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My Ideas For Book Covers

So, I've been working on my first book for four + years, but I've almost always had a particular cover in mind:
Kurea, the protagonist, a young girl with long brown braids wearing a cloak, standing with her back to the viewer, facing an enormous willow tree. A young boy with silvery black hair and silvery skin sits in the tree, his face turned away slightly.

However, I also had a different idea: a tall, phantasmic being with bone white hair, colourless eyes, and enormous wings like lotus blossom petals hovering over a young girl covered in scars, kneeling in a snowy wasteland, her head lowered, with the title [White Darkness] above both of them.

I've been thinking of painting or drawing them myself.
 

Kyle8414

Dreamer
That's a difficult choice.

If I had to say which cover suited the title, I think you acknowledged yourself the second fits it nicely. Personally though, I would be drawn in by the first one more. It just asks questios.

As a side note, can I just say I love the name. That, above anything, would have the book in my hands.
 
^Well, you're in luck, since in the coming few months I might be able to get it ready for publication.

Now I've come up with another idea. :rolleyes: The two main characters [Kurea and Sivian] as spirits in a Yin-Yang formation, with the title above them, the White in the Yin part and the Darkness in the Yang part, as a contrast.

The story itself is balanced like that--both light and dark all at once. [Though it's still kind of a choppy, wordy mess...]

I think I'll paint/draw all three and see which one I like best that way.
 
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ushKee

Scribe
Both seem beautiful :) The first one is more simple and cute, while the second is bold and striking. I would suggest going with the first one and having the tall phantasmic figure on the back cover, slightly faded.

I'm not quite sure why, but just thinking of these I imagine anime imagery. I know you didn't even make the covers yet but your description gave me vibes of some of the Miyazaki films...
 

ushKee

Scribe
:]

They're some of my favorite films too. I love Howl's Moving Castle and Ponyo the best, and also the one by his son, Tales of Earthsea (adaptation of Ursula Le Guin's books)
 
I didn't like Tales of Earthsea much, but that's mainly because I like the Earthsea books a lot, especially Tehanu.

Spirited Away inspired my book somewhat, actually.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
I like the third option best. The first is a lovely scene, but doesn't appear to have much to do with darkness or white. Nor does the static scene imply anything. The second is closer, but the third is closest to the mark.
 
Hi,

My thought would be stand back from this a bit, and ask yourself - what's your book about? What's going to grab your readers? Is it plot based / action? If so then you want to grab the attention of readers who like this - so you want a scene as your cover. Something with action. Is it character based? Then you want something that grabs the attention of readers who like thissort of work. Typically you would be looking for something with a face, or something that conveys strong emotion that they can identify with. Is it romance based? If so you want a cover that says romance passion and maybe partial nudity etc.

Also, go to Amazon and check out the top few trieves of books in the same genre, and see what their covers are like.

Cheers, Greg.
 
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