Apr 17
Click for full imageHeard of the glow effect in photoshop? Good, ’cause I want it! Place it around a guy who looks like he has just come out of his chemistry class… but instead of being in school, have him standing on a planet in space with a HUGE glowing moon in the background!
(Average: 8.22 out of 10)
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(9.25 out of 10)
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April 18th, 2009 at 9:23 am
And if you could make the Chemistry class guy look like he’s about 28 and on leave from the military that would be great.
April 19th, 2009 at 9:06 am
Something I’ve just realised which is terrible about this cover… It uses the same M for magic and more….. oh and the two dragon things.
April 19th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
huge glow effect… you dont think its the same artist as the “accidental goddess”?
the font is horrific, I actually have not a clue wtf the authors name is meant to say. RJEK TAJBOiD?
One last thing about the font, you mention the M is in more and the word magic… look closer again. Does it say magic, or “Magiek”, or possiblely “Magick”, im so confused, whats this book called?
and yes, the dragons are a subtle touch, you completely overlook them at first glace.
HEY OMG, THAT GUY WEARS JEANS & TSHIRT AND WEARS A BAG OVER ONE SHOULDER… I DO THAT TOO! I TOTALLY RELATE…
/rant over 😀
April 19th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Yea actually the more I look at this cover the more I realise it’s just really bad.
I thought it said maciek? Isn’t that a polish name? 😉
Really wish I read the synopsis of this book now. I guess I could google it but the idea is most likely better than the reality! I think one of the things he is clearly thinking is, ‘Wow cool planet… but I have 3TB of porn I downloaded unto my super server waiting for me at home… now thats more than magic!!!’
April 22nd, 2009 at 6:17 pm
It’s about an ordinary Polish guy, young journalist Maciek Khent just trying to get a break on the school magazine, who one day discovers that he actually crash landed on earth as a newborn in an escape pod from a far-flung planet of roleplaying superheroes and has been a entrusted with a +5 Backpack of Unending Terrors which he swore would never be used again. However, he keeps having visions of his long dead father, Dragel the Firebrand, morphing into some kind of lava-spitting flying lizard – what can this all mean?
October 30th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
As the author, you won’t get too many arguments from me (or my wife). I had almost no input on the desing of this cover. I liked the elements of it (the clothing and backpack–significant in the story), but the font is HORRIBLE. When I complained about it, the publisher said it was already done and they weren’t going to do anything about it. I totally agree it’s illegible.
But check out the newly released e-book version on my website (www.ricktaubold.com), from a different publisher who got it right. The character is supposed to be 24, and in the new cover he looks it.
Seriously, thanks for the comments on the original cover. Some publishers really don’t have a clue, and few of them listen to their authors. I’m just glad my latest publsier does listen–and cares.
–Rick Taubold
November 2nd, 2009 at 3:28 am
Welcome to GoodShowSir, Rick! A pleasure to have you here.
I’m glad you’ve found a publisher who you feel you can work with (rather than just work for), that’s valuable. The character on your new cover does look more of an approximation of an unlikely hero. If it were possible to have the new cover done in the style of the old one, that might be interesting.
Best wishes with the Mortal Vampires series and The Mosaic. Feel free to come back anytime!
av
November 2nd, 2009 at 5:37 am
Hey Rick! Thanks for leaving a comment and not going crazy at us having a wee laugh. The font does deserve the up most respect though. 🙂
It has become pretty apparent a lot of authors don’t actually have any input into the covers that they get put on their covers. Which is a real pity and must get very frustrating.
Thanks again and good luck with your current projects!
November 2nd, 2009 at 6:25 am
We quite often pick on little things that don’t deserve to be picked on. We’ve looked at alot of books and i have to admit that the font on More than Magic is probably one of the worst in terms of not even being able to read it.
Thanks for stopping by! I’ll be sure to check out your site when im outta work.
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Thanks, guys. I’ll be sure to check out your site more often now that I know it exists. I ran into by chance while checking my Google refs.
I totally agree with you about bad fonts for book covers. I’ve seem some really hard to read ones. This was cool font, just not for a novel cover.
I’m glad the cover gave you something to talk about. If possible, I’m going to negotiate cover approval into the contracts of any future novels. 🙂
As an author, I appreciate all feedback because it helps me to make the next work better.
–Rick
November 4th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Though of course for our sake, it would be better if your increased control over covers led to more ridiculousness, not less 😉
June 9th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
This font is amazing. While we often mock the cover fonts here this is the first one I’ve seen that is actually illegible.
I’ll bet that did wonders for sales!
December 6th, 2013 at 4:39 pm
The cover designer poured acid over the lettering to erase his fingerprints. The fiend escaped us again!
August 27th, 2015 at 1:39 am
. . . is that Pluto in the background?
January 24th, 2017 at 1:00 am
I’d easier read it as Maciek than magick as well. Although the one and only “M” isn’t very M-like… more of an N or perhaps a “runic L (laguz) followed by large i”.
Good to hear the author got a cover more to his liking.
June 21st, 2019 at 1:14 pm
Three more Infinity Stones and he will have the power to fix the font.
June 21st, 2019 at 7:32 pm
I think those dragon things are actually eyebrows and the orb is actually a frowning emoji frustrated at trying to read the ridiculous font 😖
June 22nd, 2019 at 12:00 am
“I was lying in a field in Innsbruck…”
June 22nd, 2019 at 12:01 am
How the hell did the G and the C end up like that? Did the font designer really think it was a good idea, and did the cover designer agree? And why so pink?
It might actually say NOPE THAN ACIEK, for all I can tell. Poor Rick. Or RjEK,
@fred: a worthy use.
@BC: I can see that. Easier than I can read the font.
June 22nd, 2019 at 4:09 am
W|-| Y 4ll th3 fu55? 1 l1k3 Th1s f0||t.
June 22nd, 2019 at 4:30 am
@Tor M—Very clever! GSS,
I mean, ₲₷₷! 😉
June 22nd, 2019 at 5:00 am
Beside the terrible font, it’s just sort of bleh. Random non-fantastical dude with random planet in background and a bit of glowy iridescence sprayed over the whole. Also, some greenery. Shrubberies perhaps? Excitement is not generated.
It provides little clue to the contents, aside from “yes, there will be magic actually” and “possibly dragons”. (Perhaps the dude goes to another planet to have magical adventure? It doesn’t look particularly habitable).
June 22nd, 2019 at 11:46 pm
“Flaback”? Oh, it’s probably just the font…
June 23rd, 2019 at 3:52 am
@Leak: That’s what I thought too.
@Bruce: Yep, the combo of a boring image and a ridiculous font made this book probably not fly off the shelves. Glad Rick got it republished with a different cover. This shows that people do judge a book by its cover and as much fun we have here, it really can hurt authors.
Of course, when the authors pick their own covers, we get to mock them doubly.
June 23rd, 2019 at 3:54 am
‘I heard this planetarium had a killer laser show. I’m kinda disappointed.’
June 23rd, 2019 at 2:54 pm
@Leak (#23):
‘sh!’ 😉
June 23rd, 2019 at 4:40 pm
@Hammy: *whispers* Sorry, I couldn’t hear myself over that loud font…