[ChrisWard]

I think this is a situation where personal recommendations are very important.  I was recently trying to hunt down a cover artist who ignored numerous emails I sent.  I was recommended a different person by a writer friend and not only did I get a reply within the same day I had a finished cover in a week.  She listened to everything I had to say, offered suggestions and when I asked for something to be changed it was done without complaint.  The final cover looks great, and for the price was a bargain.  That was a company called www.novelprevue.com, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them or work with them again.

 

[Victorine]

Yeah, let's spam both here and Ammy forums with the same post, and call someone who's apparently delivered the artwork (which you called 'great'), a 'scammer' because there's such a major difference between an MP-4 and an MP-10.
*rolls eyes*
I hope you pay the same sort of attention to line edits.

He did not get his finished cover. He paid for a finished cover. He has the right to warn others. This is not an isolated incident. Ronnell has done this many times.

This is not spamming. This is warning others.

 

[Keith McArdle]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies, I only wish I had searched the internet more thoroughly before paying the designer.

Ian,

"Yeah, let's spam both here and Ammy forums with the same post, and call someone who's apparently delivered the artwork (which you called 'great'), a 'scammer' because there's such a major difference between an MP-4 and an MP-10."

There is a vast difference between the M-4 (NOT an MP-4 as you stated) and the MP-10. Size, weight, calibre, M-203 attachment to name but a few. Currently, soldiers in Afghanistan (and at the beginning of the Iraq war) are being engaged by the enemy at up to distances of 1, 000 metres. If you have any idea about weapons, you'll know that even an M-4 is struggling at these distances, never mind an MP-10.

I pay just as much attention to my line edits as I do to the fact the character on the front cover carries the correct weapon.

Thanks again everyone.

Regards,

Keith

 

[Howietzer]

Sorry to hear about your experiences.

Sometimes I wish the internet had the ability to punch people in the face.

See, this would be an example of the sort of posts we don't want.

I think you're barking up the wrong tree on this one Ann. I find the post below much more offensive.

Yeah, let's spam both here and Ammy forums with the same post, and call someone who's apparently delivered the artwork (which you called 'great'), a 'scammer' because there's such a major difference between an MP-4 and an MP-10.
*rolls eyes*
I hope you pay the same sort of attention to line edits.

 

[Not Here]

I just want to say that I hope this doesn't sour you on other artist on KB. I've worked with tons of authors who have had lots of luck with a variety of artists. Sorry to hear about your loss in money though. Maybe he will decide to pop in and set things right.  Although it's been quite a while since he's been a regular on here.

Best of luck to you. Oh and btw- my husband is a veteran and agreed about the guns. I wouldn't have had any idea but then, I'm not your target audience. 

 

[DarkScribe]

Yeah, let's spam both here and Ammy forums with the same post, and call someone who's apparently delivered the artwork (which you called 'great'), a 'scammer' because there's such a major difference between an MP-4 and an MP-10.
*rolls eyes*
I hope you pay the same sort of attention to line edits.

There is a GREAT deal of difference between the two weapons. If the correct weapon was clearly described in the initial brief then this is a major and unacceptable problem. If you wanted a Ferrari on the cover as it was related to the story-line, but you got a Lotus - would that be acceptable to you? The issue however seems to be lack of interest/communication on the part of the designer.

Would you like to roll your eyes again? You are so impressive when you do that.

 

[Shane Murray]

I think you're barking up the wrong tree on this one Ann. I find the post below much more offensive.

Agreed.

Also, I don't think I made my point very well. What I should have said was that with the internet you won't need to be face to face with a person, so they can pull this sort of stuff a lot easier. In face to face dealings there are more consequences (i.e. a punch to the face ). The internet can be a dangerous place to do business.

 

[Revolution]

The very section of kindleboards is for the writers.

And I am grateful any warning concerning dodgy cover artists, editors or anyone of the sort.


I will avoid him like the plague.

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

Just to clarify, as there seems to be some misunderstanding of Ann's original post here:  it's entirely appropriate to post negative experiences with people who provide author services, just as it is appropriate to post positive ones.  We just ask that people do so and discuss the issue in as reasoned and rational a way as possible, given the highly charged nature of the subject mattter.  Suggesting physical attacks, even in a humorous manner, is not something we like to see. 

As for Ian's post, which occured while Ann was composing one of hers--discussion of whether the kind of weapon was sufficient to reject the artwork is a valid discussion point; the manner in which the comment was made was probably over the line; I'm going to review the post and subsequent discussion.  The post has been well responded to at this point, including by Keith.  Let's not derail the original purpose of the thread by focussing too much on one response.

Continued discussion of Keith's original issue and posts about other people's experiences, good or bad, with Ronnell are entirely appropriate here as long as done civilly.

Thank you.

Betsy
KB Moderator

 

[Lynn McNamee]

I don't think the reason for the author's problem with the artwork is really the issue.

No matter what problem the author had with the service, the artist should at least communicate and discuss. A compromise could have been reached. Sure, to some the type of weapon may seem frivolous, but in certain genres, it's a bigger deal. The artist could even have offered to do a different style cover where a weapon doesn't appear.

This complaint is not about the work done. It's about the lack of communication. And the OP has a valid complaint in my opinion.

As far as I am aware, the only times I have failed to respond to a client were when either his or her message or my response went to spam.

So the only thing I will ask the OP is if he has been checking his spam/junk folders in case a response went there.

 

[Decon]

It would seem that images descriptions do matter to some readers. I can can recall a discussion post (not on here) where a number of posts discussed and complained of covers, particularly from indie authors, where say the picture of a woman or man had no resemblance to the characters as described in the book. As an example one cited something similar to --- a blond on the cover, but the character in the book had black hair.

I am a war book/soldier's story book fan and the wrong gun on in the hands of someone on the cover would matter to me. It would signal that maybe the book was by someone who didn't know what they were writing about with any degree of authenticity.

Provided the OP specified the requirement for a specific rifle, then his complaint about the image is justified. There is no excuse, other than illness or vacations for a lack of communication. Clearly now this thread has been posted, then the situation is obviously at the point of no return. I don't know which country in which the designer resides, but if he was in the UK, I would take him to the small claims court if it was not possible to resolve. If you paid by credit card, or by paypal, then I would make a claim to them for repayment if your card laws are the same as in the UK.

 

[Hudson Owen]

I'll put in a good word for Ronnell based on my one cover with him.  I contacted him in late May or early June for a cover for my long story The Fight of the Century.  I paid $150 up front, which I did not like.  I had read no negative press about him, liked his imagination and decided to take a chance.  I outlined some ideas for the cover and put it on hold for an unexpected rewrite.  I let Ronnell know so that he could focus on other projects.

I turned the project back on and the artist, came up with a design in a reasonable period of time.  It wasn't exactly what I had imagined; but I liked it immediately, accepted it, and conveyed my happiness to the artist.  He included my cover in his portfolio (see signature).  I did ask for two minor edits: to increase the point size of my name, and to brighten the image overall.  The first edit he did immediately, the second he apparently balked at.  I waited a week and politely asked again, explaining that while the image was fine in full, it looked a bit dark in the thumbnail.  About a week after that he complied.

So, I have no beef with Ronnell D. Porter.  However, if he has upped his fee to $250, I might explore alternatives.

 

[MJWare]

I have no idea what's going on with Ronnell, but I can say that I would be shocked to find he was deliberately taking money from people and not producing a cover.

Ronnell has done several covers for me without issue (though none recently). The one time I didn't like the concept he came up with, I offered to pay him 1/2 of his fee for his time and he refused it saying he hadn't done his job.

I do know, that he has very poor internet access, maybe, just maybe that's what's causing these issues. I know, given the time frame involved it seems like he could have made it to a library or something. Still, I just wanted to offer my experience with Ronnell as a counterpoint.

 

[4eyesbooks]

Jan,

I just hired Shayne Hellerman for my latest cover so glad to hear you were satisfied.  I also had Ronnell Porter on my possible cover artist list so I'll be removing that listing for future reference.

 

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

I don't know whether the OP did this, but it is advisable to keep checking the junk mail folder. I was waiting for a cover and discovered it had been in my junk mail for about 4 days  . There was also a time when a friend's email simply did not reach me and we couldn't figure out why. Despite re-uploading everything nothing came through. For a time we had to route our emails through another friend. However, if other people have also had a problem with this person it would appear that the junk mail folder is probably not the problem 

 

[Amanda Brice]

I do know, that he has very poor internet access, maybe, just maybe that's what's causing these issues.

I'm sorry, but that's really not an excuse. If he's going to be doing business on the internet -- which he obviously is -- then he has a responsibility to ensure he has proper internet access, whether at home or by going to the library/cafe with wireless/whatever.

 

[Jeff Shelby]

Bolded - Readers, especially readers in certain genres like romance, pay closer attention than you might think to cover accuracy.

Absolutely agree. Gun enthusiasts are notorious for pointing out to authors when they have made even the most minor mistakes regarding weapons. I don't mean notorious in a negative way - they just pay attention to the most minute details related to weapons. It matters to them as readers. A mistake like that on a cover would absolutely matter to the OP's intended audience.

 

[MJWare]

I'm sorry, but that's really not an excuse. If he's going to be doing business on the internet -- which he obviously is -- then he has a responsibility to ensure he has proper internet access, whether at home or by going to the library/cafe with wireless/whatever.

Which is the reason for my next two sentences which you didn't quote: "I know, given the time frame involved it seems like he could have made it to a library or something. Still, I just wanted to offer my experience with Ronnell as a counterpoint."

I didn't see the other threads about Ronnell, so I really have no idea what's going on-- and I agree that it does seem very egregious, at least on the surface. I'm not defending him, just offering my experience--and frankly I wouldn't use him again myself until these outstanding complaints were resolved.

But we'd certainly feel bad if we learned that he was hit by a bus or something (except maybe the OP, who is out $250-j/k).

 

[Steve Silkin]

I have no idea what's going on with Ronnell, but I can say that I would be shocked to find he was deliberately taking money from people and not producing a cover.

I do know, that he has very poor internet access, maybe, just maybe that's what's causing these issues. I know, given the time frame involved it seems like he could have made it to a library or something. Still, I just wanted to offer my experience with Ronnell as a counterpoint.

In the previous case posted on KB, he did not return e-mail messages. Access or illness could have been the cause. Then the client used a different e-mail address and posed as someone placing an order. The e-mail was returned immediately.

Keith's case is not an isolated incident that can be written off to misunderstandings or other contretemps. It has several precedents.

 

[MeiLinMiranda]

I'm married to a fan of military fiction; unsurprisingly, he's also a gun aficionado. Not a gun super freak, just someone who knows this stuff and finds accuracy important (not unusual among firearms people). He's fond of freeze framing movies and tv shows to see what the props department is up to, especially in SF films where they've altered stock guns. Would he notice the wrong gun on a book cover? In a heartbeat, and it would reflect quite poorly on the book inside, however unfairly. The OP is well within bounds to complain.