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Cover for 'Shardheld Saga' trilogy edition

Graylorne

Archmage
cover_Ravven.jpg


Sooner than expected is here the definite proof version of my cover for the new 'Shardheld Saga' trilogy version I'm publishing. It is another Ravven cover, in the same style and general make-up as the cover for 'Lioness'.

This one was a toughie, as I asked for more characters than the artist usually has and it was very difficult to get fitting images together. The design in two layers is her own, making it something of an allegory. The lower image is Muus, holding the skyshard, the upper one are three other MC's (Kjelle, Birthe and little Hraab) near the Burning Lands from book 3. The stone is the goal, at the end of the story.
 

Graylorne

Archmage
Thanks, both of you. I fully agree it makes a lot of difference. Ravven is a very professional artist and a pleasure to work with.

I do wish I could redo the earlier ones, but for that I will have to take a long, hard look at my bank account...
 

Philip Overby

Staff
Article Team
I also really like this one and I think it's a good idea to release your books together as well. I see a lot of authors doing this now and it makes sense to me once the original books have been out for a while.
 

Graylorne

Archmage
Thanks, CM and Philip!

I think with both separate books and a single volume I give people more choices. $6.99 for the full trilogy of 440 pages isn't a lot of money, but it hasn't a bargain bin feeling either.

I had the feeling the old ones simply didn't work. Too old-fashioned, perhaps, but they lacked something. I have asked Ravven about a spot for new covers for the original books. Let's hope it helps :)
 

Fyle

Inkling
I do think this cover is A LOT better than the individual covers of the books. It looks much more professional. If I were you I'd probably have those covers redone.

I agree here.

This one is nice.

I hear ya on the bank account of course!
 

LadyofKaos

Scribe
I haven't seen the other book covers, but I like this one. Eyecatching!

And it's a pity that bank accounts have anything to do with this process!!!
 

RonCNieto

Dreamer
I hear you about the bank account. However, take it from someone who tried to go cheap first and spent a good while reviewing books before publishing them: if the cover doesn't scream "professional" and "right genre", readers will run screaming for the hills never to be seen again.

The wrong kind of cover dragged my debut down A LOT of notches, and that helped to make the whole duology pass unnoticed, even when I had the covers redone. My second series has more fitting covers and is working much better, even though I've gone wrong about promotion and about release dates.

(My third series, with all the incorporated knowledge, will be a raging success! ;P )

This cover is great, and I'd tell you to have all your titles redone little by little. When a reader gets pulled in by one of the "good covers" and checks you out, he might get suspicious at seeing the early quality.

And yes, I've heard from such superficial readers.
 

Fyle

Inkling
I haven't seen the other book covers, but I like this one. Eyecatching!

Just click on the link to Graylorne's website (it's his tag phrase that shows in every post) and you can see them all. That's how we saw them.

He looks like an experienced writer. Take a look. Good to know who you are discussing writing with.
 

Graylorne

Archmage
Thanks, all!

I agree, bank accounts should be bottomless :)

After a lot of deliberations, I decided to have my Revenaunt books redone. They need it more to be updated, and I am working on the next book in that series. The covers were originally designed for the Dutch market, to give them a nostalgic look. But they don't work as intended. Somewhere in May I hope to have the new ones done and then the overall look on my site and the various platforms like Amazon and B&N should be up to date as well.
 
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