Here it is - the latest Grace and Lover book cover design. I have taken a lot of feedback into consideration to create this version. Let me know your honest thoughts. Much appreciated.
Hello all, I need your help with this cover design and if you could answer these 3 questions about it, that would be fabulous. - “What kind of book do you think this is?” - “What stands out first?” - “Would you pick this up—and why or why not?”
In my opinion, with this much text, it's hard for the eye to know where to go, especially with this many images as well. I'm definitely on team simplify! To me, there's a lot of repetition on this cover: • Coffee in the mug, in the drawing on the notepaper, on the checklist, and in the coffee stain (also, why are the rings leaving a coffee stain?) • I love the hearts, but I count...18 of them? We have hearts above the title and below the rings, then a heart in the middle of the title, one below the title, one on the coffee cup, one on the notepad, one on the sticky note, and one under your name. That's a lot of hearts, my friend. • "Grace" and "Love" are both included in the title and on the checklist, which isn't a huge deal, but it has the potential to create a complicated narrative—why are there five checklist items if only two were important enough to include in the title? • Some of the images may have deeper meaning, but as an outsider, many seem to be conveying the same things. To me, the church, the rings, and the repeated word "marriage" all express, well, marriage. (Also—focusing so much on marriage made me miss until now that this book isn't just about marriage, but marriage and family!) Similarly, I'm not seeing how the pen is a necessary inclusion when it's already clear that the notes are written by hand. I love how COZY this cover feels (even just visually, with the glow of the church lights, the steam of the coffee, and the cover scheme you chose) and how it makes me chuckle. But I'd love to see you keep those aspects with a simpler cover, and I think that would be absolutely doable! Is there a way, say, you could show a marriage outtake or family blooper with just the coffee image? Maybe the cute little heart mug is spilled or cracked—maybe it's even spilled over the checklist, if you feel the checklist is an essential inclusion. I'm curious—you said in an earlier comment that you don't want the reader to be misled at all once they pick up the book. Is there something specific you're worried about? Often you can address concerns like that with the book description as well—the cover doesn't have to do all the work on its own!
Is there something specific you're looking for that you're not finding on those platforms? There are a fair number of options out there, but they're very different, so it really depends on what you're looking for!
Has anyone else had an email from Amazon telling you to verify your identify? I have been on Amazon for 18 months. This seems odd. I don’t even mind if they close my account. I don’t like Amazon anyway. I am now publishing wide with D2D.
Here's their Help page on the requirement! https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GH7TYHP6FR9QAUM9 It's a little tedious, but in the grand scheme of things—especially compared to how long I'm sure you spent creating your KDP account—I'd say it's worth it.
I was wondering how far out before the publish date do I send copies of my manuscript: - ARCs for promotions and blurbs - Copies for professional reviews
I agree (as always) with Kate and Kevin! The one thing I'll add is that you can never underestimate the power of sending a gentle reminder or two around the due date!