What do you think of this working cover?

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

If you mean that using Hitch's comment would show potential readers that it's not a children's book, then that would be something to consider: A kind of disclaimer.

Yes. That's what I meant. I did wonder if the book I saw really had explicit content as I've never seen that on a cover. Common on CDs "Warning: Explicit Lyrics" or DVD/BD having (18); is that (R) in USA? Though Video ratings are mysterious. I threw out a (15) rated DVD (digusting bad language) and I have a couple that are (18) (Name of the Rose). Ratings work very differently per country, sometimes UK & Ireland ones don't match, and USA seems to ignore violence that would be (18) here, but object to brief artistic nudity (cf "I capture the Castle", though it has one gratuitous nude distant shot not in the book) or even a woman's nipple.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Yes. That's what I meant. I did wonder if the book I saw really had explicit content as I've never seen that on a cover. Common on CDs "Warning: Explicit Lyrics" or DVD/BD having (18); is that (R) in USA? Though Video ratings are mysterious. I threw out a (15) rated DVD (digusting bad language) and I have a couple that are (18) (Name of the Rose). Ratings work very differently per country, sometimes UK & Ireland ones don't match, and USA seems to ignore violence that would be (18) here, but object to brief artistic nudity (cf "I capture the Castle", though it has one gratuitous nude distant shot not in the book) or even a woman's nipple.

I give up. I don't see anything there that remotely imputes explicit content. What I see, when I view it--and I'm sorry to say this, Don, but this segue over to this, explicit content stuff, makes me feel like maybe I need to--is a cover that looks like far too many other self-pubbed covers--someone has their 7-y.o. draw a cover, they think it's darling, and they slap it on their book, which of course, then shan't sell. They're not only on kids' books, although there are more there than elsewhere (genres/areas).

You can see hundreds of these at LousyBookCovers.com. It's a plague, and once you start seeing them, you can't "unsee" them.

But explicit content? Nope, not getting that at all.

Hitch

[Dr. Drib]

^

I"ll check out that site.

It looks like it might be fun.

ADDED: And it is fun! I like your comment on the Nunn thing. Thank you for giving me a reason to light my pipe - and I've never smoked - so I can burn a few covers!

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Hitch

I give up. I don't see anything there that remotely imputes explicit content.

I don't either. But if it's a novel for Grown Ups rather than children you need a clue that it's so, even if there is no content unsuitable for children. The latest iteration reminds me of Ladybird book covers, which are books in UK for pre-school and primary school age.
This Garden Gang series was popular with my kids 30 years ago and was written & illustrated by a kid.
https://www.amazon.ca/Patrick-Pear-C.../dp/0721406394

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

^

I"ll check out that site.

It looks like it might be fun.

ADDED: And it is fun! I like your comment on the Nunn thing. Thank you for giving me a reason to light my pipe - and I've never smoked - so I can burn a few covers!

LBC, along with CakeWrecks, is one of my refuges from the everyday nonsense of life.

I used to devoutly read Slushpile Hell, but sadly, he stopped writing it. Best. Thing. Ever.

Hitch

[Dr. Drib]

OK, this is the last one; at least, for some time.

I'm thinking of submitting this novella to a 'novella-in-flash' contest. The winners will be announced in about 4-5 months.

So...in the meantime, I'm just going to sit on this. (Total length of novella-in-flash is 15,684 words)

In case it doesn't place - Hey! Such is life, eh? - I'm thinking this cover might work, for some of the reasons listed below:

• It's a young child, and this falls within the context of the story.
• It shows the fractured nature of either the protagonist or antagonist.
• I'm able to use my preferred, full title.

I do think, due to the nature of the title's length and how much real estate it covers on the canvas, that whatever happens I will need something similar to the set up as shown in the attachment.

Let me take this opportunity now to thank everyone who posted in this thread. I thank you all for the suggestions and recommendations that have been given to me. It's deeply appreciated.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

OK, this is the last one; at least, for some time.

I'm thinking of submitting this novella to a 'novella-in-flash' contest. The winners will be announced in about 4-5 months.

So...in the meantime, I'm just going to sit on this. (Total length of novella-in-flash is 15,684 words)

In case it doesn't place - Hey! Such is life, eh? - I'm thinking this cover might work, for some of the reasons listed below:

• It's a young child, and this falls within the context of the story.
• It shows the fractured nature of either the protagonist or antagonist.
• I'm able to use my preferred, full title.

I do think, due to the nature of the title's length and how much real estate it covers on the canvas, that whatever happens I will need something similar to the set up as shown in the attachment.

Let me take this opportunity now to thank everyone who posted in this thread. I thank you all for the suggestions and recommendations that have been given to me. It's deeply appreciated.

If I grovel and beg, can you lose the Comic Sans?

Hitch

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Hitch

If I grovel and beg, can you lose the Comic Sans?

Hitch

Of course! And replaced with....(or did you already mention one in an earlier post?).

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Of course! And replaced with....(or did you already mention one in an earlier post?).

I may have mentioned some in an ETA, earlier, if those are helpful. Still categorized as "kids' book fonts," in an identifiable way. If you need some assistance, feel free to ping!

Hitch

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Hitch

If I grovel and beg, can you lose the Comic Sans?

Hitch

Was coming to say this. With a decent font and either a short title or a thoughtful rearrangement into large title + small subtitle, this would be not absolutely terrible. And it signals the adult-audience nature of the book.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Of course! And replaced with....(or did you already mention one in an earlier post?).

Also, I think you should lose the Chucky vibe.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by meeera

Was coming to say this. With a decent font and either a short title or a thoughtful rearrangement into large title + small subtitle, this would be not absolutely terrible. And it signals the adult-audience nature of the book.

Y'know, I am typically against making fun of, or denigrating, when "civilians" (no offense, Don!) make design so-called "errors" (forgive all the quotation marks, gang) about fonts. Designers get up on their hind legs and give normies the high hairy eyeball, about choosing a font that was popular, but now, Deee-ziners, in their infinite wisdom, have determined that it's overused, or no longer cool. That's some damned horsepucky, right there--nobody died and left designers as the end-all and be-all arbiters of what's cool in fonts. That's just...stuff going right to their heads.

But Comic Sans...man, that's been around a looooooong time and whilst it is highly readable--despite the sneers and jeers--it really is overused. Comic Sans, Papyrus (curse you, James Cameron!), Algerian (sigh) and a few others really do seem to show up everywhere.

And given tht this is not a child's book, in fact, but a book about childhood, I would consider something with a teeeny weeeeny bit more edge. Still kiddish, but not child-like.

Hitch

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Hitch

I may have mentioned some in an ETA, earlier, if those are helpful. Still categorized as "kids' book fonts," in an identifiable way. If you need some assistance, feel free to ping!

Hitch

I went through my thread and found your post on recommended fonts.

I downloaded Hank BT and I do like the look of it. I replaced the earlier font with the Hank font, but for some reason I can't get it to boldface using Pixelmator Pro. Also, it's just a bit too thin compared to its replacement. This is the reason I attempted to boldface it - without success.

I'll try some of the other fonts you recommended and do a comparison.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Also, I think you should lose the Chucky vibe.

I hear you, but I don't see that image as evil: It's more like fractured innocence.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Y'know, I am typically against making fun of, or denigrating, when "civilians" (no offense, Don!) make design so-called "errors" (forgive all the quotation marks, gang) about fonts. Designers get up on their hind legs and give normies the high hairy eyeball, about choosing a font that was popular, but now, Deee-ziners, in their infinite wisdom, have determined that it's overused, or no longer cool. That's some damned horsepucky, right there--nobody died and left designers as the end-all and be-all arbiters of what's cool in fonts. That's just...stuff going right to their heads.

But Comic Sans...man, that's been around a looooooong time and whilst it is highly readable--despite the sneers and jeers--it really is overused. Comic Sans, Papyrus (curse you, James Cameron!), Algerian (sigh) and a few others really do seem to show up everywhere.

And given tht this is not a child's book, in fact, but a book about childhood, I would consider something with a teeeny weeeeny bit more edge. Still kiddish, but not child-like.

Hitch

That last paragraph sums up exactly what I was trying to do in the writing: "[A] book about childhood..."