We have a cover for the first story. The layout on the front will be similar for each story following this but the illustrations and the name of the story will be different (Wilderness is reflective of the story or a clue in the story; each story's title will be State of XXXXX - and that XXXX will be the thing that changes on the layout on the covers).
This cover is Sacajawea, the Appaloosa horse and an eagle from the Birds of Prey Wildlife area - all clues within the book.
If interested in purchasing a copy, you can go here and place a preorder. As of right now, we expect publication to be between August 1 and 15 (actually have books in hand, printed - lol). We look forward to seeing all of you in Decatur too - where we will have a good many on hand to sell -
Drop us a message and tell us what you think of the cover - the JGDS -
Desain Bentuk Rumah Adat Jawa Tengah dan Penjelasannya
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Desain Bentuk Rumah Adat Jawa Tengah dan Penjelasannya – Rumah Adat
Tradisional asal Jawa Tengah merupakan tema bahasan kita dalam jelajah
Rumah Adat di In...
3 years ago
14 comments:
Of course I like it. If I didn't, you wouldn't have a cover. *laugh*
Seriously, Aidana did a very good job.
Now you are official.
Vivian
Great cover, Elysabeth! Congratulations!
Vonda
www.VondaSkelton.com
Thanks Vonda. It's been a while in coming to fruition but it's almost there and I'm so excited. I hope to post an actual release date in my next newsletter - E :)
It's very inviting! Congratulations!
E...Very well done...Everything pulls together nicely...the font is great too! Congratulations!
Warmly,
Donna
We (me and my boyfriend, who was looking over my shoulder when I clicked on the cover) really like it!
Thank you all - I'm so happy to see comments on my blog and on the cover especially. For those of you who haven't read the story - any guesses as to the state based on the three clues represented here? Come on anyone? Sacajawea, Appaloosa horse and Birds of Prey Wildlife - go ahead and take a gander but please email me your answers as I wouldn't want anyone to know for sure the state before reading the story - lol -
Correct guesses will win a state-related prize - no cheating by looking up on the internet - think of states that Sacajawea was known and the Appaloosa horse comes from - enough said - E :)
It looks great, Elysabeth! Congratulations!!
Susan
This is an excellent start. The cover has intrigue. The images displayed serve to keep the usage of state ambiguous holding the title together and engaging a reader of images before we even get to the words. The earthtones used also bring the viewer back to the idea of nature.
A couple of things to consider (not necessarily drawbacks, but things to look out for):
-More than 3 fonts displayed on the entire cover can put readers off. There are currently 4. This is not a hardline rule, but it proves rather useful.
-The use of all three clues feels a little cramped, leaving the viewer confused as to which focal point you intend to make forefront. Try paring down the number of images and not giving too much away. The Sacagawea image seems to be the strongest and already has rich symbolic language for most viewers. Saying less here is more, as long as the little said speaks volumes.
-The cover could also use bringing the background up to be more soothing than the stark white. Green patterned or stylized forestry, remembering to keep it simple (even manipulated stock imagery would work here), could prove to relax the viewers' eyes and minds, giving them incentive to turn the book over.
One last tip: always try sizing the cover way, way down. This is called a thumbnail test and is good for two reasons; first, it instantly gives an idea of balanced simplicity vs. cluttered complexity, and second, if the book is to be sold online, it lets you see it from the buyers perspective, a chance to judge recognizability and its attention-grabbing potential.
Good luck,
N.W. deRoego
Thank you, Susan. I'm glad to see a cover and things are moving up. I can't wait to see the finished product in my hands.
Mr. deRoego, I only put the cover up on my blog. I have reduced it's size so that should take care of what you opened. On my end it looked smaller so I wasn't aware of the largeness of the picture. There are only three fonts on the cover - the logo around the JGDS and bylines are the same font; the JGDS and STATE are the same font and Wilderness is a different font. Of under State is the same as the series byline/logo font.
The three pictures are representative of only three of 25 clues in the story, so this is toned down. We knew not to put too many pictures on the cover to bog it down. There will be one more illustration on the back like a watermark possibly. All the illustrations are line renderings inside the book and we are going to do some of the pages as coloring pages to hand out at book festivals. These three just happened to be the ones the illustrator chose to use on the front cover and Sacajawea is definitely in the foreground - that has gotten a lot of ooohs and ahhhhs from everyone who has seen it. It is a very good drawing and we wanted to put that in the forefront on the cover.
As far as the background color goes, I have shared your comments with my publisher and illustrator so they can do with it as they can or not. I'm not sure about changing it now, but your comments have been noted and will be taken into consideration for the next book in the series. Thank you for stopping by and commenting. - E :) and the JGDS
sorry it's taken me awhile to get over here. I love the cover! I especially like the font(s) you guys chose for both the titles and for the author's name. Very Kid-friendly and easy to read.
I admit that I'm not sure what the grayish graphic is at the top of the cover, so that would be my only "fuzzy" area about the cover. Perhaps it shows up better on the actual size of the cover.
Congrats!
I see, for the most part, the cover meets viewers approval. I am happy to see that.
Myself, I tend to prefer clean and vibrant at the same time.
I am having fun with this first book as I am sure I will for the entire series.
Aidana WillowRaven
Like the cover. Congratulations on a good series launch, Elysabeth.
I enjoy this cover. It is happy and simple, but at the same time not too simple.
The font is appropriately kiddy, and the clues illustrated are wonderfully done.
the only thing I'm reluctant about is - the black border around it all, is this part of the cover? It seems a bit...constraining (not sure that's the right word I"m looking for).
Also, perhaps it could use a bit more color, or at least not a white background.
Otherwise, I like it!
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