Weekly Update & Bonus Cover Art Poll

[rowyn]

Since my last update, I have:

* Finished an alternative layout for the Further Arrangements cover, which most people liked better than my original vertical one.
* Finished a couple of different set of separators for the FA cover, and an alternative version for one of the panels. Poll results were not conclusive on these.
* Changed the color of the decorative trim on the FA cover, after terrycloth pointed out this obvious solution to the "it's invisible at thumbnail size" issue. I actually don't mind it being invisible -- I think that looks better than the solid white -- but the dark looks fine too. Pix and poll a new below!
* Written three scenes and completed one bullet point for Birthright. I wrote slightly more words in one more day than I did last week, and realized that I am still obsessed with word count. I really don't need to worry about words, because this manuscript is almost 50,000 words and only 20-25% of the way through the story. There will be plenty enough words before it's done. So I am going to stop recording words written and only focus on scenes & bullet points completed.
* Wrote a back cover blurb for FA. I'd like to improve this before the publication date, but it's good to have something.
* Asked the SFWA new release newsletter to include Further Arrangements in the February newsletter. Gave FA a release date of February 2.

That seems like enough.

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[Poll #2034018]

Comments

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

Surprisingly, white does not stand out well on light yellow. :)

[rowyn]

I used white for the backdrop elements on the original specifically because it didn't show up well, and therefore didn't distract from the figures or muck with the lettering. I like using it for the frame here as a call back to the first book, but I'm okay with either. And also outvoted. :)

[argonel.livejournal.com]

On the one hand yours is the vote that matters, on the other hand what you want for the cover is what will sell the story best. Too bad Amazon doesn't let you have multiple covers and A/B test which drives sales. If they did you could do it like a comic book and add all the variant covers as part of the backmatter.

[rowyn]

I admit, when I have a strong preference, I'm gonna overrule. For example, in the last poll, I listed the solid white arches as an option, but there was never a chance I'd go with that. If they'd been picked, it just meant I needed to come up with a third choice. (They didn't win the vote, but it was close enough that I made the dark version above because of that.)

I honestly do still like the vertical triptych better than the triangular one, though. c_c But Micah's argument (you don't want original/sequel books to have covers so similar they can be mistaken for each other on a quick glance) carried the day, and it's not a huge preference on my part.

[danceswithlife]

While I like the black framing better I also like the cats in the white framing better :-)

[archangelbeth]

The fact that darkcat still has his/her ears back, while lightcat nuzzles, is still bugging me on the Romance side... O;>

[rowyn]

I'm probably doing the original cats (from the dark pose) for the final, but I will perk Anthser's ears up if I change my mind. Just for you! :D

[archangelbeth]

Yay! (Because, really, the ears-back is the "I am offended you are sideswiping me!" look that my cats get when they're leaning away from the side-swiper...)

[mrw42.livejournal.com]

I might like something in between better, like the light or medium brown. I wouldn't know without seeing it, though.

[whitefangedwolf.livejournal.com]

I think you have a good idea. Maybe a shade of brown around Nik's coat color?

On a related note, it was only after I expanded the cover to full resolution that I realized that the dark border is Justin-coat brown, not black, yet I saw all of the non-border browns as browns in the thumbnail-sized image.

[alinsa.livejournal.com]

I like the dark better, but I think there's too much of it ... it feels kind of like "omg there's a spot on this cover without something in it lets make sure there's something in it".

I would personally keep the patterning between the panels, but get rid of it on the corners and above the panels.

[archangelbeth]

It needs to stay in the corners, or there's too much blank space at the top and it looks unbalanced, but losing/minimizing the "fans" might well be more effective, yeah.