Cover Art: A Fistful of Fire

[Carradee]

I feel a little awkward, posting a second cover, but I figure someone has to do it first.

I've realized that my current cover still needs work, so I've taken some of the tips I've picked up and tried again.

I think it looks way better than the previous one—but that's what I thought of my current one when I went around uploading it (because it was more legible in grayscale), and now I'm not so sure.

ETA: purple fire is intentional, for story reasons.

Genre: YA Fantasy.

Blurb:

Evonalé Yunan has never cared for tales of loathsome tyrants, seduced maids, and prophesied saviors. She herself is supposed to somehow free her grandmother's enslaved queendom. But she's merely a child, and her father is the powerful fire mage who subjugates the realm.

Evonalé has therefore fled home, her two half-siblings, and the father who really should've been her uncle. (She would flee her lethal but not quite insane faery godmother, too, if she could get away with it, but that's a side issue.)

Unfortunately, it's the middle of winter. Fortunately, following her mother's directions puts her in another king's hunting grounds. To Evonalé's bewilderment, that king picks her up and gives her a place in his palace. The prince seeks her out to tease and befriend. Then one of Cook's daughters starts teaching her magic, and a scullery maid proves herself immune to poison—making Evonalé realize that she isn't the only one with secrets.

Attachments:

[gerald]

Jun 17, 2011 10:33:56 GMT -5 Carradee said:

ETA: purple fire is intentional, for story reasons.

I think this doesn't matter. I'd prefer to see a 'real' fire on the cover, because it would attract a buyer / reader. I don't think they will feel cheated that it's not exactly as the book. What matters is that the cover is attractive in and of itself.

[Carradee]

Jun 17, 2011 13:50:38 GMT -5 gerald said:

Jun 17, 2011 10:33:56 GMT -5 Carradee said:

ETA: purple fire is intentional, for story reasons.

I think this doesn't matter. I'd prefer to see a 'real' fire on the cover, because it would attract a buyer / reader. I don't think they will feel cheated that it's not exactly as the book. What matters is that the cover is attractive in and of itself.

That's odd. I and everyone else I know get extremely irritated when covers don't match the story content; and when a cover does happen to match the story innards, we pimp it all the more.

But with that being your only comment, that's your only issue with the cover? Change it to orange?

[barbrude]

I don't think its the purple that's the problem, it's that there isn't enough contrast for the purple fire against the black background. It looks more like purplish smoke instead of fire.

So... my vote isn't that it needs to be orange fire, it just needs to be brighter, somehow. Either by changing the background to light and making your purple fire void-zone-ish and dark or by making the fire as it look bright and consuming.

edited for typo-free goodness.

[R. L. Royall, Jr.]

That's funny, my comment would be along the same lines but in a different direction. I like the purple fire (though in the thumbnail it's hard to tell it's fire if it wasn't mentioned in the title), but I think if I see a book called "Fistful of Fire" and the cover shows fire, I subconsciously expect to see a fist somewhere too. Maybe just show one hand with the fire in the palm? Aside from that, the concept is great and the important text shows up well in the thumbnail shot.

[gerald]

Jun 17, 2011 14:23:24 GMT -5 Carradee said:

I and everyone else I know get extremely irritated when covers don't match the story content

Really? Extremely irritated? I have a whole raft of books on my bookshelf (from professional writers and publishers) where the cover doesn't 'match' the content. Yes, it should give a clue as to the book's content, but matching?

[Carradee]

Jun 17, 2011 17:42:04 GMT -5 gerald said:

Jun 17, 2011 14:23:24 GMT -5 Carradee said:

I and everyone else I know get extremely irritated when covers don't match the story content

Really? Extremely irritated? I have a whole raft of books on my bookshelf (from professional writers and publishers) where the cover doesn't 'match' the content. Yes, it should give a clue as to the book's content, but matching?

Really. Some of us just say we don't like it when the topic somes up, but several of us go on rants. I suspect you can guess which I am.

[mfstrnad]

I like the text and the font used. I don't even mind the purple. I also like the concept behind the image.
This may just be me, but I think the image itself needs a bit more work. Did you use a real pair of hands and edit them to look like that? Maybe leaving some flesh tones and the natural creases would help them seem more real? And for the fire, maybe a few more shades of purple (or red or blue) mixed in to add contrast to the flames?

[Carradee]

Jun 17, 2011 18:56:08 GMT -5 mfstrnad said:

I like the text and the font used. I don't even mind the purple. I also like the concept behind the image.
This may just be me, but I think the image itself needs a bit more work. Did you use a real pair of hands and edit them to look like that? Maybe leaving some flesh tones and the natural creases would help them seem more real? And for the fire, maybe a few more shades of purple (or red or blue) mixed in to add contrast to the flames?

Yeah, I modified actual photographs. *winces and goes back to originals to tweak*