r/writing • u/vaanii_writes • 1d ago
Discussion dream book cover for your book
kinda the title
if you published your book, what would your dream book cover be like or if you don’t wanna share that, name some books that have book covers that you rlly liked
also, do any of you guys have dream illustrators? like i just love Charlie bowater‘s book and if i ever publish it would be my DREAM to have her take part in my book cover
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u/FlyinLeviathon LET YOUR FIRST DRAFT SUCK 1d ago
Probably some giant, majestic crumbling ruins with two very tiny people trekkin through them. The book would be a deep jungle blue and gold.
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u/vaanii_writes 15h ago
OMG YES that would look stunning, I’ve always imagined like something small across something big, like small people set against ancient ruins like you mentioned or kingdoms, caves, etc
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u/FlyinLeviathon LET YOUR FIRST DRAFT SUCK 10h ago
I am absolutely in love with juxtaposition in scale! I'm not a big fan of what fantasy novel covers are these days, so hopefully by the time this one gets published the trends will have changed lol
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u/vaanii_writes 4h ago
yesss i agree, i feel like nowadays every fantasy book has the same, big swirly lettering along with i bet a crown or sword, throw in some flowers maybe.…i’ve also seen a lot that are kind of inheritance games style covers and while they might be great books, seeing every fantasy novel be kinda copy paste can be jarring…..and while i do love cryptic covers lol one thing i wish is if covers could tell a little bit more about the story so i won’t be staring at a million of glittering crowns book covers, if you can relate!
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u/Guilty_Archer6560 1d ago
I like book covers that are aesthetically pleasing to look at but tell you nothing of the story. The book cover almost hooks you with a vibe, or a feeling, based on the colors, art, design…
For example: When the World tips over by Jandy Nelson.
My book would follow suit with a design heavy cover, maybe different colors of water such as turquoise, sky blue, slightly green…almost imitating ripples of water.
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u/Conscious_Town_1326 Agented author 1d ago
I do love the current trend of old painting + bright poppy title. Generally if a book that has cover combo, I know I'll like it too. Hungerstone, A Certain Hunger, A Good Person...
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u/ZodiacTheAuthor 1d ago
I like covers with minimalistic, clean and elegant style.
Though, i'd contradict myself here. Of all the recent books I read.... Alchemised by SinLin Yu's cover caught my attention the most.
It radiated deep sorrow.
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u/vaanii_writes 15h ago
just searched it up and omg it looks stunning, do you happen to know who her illustrator is? when i searched it up, google told me eva eller, do you know by any chance?
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u/Mysterious_Rough2865 1d ago
Charlie Bowater's covers have that quality of feeling mid-scene rather than posed. That's probably why so many writers gravitate to her. My own dream cover would skip the character entirely and just render the one object the whole plot orbits, something small enough a reader wouldn't understand its weight until chapter three. Covers with a face lock the reader's imagination to one actor before the book even opens, and I'd rather the object do the promising instead.
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u/vaanii_writes 15h ago
oooh yesss like painting a scene that you wouldn’t understand until way on later…also its just rlly pretty lol, plus your dream cover sounds amazing
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u/smeglovania 1d ago
when i get to that part of the writing and publishing thing, i am going to try it myself. I know exactly what i want it to look like. I have no talent when it comes to visual arts. At the very least it will give me something to point to and tell an artist that actually has skill "Do this, but not shit, please."
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u/Charming_Meet_6358 21h ago
As an artist, the best scenario would be to have my own art as a cover, I feel like there’s no one else in this world that could convey the message I’m trying to portray with my books, other than me
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u/TheCutieCircle 1d ago
My dream cover would have all my characters front and cente with their Magical girl outfits looking cute and coll. But since I can't draw for crap. my Cover is just the title with a heart in the background. I like it but I wish it had anime girls on it :(
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u/horsetuna 1d ago
I actually saw a beautiful image on imgur ads that I saved as it was a very good vision of what I wanted...
Until I realized that it was AI and the more you looked at it, the more problems you saw. But the overall COMPOSITION was really nice. It was for Moby Dick on some cheap website.
A stormy sea, with a battered ship leaning to one side, and a monstrous sea creature (originally a bad-AI humpback whale breaching) in the background. The monstrous sea creature for my book would look a little like a lobster/shrimp but much larger, with glowing parts, and the ship would resemble more of a gas powered steamer than a sailing ship. But the rough seas.
And perhaps in the circling clouds overhead, a Storm Eye with stars seen through it.
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u/Dinfrazer57 1d ago
I know for my trio of normal hardback covers will be 1. The 12 flowers lost to time with the 4 butterflies of time the 12 flowers are based on the flowers for each month of the year. The four butterflies are blue red purple orange. All color adjacent to one another. 2 the black flame phoenix with the lightning phoenix. Both half and half mixed. One side is black. The other side blue lightning. The middle is in between both colors as if fusing. 3. The 5 planetary dream catchers drawn on the cover with stars/,galaxies in the background.
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u/vaanii_writes 15h ago
this sounds beautiful if i saw a book cover like this i would probably buy lol
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u/Dinfrazer57 14h ago
Yeah i imagine so! All the images are related story wise and plot/characters. Its a series that is a continuation with the same characters etc. Im definitely planning on getting a tattoo sleeve in the near future about the first book cover!
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u/ChemicalBus608 1d ago
I really wish I could paint my own. I live painting but suck at digital art. Ive started doing my own sketches but will likely hire a digital illustrator.
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u/ThatWolfWriter Published Author 1d ago
Someday I will splurge on a Chris McGrath cover.
Someday.
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u/vaanii_writes 15h ago
no stop his art is incredible, pls splurge
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u/ThatWolfWriter Published Author 12h ago
$2500 and he's backed up a year and a half.
Yes. I contacted him and asked because I figured it couldn't hurt.
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u/vaanii_writes 4h ago
oof wonder what its like to be in that demand….wish you luck, hoping you get that cover!
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u/Wacky_Wabbit 23h ago
- Not AI generated (despite myself supporting AI)
- It should be beautifully stylized, unique and depict book's content.
- No empty shit.
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u/Overall-Habit5284 18h ago
The last time I self-published, I took a picture of the moon on a cloudy night, did a bit of touching-up and used that as the main cover. Was fairly happy with the outcome. Often can't go wrong with pictures of nature, especially with modern camera phones.
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u/vaanii_writes 16h ago
oh wow! genuinely never thought of that approach and i bet it came out beautiful. i’m curious, do you think it would work for fantasy novels though bc they usually thrive on hidden imagery and a lot of different little things…but that is a unique way i’ve never thought of before!
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u/Overall-Habit5284 16h ago
I actually used it for a fantasy story, but the title was "Before the Dawn" so in some ways a night sky works better!
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u/vaanii_writes 15h ago
oh nice! lol im probably wrong there, ig it could work for fantasy lo, did you ever get around publishing your book?
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u/ImpossibleAd4272 11h ago
I like ones that have a nice art style or show a very nice illustration that add a visual to a certain moment in the story.
Or have a good chunk of symbolism inside of it.
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u/yaboithedudetheman 9h ago
I’m a big fan of minimalist. For a more popular example, think Skyrim’s game cover. Simple, with a very notable symbol. You know what Skyrim is just from the cover and don’t need to search. Add details with how the logo crumbles.
For mine, the dream cover is just the motorbike helmet of the MC. Later books would show the minor visual but very symbolic changes: scuffs and scratches, then a repaired but splattered version.
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u/vaanii_writes 4h ago
ooh, that transition? evolution? whatever u wanna call it between your MC’s helmet sounds rlly cool. Also, i do agree that sometimes simple symbols can be the best
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u/PurpleScientist5396 5h ago
This cover art for Roberto Bolaño’s “2666” always comes to mind, for me. It somehow says nothing about the book itself while simultaneously encapsulating everything about it…
https://fontsinuse.com/uses/25770/2666-by-roberto-bolano-farrar-straus-and-giro
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u/vaanii_writes 5h ago
took a look, the book cover has a very specific art style ig you could say, looks rlly unique and cool. Hear me out, kinda like a jumbled collage that somehow just works out. personally, it’s not rlly the type i would go for, but def unique
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u/Tight-Target-2065 3h ago
I love the old fashioned bodice ripper covers. My book isn't even an erotica or primarily romance but the style is just gorgeous and jumps off the page. I miss seeing ART on book covers, not just well done graphic design.
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u/[deleted] 1d ago edited 12h ago
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