I made a bookcover !

[Bloo]

So...I'm no artist - and nowhere near finishing my novel. Yet still I've made a cover. I found a public-domain photo and modified it to work for my novel. The license for this photo permits public and commercial use as long as it's properly attributed. Hopefully, this covers it...

Cover image courtesy of the Commonwealth Science Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), titled “CSIRO’S PARKES RADIO TELESCOPE WITH MOON IN THE BACKGROUND” under the Creative Commons license.

The original photo was taken in 1969 at the time of the first manned moon landing. The moon was not blasted away from Earth orbit on 13 September 1999, but merely removed by digital means. Additional changes to the image have also been made for the purposes of this novel.

Anyhoo...what are your thoughts on appropriating a public-domain photo for a novel? Is it amateurish? Would my attempt interest you enough to have a look inside?

Thanks !

 

[Vagabond Heart]

I like it

 

[RK Wallis]

Ahh, I see you're succumbing to a writer's guilty pleasure - procrastinating. Overall, I like it too, although the font does tell me it's a self published cover, and I've been let down too many times reading self published work, so I won't buy self published.

 

[Bloo]

Ahh, I see you're succumbing to a writer's guilty pleasure - procrastinating. Overall, I like it too, although the font does tell me it's a self published cover, and I've been let down too many times reading self published work, so I won't buy self published.

I thought a little hopeful indulgence on my part would break this writer's block. It didn't work.

Bummer about the font. My intent was to avoid the trap of using a fancy title "just because I can." I've seen lots of self-pubbed stuff that sacrifices readability for style in order to grab attention.

What changes would you make to the font?

 

[Vagabond Heart]

I thought a little hopeful indulgence on my part would break this writer's block. It didn't work.

Bummer about the font. My intent was to avoid the trap of using a fancy title "just because I can." I've seen lots of self-pubbed stuff that sacrifices readability for style in order to grab attention.

What changes would you make to the font?

If it were me, I’d deffo lose the word ‘by’. Xx

 

[RK Wallis]

I thought a little hopeful indulgence on my part would break this writer's block. It didn't work.

Bummer about the font. My intent was to avoid the trap of using a fancy title "just because I can." I've seen lots of self-pubbed stuff that sacrifices readability for style in order to grab attention.

What changes would you make to the font?

I'm afraid I'm no font expert, but my best suggestion would be to look at a few of your fav books and use them as a guide

 

[Bloo]

If it were me, I’d deffo lose the word ‘by’. Xx

Would "from" work better

 

[Vagabond Heart]

Would "from" work better

Just your name. Nothing else.

 

[Jonny]

I like it too. Very atmospheric and sets a first contact 'vibe'.

Would agree with Geraldine's suggestion and lose the by. Very few covers seem to use it these days. I say that after a quick but by no means exhaustive look at Amazon's charts, when in the top twenty bestsellers and beyond I couldn't spot even one.

 

[Bloo]

I was trying for a retro feel with the bit before my name. You know...the pulpy sci-fi from the 70s and 80s. I bought a few of those at yard sales in the 90s because 25 cents. Some were really good Andromeda Strain and Procurator come to mind.

Try not to cringe, but I've got two pages of Dramatis Personae before the epigraphs. I got that from reading Nivens and Pournelle. Hopefully, my characters are more believable (especially the female ones).

 

[Vagabond Heart]

I loved Andromeda Strain in the 70’s. And Nivens. So I totally get your influences.

I think the thing to bear in mind is that a retro feel is good - if it takes into account the things that modern readers expect.

If you consider how films have changed since then - how what was once cutting edge is now considered old hat and cliched - you can keep in mind the expectations your current audience will have.

I hope you can pull it off, because it sounds a great idea.

(But 2 whole pages of Dramatis Personae? That’s brave.
Or mad, lol).

 

[Bloo]

Oh...definitely mad. The scale of this thing I hope will become a novel is nothing like I've done before. I hope it's more than just another failure.

To give you an idea just how crazy all of this is, I saw the plot across several dreams. After the third one, I started writing it down. Even stranger, the dreams stopped once I started writing. Yup...I'm certifiable.

I think the cast of characters is going to be a problem. There are a South Africans, Americans, Aussies, Indonesians and a few more. There will be two romantic sub-plots (one of them gay, the other something like Richard Wakefield and Nicole de Jardines in the Rama series).

So yeah... I'm nuts.

 

[CageSage]

So yeah... I'm nuts.

welcome to the club, you'll fit right in here; can I get you a drink ...

 

[Pamela Jo]

Oh...definitely mad. The scale of this thing I hope will become a novel is nothing like I've done before. I hope it's more than just another failure.

To give you an idea just how crazy all of this is, I saw the plot across several dreams. After the third one, I started writing it down. Even stranger, the dreams stopped once I started writing. Yup...I'm certifiable.

I think the cast of characters is going to be a problem. There are a South Africans, Americans, Aussies, Indonesians and a few more. There will be two romantic sub-plots (one of them gay, the other something like Richard Wakefield and Nicole de Jardines in the Rama series).

So yeah... I'm nuts.

The brain is a crazy place. I direct my dreams. As in "That ending sucks. Lets do it again folks, with the alternative ending." Like Black Mirror. I love Niven, too. The movie Andromeda Strain at a drive in near San Jose, Ca was a seminal experience. If you can find a font that clicks it'll make it. Since your protagonist is indigenous Aussie, something Australian. You ever seen this movie?

 

[Nikky Lee]

So...I'm no artist - and nowhere near finishing my novel. Yet still I've made a cover. I found a public-domain photo and modified it to work for my novel. The license for this photo permits public and commercial use as long as it's properly attributed. Hopefully, this covers it...

Cover image courtesy of the Commonwealth Science Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), titled “CSIRO’S PARKES RADIO TELESCOPE WITH MOON IN THE BACKGROUND” under the Creative Commons license.

The original photo was taken in 1969 at the time of the first manned moon landing. The moon was not blasted away from Earth orbit on 13 September 1999, but merely removed by digital means. Additional changes to the image have also been made for the purposes of this novel.

Anyhoo...what are your thoughts on appropriating a public-domain photo for a novel? Is it amateurish? Would my attempt interest you enough to have a look inside?

Thanks !

As an exercise to kick start motivation/inspiration, I think it's great (I have done this in the past too). However, it does look like a homemade cover. If you're planning to self publish, it implies you haven't spent any money on the cover, which in turn suggests that you may not have spent any money on the other things that really matter, such as formatting and editing. A good cover is a huge part of your book's marketing—so it really pays to get it professionally done. You can pick up some reasonably priced pre-made covers these days too.

In terms of using a public domain photo, I'd recommend checking that it's not being used too much by other writers in your genre. Often you'll find the same stock photos used again and again in certain genres and readers will notice.

 

[Bloo]

As an exercise to kick start motivation/inspiration, I think it's great (I have done this in the past too). However, it does look like a homemade cover. If you're planning to self publish, it implies you haven't spent any money on the cover, which in turn suggests that you may not have spent any money on the other things that really matter, such as formatting and editing. A good cover is a huge part of your book's marketing—so it really pays to get it professionally done. You can pick up some reasonably priced pre-made covers these days too.

In terms of using a public domain photo, I'd recommend checking that it's not being used too much by other writers in your genre. Often you'll find the same stock photos used again and again in certain genres and readers will notice.

So what elements look homemade? Can you give me something quantifiable I can fix, or are there intangibles I can't wrap my head around?

Here's the original public-domain photo if that helps.

 

[Bloo]

The brain is a crazy place. I direct my dreams. As in "That ending sucks. Lets do it again folks, with the alternative ending." Like Black Mirror. I love Niven, too. The movie Andromeda Strain at a drive in near San Jose, Ca was a seminal experience. If you can find a font that clicks it'll make it. Since your protagonist is indigenous Aussie, something Australian. You ever seen this movie?

Never heard of it, but damn that's creepy.

Thanks...I'll check it out!

 

[Nikky Lee]

So what elements look homemade? Can you give me something quantifiable I can fix, or are there intangibles I can't wrap my head around?

Here's the original public-domain photo if that helps.

Definitely the typography for me. I'm not a graphic designer so it's hard for me to put into word what exactly isn't working for me with it. The best way I can describe it is that the title and author name don't look like they're part of the cover. A lot of typography integrates/engages with the cover art in some way to make it look like it is part of the overall design. Here are some examples of what I mean: Book Cover Design Typography: 7 Powerful Tips - MIBLART

 

[Jonny]

This is a really interesting discussion and that's a great link, Nikky. I have saved it as there's loads of very practical info there.

I know what you mean about the font and the general typography which looks simply overlaid. The point you make about perceived effort spent is valid too. But in this case there's something about it that grabs me. With a different picture I don't think it would work at all.

Perhaps it the slightly homemade quality that appeals to me. Maybe its the overall blueness of hue that chimes with the title and the starkness of the silhouetted radio telescope. The early morning / dusk lighting. It's capturing a feeling for me.

But of course what makes good / bad art is a minefield in itself and one person's meat...

Now, take that Picasso fella, his stuff is absolutely... (insert appropriate positive negative comment)

 

[Pamela Jo]

Font Family Page. This would be my first try at the font. The link will give you lots to chose from. Essentially the serif is little squiggles. The more squiggles, the more Victorian it looks. Sans serif-wo serif -tends to be more the mid century taste-like the old science fiction. I think your font has to scream ALIENS ARE IN THIS BOOK. You can browse here. jungle book Fonts | MyFonts. It's the colours that attract me to this version. Maybe Jonny and I are just really color sensitive. I'll buy something just because I need that colour. But it does affect us all. Maybe a real colour spectrum of blue to mauve under the pic?

 

[Pamela Jo]

This is a really interesting discussion and that's a great link, Nikky. I have saved it as there's loads of very practical info there.

I know what you mean about the font and the general typography which looks simply overlaid. The point you make about perceived effort spent is valid too. But in this case there's something about it that grabs me. With a different picture I don't think it would work at all.

Perhaps it the slightly homemade quality that appeals to me. Maybe its the overall blueness of hue that chimes with the title and the starkness of the silhouetted radio telescope. The early morning / dusk lighting. It's capturing a feeling for me.

But of course what makes good / bad art is a minefield in itself and one person's meat...

Now, take that Picasso fella, his stuff is absolutely... (insert appropriate positive negative comment)

Didn't Picacasso go through a Blue Period? I thought his Guernica was very powerful when I saw it in person. Now I'm curious what you hate so much. Mr. Dali is the one full of (insert your word here.) for me. I also like the shades and hues in this cover. What about obscuring it even more with a spectrum of blue to mauve?

 

[Pamela Jo]

I can't find a blue to mauve colour wheel, but something like this in rectangles behind the pic? Only more mauve-less green. Then I'd try running your image through something like Sketcher that would give it a watercolour feel. That would change the stock image enough to make ti new again, too. Colours are important to you. Give us a glimpse of why and how in your cover.

 

[JohnBertel]

To me, two elements make the cover seems homemade:

The typography. Not just the font, but the placement of the title. Prof designers somehow make the typography and the image work together. This cover gives me the impression of being done exactly like myself and other amateur designers would do it: move the textbox with the title far away from the picture so it doesn't "spoil" the image, and then make the text as large as possible while still keeping it clear of the pic.

The other element is the details on the horizon. The light above the horizon is very bright and the structures stand out, and this catches my attention so I try to decode these structures for some kind of meaning and get disappointed when they just seem to be noise.

This is a very subjective impression from someone who has only ever designed covers for the same reason that you seemed to do it - a bit of procrastination that at least had something to do with the book and might even inspire. Eventually, I found that this purpose was better served by writing blurbs. At least then you are working with words rather than colour codes, and you are thinking about the story and the characters.

 

[Josephine]

You've inspired me to go down a bit of a rabbit hole (wormhole?) and design myself a book cover, which was lots of fun, so thanks for that. Also prompted me to get on and do a better blurb cos I did the back cover too. So fairly productive as procrastination goes.
Re your cover, is the satellite dish a particular one? If not, this pic is also free and screams out to be made into a book cover (and is blue, if that's not too on the nose)... https://pixabay.com/photos/radio-telescopes-antennas-galaxy-6002811/. I tucked the very bottom of my title text behind an image and felt that made it look a bit more related to the image, although I'm not an expert, but worth a try.
Loads of free fonts on DaFont - Download fonts and you can filter by style, inc Sci Fi (although beware some of them seem to be rip-off versions of well known logotypes). Re copyright I confess I know next to nothing.

 

[Josephine]

I hope you don't mind me taking the liberty but I had so much fun yesterday I thought I'd have a go at meddling with yours. I once thought I might like to be a graphic designer till I got ill so it's nice to start playing around with this stuff again. Thanks for the inspiration! (I'm not a sci fi reader so I may have gone a bit clichéd...)

 

[Bloo]

Holy shit! This is...incredible. You've really captured what I'm trying to do. I love how you edited my tagline to work with the title. I am so going to steal that.

The story doesn't quite work with the dishes you found. As you suspected, the dish in my image is important to the plot. Still...your image is the show a few others on here were trying to tell me.

You've given me a lot to think about. Thanks for that

 

[Josephine]

Holy shit! This is...incredible. You've really captured what I'm trying to do. I love how you edited my tagline to work with the title. I am so going to steal that.

The story doesn't quite work with the dishes you found. As you suspected, the dish in my image is important to the plot. Still...your image is the show a few others on here were trying to tell me.

You've given me a lot to think about. Thanks for that

No problem at all, I had a lot of fun! And I'm trying to learn my way around Illustrator and InDesign so this was a good way to try out some new stuff. Would love to see how your cover ends up

 

[Robinne Weiss]

There is a fabulous Facebook group called Indie Cover Project. Post your cover or blurb and a whole raft of experienced designers, authors, and readers will tear it to shreds (in a very constructive way). Even if you don't want to put your cover up, you can learn a lot from reading the comments on other covers. I don't make my own covers, and I even struggle to know if the covers my designers come up with are good or not, so I flick covers up there to get feedback before I finalise them with the designer. It's well worth checking out.

 

[Dorm Ant]

Speaking of covers, I thought I'd show my picture book cover off. It's supposed to look self-published, as I'll be selling it at comics conventions full of indie publishers and self-publishing creators. It's 148mm square, so I've had to make good use of the space. The font I've used for the title, Permanent Marker, is a nod to the typography on many The Way of... books that were popular in the 70s and 80s.

 

[Dorm Ant]

So...I'm no artist - and nowhere near finishing my novel. Yet still I've made a cover. I found a public-domain photo and modified it to work for my novel. The license for this photo permits public and commercial use as long as it's properly attributed. Hopefully, this covers it...

Cover image courtesy of the Commonwealth Science Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), titled “CSIRO’S PARKES RADIO TELESCOPE WITH MOON IN THE BACKGROUND” under the Creative Commons license.

The original photo was taken in 1969 at the time of the first manned moon landing. The moon was not blasted away from Earth orbit on 13 September 1999, but merely removed by digital means. Additional changes to the image have also been made for the purposes of this novel.

Anyhoo...what are your thoughts on appropriating a public-domain photo for a novel? Is it amateurish? Would my attempt interest you enough to have a look inside?

Thanks !

I like your chosen image, though agree with the previous comments on typeface.