GCU Forum - Your professional advice, please . . .

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Your professional advice, please . . .
Apr 13^th, 2010, 9:47pm

Greetings:

I wonder if some of you design wizards could offer advice. You see, my mystery novel is coming out in Sept. '10 and I've done a cover which I happen to like. I figure, who best but the author to incorporate all the important elements on the cover. And since it depicts a night scene, I made everything in a lavender-ish hue. The publisher, who thought it was a "hoot," was concerned about the monochromatic use of lavender even though I've included many dark touches, such as the spilled wine, shadows, etc.
I promised I would get the opinion of professionals and she was agreeable to that.

Thus I wonder if someone could send me an email address so I can send it in a Tiff or jpeg format for your review. I would really appreciate this. You could contact me at 5cats4macs@gmail.com.

Hope to hear from someone.

Sharon L. Cook

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Gillean_137778 Junior Member artist Posts: 94	Re: Your professional advice, please . . . Reply #1 - Apr 13^th, 2010, 10:31pm Hi Sharon, why dont you post it on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/ then everyone can see? BW Gillean
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Kenneth_140370 GCU Newbies artist Posts: 36	Re: Your professional advice, please . . . Reply #2 - Apr 14^th, 2010, 3:24am Excellent suggestion, Gillean. Not only are we designers, we are consumers also. You have one chance to make a first impression with the cover and Flickr is a great choice to get alot of feedback. Ken
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Doreen_137017

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Re: Your professional advice, please . . .
Reply #3 - Apr 14^th, 2010, 8:33am

Be careful guys...this is most likely another scam attempt in that she is asking your you to send her your email address so she can send you a file....NO, NO, NO, NO

If this is a legitimate request for input, please do as suggested and give a link to a website for viewing purposes. We receive far too much junk mail here, very much like your post, to not be overly cautious.

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Gillean_137778 Junior Member artist Posts: 94	Re: Your professional advice, please . . . Reply #4 - Apr 14^th, 2010, 8:55am I was suspicious hence my suggestion - I get enough junk mail as it is - I don't want to give out my email address.
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Sharon_138882

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Re: Your professional advice, please . . .
Reply #5 - Apr 14^th, 2010, 9:41pm

Greetings:

It's me again, Sharon. I'm new to the Forum and don't know how to get around. I just want to say that it is a good idea that someone mentioned, posting my cover on Flickr. Years ago I signed up, yet I have forgotten my password. I will do this ASAP.

And no, it is no scam. I have my cards here on GCU; my name is Sharon Love Cook.

I will get back to you shortly with the Flickr web address, whatever it is. It seems to me I signed up for another online gallery, a British outfit with a funny name.

Thanks again for your support.

Sharon C.

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Doreen_137017

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Re: Your professional advice, please . . .
Reply #6 - Apr 15^th, 2010, 9:42am

Hi Sharon,

I visited your store by searching for your name, great cards! So that you know, what threw us was you don't have a link with your store at the bottom of your posts. That usually tells us that someone has a store here. You might want to check your store settings and/or chat with admin about fixing that Wink

I look forward to seeing your Lavender Hues Grin

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Joan_135833

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Re: Your professional advice, please . . .
Reply #7 - Apr 15^th, 2010, 11:57am

Quote from Doreen_137017 on Apr 15^th, 2010, 9:42am:

...what threw us was you don't have a link with your store at the bottom of your posts. That usually tells us that someone has a store here. You might want to check your store settings and/or chat with admin about fixing that Wink

It is also possible and permitted to offer cards for sale here without having a storefront.

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Sharon_138882

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Re: Your professional advice, please . . .
Reply #8 - Apr 17^th, 2010, 7:17pm

Greetings again:
I have posted the book cover on Flickr. This is the first time I've ever posted anything on it, 'tho I've been a member and fortunately I'm still in the system. In any case, the title is A NOSE FOR HANKY PANKY and when I received an email regarding the new post, it was: www.flickr.com/photos/10902533@N00/
So, I think that is where you have to go to see it.

I would really appreciate your input. Personally, I'm crazy about the colors--there's pink, too--but open to suggestions on how I can improve. Therefore, I await your learned opinion.

All best,

Sharon C.

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Doreen_137017

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Re: Your professional advice, please . . .
Reply #9 - Apr 17^th, 2010, 7:50pm

Hi Sharon,

Congratulations on your new book! I look forward to reading it! When the time comes, ask your publisher to get a copy to the Sacramento Book Review (http://www.sacramentobookreview.com) and tell them Doreen Erhardt knows you and wants to write the review! That might get your foot in the door of a great place to get critique and ultimately sales.

Now on to the critique. I love it! If I were to suggest any changes to the values, I might ask to see what it looked like if you removed the almost all color from her legs so they were nearly white...like a dead person might be. I suggest that only because I think her legs might be the important feature to pop out and grab people's attention when they see the cover in the bookstores. Just a thought, I certainly am no expert.

I sincerely wish you the best! Let us see the final cover please

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Gillean_137778

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Re: Your professional advice, please . . .
Reply #10 - Apr 18^th, 2010, 12:19am

I can't see anything wrong with it. So did the pig poison her? Wink

Why did you pick those colours?

The only thing I would say is that obviously your publisher knows what sells a book best and if they don't like it maybe you should ask them why and ask them what they would do instead?

For example Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels - her old covers look like this:

http://www.charlaineharris.com/covers/alltogether.jpg

but since they've done the TV serise True Blood, they've re-released them with new covers

http://www.kdl.org/image_attachments/0001/7743/41vek07m4jl.jpg

(although I've also seen yet more new covers with the actos on!).

The newer covers are a bit more grown up I think and would appeal to a larger market?

Gillean

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Sharon_138882

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Re: Your professional advice, please . . .
Reply #11 - Apr 18^th, 2010, 10:19pm

Hi:
I'm delighted to have 2 responses already--and a couple at the gmail account. Doreen, thanks so much for the offer to review! I have cut and pasted your response and saved it in a file. I will definitely take you up on your generous offer. Also, that's a good idea about making the legs white. It never occurred to me--she is dead! Of course they'd be white. I will do that.

As for Gillean, the publisher thought the cover was "a hoot," but wondered about the monochromatic colors; no doubt she means the extensive use of purple. I wanted to depict a night time scene and that's how I did it. We left it with me promising to ask designers their opinions, which I'm now collecting. The pig isn't deadly; it is actually a plastic pig that's involved in a subplot.

I thank you both for your valuable input.

Sharon C.

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Gillean_137778 Junior Member artist Posts: 94	Re: Your professional advice, please . . . Reply #12 - Apr 19^th, 2010, 12:18pm Good luck with it Sharon and keep us posted, I'd be interested to know what happens. Gillean
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