Hi guys!
So, as most of you know, I’m currently writing a novel called Lost in a Dream. It’s nearly finished, and with it getting so close, I thought now would be a good time to start figuring out the cover.
Now, I’ll be honest–I made these, and I know they aren’t professional. However, a good cover costs about $400 minimum, and I need to put as much money as possible into hiring an editor to make my story the best it can possibly be. So, with that said, I drafted up a couple covers, and I’d love feedback about which one you guys think is the best. My girlfriend has an eye for art and thinks the first one has much better dragons. They also take up more empty space.
Any pixellation is just because of the presentation, the files are SVG and scale smoothly (including the gradient, which looks weirdly like blinds on the left half when I export it as a PNG file.
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These are my two current drafts–let me know your thoughts! I’ve also been thinking about a faint pattern on each side, since the story is very much about night/day. Maybe a light star pattern on the left, a sun pattern on the right, or something. If you have ideas, let me know!
Thank you đ
R. E. Fury 
They’re both awesome! But I think I like the first one more. The dragons in the 2nd one look like they have antler things?? which might be a little distracting, although I love their simpler design and side profile. Can’t wait until the book comes out đ
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That’s a pretty good point! I do like the simplicity of #2, but #1 does look better over all. A lot of people said #2 looks less professional. Thanks for the feedback đ
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I also like the first one more. My only thought is, if you can, maybe play around with the shade of yellow? If you’re trying to play off night vs. day, might come across a little better with a lighter shade of yellow.
Your thought of adding background is interesting; might make the cover a little too busy, but worth a try to see if it adds interest without being distracting.
Regardless, I think they look pretty good, and wouldn’t have known it wasn’t a commissioned cover. Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you so much! I agree–now that I know which to build off of, I will play with the brightness, as well as a few other ideas, then post a final choice between a few options! Thanks again for taking the time to write that up! I appreciate the feedback đ
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I like the designs but I think it would be cooler if the color scheme was silver and black to make the contrast clearer and yeah, adding a sun/moon or stars of silver and black on the opposite background colors would also be interesting but might make the cover seem too full so maybe not too many of it! The second design definitely looks more appealing to me than the first one. It’s simple and doesn’t have too much complex patterns/design.
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Thanks for taking the time to comment! That’s a good idea, silver/black may just contrast much more nicely. I’m still playing around with the cover a bit more and having fun with it, but as time has passed, I’ve begun to think this just isn’t going to cut it against a lot of the books these days that have professional covers, you know. It lacks something, and has a flatness; I’m just not an artist. Still figuring it all out.
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Will this be released as an alternative cover, or like a limited run?
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Well, I had abandoned this cover because a lot of people gave me constructive negative feedback. I wound up hiring a professional vs trying to do it all myself. There’s a chance I could have a limited run, but I’d have to look into how that’s possible without taking down my current one, and there’d have to be a decent amount of interest, if that makes sense.
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Understood. Don’t get me wrong, I love the cover I have — just thought it would be cool to have a copy of it that you designed personally.
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It’s a fun idea, I’ll keep it in mind. Maybe some day I can do a limited run like you’d said of maybe 25 through another publishing service just for fun, and sign them. I’ll tuck the idea away for a slightly more successful me đ
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