Thanks InkFinger. I hear you. It was kind of a tradeoff. The navy blue and gold are SEAL colors. Introducing green lost that.It's an interesting cover, but it doesn't say Everglades to me. With the blue background it looks as much like snow as water.
What if you enclose the illustration in a yellow box or between yellow bands?...The navy blue and gold are SEAL colors. Introducing green lost that.
Is the white swirl meant to indicate that the helicopter is crashing into water?
For me, it would seem more 'Everglades' if the water was green - likelier a yellowish or brownish green. An alligator is probably superfluous.
I have just read your other post, about taking the series in a more realistic direction - that explains why there's no more cartoon figures on the cover. How about going whole hog and making the background look more realistic - ripples in the greenish water, in rings around the downed chopper? Instead of the flat, monotone backgrounds of the previous books.
Any feedback is welcome. Thank you.
Thanks ColleenHi, Gregg, are there some other Navy Seal thriller books you could look to for ideas about color choices, font and the like? I'm not sure if this is in the neighborhood, but here's one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004TLHOFA/?tag=absowrit-20
I can't really read what is happening to the helicopter, my first instinct was that it was flying through a snow flurry
Two things come to mind:
1. What would this look like if you removed the white swirl, and just had the helicopter? I also thought at first that it was snow against a background of blue sky.
2. How critical is the color palette to you? I know you're going for the SEAL colors, but a swampy-looking cover would fit the setting.
Not the feedback you're looking for, but since the series is called "Navy Seal Adventure," isn't it a bit redundant to have "Navy Seal" in the title of the book?
I feel like A NOVEL should be placed elsewhere, perhaps centered, or left out. I feel like the chopper is thrashing in the water.
But I also feel like the cover is serviceable. Might depend how much weight you want it to carry in your marketing. It's clean and clear. The font works for me. Balance seems ok.
one nitpick so small the nit has nits and this is picking one of those smaller nits: I've not heard of Navy Seals being spoken of in the singular, except when indicated as 'a' Navy Seal.
If my feedback agrees with anyone else, well, that'd be a first.
The white water/ cloud is distracting and hurts the image in my opinion. Also, I know you're going for Navy colors, but that yellow (it does not look gold to me) next to the dark blue is not a good color combo.
I would also consider using a font with serifs as it would add a little personality to the title. Example here.
Not the feedback you're looking for, but since the series is called "Navy Seal Adventure," isn't it a bit redundant to have "Navy Seal" in the title of the book?
Thanks Bear. I tried centering A NOVEL and it looked stacked. Just didn't work. And I'm quite sure Navy SEAL is okay. I've looked at a lot of covers and almost all have SEAL.
I'm glad you think the cover's decent.
And this world needs more unique feedback. Keep it up!
I agree with this one - I think "Everglades Rescue" is probably a much more engaging title. Techno-Thriller titles like to be short. Particularly if you're coupled it with "Navy SEAL Adventure," or some other series title including the SEALs. You could probably take "Navy" right out of it, too; even most civilians realize that the SEALs are only Navy. And if they don't, they'll figure it out in a hurry.
Edited to add that I like the grayscale helo better than the red one, but it would be much better if you could get a picture of a military helicopter. I think this one is a Coast Guard helo; the red really makes it stand out as inauthentic. Stealth is the name of the game for the SEALs; a red helo is a no go unless they're borrowing an asset from our Coast Guard brethren or someone else.
Thanks rg. You're right it's a Coast Guard helicopter and I guess this might be messed up, but in my story, it is a Coast Guard helicopter and it's not rescuing. It's pursuing my protagonists. I'm quite sure readers will remember the cover when they get to the scene but I admit it's kind of weird. And I'm thinking of bailing on the Navy SEAL approach. My protagonists were SEALs but had their status pulled, and they are rescuing a kidnap victim, but for this book they are former SEALs, so the "Navy SEAL rescue" is misleading.
Somehow "Ex-Navy SEAL Everglades Rescue" just doesn't cut it.