Despite My Ghoulish Reputation

November 4, 2021February 28, 2019 by PG

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Despite my ghoulish reputation, I really have the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk.

~ Robert Bloch

Bruce W. Most

February 28, 2019 at 5:05 PM

I agree that many covers, particularly for genre books, are clones. I don’t know that I can stand one more silhouetted figure disappearing down a road, back to the reader. Part of that is due to the designer and author wanting to make sure the potential reader instantly recognizes that the book belongs to a particular genre. Some of the designs you showed were beautiful but unclear as to what type of book they were illustrating. You never want confusion. The other common reason is that the majority of designers use manipulated stock photos, especially for indie books because it’s far cheaper than original art. I’m currently looking for a cover designer for a mystery novel, and what I have in mind preferably needs original art, not manipulated stock photos. But it’s questionable that I will be able to justify the higher cost.
Anonymous

February 28, 2019 at 12:10 PM

Ha! I’ve used that one. 😉

Dollar tree or one of the other cheap places had things that ‘grew’ when you added water, among body parts was a heart. Turned out to be just the right size to fit in an olive jar, some of the red dye they used colored the water. Sat on my desk at work for years …

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