Switchback Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 ha. the last 2 pages of this thread have had 2 of the worst, most god-awful covers i've ever seen for a fantasy book (which is saying something), and they're both from the same series! what are those folks doing over there??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cantabile Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Look at the bright side: horrible covers present so many options for creative drinking games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCN Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 An early look at two variations for Mark Charan Newton's The Book of Transformations.Just to add to these comments, that the covers are very basic drafts - not at all finished, not even close to having characters turned into a more painterly style, set into the artwork etc. But I guess that message has been lost.Suffice to say, I really hope everyone in the comments thread understands just how much behind-the-scenes effort goes into getting those very basic images, and that we hoped by showing early images we could bring people into the process a little more. It's not just sales teams a publisher has to please, but the buyers at major book chains - who often have a huge influence in the cover art you see on the shelves - so please don't think they're just spaffing out these images to wind you all up. They're not. Anyway, just to show the power of the internet, for the hardcover we're looking to have the character removed completely and work on the city. Hardcovers are a totally different market to the mass market reader (the casual reader who shapes careers, and they look for something different to the rest of us in cover design), so maybe we were wrong in choosing a figure for that.But if it tanks, you all owe me a drink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Hat Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Anyway, just to show the power of the internet, for the hardcover we're looking to have the character removed completely and work on the city. Hardcovers are a totally different market to the mass market reader (the casual reader who shapes careers, and they look for something different to the rest of us in cover design), so maybe we were wrong in choosing a figure for that.Wow, I really didn't think the internet had anywhere near that much pull...that's quite awesome, really. And your post here came at precisely the right time to remind me that I still really need to read Nights of Villjamur so I can go from someone who thinks your work sounds like something he'd love to, you know, someone who's actually read it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEyedGhost Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 And brand new example of a US cover being superior to the UK version. Robert Reddick's The River of Shadows - a sea serpent with hair? :shocked:Was there some kind of cross Atlantic art department swap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Suffice to say, I really hope everyone in the comments thread understands just how much behind-the-scenes effort goes into getting those very basic images, and that we hoped by showing early images we could bring people into the process a little more. It's not just sales teams a publisher has to please, but the buyers at major book chains - who often have a huge influence in the cover art you see on the shelves - so please don't think they're just spaffing out these images to wind you all up. They're not.The problem with that assertion is that there are plenty of excellent UK SFF covers around at the moment, many of them also from Macmillan/Tor, so simply blaming the market doesn't entirely work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCN Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 The problem with that assertion is that there are plenty of excellent UK SFF covers around at the moment, many of them also from Macmillan/Tor, so simply blaming the market doesn't entirely work.Unfortunately, a publisher needs more than simple aesthetic values when it comes to selling books. "ZOMG I love/hate that cover!1!" is not enough to use to build a business model. What you hate, someone else likes. All they have to go on his how it performs in the market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jussi Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Naamah's Blessing by Jacqueline Carey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cantabile Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 And brand new example of a US cover being superior to the UK version. Robert Reddick's The River of Shadows - a sea serpent with hair? :shocked:Was there some kind of cross Atlantic art department swap?As long as there's a scene where that gets styled into a sea-serpent-afro I for one am purchasing this book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jussi Posted October 2, 2010 Share Posted October 2, 2010 Test of Metal by Matthew Stover (final cover art). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEyedGhost Posted October 2, 2010 Share Posted October 2, 2010 Test of Metal by Matthew Stover (final cover art).So apparently M:TG has made it to the Pegasus Galaxy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jussi Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 From Solaris:Cloneworld by Andy Remic.Loss of Separation by Conrad Williams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chitman13 Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 The excellent cover for Gary Gibson's next book, Final Days - another release from Tor UK with excellent artwork! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthmail Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Andy Remic is fairly terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jussi Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 The Last Four Things by Paul Hoffman.Yarn by Jon Armstrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jussi Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 New cover art from Orbit:The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham.Source.Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey.Source.The Edinburgh Dead by Brian Ruckley.Source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beniowa Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham.Source.Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey.Source.The two Abraham ones are a little generic, but not too bad at all. I suppose it would be hard to match the standards set by the Long Quartet covers. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEyedGhost Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 The two Abraham ones are a little generic, but not too bad at all. I suppose it would be hard to match the standards set by the Long Quartet covers. ;)I couldn't agree more.Although I did like Brandon Sanderson's rationale for switching artists/styles for different series that he posted on the board a few years back - he said that they change it up to try and attract different buyers and get them possibly try an author that they may have over looked in the past. So, if a decidedly more generic fantasy cover will get more people reading Daniel's work, then I'm all for it :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poobah Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 I couldn't agree more.Although I did like Brandon Sanderson's rationale for switching artists/styles for different series that he posted on the board a few years back - he said that they change it up to try and attract different buyers and get them possibly try an author that they may have over looked in the past. So, if a decidedly more generic fantasy cover will get more people reading Daniel's work, then I'm all for it :thumbsup:IDK about this. Joe Abercrombie posted something similar to this too about his new covers, but I have absolutely no idea how or why a publisher thinks that a more generic cover will attract people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Nan Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 About a month or two old now, but I think we skipped over the Knife of Dreams cover for the WOT e-book release. c.f. the original Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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