525 Comments
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Ramen's avatar

Option 2, but don’t put your name right over the starburst, make the starburst smaller and above your name

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MSol's avatar

Put a cross over the starburst instead of your name. Option one reminds me of the cover to live not by lies and 3 looks like an insect.

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Sethu's avatar

I'd think that it would be better to not have a cross on the cover: no need to spook the heathens before you get them hooked.

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Hmmm's avatar

Agree about the position of the name, it doesn’t stand out enough in the star.

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Stephen Hoffmann's avatar

Love #2 because f the suggestion of the infinite universe and also of medieval Christian art. I remember how enthusiastic you were about the aesthetics of the “Dante” book. I think this cover resembles that. It would be nice if this one could likewise have beautiful endpapers like that book.

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PCW's avatar

Option 2

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MarkS's avatar

I don't care for #1, seems quite generic. #2 is OK. I like #3 the best, it's clear and sharp and I think it stands out. I also like that the author and title are emphasized over the blurb.

I would cut NYT from all of them, but maybe that does help sell them ...

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Dennis Monokroussos's avatar

#1 looks a lot like Carl Trueman's most recent book covers, which may or may not be a good thing. (Maybe ask him about it.) The design of #3 is pleasing, but the dominant brown isn't so appealing. The second one "pops".

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ATM's avatar

I like the simplicity of the 3rd the most. It drew me in. The first would make me stop in a bookstore, but sends a message of fragmentation. The 2nd is beautiful, but too busy.

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Zoe Day's avatar

#3 is nice but would be better in a blue, I think.

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Will Thomas's avatar

#3. I can only say that the first two give me a little anxiety, while the stained-glass window version brings a sense of peace through its beauty and symmetry. Not great art criticism, but that's my vote.

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Brigitte's avatar

I second this vote for #3 for the same reasons

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Wanderer's avatar

I will third this, even though the colors don't pop like with the second one.

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Sethu's avatar

With the current shape and color scheme, though, I think it looks sort of like a moth.

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Brigitte's avatar

Agreed

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Alex's avatar

I agree- 3 is definitely a classier look than the others.

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James C.'s avatar

#1 needs bolder colors and the title is not prominent enough--maybe a bolder font or shadow can help it stand out.

#2 is my current favorite but I think the title should be centered more---it looks a bit shunted off to the lower left corner.

#3 needs more color, particularly in the stained glass effect.

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Rachel's avatar

I like option 2; it looks classy and erudite. Definitely keep the description that you are a NYT best selling author...success begets success.

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Smaranda's avatar

Option 2 looks friendly and inviting. It doesn't hit you like option 3, which appears a bit hieratic to me. I don't even want to mention option 1.

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RC's avatar

Option 3 looks good to me, though maybe it looks too familiar from too much time spent in the New Age/Spirituality section at bookstores.

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Ellen Fantini's avatar

First one looks too dated (orange and green) and generic.

Second is lovely but a bit chaotic and sun/night sky reads a bit New-Agey.

Third could be great—why make the stained glass so muted? Jewel tones, light shining through, would really improve it. It would also give the Christian message (think Sainte-Chapelle).

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Jennifer Rust's avatar

I agree with all these comments from Ellen. The stained glass could be so much more!

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Kelli Buzzard's avatar

Def the third one.

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Jen X's avatar

I prefer Option 3, but if the colors were changed in Option 1 (perhaps change the orange to blue and make the green a slightly different shade) I’d like that as well. Option 2 is a little too busy, in my opinion.

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Sethu's avatar

I think the problem with #1 is not in the colors; it's in the fact that the broken arch and overall fragmentation contradict the words on the cover. "You have to live in wonder to put the arch back together" is too complex of a message, so it just produces a sense of dissonance.

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Deborah J Bittle's avatar

Option 3 with more colors. Think big stained glass church windows - Notre Dame or York Minster.

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Giuseppe Scalas's avatar

#2. I found it immediately the most attractive, and this counts on a bookstore shelf. #1 is too modernist, it conveys the meaning of something shattered, when what you're seeking there is unity

#3 makes one think about looking up inside a church, but we you are talking about the enchantment and sacredness of the Creation, which is not just about liturgy and prayer, even though the two things go together.

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Stan Blaihr's avatar

I agree with Giuseppe completely. #2 is a clear winner, IMO.

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Gretchen Joanna's avatar

I agree about No 1 looking like broken pieces; it also lacks any kind of classical beauty.

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Sethu's avatar

Agreed about #2: it looks sort of like a cross between an icon and a tarot card (which to me is a very good thing). The man with the white robes and staff also already suggests the Christian content of the book: not sure if it's Jesus, but it definitely evokes Him.

Also, the hexagon is a great touch, because it evokes the Seal of Solomon, which is the esoteric form of the Star of David.

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Hmmm's avatar

It’s an angel, pointing to Christ’s empty tomb when the myrrh-bearers come to anoint the body. A famous image (“the White Angel”) from a medieval Serbian fresco. Very few will get the reference, but it works with the theme of the book, I think.

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LiKa's avatar

I prefer option two. Here's why : First, the illustration, cover art, painting? Captivates the eye. It evokes beauty to the eye. If the person looking at the cover is a Christian they don't need a cross anywhere to understand what they are looking at. I don't think you need a cross. Also, if your introduction discusses that your angle is coming from a Christian perspective then that is sufficient.

Personally, I think your book cover should invite and attract. Allow the reader to have curiosity. There are occasions in my life where I bought a book purely for the attraction I got from the cover and the book Title. If I would have known beforehand that the author was Bhuddist (happened one time) I wouldn't have picked up the book. But once I had it and took it with me I read it to the end. I learnt something and got a surprise. Option two has warm colors.

I do not like option two. I find it visually jarring. The brokenness of the old architecture and the empty white background. Something about this cover is unsettling. I love the color orange generally speaking but here in this cover it looks cold. This book cover reminds me of contemporary art: cold, shock value, unattractive,somehow incomplete.

Option three is all right. But forgettable. Those are my two cents anyway. Good luck choosing. I hope this helps.

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LiKa's avatar

Correction I meant to say that I do not like book cover option 1.

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Brian Villanueva's avatar

There's nothing "enchanting" about the first one. In fact, I think it looks like a 1970's era cover, made when 4-color process was expensive.

Of the other two, I actually prefer option 3. Sans any overtly Christian symbol on the cover, definitely #3. The stained glass conveys the connection to the church implicitly. And I think you should trust your publisher on the cross. If they say, no cross, live with it.

If you end up using #2, please move your name. I would suggest to the bottom right or top edge, but anywhere else would be better. It looks especially weird because it's not contained within the sun but just pasted on top of it.

BTW: Nice to have an official title now. Congratulations!

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Richard Parker's avatar

Agree with trust your publisher on the cross. You don't want to be siloed.

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Mike T's avatar

Actually, if you look at #3 there is a cross there ... In fact it makes up the entire design. It's a Greek Cross, but it's very subtle so may not be obvious at first sight.

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Brian Villanueva's avatar

Here are my 3 kids votes (just to help you with the younger generation).

#3 is best hands down. They disagree about the order after that. One says #1 is gaudy and prefers 2. Another says #2 is confusing and likes #1. But everyone thinks #3 is the best.

And no, I didn't prompt them :-)

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6stringfury's avatar

I like the second one. It has an 'inviting feel' and draws me in.

The first one, for some reason, hints to me that it's going to be about Ireland (the orange and green, perhaps?) The third one is ok but a bit austere.

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Sethu's avatar

It's fascinating that the Indian and Irish flags not only have the same colors, those colors also having similar meanings. With the Irish it's green for Catholic and orange for Protestant, with the Indian it's green for Muslim and orange for Hindu, and with both the white is for peace.

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