[Cege Smith]

I decided try 99 Designs for developing the new concept for my Protect Her serial covers. I'm in the final round and have whittled it down to these four covers. My story fits in both PNR or Romance Suspense (and I flip flop constantly between the two.)

Would you mind taking a look and giving me an opinion to help me decide the winner?

http://99designs.com/book-cover-design/vote-hy29ht

While I was giving it a face lift anyway, I also wrote a whole new blurb for it too:

I don't mix well with demons. Angels are only slightly more tolerable. Those supernatural beings from the other realm might not like me, but when it comes to being able to retrieve valuable information from the dead, Necromancer Riley Stone is the only game in town. They know it, and I know it. I might be human, but I have more than a few tricks up my sleeve to get the job done.

My latest case brought me to Calamata Island, an unusual island where the dead buried in Calamata's infamous cemeteries outnumber the living by a wide margin. It's my kind of place. Benjamin, the archangel who runs this territory, has a new demon problem, and he wants to know why. For demons to cross over into Calamata Island's declared demon-free zone, they must want something pretty damn bad.

Three demon interrogations down, and the only thing I could find out is that the demons are swarming the island looking for a woman. They don't know her name or anything else about her. They only know that she's here, and their bosses want her. I figured if I found her before they do, I could negotiate an even sweeter deal with Benjamin.

Then I saved her from a demon bounty hunter, and in turn, she's upended my world. In my line of work, you can't afford to let anyone get too close. It was a lesson I learned the hard way. But there's something about Paige Matthews that has grabbed hold of a part of me I thought was dead. Now I'm not sure that I can give her up, not for a job, not for anything.

Thank you for your help!

 

[ShayneRutherford]

I like #54 the best.

 

[Deborahsmith author]

Hey! you've got some great cover choices here.

Since the blurb indicates this is definitely PNR -- big time -- I'm choosing between 54 and 59.
7 skews totally RS.
39 skews toward horror and I don't think it will appeal to women.
59 has a great model -- can't go wrong with bare-torso men -- but I don't like the text design. Also, he's bathing in clouds and that confuses me -- is he an angel, a lost soul, or what?

Okay, so I'm picking 54. It's got a great looking rom. couple, it says Paranormal Romance very well,  it works great with the theme of the book. Also I like that winged graphic, which is something that should stick in readers' minds and be a good branding symbol. 

 

[Bluebonnet]

It sounds like you gave away too much of the plot in the last paragraph of your blurb. I'd change the third paragraph to include her name:

Three demon interrogations down, and the only thing I could find out is that the demons are swarming the island looking for a woman. They don't know her name or anything else about her. They only know that she's here, and their bosses want her. But I knew her name, Paige Matthews, and I thought I knew where she was. I figured if I found her before they do, I could negotiate an even sweeter deal with Benjamin.

***

I'm a little confused. All Benjamin wanted to know was why the demons were on the island, right? So when the main character found Paige, that answered his question. It isn't clear why the MC would have to give her up -- what are the stakes? Get her off the island, or else she's at risk of death? Does Benjamin want her off the island too? What would happen if the MC takes her away? Demon bounty hunters pursue him? What was it about rescuing her that "upended" the MC's world?  Again, it seems like you went too far into the plot for a blurb.

The covers: not sure. In terms of artistic quality I like 54, but with her leg up on him it comes across as a steamy romance and doesn't make me feel she's in danger. It's not scary. Likewise for 7. She doesn't look scared or upset, and the man looking directly into the camera just looks like he's posing, not concentrating on her and her dangerous situation. No. 59 is beautiful but there's no woman. No. 39 is the most evocative of demons, but again there's no woman in peril.

 

[KL_Phelps]

I like #54 the best.

ditto

 

[Janeal Falor]

I'm torn between #7 & #54. I do like the skull in the fire in #54, that's a really nice touch. But I do wish they'd done #54 to look like a cover so it was a better comparison.

 

[Cege Smith]

I like #54 the best.

Thanks for the vote!

Hey! you've got some great cover choices here.

Since the blurb indicates this is definitely PNR -- big time -- I'm choosing between 54 and 59.
7 skews totally RS.
39 skews toward horror and I don't think it will appeal to women.
59 has a great model -- can't go wrong with bare-torso men -- but I don't like the text design. Also, he's bathing in clouds and that confuses me -- is he an angel, a lost soul, or what?

Okay, so I'm picking 54. It's got a great looking rom. couple, it says Paranormal Romance very well, it works great with the theme of the book. Also I like that winged graphic, which is something that should stick in readers' minds and be a good branding symbol.

You pretty much have touched on all my thoughts on these covers- and why I decided to ask for some help. LOL. Thank you!

ditto

Thanks for the vote!

I'm torn between #7 & #54. I do like the skull in the fire in #54, that's a really nice touch. But I do wish they'd done #54 to look like a cover so it was a better comparison.

I thought it was neat that the designer for #7 kept going that extra mile and giving the kindle cover view. It is helpful to look at it that way.

It sounds like you gave away too much of the plot in the last paragraph of your blurb. I'd change the third paragraph to include her name:

Three demon interrogations down, and the only thing I could find out is that the demons are swarming the island looking for a woman. They don't know her name or anything else about her. They only know that she's here, and their bosses want her. But I knew her name, Paige Matthews, and I thought I knew where she was. I figured if I found her before they do, I could negotiate an even sweeter deal with Benjamin.

***

I'm a little confused. All Benjamin wanted to know was why the demons were on the island, right? So when the main character found Paige, that answered his question. It isn't clear why the MC would have to give her up -- what are the stakes? Get her off the island, or else she's at risk of death? Does Benjamin want her off the island too? What would happen if the MC takes her away? Demon bounty hunters pursue him? What was it about rescuing her that "upended" the MC's world? Again, it seems like you went too far into the plot for a blurb.

The covers: not sure. In terms of artistic quality I like 54, but with her leg up on him it comes across as a steamy romance and doesn't make me feel she's in danger. It's not scary. Likewise for 7. She doesn't look scared or upset, and the man looking directly into the camera just looks like he's posing, not concentrating on her and her dangerous situation. No. 59 is beautiful but there's no woman. No. 39 is the most evocative of demons, but again there's no woman in peril.

for providing blurb feedback.

Riley hasn't told Benjamin why the demons are there yet. That's his leverage to get a bigger payout for the job. But then he falls for Paige instead which is completely unexpected and complicates everything. (That's part of Riley's character arc through the whole serial. He's not a nice guy when we meet him, but he becomes a hero for everyone.) I was trying to tie back in the romance element in that last paragraph because I was afraid I strayed too far into the action element of the story. This kind of feedback is very helpful as I continue to tweak- thank you!!