Well, the day has finally arrived. Once again, I have a renewed appreciation for graphic designers. Graphic artist, Lubosh Chec has exceeded every expectation. Working in collaboration with another human being and starting with a completely blank canvas is a very difficult thing to do.
The examples I'm presenting to you today are actually the second round of the book cover concepts. Many of my original ideas had to be scrapped because they just didn’t work.
An effective book cover has always been important for authors but never more so than today. There are now millions of authors who are self-publishing books every year and your cover is what introduces your book to the world. It must look good on a shelf as well as in thumbnail format online. It’s important that your cover stands out from the crowd and makes an instant impression with the reader.
With this cover, my aim was to convey the importance of meditation. The image of the aurora borealis (northern lights) on the cover symbolizes how meditation can free you from the darkest night and awaken the light within. This image is also strikingly similar to what I see during deep meditation.
I’m unveiling these covers here on Steemit exclusively, even before I reveal them to my author newsletter subscribers. Why? Because this community has been so extremely supportive of my work.
So without further adieu, here they are. Which is your favorite? A, B, C, or D and why? I’m going to take each opinion into account before I make my final decision. I thank you in advance for your feedback and support!
A
B
C
D
*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.
Eric Vance Walton - Media
I prefer A. It makes me feel the calmest.
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Thanks @exyle!
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That's also how I think, the stale water make me think of a "Pause" more than the other ones.
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hey eric
regarding the 3 images, C/D i like the best.
1
to evoke the meditative state whilst looking at the image:
A - water and reflection is the best idea for evoking the meditative state. however the overuse of yellow colour in mass, wipe out that advantage.
B - the silhouetted pines in a spear , sharpish shape - not conducive to the meditative state.
C/D - yes, observing the beautiful swirling sky can be conducive to the meditative state. and importantly, the direction of the mist, guiding the eye and spirit from earth to heaven.
2
regarding the artwork of the cover itself, before consideration for the subject matter, ie artistically speaking:
A - too much yellow in contrast with green - kind of. bilious-making. A perfectly balanced image/text and mass/tone in relation to the text also, perfect.
B - colours of sky are too wishy-washy. too many elements, filagree black edges from the silhouetted pines, and wispy colours where there needs to be more solid colour.
C/D - the contrast is right, the balance of text to mass and tone is right. (one can enter the meditative state by many paths. one of the ways is to look at a perfectly harmonious artwork. - i choose C/D)
C and D appear to be the same, if C is more contrasted than D, then CCC.
if C and D are the same, C & D.
if the colouring in A was better, little if any yellow and less dark green to begin with (the greens and blues in the sky of image C/D are far more harmonious and peaceful and pleasing) .... then i would have chosen A.
cheers from mim
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I really appreciate your thorough comment! Thank you.
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cheers eric .... i wish you well
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Thank you!
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thank you for voting for me, @kevinwong @ericvancewalton and @gardnercalibuso - that is a lovely surprise. it encourages me to comment. i am not really sure what the voting is all about .... but i like it! thank you!
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For me, it's B. But I like A too.
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Thanks, @vcelier!
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"A" for sure. The reflections of the lake are given a second meaning with the reflections contained in meditation.
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Thanks! "A" was my least favorite at first but now I like it best.
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A. seems as a actually good book, and not just another motivational book
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Thanks for your comment!
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You're welcome
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Mixture of A and B
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Though versions C) & D) are my colours, I strangely feel more attracted by B)! I'm so glad to see you book coming out. Good for you, good for us all!
Namaste :)
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I really like the sky in option "B", for some reason the trees don't click with me. I think it's how they're sloping. Thanks for your comment and kind words. Namaste, my friend. : )
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Interesting, as it was the presence of the trees that actually got me! ;) Namaste
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I prefer A as well. It seems more peaceful somehow. The fonts and size are good too.
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A is my favorite, for a couple of reasons. I like the Borealis there, but I also think the water works very well as a reinforcer of the calming influence you're looking for. I don't get the same sense from B, and there's nothing immediately apparent to differentiate C from D. If I were picking up a book in the store--or sorting through the blizzard of meditation books online--A would catch my attention better than the others would.
You cannot work too hard on the cover. In today's publishing environment, it's the make or break of a book, probably even more than the reviews it gets, though those matter a great deal. What you have here is a good, solid cover that speaks to professionalism and argues that you probably know what you're doing with the material between the pages. Godspeed.
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Thanks, @cristof! I appreciate your feedback very much. You're 100% correct about the cover. When I saw the nearly unanimous choice of concept "A" I made it the wallpaper for the lock screen of my phone so I could see it several times a day. It did a good job of catching my each time, even in the smaller format. I just delivered the news to the book designer that "A" is the final choice!
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I would say C. I like the mountain image, and it always reminds me of my favourite meditation quote:
"There we sit, the mountain and I, until only the mountain remains."
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I like A. The mingling of fire and water evokes the yin-yang and alchemy. It also adds more richness without using simplicity.
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Thank you!
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A is my favorite. The inclusion of the water with the mountainous backdrop signals a purification. For me, when I am seeking a meditative state I am looking for a holistic nature scene in my mind - that cover delivers every piece.
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Thanks @lydon.sipe! A is the clear winner and will very likely be close to the final cover. I appreciate your comment.
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A why?! because it fits completely with Meditating your way to ultimate you! it's kinda relaxing when you see a reflection of the aurora on the water & that mountain view too!
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Thank you!
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I'm stuck (in a great way) between A and B! Something about the diagonals in B make me feel calmer and the tree silhouette (at the bottom) makes for a nice setting for the book cover to rest on. Overall I think I lean more towards B, but honestly... they're all great. Congratulations Eric!
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Thank you, @voronoi! I'm very excited about this one! I plan on building a series of online meditation courses around this book. I may even teach winter meditation retreats in St. Thomas.
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Looking forward to reading it! A retreat in St. Thomas would be incredible also... great to hear!
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I'm on the A bandwagon, as well.
That said, it's a tough choice for me between A and B. I like A for it's feeling of depth (the Mountains appear to stretch far back into the image) and reflection (sky reflecting off of the water). I love B for it's more nuanced sky, which seems to open up into the "great unknown" (vastness of unexplored stars and galaxies) on the upper left corner.
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A... because I'm Canadian, eh. Also, it does a finer job of grabbing the eye than the others. The reflection on the water is the most important detail.
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I totally agree. Thanks!
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I like A because to me it symbolizes a strong new awakening.
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That is a solid comment.
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It was!
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Spot on, @team101. That's EXACTLY the message I wanted it to convey.
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Option B gave me a nice moment of 'PAUSE' :) I think it may be the purple in the top corner. Good luck!
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Plus some of your Steemit Kids are in Canadastan here with those Northern Lights!!
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Thanks, man! I'm excited about this launch and the launch of the sequel to Alarm Clock Dawn later this year.
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All beautiful covers, but my favorite is the first.
Looking forward to your new novel Eric.
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Thanks, my friend! "A" has it, hands down. I'm thinking of offering some subscription-based video meditation lessons as a companion to the book.
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The combination of Aurora clouds and trees gives a sense of belonging. trees creates a sense of belonging ever been to a place with lots of trees? the air and atmosphere this plants bring, you never feel like leaving, the beautiful site of aurora calms and bestows one self , i do go with B.
This is My personal opinion.
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Your comment is very much appreciated!
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You are welcome.
Kindly follow back.
Thank you.
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At first I liked B the most, but the more I looked at it I gravitated towards A. I think I prefer A because of the water. To me, the stillness of the water mirroring earth and sky is more appropriate to the topic at hand. Plus, of all the images it has the most depth, which draws the gaze in.
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Thanks! It took me a while to warm up to "A" as well but now it's my favorite. I like how it pops as a thumbnail image, this will be important when people are shopping online.
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A is best for me.
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Hello dear friend @ericvancewalton very happy for your new book, you have to reocnocer that all the images are very good, it is difficult a decision, but I decided on the first or the "A", which made my decision was first the mountains, If you visit my blog you will see that I publish many images of mountains and the other that I capture my attention is the reflection of the lake, another variable that I use a lot.
Thank you very much for this opportunity and I wish you the best of success !!!!
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I appreciate your kind comments, as always, @jlufer! I'll have to check out your blog. Thanks!
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I Choose A. Calm of the water, reflection of your soul = meditation
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Thank you for your comment!
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You are welcome. Have you made a choice on which cover?
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"A", for sure. I think there are some minor tweaks to do yet but I think "A" is the one.
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We are in agreement. Best of luck with your new book. : )
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Thanks!
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A. The mountain and lake view kind of make me PAUSE more than the others.
The others give a feeling of journey to be continue than PAUSE.
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Thank you!
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You're welcome.
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After triage, I got A and C, and settled on A because it best conveyed the feeling of meditation.
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Much appreciated!
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picture A
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A
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B caught my eye first. I think the blurriness of the aroa helps separate the title from the background. And the blurriness made me think of meditating as opposed to the clear sharpness of the first cover.
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Interesting, @mctiller! Your comment makes a lot of sense. I'm really enjoying the different perspectives I'm getting here. Thanks!
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They are all good, but you know where I live, so the Northern Lights cover always strikes home with me.
I have been watching the markets we talked about and thinking of you LOL
(:
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I really appreciate it, @barrydutton! I wish I would've bought that coin but had to wait a few days and it was already too late. You called it though!
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I have solid info on other stuff always. Plus, it is never too late a lot of the time to buy in..... Maybe last week you could have bought more of either coins we discussed, the key is at least get SOME my friend.
I have totally been thinking of you! The posts I have up today, on those coins, are booming man LOL --- well.... I mean the coins are!
Buy 1 or 2 of each if you cannot get 5 or 10!!! Grab LTC first, it is the highest valued --- it is now over $16. ETC is up too, but not like 20 or 25% in terms of higher dollar value.
ETC is also up but costs a lot less/coin and the LTC is booming due to the increased miner support which proved factual today.
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Thanks for the info, as always, @barrydutton! I'm into a few longer term alt coin investments but always have my eyes out for a good deal. How do you recommend storing your crypto, an external wallet, like Trezor?
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Some of those devices only hold Bitcoin or a handful of the other top volume cryptos as you likely know.
They are a good option for that and if you basically do not plan on using them or trading them anytime soon, or rarely. I always see that option as a vault or safe deposit box for like..... gold.
Things you put in there and try to forget you have so you do not use it.
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I like A the best for the color combination and the water. B was a close second.
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Thanks!
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Definitely A for me. I love the water. Not B - looks like a thriller cover.
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I agree! B looks like a Stephen King cover. Lol. Those trees in B, for some reason, reminded me of old nuclear test blast footage from my elementary school days.
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A
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A is my favorite. The aurora in the others is beautiful, but a fleeting phenomenon. 'A' seems more solid... grounding... but tranquil and reflective with the water - a better description of the meditative state and the desired outcome.
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Cool interpretation. Thanks!
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I like A or D the most, as they represent most peace and quiet to me. I don't like B much, because of the different colors in it.
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Overall, B was my least favorite. Thank you!
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A is my favorite.
I like also B for fantastic purple color of the sky. But for me the cropping of the trees in B is not perfect.
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Thank you! If I could use the sky in B with option A, it would be my perfect cover. That purple struck me too.
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A, looks crisp and inviting!
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Thank you @lakshmi!
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A.
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no. 1
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Eric, for me it has to be A - it evokes the most peace in my soul more than any other image - it's a no brainer here Sir! This is my spirit typing this NOT my ego :D
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A and D - are my favs
They feel like a pause, while B feels active and C..well it's so similar to D but I felt more balanced, "right" with D.
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Thanks @natureofbeing! Your yantra is going to have a prominent place on the back cover by the way.
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Great, I wasn't worried :-), whatever works best for the book is ultimately what matters !
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I like A. It looks a lot better compared to the others. Water reflection image is in line with the theme of the book. Good luck!
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Much appreciated!!
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I found A most beutiful
good luck!
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Thank you!
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B !!! It's vibrant
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Thank you @mammasitta!
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If I see all options in the bookshop in a moment I select the option A to look, open, and read the summary.
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You can do the test here, submit 4 post with the each image and see wich is more like or view. This is a Cohort analysis.
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That's exactly what I'm hoping for. Thanks!
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Definitely A. Good luck with the new book :)
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Awesome, thanks!
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I think B is cool
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Option A is pure bliss
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Thanks, that's my favorite.
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Cover A, definitely the photograph has a higher yellow tones in comparison with the other covers and the psychology of color tends to impact but it gives a more message to Learning and Life and creates a balance with the green tones. Is my humble opinion. Followed and upvoted
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I appreciate the thoughtful comment and the support! You're right, the lightness of the yellows make it really pop as a thumbnail image.
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I like b the best but I would bold or enlarge the subtitle slightly on whichever you choose. Congratulations!
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Thank you! Good suggestion.
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image E, I think could be better!....
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So you don't like any of the four?
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