Calling All Readers: I had a brain fart.
Found an example that jumped in my face. Want you to see this...
So, I’ve been tossing around some ideas for the cover of Choices, Book 1 of The Chronicles of a Hero, and I’ve got a pretty specific direction in mind.
But I’d really love your thoughts before I dive in too deep.
I recently stumbled across this really striking poster for The Invisible Man (take a look below), and it got me thinking about the vibe I want for our cover. The way the central figure is hidden, almost blending into the shadows, while everything else around it reacts—it’s intense, right? I’m imagining something similar for our hero, Wendell.
Here’s where you come in.
I’m thinking of making Wendell the central figure, but with a twist: I want to keep him shrouded in mystery.
Maybe we don’t see his face at all—just his silhouette.
The idea is to let each reader picture their own version of Wendell.
The only splash of color? The yellow smiley on his t-shirt. Everything else would be in black and white, or maybe grayscale, to really make that smiley pop.
I’ll be the one sketching up these ideas (don’t worry, you don’t have to break out the art supplies), but I’d love to know what you think before I get too far into it.
Does this concept grab you?
Do you think it captures the essence of Wendell and the choices he faces?
I’m aiming for a cover that’s a bit mysterious, a bit intense, and something that’ll make people stop and take a second look.
Your feedback would really help me nail this down.
Let me know your thoughts when you get a chance. Can’t wait to hear what you think!
Cheers,
Jaime
Do you plan on having art in the book? Specifically of Wendell like you had in the previous renditions as well as the art you’ve shown along the way here in Substack?
If so I don’t see the purpose of “letting them imagine their own Wendell.” You’re allready showing them what he looks like just not on the cover. I don’t see the point in shrouding him in mystery for the purpose of letting them picture him for themselves If you show him to them multiple times throughout it.
One thing I would warn you against is making it too noisy the eye will find it hard to track.
To be honest I’d have to see your vision to give a full opinion. Right now I have doubts about the silhouette idea but I could easily be proven wrong.
I really like the idea, and I think with the right execution, it would look amazing. I do think the smiley might end up a little small though, and as the thing that grabs your attention that might be a bad thing. Not sure how to fix that, or even if you need to, that was just one of the first things that came to mind