Well, in the midst of all my writing, I’ve spent some time playing around with what might be cover art for BLOOD WILL TELL in case I decide to e-publish it.
As stated in my last post, I’m no graphic artist. And the gyrations I’ve had to go through to get to this point would take far too long to catalog.
Since I don’t know what I’m doing, I spent some time studying the covers of some successful books. In particular, the HUNGER GAMES trilogy and, more within the correct genre, some of Sherilyn Kenyon’s books. (BLOOD WILL TELL is a paranormal romance, but the only thing it has in common with Sherilyn Kenyon’s books is that there are werewolves–or, more precisely, one particular half-werewolf.) These are novels that got the very best covers their publishers could create, so it seemed like a reasonable place to start figuring out what makes a good cover.
So, what I took away from that: A solid color background with some interest–a lighter highligt across a dark bacground or some geometric shape in a color only slight lighter or darker than the background and a single image or symbol.
I’m nowhere near that, yet. But, here’s what I’ve got so far:
No text yet, obviously. I’m going to have to go through another whole step for that.
In the end, of course, I may opt for having an actual artist do the cover–if I can afford it. But it won’t hurt to have some ideas to talk about in any case.
The beauty of this cover design is that with minor variation in color, it could pretty much work for all three books in the series.
Did you draw this dragon? It’s pretty cool 😀 You can’t go wrong with a dragon on the cover, everybody loves them. I can point you to several artists that draw cool dragons, but I doubt they’re cheap.
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Uh, no. Not an artist. I basically lifted the dragon from a 16th (?) century woodcut. (So no copyright issues.) I did color it, though.
And both the dragon and the symbol of the dragon biting its tail appear in the story, so it’s appropriate.
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No copyright? Great 😀 I could make you a lineart out of this, free of charge 🙂
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Hmm. A line drawing for the title page. Interesting idea. Thanks.
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I love it. Gorgeous golden dragon!
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Thanks.
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It’s definitely good to have your own ideas before you start (and the comparative cover design is essential to do as well). But I encourage you to use a professional designer – there are lots out there with all kinds of styles and price ranges (from $50 – $500). It’s amazing what a professional can do with your ideas! (p.s. I’m totally NOT an artist, which is why I rely on the professionals!)
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I will if I can find one I can afford. David Farland says the cover can make or break the book. Meanwhile, I’m still playing around with this while I wait to hear back from that agent who has the full ms. Maybe I won’t have to do this at all. (Fingers crossed.)
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Good luck on the submission! But if you need to find a cover artist, just let me know! 🙂
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I’d have to agree with Susan. Go for the professional designer. There might be some who are new and looking for exposure. Have you checked SCBWI. There are all kinds of great designer/illustrators there.
Good luck and, yes, let us know what you do.
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Thanks. I’m going to play around with another possible design for the time being. Options. Options are always good.
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