A.J. Corza’s “Got You Covered” – Top Cover Pick – “Slave” by Kol Anderson – Author And Cover Artist

This week’s pick is Slave written by Kol Anderson who also did the wonderful artwork, but I’ve run into a small hitch: Kol did two covers for the same fic and the question is which one to choose? *taps finger on chin* Ah hell, I like them both. So I pick both. Actually, the one that was sent to us was the left hand one but I needed a larger picture and found the right hand one was out in the marketplace as well, so I decided to put both up there for consumption.

Both are clearly awesome book covers but my fave of the two is the one on the right. You can see the authors name more clearly, the title stands out more and the smaller tagline is easier to read.

The thing that artists have to remember, and I’ve fallen victim myself, is that these covers are often squashed into unbelievably small sizes when they’re posted on sites such as All Romance E books, or Amazon, or well, anywhere. Not on the page that is solely dedicated to the novel in question itself, but on the pages where they’re listed with all the rest of the novels being sold on any given site. And if a cover is being squeezed down to the size of a postage stamp, can you still tell what the picture is? And if you can’t, are you still able to read the title?

It’s partially why I personally shy away from such a dark cover. Don’t get me wrong; anyone that knows me knows I love dark colors. Just take a look at my personal website or the Covered site; both are done in predominately dark colors. And dark can be good. Dramatic, volatile, moody, mysterious, sensual are all words we often attribute to the dark. Making a dark cover is what a ton of us artists do, it’s what a lot of authors ask for, but you always have to keep in mind that while a dark cover can be majestic at a large size, it might lose a lot when it’s made miniscule.

The best way to handle the problem is just make sure the font is large, bright, and easy to read at a tiny size, cause if you aren’t able to see the picture at a small size all that well, you want the title to scream!

Even though the tagline and maybe even the authors name might be lost at the smaller size for both these covers, the word Slave is loud and clear. Just a single word that, let’s be honest, in this particular genre can get our motors revving, also intrigues us. In turn it makes us curious as to why it’s so bold and what the hell it’s selling behind its boldness. So you…Click, and oh look, a bigger cover and, ooo you can buy it! *Nods sagely* Thus is the power of an interesting title combined with the simple artistry of confidence at work.

Anyone that’s been reading my reviews thus far knows I love fonts. Clear, beautiful, bold fonts, but I love a cover that conveys the feel of the book just as well. I personally do a lot of romance covers, I want to say, the pop culture of the m/m genre romance: fun, lighthearted, maybe a little angst thrown in there for a little spice, hot sex of course, but not moody like this. Not so emotive. Not practically cocooned in its angst and pain for everyone to see. And that is my point. You should be able to tell what the feel of the book is overall from the cover.

A happy romance should be happy colors, smiles, holding hands with kittens in baskets around the adoring couple, (not really but you get the gist), and this one clearly is not that type of book. But since it is a book about a man trying to win back his master and the agony he’s in due to his circumstance; the picture of the single person all alone in the dark with their head down lamenting their choices feels like the perfect fit for Slave.

I actually find myself drawn more to the larger photo than the smaller one. Yes, he seems more alone in the picture where he’s set farther back but you almost get a disconnect because he is so far away. The larger photo, for me anyhow, seems more real like I can feel his pain more acutely, and my hand itches to touch his shoulder just to let him know he’s not alone. The smaller version makes me want to pause and observe rather than help because he doesn’t seem like he’s wanting help. Not that I wouldn’t give it if he asked but I’d be more wary of having my hand chewed off for offering in the first place.

Overall, I love what the artist did for this cover. The picture is brooding, lonely, and sad, combined with a big bold title that is brightly lit but in a color that is also often linked with despondency and hurt. It conveys what it means to convey and it does it very well.

The cover of Slave is, in a word, beautiful.

Have a great day and may the good books be with you!

A.J. – GotYouCovered

All thoughts and comments are the reviewers only and not the viewpoints of others. If I’ve made you angry, stepped on any toes, or otherwise ruffled any feathers, I do apologize. This is just for fun, and written in the hopes that it will help fledgling book authors and artists to grow and learn.