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| #1 |
In the winter of 2011, I held a contest here at The Writing Bomb, asking my friends and family to help me pick a cover for Reunion. You did, and I've heard nothing but great things about the cover YOU chose. Thank you.
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| #2 |
Well it's that time again. I'm getting ready to publish a collection of creepy short stories, some true and some not. If you've read The Rumblin', Murdoch's Eyes and my true ghost stories, this collection won't have anything new for you, but it will put those creepy tales in one convenient place, and by publishing them together, my friends who don't have an ereader can get these in print.
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| #3 |
I've numbered the books to make it easy to identify, so be sure to name the book by the number below the book.
I also wanted to mention that a week doesn't go by that I'm not tinkering around on picnik. They have a gazillion tools for tweaking your picture or .jpg file, especially for the Fall season. I couldn't make covers like this without picnik.
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| #4 |
Here are a few FUN Facts: Cover #2 is a picture from Arlington Cemetery. I took that this last spring when my family and I went on our D.C. & NYC trip. Cover #4 started out as a blue square. Cover #3 & #5 started out as a picture of green leather. So you can see how much you can do with your pictures. Add a little color, effects, pazazz and POW, you've got a book cover. These aren't perfect, but they're free, and they're fun.
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| #5 |
I'd love to hear your thoughts. If you comment, I'll pick a winner in a drawing Sunday evening and send you a $10 Amazon Gift Card.
How fun is that? You get to look at cool cover art, voice your opinion and win! And I'll tell you what...I'll even throw in a FREE ARC of my forth coming release, TWISTED VENGEANCE and the short-story collection. All you have to do is leave your Twitter handle or email addy.
What do I think? I favor #2. I like the blood-red colors, cemetery, ghostly girls, the font and the moon. I think this cover has it all. Looking forward to your comments, input, suggestions, whatever you can come up with. I'll let you know who wins sometime Sunday evening! BOOM!
•••Be sure to "Follow" or better yet, sign up to get my blog posts by email in the upper right corner.
#2: It's the most noticeable one at a glance. The little girls give a creepy touch. Personally, I would tone down the blur though, I feel it's kind of distracting. The red-ness of the grass and trees are interesting enough without it.
ReplyDeleteHi Ann, Thank you. Great idea. Be sure to leave your Twitter handle or email (jeffbennington @ ymail dot com) so I contact you.
ReplyDeleteI think #1 the darker one- the little girls remind me of The Shining scene. And #3 for Spookify, #4 cover looks like RL Stine. Maybe I'm just in a 'dark' frame of mind.
ReplyDeleteI like #1. It looks the most professional to me. Twitter: @adamheine.
ReplyDeletehi Jeff! i like #1 for Creepy. the ghostly girls are great but like Charlotte, they remind me a lot of The Shining and "redrum." i prefer #3 for Spookify Me but i find the gray background dull. could some color or details liven it up? just sayin. c",)
ReplyDeleteI really like number 1, but number 2 screams spooky to me, so I'd choose #2. The red is very eye-catching, and the cemetery and ghostly girls put it over the top.
ReplyDelete@ericjkrause
Hi Jeff, all gr8 covers. I favour the last one in the 'fun facts' box. :) All good though. Tough choice.
ReplyDeleteIt was a tough choice between #1 and #2, but I think I'm going to agree with you and vote for #2
ReplyDelete;)
Lauren
Twitter: Iniysa
Awesome. Awesome. You guys are great. You don't know how valuable this feed back is. Don't forget your Twitter handle so I can contact you. Keep 'em coming!
ReplyDeleteI think version 5 is the best in my opinion, but they're all very effective. Thanks for the tip re picnik.com. @booksarecool23
ReplyDeleteone and two are my favorites although they are all good. I would say 2, unless there isn't a story about two girls in the book, in that case I would choose one.Personally it bugs me when the cover doesn't coincide with the content.
ReplyDeletetwitter: albersona
I like the top one with the lightening bolt. It really just caught my eye.
ReplyDeleteI vote for number 5 .... creepy and scary while leaving it all up to my imagination!
ReplyDelete#2 - creepy kids are scary :|
ReplyDeleteemail - onederchic@hotmail.com
Twitter - @Pixie_Michelle
If I saw #2 on Amazon I would probably click on it (and I don't even read horror!) I think it's the combination of red and the scary children. @KatherynLane
ReplyDeleteThese are all great. I prefer #2.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeff!
ReplyDeleteI really like #5. It is simple, yet mysterious and the red streaks remind me of bloody hands trying to get out. I also love the font of the letters.
I think it's a great cover for a ghost story/horror kind of book.
Celine
nyxbookreviews(at)gmail.com
Hi Jeff. I'm loving #2. It's very eye-catching and chilling. I love the addition of the moon too. @laurajeanwrites
ReplyDeleteJeff, my vote is #1. The picture is good and the font of the title caps it off and ties it all together with a great title.
ReplyDelete@dougdorow
Hi Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI like #2 and #4 the best. To me, they are the scariest.
Thanks,
Amanda
amandakfurman@gmail.com or @maestra_amanda
Number 5 is by far the best-looking. Go for that one. @rosannedingli
ReplyDeleteHi Jeff. When it comes to thumbnail size, I think #2 will stand out more because of the color and distinct fonts, but for book size, #1 looks nice, but I'm afraid that one could "brown out" on thumbnail. Nice covers. :) Brenda@BrendaWallace.com
ReplyDeleteI'm saying #1. It seems most simple in design and great with colors. While I appreciate the concept behind #2, the red and gray make it look like something I could do, and if I can do it, I consider it amateur. Perhaps if the red part had more depth and variety of color? Or perhaps if the gray sky was not so flat. Also, I prefer the font in #1. The most simple, the more scary. @AEWrites
ReplyDelete#5 is speaking the loudest to me. I think it may be the red tree effect with nothing else...makes me wonder what might be hiding or are they invisible and looking at me. #3 is a close second with the ghost like people fading out. #1 feels creepy, it could be the fonts though. I also like the lightening effect on it. Maybe combine the fonts and the lightening effect onto #5?
ReplyDeleteTotally up to you my new friend.
Number 2 with the fading girls looks very impressive to me and grabs the attention. Frankly they're all pretty good. Number 1 is excellent too but not quite up to number 2 in my view. @obadiah99
ReplyDeleteI love #1 and # 5. I agree #3 is Really spooky, however #5 I would puck up for sure just because the cover art really catches my eye.
ReplyDeleteMy first choice would be #5...it makes my skin crawl. My second choice it would be #1. Just an opinion from a non-writer! :)
ReplyDelete@bellaannaxo
Holy Moley! What a response! I'm not surprised by your interest in #1 and #2...A bit shocked by how many of you like #5...not that it's bad, just surprised.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments. These are really going to help make the process of picking a cover much easier. And I love your advice. I think I'm going to try to add a little more color to #2 and try fiddling around with the font.
Here's the current score...
#1 - 4 votes
#2 - 11 votes
#5 - 9 votes
#3 - 2 votes
#4----obvously doesn't belong, but it did inspire me to go deeper.
Keep the votes coming peeps. I really vaule your input!
I really like number 1, and number 5 comes in second for me.
ReplyDelete@unabridgedshelf
unabridgedbookshelf(at)gmail(dot)come
I love # 1 the best. It's more eye catching. Something I would go to first if I was looking to pick one that would be one. I think it would be kinda cool to make the word creepy dripping more. I like it anyway.
ReplyDeleteEmail: crystalnewman51@gmail.com
Dont know how you held a contest in the future but you are the BOMB, so I guess you can!!
ReplyDeleteI like #1 the best Jeff. Quickly conveys a feeling for the topic without self imposing a season or specific holiday to it.
Okay, that's three more votes for #1. And Kimm, my sis, have you forgotten that it's almost 2012. The winter of 2011 was 8 months ago. : )
ReplyDeleteHi Jeff! Like I said in GoodReads, my favorite is #5. It's minimalistic, the bloody effect is creepy (like the title ;) ) and the font is amazing. I love it!
ReplyDeleteEmail: beuchavarri@gmail.com
Twitter: @bettcovenant
Howdy Jeff, I like number 2 the best. It stands out from the others & really screams creepy!
ReplyDeleteKatie Turner
The #1 cover is the that most catches my eye. I like the way the image and the font work together, and it is very professional looking. #2 is a close second, with a few tweaks (less blur, more depth) it could become my favorite. #4 is too 'seasonal' - I would find it out of place any time of year other than Halloween. @pgolo
ReplyDeleteI like #1 and #2, #2 does have a definite creep factor, but #1 is my favorite it caught my eye immediately and had I been in a store, I would have picked it up to check it out. Thanks for sharing these with us today.
ReplyDeletedz59001[at]gmail[dot]com
twitter - ZDz59001
I like #1 because it is very eye catching, though your name is difficult to read in that font. I like #2 because of the crazy moon and the red trees and the girl ghosts but it seems a little amateurish, photoshop-wise. I like #4 because it reminds me of the cover of one of my all-time favorite spooky books I read when I was a kid (gone by the wayside long ago, will never remember the title, etc. Ah, nostalgia!). I like #5 because it's so abstract and the typeface is easy to read. So which is my absolute favorite? I'm going with a choice between 1 and 5. Both have that vertical movement (the opposite of statis), verticality being all about action. The lightning bolt adds unpredictability. So the winner is.....#1. Though I wish you could change your author font.
ReplyDeletei like #1 but I would make it match what you already have out
ReplyDeleteI like #5, as it evokes both the classic Psycho scene and could also be bloody-colored shadows. Second choice is #2. I love that font, and the yellows and blacks are very creepy.
ReplyDeleteI like cover #2 the best. Also, I really enjoy receiving the Writing Bomb! Your writing is both refreshing and enjoyable. xo Robbi
ReplyDeleteI like #5. I think it has a good scary feel. :D
ReplyDeleteI like 2 and 5. :) I can't choose between them!
ReplyDelete- @IBeCaseyB
While #4 grabbed me (loved the fun colors), I have to agree, #2 is your style-not to mention Arlington Cemtery as the backdrop- one sprawling piece of property- isn't a famous author buried in one of those crypts?
ReplyDelete#1 looks more professional. That's the one I would pick. I also like #5 @leogodin217
ReplyDelete