What do you think of this working cover?

[David Munch]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Any criticism is welcome on the cover. AND - I - MEAN - ANY - CRITICISM !!

I put this together using a FREE image from Unsplash.com and Pixelmator Pro.

(The green reminds of my younger days when I smoked. This is NOT my intention at all in this novella-in-flash fiction piece.)

Could you try and do the first one again, but with a black background instead of the horrible blurry green, and then white text? Also, why are there three names on the front?

I like the crayons, I think it is a great asset. And I think it would 'pop' nicely on a black background.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

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.

I'm unsure that a Hank bold actually exists, so yes, you would likely need to invent it, or create it, for lack of a better term. If I had it, I'd aid you but as I said, methinks it doesn't exist.

LifeSavers Bold is similar, although not the same. That does have an ExtraBold face, too. Granted, it's not like Helvetica bold, but...

Offered FWIW. (P.S. I am also fond of Two Fingers Bodoni, but again, AFAIK, that comes in a single weight. I used that in a lovely, lovely kids book and it worked well.)

Hitch

[Dr. Drib]

OK, my Novella-in-Flash did not win the competition.

Please go back to post #66 for the latest cover. I like the image, but there was some talk about the font being too 'childish' and that the font has been overdone and/or is overly 'cute' - if I am remembering correctly.

I'm actively looking to submit this novella, but to a publisher that specializes in in some kind of horror/literary/humorous type of combination. I guess the publisher should not be adverse to humor. (The publisher that accepted my first book has a catalogue that is all over the place, so I'm hesitant about going there.) After having waited about...(what? four months?) - I don't want to keep sitting on this and waiting. I'm thinking about just publishing it myself.

Any suggestions are welcome.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

OK, my Novella-in-Flash did not win the competition.

Please go back to post #66 for the latest cover. I like the image, but there was some talk about the font being too 'childish' and that the font has been overdone and/or is overly 'cute' - if I am remembering correctly.

They didn't like the Hank BT? I'm sorry, that's my fault.

I'm actively looking to submit this novella, but to a publisher that specializes in in some kind of horror/literary/humorous type of combination. I guess the publisher should not be adverse to humor. (The publisher that accepted my first book has a catalogue that is all over the place, so I'm hesitant about going there.) After having waited about...(what? four months?) - I don't want to keep sitting on this and waiting. I'm thinking about just publishing it myself.

I do not have any suggestions for this--but if something comes to mind, I will holler. Again, sorry about the Hank BT font.

Hitch

[Dr. Drib]

^

No need to apologize, as the submission did not include any cover. It was the story only without a cover and with no identification on authorship.

If I end up publishing this myself, I'll look further into that font you mentioned.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

^

No need to apologize, as the submission did not include any cover. It was the story only without a cover and with no identification on authorship.

If I end up publishing this myself, I'll look further into that font you mentioned.

AH-hah, I see, I misread your last. Sorry 'bout that.

Yes, I was not wild about the cover and very much not wild about Comic Sans. So, remind me, what's the gist and theme of this book?

Hitch

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Hitch

AH-hah, I see, I misread your last. Sorry 'bout that.

Yes, I was not wild about the cover and very much not wild about Comic Sans. So, remind me, what's the gist and theme of this book?

Hitch

It's about a seemingly narcissistic child recounting his difficulties in grooming the next big horror writer. As the story unfolds (Novella-in-flash sequences), we learn more about the narrator and his idiosyncrasies than we do of the author that he - the narrator - is grooming. What we have, then, is a story told by an unreliable narrator. I'm also trying to make it humorous, for without humor we have a lot of dead people. And I know quite a lot of dead people!

Here's one chapter:


Skippy the Pug snored when sleeping, much like Mr. Pease when he fell asleep in his Barcalounger Reclining Chair. He would snort and twist about while taking his nap. I often wondered why he wasn’t allowed to have nap-time at the place where he worked, which to my way of thinking seemed barbaric. I know for a fact he would never be sleepy if he had access to an unlimited amount of chocolate chip cookies. He would be energized, like Speedy Gonzales who is the fastest mouse in Mexico. But what do I know? I’m only two years old. I know there are other kinds of cookies out there - Mommy would often take me with her to a big place full of people and food. The smells were tantalizing!

Yes, Skippy was a very stinky dog. Being a Pug, he had a short tail that curled around and rested on his back. Isn’t it interesting that a dog’s tail is right above its butt? Although, come to think of it, if it was below their butts, this would cause all sorts of difficulties and accidents when they made poopy. I’m glad that I don’t have a tail because if I did then I would need to have a hole in my diaper which, to my way of thinking, would defeat the whole purpose of wearing a diaper. Skippy was a very attentive dog, especially when it involved anything to do with food. Any kind of food. I understood the idea of food, but I couldn’t understand how Skippy could eat anything given to him. If he didn’t like it, he just spit it out. Skippy and I were alike in that regard. I didn’t like food that dribbled down my chin, so it was much easier simply to spit it out. Skippy rarely barked, although Johnny liked to provoke him by making barking sounds. This confused Skippy. I could actually see his dog mind figuring it out: Was there another dog in the house? If so, where was the dog? Skippy would then run into the kitchen where Mrs. Pease lived almost the entire day. Then, in an act that can only be described as pure genius, Johnny would begin making farting sounds with both hands under his armpits, like this: ‘Ffffftttttt! FFfffttttttttt!’ These sounds seemed to drive Skippy into new heights of frustration, which culminated in a series of frantic yelps as Skippy went from room to room in search of the origin of these sounds. After this brief hullabaloo, Johnny was transformed into a virtual writing machine: He would gather his fat crayons around him like a rainbow and start writing. Unfortunately, he had difficulty in distinguishing writing paper from pillow cases and covered mattress, and started writing without any consideration that a sheet of paper was needed. It is my sad duty to report that only a few samples of writing survived this period of intense creativity due to the fact that sheet and pillow case were promptly washed by Mrs. Pease at the end of every week. If I had gotten my hands on these early (and no doubt flawed works), I’m sure I could have revised them into undoubted masterpieces of early fiction that would be avidly studied and discussed for time immemorial.

The lesson we can learn from this is that a writer should never underestimate his dog’s influence on the development of his craft, whether it be the wagging of a tail, or a forlorn bark in the night.

[JSWolf]

It's not made poopy. It's go poo-poo.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It's not made poopy. It's go poo-poo.

I don't know how you intend to come across, but you should know that you frequently come across as a dimwit when you make posts like that.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

It's about a seemingly narcissistic child recounting his difficulties in grooming the next big horror writer. As the story unfolds (Novella-in-flash sequences), we learn more about the narrator and his idiosyncrasies than we do of the author that he - the narrator - is grooming. What we have, then, is a story told by an unreliable narrator. I'm also trying to make it humorous, for without humor we have a lot of dead people. And I know quite a lot of dead people!

Here's one chapter:


(snippage for brevity)

The lesson we can learn from this is that a writer should never underestimate his dog’s influence on the development of his craft, whether it be the wagging of a tail, or a forlorn bark in the night.

Oookay, so it's a bit--not a lot, but a bit--like that Travolta movie with the baby, voiced by Bruce Willis? Is that the idea here, except...I guess the Baby (two?) is meant to be grooming some writer? Is that right?

At that point...I guess it pretty much qualifies as LitFic, which means you can put any damned cover on it you wish. LitFic is famous for meaningless and non-indicative covers, after all!

Hitch

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Oookay, so it's a bit--not a lot, but a bit--like that Travolta movie with the baby, voiced by Bruce Willis? Is that the idea here, except...I guess the Baby (two?) is meant to be grooming some writer? Is that right?

At that point...I guess it pretty much qualifies as LitFic, which means you can put any damned cover on it you wish. LitFic is famous for meaningless and non-indicative covers, after all!

Hitch

I"m going to have to disagree that it is even a bit like that Travolta movie; in fact, this never occurred to me. Yes, the baby in that film is an obnoxious know-it-all brat, and the film is overly cute. But that's about all that I gathered from the film.

What it IS like is the Steven Millhauser novel that I mentioned some time ago in one of my posts, My novella has its emphasis on a twisted aspect that's driving the first person protagonist as he recounts his difficulty in preparing Johnny (they are both the same age) toward recognition as the 'Greatest Horror Writer of All Time'. Additionally, there's a certain meta-fictional play going on toward the end of the novella. The whole thing is slightly over 100 pages.

[mt.msla]

nevermind

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

I"m going to have to disagree that it is even a bit like that Travolta movie; in fact, this never occurred to me. Yes, the baby in that film is an obnoxious know-it-all brat, and the film is overly cute. But that's about all that I gathered from the film.

What it IS like is the Steven Millhauser novel that I mentioned some time ago in one of my posts, My novella has its emphasis on a twisted aspect that's driving the first person protagonist as he recounts his difficulty in preparing Johnny (they are both the same age) toward recognition as the 'Greatest Horror Writer of All Time'. Additionally, there's a certain meta-fictional play going on toward the end of the novella. The whole thing is slightly over 100 pages.

I think I said--"not a lot, a little," as in, you have a talking (or writing/communicating) baby, who communicates as does an adult. Right?


Millhauser generally writes LitFic or "American Literature," which is what I also said.

So...since I've managed to offend you, I'll bow out.

Hitch

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Hitch

I think I said--"not a lot, a little," as in, you have a talking (or writing/communicating) baby, who communicates as does an adult. Right?


Millhauser generally writes LitFic or "American Literature," which is what I also said.

So...since I've managed to offend you, I'll bow out.

Hitch

You haven't offended me. On the contrary, I feel as if I have offended you, but that was never my intention.

Thank you, however, for the posts and suggestions you have made to this thread.

[Birddogvet]

It caused me to blink.
While the color contrast is good, the cover is 'busy.'

I would like your strait-laced pic in the center with 'horror' background.