I attended the LIVE, here are the notes I took! What a book cover does? - What is this book about, you want it stop you - 5 seconds to grab their attention - Don’t put too much info on back cover, keep it simple - Less than minute to answer the question: Do I want to buy this book? 1:04:50 Tips for designing yourself - Go look at big publishing websites to get a sense of what the books look like in the genre - Connect the illustration/image to the story itself 09:17 Children’s Book - Too busy; too many kids (take two kids out); people blend into background - Contrast in words at bottom is not enough - His eye doesn’t know where to focus - Spread out title to make more open and readable - Can’t tell what this story is about - ‘Take down’ is a confusing word, could be meant at ‘killing’ - Plan in advance where text is going to go 13:46 Urban Fantasy - Typography (no connection to this type of font and what it means and the story); too decorative. - Beautiful painting is not connecting to the story or saying what the story is about - There’s no connection between title and imagery - Too much space on cover; use the page more; space is not utilised to its fullest - The image should give so much info without giving it away but enough that you want to read the book - Make the word 'NO' larger 19:08 Fiction - Illustration is beautiful - No connection between title with image (title evokes a different image) - It’s interesting enough to pick it up - Font seems like its poetry (very simple) - Illustration is too big - Text hits the illustration, shouldn’t do this (make image smaller) - The cover doesn’t fit the genre 24:00 Fiction - Bad photoshopping - The colour of people is different from background - Book looks self published - People on the cover creates judgement of the characters before they read the book - Use people on cover for biographies (of people well known) - The glow around the title is confusing - Too much going on (house, people, violin, paintbrush, glow on font) - The cover doesn’t tell you about the book 29:28 Historial Fiction - Too much on the cover; lost with all the elements - If you don’t know where the flags are from you won’t make an immediate connection - Make a connection b/w typography and imagery - With a new series maybe leave out that it’s a series b/c readers might not want to commit 33:47 Memoir - Certain colours sell b/c of colour - Pay attention to market (look at big publishing websites for what’s current) - Photo illustration is too dark - Give space between words in title - Looks like a poetry book, not a memoir - Not clear how photo connects to title - Font is good - No connection b/w image and title 39:00 Thriller - Word ‘Memphis’ is not a title for mystery/suspense - The image doesn’t connect to story - Don’t get a sense of the story - The font of word ‘Memphis’ takes away a sense of danger in a thriller - Use of colours is too much - The quote is too condensed - Get closer to the Eiffel Tower - Put an element of danger in image 47:19 Nonfiction - Font doesn’t give attention to what’s it’s about (dated, overused font) - The image doesn’t play up what the person is going through (could have more facial expressions) - The colouring could be adjusted (pants merge into background) - Shift the author’s name to top (if it’s a well know person) - Image looks like an adult and not a child 53:05 Mystery - Eye goes to the face and not the title - It looks like a comedy (the face and colours) or a comedian’s memoir - ‘The’ and ‘Of’ are hard to read as it’s vertical and text is close to each other - The colours (yellow, red) are competing - The yellow is so strong it’s hard to read - The title is good - Why change font for author’s name? 57:10 Memoir - The faces in the back look AI generated - Odd image of a sweating adult with kids in background - The kids are looking in direction 1:01:06 Fiction - It has a 70’s look, dated look - There is no connection b/w the two different illustrations (they compete with each other) - The contrast for author’s name is not enough to be readable - The ampersand makes you pause when reading title
Many thanks for these sessions and for selecting my cover 'The Derailing of Douglas Jones' to review this time. I'm glad you picked up the comedy-mystery vibes so job done there. Douglas is an amateur graphologist (handwriting analyser), hence the handwritten font for the author name. But point taken! I And I know it's a controversial decision to use a face but this guy had the perfect exasperated expression, I had to use him. Good luck to all authors out there taking advice and improving their covers.
@@rayofsunshine2263 Wonderful. That's a good tone comparison. Poor Douglas can’t catch a break. And while the book is a bit of a whodunnit, it's more of a tragicomic character-driven yarn.
It would have been nice to see some examples of good covers! This is 40 minutes of the expert saying "I don't get the connection between the title and the story" He's clearly very qualified and there are plenty of things to learn from; it's just a bit exhausting to watch! Perhaps I need to get thicker skin - just being devil's advocate tho!
I guess the "good" examples are those shown early in the video that the expert himself did, which you can apply all the same critisms anyway... in the end it's all a matter of taste.
The most boring hour I’ve spent in many a day. I sent in my cover for my thriller novel -that was edited by a Reedsy editor for $10,000-and the covers critiqued were from absolutely ridiculous novels.
@@billy_bandit Hey, Billy Bandit, thanks for writing. You sound like a betting man so how about we both put $10,000 (TEN-THOUSAND DOLLARS) in an escrow account with YOUR lawyer, and if my book fails to sell at least 1000 (that’s ONE-THOUSAND) copies within SIX MONTHS, you get the money. Whaddaya say, Billy?
@@dewilderdbetter I’d say what you’re experiencing is the sunken cost fallacy and is ultimately the kind of doom spiral logic that got you into this mess to begin with. Funding a one-sided gamble like that is an even worse idea than spending the first $10 thousand for something a peer could have given you for free. I’m not trying to be harsh, but you need to understand a lot of people are getting hoodwinked by editing costs the same way college students are with their philosophy degree. You cannot benefit from this purchase anymore than you could from that bet. So, on behalf of your future interest and sanity, I decline your second attempt to give a stranger a free $10 thousand dollars. But thanks.
@@dewilderdbetter Read your comment again. You literally offered me money with no risk: if you sold 1000 copies you’d pay me. That’s not a bet, that’s just clown town. This is what I’m talking about. This is why you paid Reedsy $10,000 with no guarantee of future earnings. If you want to pay strangers for no reason, go ahead. I’ll check online to see if you really did sell 1000 copies and congratulate you if you did. What’s the name of your book?
I attended the LIVE, here are the notes I took!
What a book cover does?
- What is this book about, you want it stop you
- 5 seconds to grab their attention
- Don’t put too much info on back cover, keep it simple
- Less than minute to answer the question: Do I want to buy this book?
1:04:50 Tips for designing yourself
- Go look at big publishing websites to get a sense of what the books look like in the genre
- Connect the illustration/image to the story itself
09:17 Children’s Book
- Too busy; too many kids (take two kids out); people blend into background
- Contrast in words at bottom is not enough
- His eye doesn’t know where to focus
- Spread out title to make more open and readable
- Can’t tell what this story is about
- ‘Take down’ is a confusing word, could be meant at ‘killing’
- Plan in advance where text is going to go
13:46 Urban Fantasy
- Typography (no connection to this type of font and what it means and the story); too decorative.
- Beautiful painting is not connecting to the story or saying what the story is about
- There’s no connection between title and imagery
- Too much space on cover; use the page more; space is not utilised to its fullest
- The image should give so much info without giving it away but enough that you want to read the book
- Make the word 'NO' larger
19:08 Fiction
- Illustration is beautiful
- No connection between title with image (title evokes a different image)
- It’s interesting enough to pick it up
- Font seems like its poetry (very simple)
- Illustration is too big
- Text hits the illustration, shouldn’t do this (make image smaller)
- The cover doesn’t fit the genre
24:00 Fiction
- Bad photoshopping
- The colour of people is different from background
- Book looks self published
- People on the cover creates judgement of the characters before they read the book
- Use people on cover for biographies (of people well known)
- The glow around the title is confusing
- Too much going on (house, people, violin, paintbrush, glow on font)
- The cover doesn’t tell you about the book
29:28 Historial Fiction
- Too much on the cover; lost with all the elements
- If you don’t know where the flags are from you won’t make an immediate connection
- Make a connection b/w typography and imagery
- With a new series maybe leave out that it’s a series b/c readers might not want to commit
33:47 Memoir
- Certain colours sell b/c of colour
- Pay attention to market (look at big publishing websites for what’s current)
- Photo illustration is too dark
- Give space between words in title
- Looks like a poetry book, not a memoir
- Not clear how photo connects to title
- Font is good
- No connection b/w image and title
39:00 Thriller
- Word ‘Memphis’ is not a title for mystery/suspense
- The image doesn’t connect to story
- Don’t get a sense of the story
- The font of word ‘Memphis’ takes away a sense of danger in a thriller
- Use of colours is too much
- The quote is too condensed
- Get closer to the Eiffel Tower
- Put an element of danger in image
47:19 Nonfiction
- Font doesn’t give attention to what’s it’s about (dated, overused font)
- The image doesn’t play up what the person is going through (could have more facial expressions)
- The colouring could be adjusted (pants merge into background)
- Shift the author’s name to top (if it’s a well know person)
- Image looks like an adult and not a child
53:05 Mystery
- Eye goes to the face and not the title
- It looks like a comedy (the face and colours) or a comedian’s memoir
- ‘The’ and ‘Of’ are hard to read as it’s vertical and text is close to each other
- The colours (yellow, red) are competing
- The yellow is so strong it’s hard to read
- The title is good
- Why change font for author’s name?
57:10 Memoir
- The faces in the back look AI generated
- Odd image of a sweating adult with kids in background
- The kids are looking in direction
1:01:06 Fiction
- It has a 70’s look, dated look
- There is no connection b/w the two different illustrations (they compete with each other)
- The contrast for author’s name is not enough to be readable
- The ampersand makes you pause when reading title
Incredibly useful! Thank you! JB
@@janebuckleywrites3131 You're welcome!
Good job! CZcams needs more people like you! 🙌🙌🙌
Many thanks for these sessions and for selecting my cover 'The Derailing of Douglas Jones' to review this time. I'm glad you picked up the comedy-mystery vibes so job done there. Douglas is an amateur graphologist (handwriting analyser), hence the handwritten font for the author name. But point taken! I And I know it's a controversial decision to use a face but this guy had the perfect exasperated expression, I had to use him. Good luck to all authors out there taking advice and improving their covers.
My first thought of your cover was a male version of Bridget Jones’ Diary. I’d read it regardless of the cover.
@@rayofsunshine2263 Wonderful. That's a good tone comparison. Poor Douglas can’t catch a break. And while the book is a bit of a whodunnit, it's more of a tragicomic character-driven yarn.
I like the cover for wintering over as they look interesting
Excellent tips, thank you!
Good afternoon! Beverly from Texas
Great feedback - thank you so much
Would have liked to have seen a wider variety of genres represented.
Australia
from Delaware USA
For those covers not chosen will we get any feedback?
It would have been nice to see some examples of good covers! This is 40 minutes of the expert saying "I don't get the connection between the title and the story" He's clearly very qualified and there are plenty of things to learn from; it's just a bit exhausting to watch! Perhaps I need to get thicker skin - just being devil's advocate tho!
I guess the "good" examples are those shown early in the video that the expert himself did, which you can apply all the same critisms anyway... in the end it's all a matter of taste.
Wish not so much time spent on so few covers. Gives one an anxiety attack. What did we see-maybe five covers?
Ten. I counted.
The most boring hour I’ve spent in many a day. I sent in my cover for my thriller novel -that was edited by a Reedsy editor for $10,000-and the covers critiqued were from absolutely ridiculous novels.
Dude you dropped $10,000 on a dev edit for a book that statistically won’t sell 100 copies? Now who’s being ridiculous?
@@billy_bandit Hey, Billy Bandit, thanks for writing. You sound like a betting man so how about we both put $10,000 (TEN-THOUSAND DOLLARS) in an escrow account with YOUR lawyer, and if my book fails to sell at least 1000 (that’s ONE-THOUSAND) copies within SIX MONTHS, you get the money. Whaddaya say, Billy?
@@dewilderdbetter I’d say what you’re experiencing is the sunken cost fallacy and is ultimately the kind of doom spiral logic that got you into this mess to begin with. Funding a one-sided gamble like that is an even worse idea than spending the first $10 thousand for something a peer could have given you for free. I’m not trying to be harsh, but you need to understand a lot of people are getting hoodwinked by editing costs the same way college students are with their philosophy degree. You cannot benefit from this purchase anymore than you could from that bet. So, on behalf of your future interest and sanity, I decline your second attempt to give a stranger a free $10 thousand dollars. But thanks.
@@billy_bandit But my question, Sir, is whether you will put your money where your mouth is.
@@dewilderdbetter Read your comment again. You literally offered me money with no risk: if you sold 1000 copies you’d pay me. That’s not a bet, that’s just clown town. This is what I’m talking about. This is why you paid Reedsy $10,000 with no guarantee of future earnings. If you want to pay strangers for no reason, go ahead. I’ll check online to see if you really did sell 1000 copies and congratulate you if you did. What’s the name of your book?