note, also, that reversing the entire second half of the world makes 'TWISTED' turn into 'TWI?LED', which I think it why a few folks here are struggling to puzzle out what the second word is.)

Reversing the entire second half of the word doesn't help with readability. Positioning the text diagonally doesn't help with readability. I'd avoid making viewers work harder than they need to.

A part of me actually prefers the diagonal layout of the first image: it's artsy, it's interesting, it makes the most of a somewhat bland background image. It would look ace with more minimal font formatting: strip all that beveling and embossing, pick a nice clear block font, and make it slightly opaque so the image is still suggested behind it.

But diagonal fonts are a rare sight on trade published books, and I can't help but think the horizontal layout in V2 is more readable/more commercial. V1 is quirky and artistic but it doesn't feel as clean and polished.

Dang, this is tough. These are some really excellent concepts, it's hard to pick a favourite!

I'm not sure you need to do anything with the name to make it more twisted. "Twisted" itself is a strong and descriptive word that sticks out on its own, and by playing around with it, I think it makes more difficult to read. You could try all the same font and have the S backwards, but don't make it stick out. Or else I think the S is some how important to the story. I'd just have it run horizontally across the bottom in plain white text.

The textual concept is excellent, though I agree, I would have it run horizontally on the page with the "s" still skewed, and don't make the single letter so emphasised. I would look carefully at the typeface, if only because you've used a shadow and some kind of bevelling. These effects are best left alone.

If you're married to the photo, you might place the text horizontally towards the bottom to let the image take precedence, if you're not you might consider a typographic solution instead. The image doesn't really give me any idea of what the book is about, and generally that is a given with illustrated covers. If the image doesn't actually relate (other than showing there is a woman in the story) ditch it. Perhaps a more abstract image concept might be more fitting, or an artistic rendition. You don't have to be super-blunt with how your cover relates to the story, but it should at least give a quick idea.