Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Book Covers




Recently I've been cooling my brain off from book edits thinking about book covers.

The working title of my book is Called to be Fruitful Now: A Mission for Young Women. It's a short Bible study on the calling of young ladies. My basic goal is to emphasis that we all have an intense job in every time of life, and that being a fruitful, productive, and serious Christian starts on day one.

I could go a lot of directions with the cover.

Books we've done in the past have always had comb bindings and watercolor artwork. I like it, but since my book is shorter I want a half page perfect binding look.
I also think my sister is going to do a photography cover. She'll to do an awesome job and Daniel will do a wonderful job with the lettering/formatting aspect.

I just want something that makes you curious.
I want it to be happy and colorful, but at the same time down-to-earth and gritty. I don't want it to be at all romantic. I want it to be very much hear and now...a modern girl in a modern world.

We've thought about a tree or blossoms or something, but that doesn't really get my idea across.

It would be very cool to do something with a girl and a tree. Sort of a "Eve in the Garden" look except the opposite. Have no clue how to do that.

The only option we've brainstormed at the moment that I even slightly like is a girl sort of hanging from a tree limb. lol. :-P

Have any ideas about book covers? What makes them good?

Thanks for reading my discombobulated thoughts.
Miss Pickwickian

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

How about a girl just OUT of a garden, leaning forward, looking in, the leaning indicating yearning to BE in?

Timothy said...

I like the idea of a girl hanging from a tree!!! You could be the one in the picture!!! Howabout having her (or you) hanging from a tree by one hand with a Bible in the other hand and a concerned expression on your face. You are dressed in a dress. Down below you on the ground, a bunch of other girls in pants and green hair and tatoos are standing around laughing at you.

Bethany said...

Robert,

Thanks for the comment.
Your idea is interesting...however, I think it could give the wrong impression. We should be in fellowship with Christ, not locked outside the Garden. Also, it doesn't give any indication of the girl working or bearing fruit.

Hmm...I'd really like to do something with the Eve theme though...

Thanks for the thoughts.

Timothy,

Thanks for the comment.

I like the idea of incorporating the girl holding a Bible. I have a very cute girl in mind for the cover (but I haven't asked her yet. lol).

Being laughed at would add to the gritty feel, but I'm not sure it goes with the message I want.

This is certainly taking some thought. Thanks for the input!

Bobbi Martens said...

What about something not necessarily with a tree, but a garden-like idea:

-Feet in soil (add something - bright nail polish, a sprouting something in the dirt, or ??)

-Girl juggling fruit

-Girl hanging from a higher tree limb picking fruit from a lower limb

-Girl standing on a limb, in some kind of dance pose

And I'm out of ideas. :)

Bethany said...

Bobbi Jo,

I think all your ideas have potential. Thank you!

I especially like the dance pose and picking fruit beneath ideas. One of the problems is if we do a photograph...there isn't a lot of fruit out and about right now. :-P But I think it could be used very well. We'll see.

Most of our books have had artwork...so that is still an option.

Thank you! :-)

Anna said...

A few thoughts;
Fruit is not abundent on the trees, so here's an idea or two...

Have a girl, random stranger or friend, hold a piece of fruit near her face and take a close up photo of her looking past the fruit and at the camera. (serious, funny, or philisofical expression, whatever)

Perhaps you can find a girl who can manage to balance a piece of fruit on her head. Either take a close up of just the fruit on her head or of part or all of her face looking up at the fruit.

Or:
Have a girl with a basket of fruit next to her on a counter and looking at a cook book, piece of fruit in her hand.

Or have a jar of apples, or apple slices, seeds and all, in a jar and the girl standing next to it looking at a recipe for canning.

Or have two girls stand back to back, not looking at each other, one in an apron or some productive type clothing, the other in some fancy outfit with shopping bags. Or otherwise in some less than productive pose/outift.

Hope something helps and gives inspiration one way or the other.

~Anna P.

Leper Watchman said...

I am seeing your mom sitting on the sofa, homeschooling the other kids while she is nursing your younger sister.

I am seeing you (in your old modest blue long barn dress) wiping off the 3 lambs we had to "rescue" from the ewe that just couldn't.

Maybe there would be some situations your older sister might be in now that could illustrate this, or your sisters-law?