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That's a question that crops up surprisingly often -- we'll all be interested in what happens with that!
My NC-17-rated adventures in New Adult.
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That's a question that crops up surprisingly often -- we'll all be interested in what happens with that!
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I love the way your blurb is written.
However, I'm sorry, but I can't make heads or tails of your cover. I found a girl eventually, but I'm not sure she's the right one as the one I finally forced myself to see is a bit cartoony. Probably my bad.
I wish you the best of luck, because from the blurb it sounds like you have plenty of talent, and I love seeing talent succeed
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ETA: I am also very interested in hearing what happens with the Joni Mitchell lyric.
However, I'm sorry, but I can't make heads or tails of your cover. I found a girl eventually, but I'm not sure she's the right one as the one I finally forced myself to see is a bit cartoony. Probably my bad.
I wish you the best of luck, because from the blurb it sounds like you have plenty of talent, and I love seeing talent succeed
.ETA: I am also very interested in hearing what happens with the Joni Mitchell lyric.
I thought that cover was great. Not only did it seem mysterious and dark, but the apple also suggested the "forbidden" love story in the book, at least to me. It was also very feminine, which that book is.
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egoodlett said:
I doubt it. Twilight is technically YA, not NA, so it's a totally different ball of wax. Not a lot of sexin' on young adult novel covers.
I didn't care for the book, but I thought the cover was great.
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Funny you should say the bolded. There's been discussion in the YA forum about how gender neutral the Twilight covers are.
I found the cover of the first book more feminine than the other three. The book itself wasn't my cup of tea, but I thought the series' cover artwork was beautiful.
I read a couple of blogs about the "Twilightization" of new book covers and I've noticed the trend at the bookstore, too.
Congratulations on the GR reviews you've been getting, Leah! They have me intrigued, though I've never read NA.
A dumb question: Are these e-book ARCs you've been sending out, or hard copies? I've been wondering how necessary it is to have a print version. As a reviewer, I find hard copies make much better reminders of a book's existence, but if I'm enthusiastic enough about a book, I'll be able to remember it exists on my iPad.
I like the cover — it doesn't say NA to me, but I've seen lit/mainstream novels about relationships with similar covers. There's kind of a retro-'80s vibe to it.
A dumb question: Are these e-book ARCs you've been sending out, or hard copies? I've been wondering how necessary it is to have a print version. As a reviewer, I find hard copies make much better reminders of a book's existence, but if I'm enthusiastic enough about a book, I'll be able to remember it exists on my iPad.
I like the cover — it doesn't say NA to me, but I've seen lit/mainstream novels about relationships with similar covers. There's kind of a retro-'80s vibe to it.
Happy 4th, everyone! My new site design just went live, themed to match my oh-so-polarizing cover.
Check it out: http://www.leahraeder.com/
E-ARCs. I'll be doing a print version through Createspace (or Lightning Source) at some point, but for now I'm focusing on the ebook version only.
Because of my genre (NA romance), I'm going to wait and see how the ebook does before adding print.
Certain genres, though, are still heavily reliant on print versions (e.g. YA), because the e-reader ownership just isn't there yet for that demographic.
Luckily, romance/erotica and e-readers go hand in hand.
Check it out: http://www.leahraeder.com/
E-ARCs. I'll be doing a print version through Createspace (or Lightning Source) at some point, but for now I'm focusing on the ebook version only.
Because of my genre (NA romance), I'm going to wait and see how the ebook does before adding print.
Certain genres, though, are still heavily reliant on print versions (e.g. YA), because the e-reader ownership just isn't there yet for that demographic.
Luckily, romance/erotica and e-readers go hand in hand.
Well, Leah, I've got to say, your website is one of the most attractive websites I've ever seen. Congratulations!
Happy 4th, everyone! My new site design just went live, themed to match my oh-so-polarizing cover.
Check it out: http://www.leahraeder.com/
Holy mother of gorgeousness.
Thank you, guys. Curious if those who think the cover was iffy will come around after seeing the site.
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I'm still not a fan if I'm being honest. I like the coloring of the title, but the girl herself throws me off. I dislike that she's sideways, as it makes me feel like the book is turned the wrong way and that the ground isn't the ground. Maybe she's supposed to be standing, but it looks like she's lying down to me, which implies the ground is the left side of the cover. It also makes me think of those sheets of paper we did in art class in middle school that are black over a rainbow and you scrape it off to make a picture. Those are fun to play with, but that association for me makes it seem a little unprofessional.
Mostly, though, it just doesn't feel like what you're trying to convey. I see nothing about love story (or love fail story) in the cover. I'm not sure if sci-fi is what comes to mind, but even seeing the site, it's a little jarring to see the words describing it beside the cover image because they just seem so contradictory. I don't have a good idea of age range, or what the book is about, and those are two things I need in a book. I at least need the feeling of it.
I'm not saying the lettering with the color gradient isn't pretty. I like it. I just don't like it for this book.
Mostly, though, it just doesn't feel like what you're trying to convey. I see nothing about love story (or love fail story) in the cover. I'm not sure if sci-fi is what comes to mind, but even seeing the site, it's a little jarring to see the words describing it beside the cover image because they just seem so contradictory. I don't have a good idea of age range, or what the book is about, and those are two things I need in a book. I at least need the feeling of it.
I'm not saying the lettering with the color gradient isn't pretty. I like it. I just don't like it for this book.
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Thank you, guys. Curious if those who think the cover was iffy will come around after seeing the site.
I think the website is superb, and the branding between books and wesbite is great. If you can create a massive following and produce a series of books using the same color scheme then it could work out brilliantly.
But as a new author, trying to build a whole new branding style instead of joining the already created and selling-like-hotcakes NewAdult brand doesn't seem like the best plan.
This is very true. Eminem is an example of someone with a very distinct, edgy style like Leah's. (Am reading her book currently and writing is very good. And edgy
)I read somewhere that Eminem felt that his first song "My name is" (i think this is what it's called) and the video for it were way too cheesy and didn't represent well what he was doing and who he was as an artist. But his manager explained to him that taking a more commercial, generic approach was the best way to introduce him to the world. And we all know how well that went. And that he also went on to do edgier, darker stuff afterward, the kind he really wanted to do.
Amadan
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I have no interest in "New Adult" and am unlikely to read your book, sorry.
That said, the thing I notice about that cover is that it's very, very distinctive. It attracts attention. And it is very pretty and it shows up even in small digital storefront sizes. Branding is all about being memorable, planting an image that sticks in the head.
Since I have no interest in New Adult, I don't really know what the expectations of genre readers are, and if it's the case that they just won't buy a book whose cover doesn't conform to the standard, well, maybe everyone is right and you should go with something more "representative."
That said, it can't be a disadvantage to stand out from the crowd and have an eye-catching cover that makes people say "Hey, what is that?"
I dislike the trend of forcing genres (and readers) into increasingly narrow boxes and niches. I was curious enough about your cover to check it out. It doesn't look like my kind of book, but normally anything "New Adult" or with pictures of young hotties promising sexyfuntimes on the cover would make my eyes glaze over and skim past.
Maybe that's irrelevant since, as I said, I'm not actually your target audience. But I can't help thinking some people in your target audience will also think "Huh, New Adult, but that's an interesting cover."
That said, the thing I notice about that cover is that it's very, very distinctive. It attracts attention. And it is very pretty and it shows up even in small digital storefront sizes. Branding is all about being memorable, planting an image that sticks in the head.
Since I have no interest in New Adult, I don't really know what the expectations of genre readers are, and if it's the case that they just won't buy a book whose cover doesn't conform to the standard, well, maybe everyone is right and you should go with something more "representative."
That said, it can't be a disadvantage to stand out from the crowd and have an eye-catching cover that makes people say "Hey, what is that?"
I dislike the trend of forcing genres (and readers) into increasingly narrow boxes and niches. I was curious enough about your cover to check it out. It doesn't look like my kind of book, but normally anything "New Adult" or with pictures of young hotties promising sexyfuntimes on the cover would make my eyes glaze over and skim past.
Maybe that's irrelevant since, as I said, I'm not actually your target audience. But I can't help thinking some people in your target audience will also think "Huh, New Adult, but that's an interesting cover."
Thanks for the continued discussion on the cover, guys. Lots of good points being made on both sides.
Amadan totally nailed what I'm going for. It's an experiment. I'm taking a risk and being different. We'll see what the masses think.
That's another awesome plus for self-pub: you can experiment with covers and branding at a whim.
I should stress that my goal is not to become a bestseller. Oh, I'd do cartwheels all day if it happened. But I've been through the wringer with agents and going out on sub and blah blah blah, and now I'm at the point where I've accepted that the bestseller dream is very unlikely to happen for me. So I'm simply having fun with this. If I make some money, cool. If not, I'm out $80 and a few months of my time that I would've spent playing video games anyway. I'll live.
Amadan totally nailed what I'm going for. It's an experiment. I'm taking a risk and being different. We'll see what the masses think.
That's another awesome plus for self-pub: you can experiment with covers and branding at a whim.
I should stress that my goal is not to become a bestseller. Oh, I'd do cartwheels all day if it happened. But I've been through the wringer with agents and going out on sub and blah blah blah, and now I'm at the point where I've accepted that the bestseller dream is very unlikely to happen for me. So I'm simply having fun with this. If I make some money, cool. If not, I'm out $80 and a few months of my time that I would've spent playing video games anyway. I'll live.
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Come around to what? It took several people having to specifically point out to me that the image was of a female turned sideways. Now that I know it and can see it doesn't change the fact that I couldn't see it before. I don't think I can "come around" to liking a cover if I can't figure out what I'm looking at.Thank you, guys. Curious if those who think the cover was iffy will come around after seeing the site.
I agree with others who say the colors are pretty and standout. That is not enough to get me to buy the book, but it would make me pause to read the description.
Leah, Eureka! I finally found the image. I was looking for a full body, but I see now it is a face with hair flowing out behind it. I've tried to stay out of this part of the discussion, but I wonder if you'd consider one suggestion. Her lips are barely discernable, and I'm thinking that might be part of the problem with not being able to see a girl there. What if you changed the lip coloring a bit to make them show up more. Just a thought - it might be worth a try. *shrugs*
Yup, that's what I thought too (blue head, purple arms, gold bust, very abstract), until other posters pointed out the face.
Leah, I'm not your readership either -- I love the cover as a piece of art, and it would probably make me read the blurb, but not being a NA reader I'd decide it wasn't for me after reading the blurb. So . . . I'm not sure what that tells you!
I do find your website (1) beautiful, but (2) hard to read (I tend not to like the reading experience of light-on-dark text). Of course, it goes with your branding, so that may be a sacrifice you're fine with.
Anyway, good luck! I'm eager to see how the branding/marketing you're trying works out for you.
I've just shown one of my sons your website, Leah. He has problems with his colour vision, and he couldn't even see much of the stuff on it, let alone read it, I'm afraid.
Damn girl, can you design a site for me?Happy 4th, everyone! My new site design just went live, themed to match my oh-so-polarizing cover.
Check it out: http://www.leahraeder.com/
Thanks, Ann. That's my thought, too. I've played around with it to try to accentuate that, but it looks odd when zoomed out. I'll keep messing with it, but the final cover will probably look pretty similar to what it currently is now.
Thank you, Old Hack! Accessibility problems noted. I'll see about doing an alternate version.
No, she's not, but her copyright is managed by an estate. The lawyer I spoke to was the one who used the term "estate."
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So! Some updates.
I managed to get interest from a MAJOR romance book blog (http://aestasbookblog.com/), which resulted in my TBRs on Goodreads going through the roof. I'm currently at around 800, and steadily climbing. That blog is giving me such great exposure that now other book bloggers are contacting me and asking for ARCs to review.
I also added two more expenses:
1) Purchased an ISBN for $125 from Bowker. Because I'm getting so much interest from bloggers now, I want to make sure my book is trackable by all the usual suspects. I won't be doing a print version at release, so I had to buy the ISBN. (It's a ripoff to buy a single--next time I'll be going in on a 10-pack with friends.)
2) Added $15 to the blog tour raffle, making the Amazon Gift Card $25 now. I've noticed that gift cards are a HUGE draw on other tours, and the more you can afford to throw at it, the better. I think this is money better spent than advertising on Facebook or similar venues.
And, finally, I've been getting comments from those aforementioned NA book bloggers that say they LOVE the cover. So I think the actual readership for this genre is going to be just fine with it.
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