Graylorne
Archmage
IMPORTANT: I strongly recommend NOT creating scene from the book on the cover. A reader will browse a small thumbnail of your cover (among many others) for only two seconds before deciding whether to click for more information. Creating a specific scene from your book simply makes the thumbnail less clear and less likely to generate sales. The best book covers have a simple image that evokes an emotion and tells a straightforward message.Write a great book, but leave the cover to a professional.
I ran into this advise just now on the website of a cover designer. Link added to quote.
As all my books have covers depicting a scene from the book (besides being designed by a Dutch expert and not precisely cheap either), I wondered if we're creating the wrong covers for the US markets. So what is your opinion?
Even as a thumbnail, these aren't exactly a smear.