Fantasy, mystery, thrillers, horror, historical. . .I write it all, and review it too!

Sep 19, 2013

Seeking input on my cover and blurb


Hey folks! I'm preparing to release my next book, The Maze of Mist, which is part of the Chronicles of the House of Itxaron series. It's set in the same world as my novel Roots Run Deep but it's not a sequel. Both are standalone books.

Anyway, I've whipped this up on Kindle's Cover Creator. I'm not 100% satisfied with it so I could use some input. Too gray? What other colors could I use that go with the picture? I'm new to the cover design game.

Also, here's a draft of the blurb. Any input will be highly appreciated!

When the heir to the throne is treated as an outcast, he has to prove himself before he can rule.

Prince Metis Itxaron is the son of human father and a goblin mother. As heir to the Twin Thrones, he will some day bear the responsibility of ruling two peoples while protecting the kingdom from the vicious armies of the Bandit Queen and the Elves of the Great Forest.

Instead he spends his time getting drunk and sleeping with the few women willing to look beyond his mixed heritage.

In a desperate attempt to make a man out of him, his parents send him on a secret diplomatic mission to prepare for an upcoming war. What they don't expect is that he will come upon visitors from an unknown land beyond the Sea of Mist, a strange labrynthe of fog that has baffled navigators for all of recorded history. Metis sees a visit to these new lands as an opportunity to escape his responsibilities and prove himself on his own terms.

Then he discovers that representatives from his kingdom's enemies are coming along for the voyage. . .

4 comments:

  1. I like the cover. I've always heard rule of thirds - maybe more image and less grey, bumping the text down a bit?

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  2. I agree with Alex about the image needs to be more important, and a tinge of colour in that mist would hint of something other than just foggy weather.

    I'd also try splitting the text around the image.(your name above and the title below or switch them). Sometimes the number of letters makes a difference in the balance. Good Luck.

    When I hear about mists, I think of Avalon.

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  3. If it goes with Roots Run Deep, how about leaving it mostly gray, but adding a touch of the red and green that are on the Roots cover? At least, I THINK they're red and green. (Touch of colorblindness, here.)

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  4. Yeah, I'm thinking make the image a little larger, bring the words down a bit, and add a little bit more space between the author and tittle or split them. I like the gray. The blur seems a bit long the way it is presented, though I can tell the word count is reasonable. Maybe consider ways to restructure the lines, reword the phrases, or simply move some things around.

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