Wooffer's Woods Stories, the cover

For all 27 books, I intend to use this basic cover, changing the name of the story in the middle.

At the end of each story I will put something to the effect: Other Wooffer's Woods stories you might enjoy and list the list of them.

So, What do you think of this cover?

Love,

Betty

Please make your name bigger and more easily visible - you are the author. Otherwise - pretty

Dear Diane,

Thank you for looking at my cover. I will put my name a little larger. The picture is a real picture of a portion of my back yard, which is Wooffer's Woods.

When I look at this the size it will be on the Smashwords site, it is so small but when one clicks on the small image a large one comes on. Onward!

Love,

Betty

11/5/2011



Betty..

I love it ! I look forward to reading it..


Love Joe..

It's beautiful, Betty -- but will it appeal to children?

Dear Shelagh,

You bring up an interesting question. Are children the one's who buy little stories? I have felt that to have been the QUESTION all along.

Who am I marketing to? I have not one idea. Am I marketing to the parents of little kids, the kids, the teachers of little kids, the grown up people?

For that answer, I have looked inward to my own self. At last, I put it out there as if I am marketing to my own self, grown up or child. I looked back to Nancy Drew, to the Weekly Reader, and on back to the Grimm's Fairy Tales. I found in my heart that sappy marketing would not intice me to read. I found that the straight forward, honest, plain approach held more promise.

I hope I am right.

Love,

Betty

Books that lay on tables to attract children at libraries and children's wings of bokstores need covers that delight them.

Ebook covers are to attract adults. One weakness of ebook covers is the lack of a back cover to explain the book on the cover.

Your books are equally enjoyed by young and old - stories that touch the heart and open a new view of the creatures that inhabit this world with us. They can be enjoyed by children to adults. That's hard to communicate.

I like the photo and the simple layout of the text. I would change the font to make it more kid-looking, and make it more dimensional (e.g., shadow it a bit). It should all be the same color, too, just different sizes.

I might put "Camille the Chameleon" at the top, and biggest, with "A Woofer's Woods Story" underneath.

As for if you market to kids or their parents -both. Make it kid-looking, and parents seeking kids books will be attracted to it.

"The woods are lovely, dark, and deep," as Robert might say. I want to enter them.. Who knows what stories they might reveal.

Ann

11/6/2011


Betty...

How did you create the cover ? Was it a
program ?


Cheers...Joe

Betty Fasig wrote:

Dear Shelagh,

You bring up an interesting question. Are children the one's who buy little stories? I have felt that to have been the QUESTION all along.

Who am I marketing to? I have not one idea. Am I marketing to the parents of little kids, the kids, the teachers of little kids, the grown up people?

For that answer, I have looked inward to my own self. At last, I put it out there as if I am marketing to my own self, grown up or child. I looked back to Nancy Drew, to the Weekly Reader, and on back to the Grimm's Fairy Tales. I found in my heart that sappy marketing would not intice me to read. I found that the straight forward, honest, plain approach held more promise.

I hope I am right.

Love,

Betty

At last you have stated what I've always wanted to say! Your stories about animals have a depth that only adults would understand, and yet a simplicity that children can take at face value.

This is a link to the best selling children's short stories on Amazon. Look through the list of the top hundred and picture your cover among that list:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/books/291757/

Do the same with the list of best selling adult short stories:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/books/275380/

Betty,
What you did is appealing. Comments made by the other authors are valid, however in the end, it is your decision. I'd suggest going with your gut feeling.

Since it appeals to both adults and children, you can't go wrong with what you have.

Just my opinion.

Betty, I think the cover is delightful. I also think the others have made some good suggestions, but you have to do what you think, just as Abe says.

Which would you buy?

Betty, the photo on the front of your cover is yours. You can still use the cover for your stories. I designed my PA book cover and I continue to use it.

The font on the PA book is what I meant by more kid-looking.

Don't like that at all... it obscures the Woofer's Woods meme.

Maybe you prefer woods to dogs, LC.

I like both. One overpowers the other on that cover.

I don't like the cover for your new book either (think it's terrible, actually) so I guess we just have different tastes.

I think both titles have a different angle, too. The PA one is suited for a one-book effort. The Woofer's Woods title is better suited to span multiple titles, which is what I think Betty is aiming for now. So she would have to decide which title is more indicative of her current goals and make the cover reflect that.

Personally, I think the image of Wooffer in front of the woods is kind of overpowering, but a smaller version, off center, and maybe a little fuzzy or faded out, or even a different picture of him, entering the woods, maybe, would work well for the newer concept, and still honor his memory and inspiration.

Just me.

Ann

LC wrote:

I don't like the cover for your new book either (think it's terrible, actually)

The story won't have to live up to the cover, then.

lol -ok, that was funny.

See if I submit my cover to this bunch....it's hard to hear comments that get a little edgy at times. On the other hand, it's also good to get comments before a cover is final - as food for thought.

What is special, however, is the willngness of each person to step forward with ideas and even cover art - I'm proud to hang out with you.