Which Novel Cover?

Joynell Schultz,

A novel cover is so important because, despite the saying, we DO judge a book by the cover.

There are so many things to consider: Does it fit the genre, is it an accurate reflection of the story, does it promise the reader the premise, and will it make people at least read the book blurb.

I thought I finally came up with a novel cover I liked, but feedback from a beta readers made me question my choice. The beta reader said they didn’t like photos on the cover… It took away from using your imagination.

Is this true? So many novels have photos now…  But so many don’t.

So I played the cover again (which was a lot of fun). Which cover do you prefer? The novel is a light/soft sci-fi (speculative fiction) with a little bit of mystery/romance/action.

Please comment below and let me know your thoughts.

Cover A

Love, Lies, & Clones Cover

Cover B

love, lies & clones cover 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Blurb:

June’s biggest struggle isn’t that she’s a clone.  It’s that her father has disappeared and the police aren’t doing enough to help her find him.  True, they’re a little occupied with a serial killer who just killed again after two years of silence.  Maybe if June would just tell them her dad was involved in illegal human cloning they’d be more interested?  But that would only cause trouble for her dad when (or perhaps IF) they found him.

June can’t sit and wait for the police to find her father, so she sets out on her own investigation with the help of Elliot, a man currently AWOL from the military.  Can she trust this man with her secret?  With each clue they discover, they learn more about the twisted experiments June’s father headed and why she was created.  When June and Elliot finally get close to uncovering the truth, they find themselves dodging bullets.

36 Comments

          1. I’d say stick with your first thought on this one as despite you posting these two, it’s that original cover idea that sticks out in my mind. With the addition a suspicious looking vehicle in the distance, you had a winner :-).

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          2. This is wonderful feedback! I’ll work on sprucing that one up and try again… Though, now I’m thinking of trying some more traditional type of publication. The whole industry confuses me! But you have to learn somehow.

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      1. I can see how the don’t like the picture but if you want to leave more to the imagination then you need to bone up on Cover B. Maybe a colorful DNA sequence? Something else like that that is bolder and sticks out?

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  4. If I had to choose one or the other, it’d be tough, but I’d probably pick the one without the picture, mostly because the picture looks generic and doesn’t really make me want to know more about the novel. The one with the dark background is an improvement, but I’d honestly get a hold of someone on Fiverr.com or someone you’ve met on social media who designs book covers and ask them to take a look and throw out some ideas – for a modest fee (though they might do that for free). It’ll cost more if you want someone to actually design a cover for you, but there are some good designers on Fiverr.com, and it’s worth a look.
    I’m not saying this to ruin your day. I just want you to have the best book launch possible, and I’m looking at these book covers, and neither one does anything for me, but other commenters might love one or the other.
    I’m not a designer and not much of an artist. I’m a reader, though, and I do judge books by their covers. A beautiful cover is worth an investment.
    Give your book the best possible chance. See if you can attract some cover designers to your blog to check out the options and give you their honest opinions. I’m only one person, and I really hope I’m not ruining your day. The story idea sounds interesting, but the cover needs a new pair of eyes (eyes that are a lot better than mine when it comes to book cover design).

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    1. Don’t worry! You didn’t ruin my day! I was looking for just this type of feedback. I’m not sold on anything either — I’m too close to the novel to be objective. I’ll have to check out fiverr.com — I’ve never heard about it! Thanks for this recommendation!

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    2. I agree, I only voted Cover A as the lesser of two evils…. sort of like what the USA will be forced to do in November!!! LOL!! That said, I am color blind and all I saw on Cover B was a black background with white writing. If you took the idea of not using stock art pictures and incorporated the idea of genetics you COULD do something with the concept which could be a better option than the choices provided. Honestly, I am glad that Human Legion Press does this for me and all I have to do is write!! 🙂

      PS: Thanks for the recommended site, I too will check it out!

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        1. Me too, I got super lucky and stumbled into mine. Wish I had a magic bullet answer for you but there are a few sites which help you self publish for minimal fees. Check out some of the BookTubers who post about them. (Jenna Moreci, Kristen Martin, Kim Chance to name a few)

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  6. Hey there!
    I would go with Cover B. I feel like it gives off a ‘mysterious vibe’ with its darkness and the engraved effect on the art. It looks like it’s setting the speculative mood, so to speak.

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  7. Here’s my two cents, for what it’s worth: both covers are nice enough but A looks like it could be a crime thriller with romance, and B’s very dark cover and uncompromising lettering makes me think hard SF.
    I saw some cool designs on the Book Designer’s cover awards blog, and I think one had a double helix – maybe go there for ideas if you haven’t already?

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  12. I personally prefer Cover B. If I see a depiction of a person or a location on the cover, I’m going to spend the majority of my time wondering which character is depicted on the cover or which setting is pictured on the cover. Hopefully this input helps you some.

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