Support for Indie Authors discussion

I'm in a tizzy about choosing my book cover and need all the help I can get. Please view the possibilities at joancarneyauthor.com/blog. I appreciate any and all input.

Joan

The butterfly on the flower is a pretty cover, but the one with the civil war soldiers in the background conveys more of what the story entails. With regard to the sundial vs pocket watch question, you may want to go with something that suggests modern day, so that at first glance, the reader can see elements of modern day and civil war era all in one image, possibly suggesting time travel right on the cover. I do like the civil war cover with the sundial as it is, though.

Wow, They are both FANTASTIC. I personally prefer the second cover. I tend to stay away from covers the indicate a possible war story and I don't usually read more that a few lines on the back cover. I also enjoy the colors on the second cover.

Good Luck on your decision

Thanks so much, Laura! I appreciate your help.
Joan

Joe wrote: "The butterfly on the flower is a pretty cover, but the one with the civil war soldiers in the background conveys more of what the story entails. With regard to the sundial vs pocket watch question,..."

Thank you, Joe, those were my thoughts as well. It's good to get varying opinions.

Joan

I love the first cover with the civil war scene. I also like the sundial and the butterfly, but a pocket watch might look just as good. If it's a romance then you might have to rethink the cover entirely though to reflect a more romantic theme.

I agree with the consensus of replacing the sundial with a pocket watch. Amazing work.

The brown cover with the soldiers is terrific. Super dramatic.
As there seems to be a main theme in this book about war I think it's fair game.

Personally, I don't tend to read war novels, so this would put me off. But then I'm not your target market.

The second one doesn't really reveal any hint of your story.

If you want war romance readers the first cover is the one to go with (imho)

The first cover looks, to me, much more polished. I love how it gives hints of what the story is about. I would say the first one, hands down.

The brown cover is great and a fob watch (pocket watch) would fit in well (instead of the sundial), as it's probably a more appropriate timepiece for the civil war era. I wonder what a slightly brighter blue for the butterfly might look like?

Wow! You've all given me great inspiration. Thank you so much!

Joan

The brown one, no contest. It's complex and intriguing: one starts thinking a story even before opening the book. The other one is pretty, but doesn't convey very much message. And I'd keep the sundial: it's visually arresting as well as suggestive of a time and place.

Vera wrote: "The brown one, no contest. It's complex and intriguing: one starts thinking a story even before opening the book. The other one is pretty, but doesn't convey very much message. And I'd keep the sun..."

Thank you, Vera. That seems to be the consensus, so I'm going with it.

Joan

E.J. wrote: "The first one is easily the best. IMO. Regarding your "whimsical" worry: that might be easily fixed just by changing the color of the butterfly. Colors affect emotions the most, and blue has a calm..."

Thank you, E.J., you made very good points. I never thought about the color of the butterfly except that I happen to like blue. I appreciate your feedback.

Joan