There's a good bit of my "masterpiece" in the workshop novel area for those who want to help. I do appreciate the critique, good or bad, I have received even if it occasionally has pushed my button marked "Cynical Response." I have pretty much decided to go with Create Space when it comes publishing time. They want a cover. I'm wanting some opinions about what to put on the cover. I think a montage is out of the question. I'm wondering, though, should I show the novel's beginning with the time-space ship getting knocked out of the sky? Should it be a glimpse of the main characters faces, perhaps seeing some progressive action? Should it be a scene of the time-space ship nestled in a seeming paradise setting in the year 847,481 A.D., a space suit boot in the foreground with a disgustingly large spider crawling over the toe? The face of a Morlock is what I have now just to have something... Tweak or The Universal Manual of Time Travel Any thoughts about this? If I use the Morlock's face, it will likely become 3D CG oriented...
i don't see there being a 'better' or 'best' among your choices... they're each just 'different' from the others and any of them can be effective, depending on the quality of the rendering... a consensus of what any group might think 'best' does not necessarily = what the general run of bookbuyers will find so appealing that they have to read the blurb... you really must follow your own instincts on this, as it's your book and only you can know what you'll feel comfortable with as cover art... once you make a choice and get it put together, then is the time to solicit opinions on how effective [or not] it is... the choice of text; font; color; arrangement; et al. is where awful-to-great assessments will be helpful...
The reason I ask about the potential impact of a scene is that the 'Locks first managed to get hold of a swapper, so they have all the amenities of the 21st Century. it's common to find the females wearing Vidal Sassoon, Nutragena and Chanel No. 5 for doing the news broadcasts in their native language Francais. We're still trying to find out where they found access to one of the Golden Swappers that allowed them to fly in during Chapter 6's battle of Copperhead Road... Go dynamic? Go fun? Go mysterious? Go high tech? Whip out two hippie scientists streaking toward an elevator? The possibilities are many...
yes... and because the possibilities are many is why you are the only one who can decide which is best for your book...
I think anything will be fine, but I'm one of those readers who looks admittedly judges a book by it's cover. So I think you should go with whatever you think conveys the overall theme and mood of the book the best. I know if I pick up a book and the cover doesn't grab me; or worst yet, I can't get a sense of what the book is about from it. I'll put it down and opt for something else before I even turn it over to the back to read the synopsis.
