Hi.
I have only one beef with the series so far and even though some of the covers do appeal to me, most of them are just simply way to Generic.
The series is called PLANET STORIES for crying out loud!. Go and google up a few cover galleries to the old Planet Stories magazine.
They were garrish! Bold! colorful They screamed and jumped out at you.
I know that this is always a matter of taste, but to me these covers are too dark, boring and simply look like generic Fantasy/SF covers.
Go and check out the old DAW Books covers to Moorcock's mars trilogy.That was art that was better than the books deserved.
Or the old Jim Steranko the covers of the Skaith Trilogy that was put out by Ballantine in the 1970's. This was amazing stuff which probably had a huge influence on the sales of these book.
The "new" skaith covers don't look like "buyer magnets" to me. I don't even think that those are representative of the contents of the skaith books.
Or go look at the Jim Kelly cover for Almuric in the old Berkley editions!!
I don't want to insult anyone, but have the cover artists even read the books? It doens't look like it to me, but I could be wrong.
These books need to jump off the racks and yell "THIS IS SOME OF THE COOLEST STUFF EVER TO HAVE APPEARED ON THE PRINTED PAGE!!!!!!"
Is it possible to use some classic cover art or at least get an artist who understands that this is PULP FICTION and not Goth/MOODY ?
These are stories written in very broad colorful strokes. The covers should reflect it.
I am sooooo excited about this series, but I feel that the covers do not do the series justice.
There is an old story that the first cover for Glenn Cook's "The Black Company" was turned down by the publisher. The art was still laying on the publisher's desk when a buyer for a large chain saw it and said "I'll take 50,000 copies of whatever book has that cover". So even if you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover it'll still make a huge sales difference.
Take care.
Doug
I think what he's saying is that he thinks you guys should be more retro.
Zoink!... I suddenly realized that the old Planet Stories let the TM lapse. Cool.
Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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I'm not sure which covers you're complaining about. I think almost all of the "final" covers through April are appropriately pulpy, though your point about the colors is well taken.
To be clear, we post mock-up place-holder covers using existing art when we solicit the books because it is too expensive (at least right now) to get final covers 12 or so months before we make a penny off of each book.
Don't read too much into the covers of the recently announced books. They have almost nothing to do with what they will look like in their final versions.
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Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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Also, YMMV, but I think Steranko's covers for the Skaith books are TERRIBLE.
I think every cover the Books of Skaith have ever had is terrible, though, so perhaps I am biased.
We just got the sketch for our version of "The Ginger Star," and it looks pretty darn good.
Hey I like the covers just fine.
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Chief Technical Officer
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The covers for all of the Planet Stories titles from April onwards are currently all mock-ups using fill-in art taken from other products, and don't reflect the actual covers in any way.
Make that May onwards. We just put up the final cover for Gary Gygax's The Samarkand Solution. due in April.
(If you still see Seoni instead of a chick with an Egyptian headdress, reload your browser's image cache.)
I'm not sure which covers you're complaining about. I think almost all of the "final" covers through April are appropriately pulpy, though your point about the colors is well taken.
To be clear, we post mock-up place-holder covers using existing art when we solicit the books because it is too expensive (at least right now) to get final covers 12 or so months before we make a penny off of each book.
Don't read too much into the covers of the recently announced books. They have almost nothing to do with what they will look like in their final versions.
Hey All!
Yeah, retro is a part of it, but not all of it.From what I`ve read there is less and less shelf space for "Fantastic/Genre ficiton" and you need every advantage you can get.
I'm 46 years old and counting my time in the sevice I've spent over 23 years over here in Germany, so maybe I'm not as up-to-date as I used to be since I only get back to the states every 3 years. But it used to be that when I went browsing in the book stores, drug stores, news stands or even K-mart ect. I would often be attracted to books with realy cool covers. Of course there have been tons of shi#*y books with Frank Frazetta covers, but Frazatta sold tons of Shi#*y books just because of his covers. When a young person goes into a book store or even on line he/she probably has no idea who Leigh Brackett or Edmond Hamilton (just to name 2 authors)is. So the cover has to act as bait.
And I understand that the new covers are just mock-ups and hope that something else will be used because (IMHO) they just aren't striking enough (for my taste). A cover doesn't have to depict a scene from a book directly, but it still has to try to bring forth the "spirit of the story".
I guess I just feel that when someone doesn't have any idea who a specific author isyou need a visual presentation that will make them at least take the book off the shelf and look at it.
I want this series to succeed so very much and to have a long life, so I think that to attract new readers you have to grab their eye
Sorry for rambling so much.
take care.
Doug
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I remember being 12 and drooling over all the ERB Tarzan books. I bought and read several based on those Boris Vallejo covers. Today, when I think about going back and reading the Tarzan series, it's those editions that I want. They're gorgeous!
(Some of the covers weren't by Boris, but they were just as great.)
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Of the two I have read (and therefore can remember the covers) I liked the Anubis Murders cover and wasn't impressed by the Secret of Sinharat cover (though I loved the stories - Leigh Brackett totally rocks, my first experience of reading her).
Interestingly, US book covers for SF/Fantasy tend to be more lurid than the ones for the UK. The UK ones tend to be less colourful and more abstract - maybe a spaceship in deep space, or a moon - whereas the American ones are already quite pulpy to my eyes, with bright colours, and depicting more "cliched" elements like knights, dragons and so on, scenes from the books, and all in bright primary colours. (That's my perception, anyway.)
In that context, the covers to date on the Planet Stories line are fairly subdued, with darkish colours. So whether that feels pulpy or not I'm not sure, since I've never really been exposed to the magazines.
Hi!
The Tarzan covers from the late 70’s early 80’s were mostly done by Neal Adams.
They were wonderful! Dark, gritty and exciting and fairly representational of the book contents.
His cover to „Tarzan at the Earth’s Core“ is IMHO the single best portrayal of PELLUCIDAR!!
Regarding the difference between UK and US book cover, I brought this up at the REH forum the other day. The UK covers for lots of SF books are too subdued form y tastes. Though from what I understand the covers by Chris Foss are very popular even though I find them too cold and sterile.
Go on the web and compair the UK „Lenman“ edition with the Chris Foss covers and the US editions with the Jack Gaughan covers.
There is nothing wrong with abstract covers. Go and „google“ Paul Lehr. He did tons of covers during the late 1960’s and 1970. mostly for Fawcett books. He did allmost all the Asimov cover in the early 70’s. They are so amzing! The first book I ever bought with my own money was the Fawcett edition of Wells „the Time Machine“ and War of the Worlds. I still have a copy today and still enjoy just looking at the cover! Sad, but true! 
Here are a few Paul Lehr links….
http://drzeus.best.vwh.net/wotw/0052.html
http://phantasy-and-art.nnm.ru/paul_lehr
http://images.google.de/images?hl=de&q=paul+lehr&um=1&ie=UTF-8& amp;sa=N&tab=wi
This stuff is so eye catching that you just have to pick up the book and check it out.
And here is a link to the entire ACE SF series from the 1950’s through the present day.
These are great examples of Marketing through covers even when a ton of the books weren’t so good.
http://people.uncw.edu/smithms/ACE.html
Or look at the Micheal Whelan covers to ERB’s John Carter/Barsoom books. I grew up with the earlier editions but these are probably the best ever!!
I know I keep repeating myself, but how old ist he main target audience?
Have they ever heard of most of thse authors?
Have they ever heard of Planet tories?
I would bet that most people under 40 have no recollection of this stuff.
So you need a HOOK to make this series stand out above all the other titles on the shelves
And that starts with the eye candy.
Take care.
Doug
I gotta say that I agree with Douglas on this one. As much as I know that will enjoy reading many of these titles, some of the covers just seem... well, boring. Secrets of Sinharat and Northwest of Earth come to mind immediately.
By contrast, some of the covers are fricking awesome - two of my favorites are the covers of City of the Beast and Almuric. These covers, unlike the aforementioned boring ones, convey a sense of action and impending peril. They're just more exciting... for me, anyway.
Yah, I gotta say, IMO Doug has a good point that's worth discussing.
Myself, I'm reading them because I've learned a little bit about the authors and I'm a gamer. That flashier covers might win more readers who don't know the authors and aren't aware of the D&D reading list is worth considering.
Yah, I gotta say, IMO Doug has a good point that's worth discussing.
Myself, I'm reading them because I've learned a little bit about the authors and I'm a gamer. That flashier covers might win more readers who don't know the authors and aren't aware of the D&D reading list is worth considering.
I'm the other way around...
I'm not a gamer.I came to Paizo by way of the REH (Roert E. Howard) forum.
I'd be buying these books even if they had plain white covers! :-)
These are almost all writers from my youth (late 60's and 70's).
So I know who they all are. But I would bet that the target public is much younger than me or maybe gamers who aren't not that familiar with Sword & Sorcery, Sword & Planet and golden age Adventure SF. Almost all of these people were still in print back in the 70's. So they were still part of the literary landscape.
But times have changed and the world has moved on and I feel very strongly that these books need a special "look" to attract the attention of book store browsers and book store buyers. The greatest content in the world can't sell itself if no one even bothers to pick one up and look at it.
I know, I'm becomming a little fixiated with this subject. sorry
take care.
Doug
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The covers for all of the Planet Stories titles from April onwards are currently all mock-ups using fill-in art taken from other products, and don't reflect the actual covers in any way.
Make that May onwards. We just put up the final cover for Gary Gygax's The Samarkand Solution. due in April.
(If you still see Seoni instead of a chick with an Egyptian headdress, reload your browser's image cache.)
As Shakespeare might have said, "Wow! She out-Seoni'ed Seoni!"
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Chief Technical Officer
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But I would bet that the target public is much younger than me or maybe gamers who aren't not that familiar with Sword & Sorcery, Sword & Planet and golden age Adventure SF.
Well, one of our main goals is raising awareness of classic out-of-print books and lesser-known authors among readers who are already buying more recent sci-fi and fantasy novels. But we're pleased to appeal to folks like you who already know what's between the pages.
Either way, we do appreciate the feedback!
How do you feel specifically about the covers up through April?
But I would bet that the target public is much younger than me or maybe gamers who aren't not that familiar with Sword & Sorcery, Sword & Planet and golden age Adventure SF.Well, one of our main goals is raising awareness of classic out-of-print books and lesser-known authors among readers who are already buying more recent sci-fi and fantasy novels. But we're pleased to appeal to folks like you who already know what's between the pages.
Either way, we do appreciate the feedback!
How do you feel specifically about the covers up through April?
Here¡¦s my opinion(s)
For what it¡¦s worth¡KANUBIS MURDERS:
Very good, but looks like a Horror novel.
CITY OF THE BEAST:
Looks like a cover to one of the old Tor Books CONAN pastiches.
And it¡¦s not colorful enough.
BLACK GODS KISS:
Composition is nice, but once again too static and dark.
ELAK OF ATLANTIS:
Very good, but still too dark.
SECRET OF SINHARAT:
Composition is good.
Stark is black=EXCELLENT!!
Colors are not bright enough.
IT LOOKS LIKE AN ASTRONAUT RIDING A STEGOSAURUS!!
THIS IS MARS!!!!
NORTHWEST OF EARTH:
Composition is nice, but too static form my taste.
He should be on the attack and not backed into a corner.
Again the colors are too subdued.
No sense of Place!
THESE ARE PLANET STORIES!!!
ALMURIC:
Another Tor CONAN pastiche.
Where¡¦s the winged babe?
LORD OF THE SPIDERS:
EXCELLENT!!
Still too dark though.
SAMARKIND SOLUTION:
Good companion to the Anubis cover.
And halfnaked Eurobabe/Harem girls are a good seller!! ļ
What I would like to see are covers that have a sense of WOW!!
Excitement! Action!! and FUN!!!
These are WONDER stories and that (IMHO) seems to be missing from these covers so far.
It's like a good burger. You're giving me excellent meat, but I still want some CHEESE with it! :-)
Take care.
Doug
NORTHWEST OF EARTH:
Composition is nice, but too static form my taste.
He should be on the attack and not backed into a corner.
Again the colors are too subdued.
No sense of Place!
THESE ARE PLANET STORIES!!!
My main critique to the covers and this one in particular: No breasts! These are pulp books and such is expected. In that instance you have a character from the book (the Shambleau) with strange sex appeal that for some reason gets lost on the cover.
I think PS needs to go a little Gonzo with the covers.
Hi!
I just saw the new "Ginger Star" cover. It is a scene staright from the book.
Which is good,But this is a SWORD & PLANET STORY!!!!!
I don't see any swords or planets.
I've read the books. But what should a new reader think when he/she see's that cover?
It looks like a witch burning during the middle ages.
To be 100% honest I find the art is very nice and well done but the layout/scene/content/feeling is very poor.
THESE ARE PLANET STORIES!!
THEY NEED A SENSE OF WONDER!!
or PLAYFUL RETRO FEEL/STYLE/LOOK!
I assume (yeah, I know what happens when you assume.) that you major audience is gamers.
But give them some credit. It doesn't all have to look a D&D novleization and that's what most of theese look like. All that is missing is someone shooting rays from their finger tips or raising a staff.
A lot of a books success depends of a browser's first impression. There are lots of other books crying out for their attention and limited book budget
If I didn't already know and love these novels I would probably just walk on by.
I'm sorry but that's what this grumpy old man thinks.
Take care and enjoy the weekend.
Doug
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Douglas
While I agree with some of your critiques of the art, but not all Anubis Murders I did think was going to be more Horror like from the cover. and while this is the only one I have read, some of the others still look dark.
I disagree on the sense of wonder that some of them exhibit, though. The only ones that I can't look at and say that they are based in another planet/reality - in fact the only ones I do not see this from first glance are the Gygax novels, and those are the ones most resembling historical earth, so that is a good thing.
In responce to the Conan-esque feel you mention for some of them.. is that a bad thing? having planets less developed than us? (as long as the book itself confirms the feeling of the cover) would you feel happy if you found out that out of all of the planets in the galaxy that support life, we are the least sophisticated? i'd rather find that we are in the middle of the pack, myself
I quite like the cover designs and artwork. The modern layout and imposing cover shots makes the series look slick, mature and distinctive. The volumes are sharp addition to my bookshelf.
I fear that retro-pulp stylings would made the series look cheesy.
My two cents. Keep up the good work!
I quite like the cover designs and artwork. The modern layout and imposing cover shots makes the series look slick, mature and distinctive. The volumes are sharp addition to my bookshelf.
I fear that retro-pulp stylings would made the series look cheesy.
My two cents. Keep up the good work!
Hi!
I know that is all a matter of taste, but these are cheese!! Read the 3 Moorcock Mars novels. It chesse! High quality cheese,but still cheese none the less. This was Moorcocks 1960's take on Burroughs style 1930s planetary adventures.They are double retro!These are ENTERTAINMENTS. That's why I'm so passionate about this kind of fiction. It's fun! And IMHO that is not being brought across by the covers. These are stories written in broad strokes with bright colors.Here are a few examples of what I mean.....
http://people.uncw.edu/smithms/M-series/M-101a.jpg
http://people.uncw.edu/smithms/M-series/M-101b.jpg
http://people.uncw.edu/smithms/Ace%20singles/sG-series/G-656.jpg
http://www.pandora.ca/pictures33/103568.jpg
Take care.
Doug
We're going to be playing around some with the cover designs for Planet Stories in forthcoming books. While I can't say for sure that they'll be pulpier - while I love the subject matter of those old covers, I vastly prefer a more modern art style - I think they may take a turn for the artsy, and I'm hoping to get more monsters and things into the scene. For instance, we just got in the cover sketch for Infernal Sorceress (a never-before-published Gygax book, the last written before his death), and I'm more excited about that than anything I've seen from the line so far... it reminds me a lot of Mike Mignola and the old Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser covers.
One thing to note with these in regards to not feeling enough "planet" in the compositions: while I understand completely where you're coming from, the fact remains that many of the sword and planet books we've published so far place the emphasis firmly on the former. A lot of these old stories were straight-up sword-swinging fantasy by modern standards, with the barest hint of sci-fi thrown in so as to make it more marketable. In fact, with the exception of Northwest Smith, I think actual spaceships get about 30 seconds of "screen time" in the whole line to date (notably in The Ginger Star). While I'm excited to see things expand a bit to include more old-school science fiction in the coming year, we strive to remain true to the books, so if a novel is primarily about a buff dude with a sword (and really, what else is Stark, Kane, Elak, or Esau?), that's probably what will end up on the cover.
But please, everyone, keep the comments coming! Our style is very much in flux with these, and we're always open to new ideas.
We're going to be playing around some with the cover designs for Planet Stories in forthcoming books. While I can't say for sure that they'll be pulpier - while I love the subject matter of those old covers, I vastly prefer a more modern art style - I think they may take a turn for the artsy, and I'm hoping to get more monsters and things into the scene. For instance, we just got in the cover sketch for Infernal Sorceress (a never-before-published Gygax book, the last written before his death), and I'm more excited about that than anything I've seen from the line so far... it reminds me a lot of Mike Mignola and the old Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser covers.
One thing to note with these in regards to not feeling enough "planet" in the compositions: while I understand completely where you're coming from, the fact remains that many of the sword and planet books we've published so far place the emphasis firmly on the former. A lot of these old stories were straight-up sword-swinging fantasy by modern standards, with the barest hint of sci-fi thrown in so as to make it more marketable. In fact, with the exception of Northwest Smith, I think actual spaceships get about 30 seconds of "screen time" in the whole line to date (notably in The Ginger Star). While I'm excited to see things expand a bit to include more old-school science fiction in the coming year, we strive to remain true to the books, so if a novel is primarily about a buff dude with a sword (and really, what else is Stark, Kane, Elak, or Esau?), that's probably what will end up on the cover.
But please, everyone, keep the comments coming! Our style is very much in flux with these, and we're always open to new ideas.
Hi James,
I can't put my finger on it exactly, but it used to be oh soo many many years ago that it wasn't too terribly hard to recognize the difference between Sword&Sorcery, Sword&Planet and Fantasy just by looking at the covers.look at this here.
http://www.llfbooks.com/shop_image/product/121.jpg
It's a "BGWS" (buff guy with sword.) :-)
But it doesn't (to me) invoke traditional "Fantasy"
or this either...
http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/9a/33/801f729fd7a02c43be27f0 10.L.jpg
Or this...
http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/fb/34/6b69828fd7a0417ddcfcf0 10.L.jpg
These are great examples of "PLANET STORIES" You don't need any space ships for people to realize that these are not typical "Fantasy"
and as far as Sword&Sorcery goes, the covers need to be heroic!
like this....
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f327/jackgreen7/mouse1.jpg
or this...
http://www.hormiga.org/fondosescritorio/wallpapers/Dibujos-Animados/comic/Y ear-V-Fantasy-Art-Wall-235-Ken-Kelly.jpg
The one thing that so far all of the Paizo titles have had in common is that they all take place in "Weird Worlds"
I wish I could explain it better. I just don't think that the covers are "special" enough.
I can only speak for myself. But can't you remember being 12 or 13 and your browsing the paperback racks at the Drugstore and as your eyes are wandering over the covers there would be that one book that just screamed "pick me up!!" "I'm so cool that you just have to pick me up and ignore all that other mediocre mundane crap!!"
So far the books and stories that you have brought out are everything but mundane. These are all "in your face action and adventure"!!
and the covers should say that! They are holding back.
A perfect example are all the old Lancer Conan editions from 40 years ago. Conan wasn't a houshold name back then. REH had been mainly forgotten. But tons of readers got hooked because of those amazing eye catching Frank Frazetta covers and they took a chance and bought the books. In the end it was the quality of the writting that carried the day, but it was the Frazetta covers that kicked open the door to let Conan out.
These were the first paperbacks which sold millions of copies. And that was thanks to Frank Frazetta!
I guess I would be happiest if the books diplayed a little more playfulness and kitsch. But I know that that is all a matter of taste.
I still love this series regardless of my opinion of the covers.
so please keep it up and be successful.
Take care.
Doug
For what it's worth, I absolutely LOVE the new cover style and wouldn't want you to change a thing.
Hi!
I just read that you'll be re-issuing "The Sword of Rhiannon"
SUPER!!!!!
I just found a scan of the original cover from "Thrilling Wonder Stories"
where the story premiered under the title "The Sea Kings of Mars"
http://www.oldsfbooks.com/tws4906.jpg
This screams Planet Stories.
This says "Quality Cheese"!! :-)
you need to try a little bit of the "retro look"
Take care.
Doug
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Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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I own that issue of TWS.
It will get a cool cover, I assure you. We've got a new crop of artists coming in starting with Worlds of their Own, and the cover of Otis Adelbert Kline's The Swordsman of Mars is appropriately pulpy. Andrew will still be doing some of the covers, but we felt it important to vary the look of the line a bit.
Stay tuned!
For instance, we just got in the cover sketch for Infernal Sorceress (a never-before-published Gygax book, the last written before his death), and I'm more excited about that than anything I've seen from the line so far... it reminds me a lot of Mike Mignola and the old Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser covers.
I must respectfully disagree. I think that's by far the weakest cover of any Planet Stories release so far. I hate to bash another artist's work, but that cover is awful. It reminds me of bad american manga or something. It's going to be the first Planet Stories I don't buy, sadly. (And, having already read some of Gygax's fiction, I can't say that the prospect of an unpublished book by him holds any excitement for me. Don't get me wrong, securing the book is a coup for Paizo, but I'll count myself out this time. YMMV, of course...).
On the other hand, the overall quality of Paizo's art output is so high that it makes the few weak pieces stand out more than they might in the pages of a lesser company's product.
Okay, I shouldn't post when I haven't eaten.
I've given that cover a second chance. I still don't like it much, but I spoke too harshly (and unconstructively) of it before. It's not really manga-esque at all. I think it's actually the color palate that irks me. It's colorful, which I like, but some of the tonal values seem a bit haphazard to me (if that makes sense). The Mignola comparison, which I didn't see at all earlier, became immediately apparent once I dug out my Fafhrd & The Gray Mouser issues.
Nonetheless, I think Planet Stories is still batting a very high average in terms of both content and presentation, and I'm enjoying the hell out of it.
Out of curiousity, is there a submission process for artists at Paizo?
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I think it would be nice to see some less traditional art on the covers, and something a little more neo-retro. Like the Planet Stories logo is very much the style I'm talking about. But if you were to put that high contrast red and black logo on any of the books covers, rather than the more subduded blue-green tone one that is used, it would look out of place. It shouldn't! The whole cover should be slick, glossy and LOUD.
The current covers are good, but...I dunno. There all a little "Been there, done that." They look very Generic Fantasy. It'd be cool if Planet Stories really stood out on the shelves.
EDIT: I like the Infernal Sorceress cover. I was thinking about buying it mostly because I liked the cover. Barbarian+Rogue+Menacing Hot Sorceress? I'm sold.
Still, it could be LOUDER and MORE AWESOME.
I think it would be nice to see some less traditional art on the covers, and something a little more neo-retro. Like the Planet Stories logo is very much the style I'm talking about. But if you were to put that high contrast red and black logo on any of the books covers, rather than the more subduded blue-green tone one that is used, it would look out of place. It shouldn't! The whole cover should be slick, glossy and LOUD.
The current covers are good, but...I dunno. There all a little "Been there, done that." They look very Generic Fantasy. It'd be cool if Planet Stories really stood out on the shelves.
This is the point I was fumbling to make. Covers with the same careful design as the logo would practically scream "this way to...ADVENTURE!" from the shelf.
We're mixing things up quite a bit with the covers, starting with Infernal Sorceress - please continue to let us know which ones work for you and which ones don't! I agree that the Infernal Sorceress piece is quite a departure from the previous covers, but we wanted to really try something different and grab for that Leiber feel (something I think it succeeded pretty well at). I'm very curious to see what you all think of Worlds of Their Own, and especially the Swordsman of Mars (which is far and away the most most traditional "sword-and-planet" cover we've done yet, and may be my new favorite). Stay tuned!
-James
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I'm very curious to see what you all think of Worlds of Their Own, and especially the Swordsman of Mars (which is far and away the most most traditional "sword-and-planet" cover we've done yet, and may be my new favorite).
What we're seeing on the storefront page is just a dummy cover, right? That's not the final art?
Because the cover show on Worlds of the Own is sooooo Best Of The Nova Award Winning Sci-Fi 1989 it makes me sad.
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Well, the final cover is the woman standing on the surface of a desert planet, not the "names framed by a planet" mock-up that we posted originally. Which version you see probably depends on when you last hit "reload."
Embarrassing. That is indeed the cover I was referring to.
Look, this is just one guy's opinion, but: I wouldn't buy that book. The biggest reason I wouldn't buy that book is that I wouldn't even notice it on the shelf. The only thing that would cause me to notice it is the Planet Stories logo, because I do look for logos.
But the art is just uninspiring. I look at it and I think "desolation, passivity, solitude, quiet, warm, soft." It's all warm earth tones with this tiny, tiny figure standing in this great big emptiness. It's a kind of sad, lonely image.
Consequently, it totally looks boring as hell. Like it's going to be full of very deep, thoughtful short stories in which writers explore big ideas and deep concepts in a very thoughtful way. I freaking hate that stuff. The cover makes me think of Ursula K. LeGuin style science fiction/fantasy, and while I get that she's an amazing writer, if I ever have to read another LeGuin book I'm going to hurl.
Your covers need to promise action and adventure, not thoughtfulness and depth. Which isn't to say that the stories you publish should be dumb or mindless, but heroic fantasy is written to entertain first, and provoke thought second. That's what the cover needs to show: action and adventure.
Well, the final cover is the woman standing on the surface of a desert planet, not the "names framed by a planet" mock-up that we posted originally. Which version you see probably depends on when you last hit "reload."Embarrassing. That is indeed the cover I was referring to.
Look, this is just one guy's opinion, but: I wouldn't buy that book. The biggest reason I wouldn't buy that book is that I wouldn't even notice it on the shelf. The only thing that would cause me to notice it is the Planet Stories logo, because I do look for logos.
But the art is just uninspiring. I look at it and I think "desolation, passivity, solitude, quiet, warm, soft." It's all warm earth tones with this tiny, tiny figure standing in this great big emptiness. It's a kind of sad, lonely image.
Consequently, it totally looks boring as hell. Like it's going to be full of very deep, thoughtful short stories in which writers explore big ideas and deep concepts in a very thoughtful way. I freaking hate that stuff. The cover makes me think of Ursula K. LeGuin style science fiction/fantasy, and while I get that she's an amazing writer, if I ever have to read another LeGuin book I'm going to hurl.
Your covers need to promise action and adventure, not thoughtfulness and depth. Which isn't to say that the stories you publish should be dumb or mindless, but heroic fantasy is written to entertain first, and provoke thought second. That's what the cover needs to show: action and adventure.
Gailbraithe,
If the Infernal Sorceress is an example of the standard you are suggesting for the line, I dissagree with making it a standard. Maybe for one or two books, but I would be much more interested in the WoTO cover if I saw it in the bookstore.
The IS cover reminds me of comics, and I have always thought there is much more depth in Planet Story type of books than simply the action/ entertainment value, which is typically what comics offer.
I prefer the more thoughtful covers that promise both depth and adventure.
Best.
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I like the basic composition of the Infernal Sorceress cover, but I'm not a real fan of the art. I'd make the sorceress more menacing, maybe cackling with a hand up forming a grasping claw. And have both guys with weapons draw and ready to fight, with either their back towards each other, or in a way that might be misleading (haven't read the book obviously) facing each other.
At anyrate, that's not really the direction I'd go with the covers. If Erik put me in charge of art design for Planet Stories, you get stuff that looks kinda like this.
Now that's just something I whipped up in an hour with graphics found on the internet and free fonts. But that's the kind of compositions I'd go for, something eye-catching and kind of campy, something sort of neo-pulp sensational.
The idea being you'd see it on a shelf and think "What is that?" and you'd have to pick it up and see. You go with pulpy sort of clip-art and a lot op-art style graphic stuff, and some goofy high intensity sales pitching, and you can totally use the fact that this is genuine adventure fiction from an older, less politically correct era as a real selling point.
But first you have to stand out from all the boring fantasy novels covers. The line right now is not doing that.
I like the basic composition of the Infernal Sorceress cover, but I'm not a real fan of the art. I'd make the sorceress more menacing, maybe cackling with a hand up forming a grasping claw. And have both guys with weapons draw and ready to fight, with either their back towards each other, or in a way that might be misleading (haven't read the book obviously) facing each other.
At anyrate, that's not really the direction I'd go with the covers. If Erik put me in charge of art design for Planet Stories, you get stuff that looks kinda like this.
Now that's just something I whipped up in an hour with graphics found on the internet and free fonts. But that's the kind of compositions I'd go for, something eye-catching and kind of campy, something sort of neo-pulp sensational.
The idea being you'd see it on a shelf and think "What is that?" and you'd have to pick it up and see. You go with pulpy sort of clip-art and a lot op-art style graphic stuff, and some goofy high intensity sales pitching, and you can totally use the fact that this is genuine adventure fiction from an older, less politically correct era as a real selling point.
But first you have to stand out from all the boring fantasy novels covers. The line right now is not doing that.
THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!! :-)
More in that direction!I want to smell some cheese!! :-)
Take care.
doug
Fair enough.
I've never been sold on the cheese. Maybe the "cheese" would attract older fans of pulp, but I'm not sure it would attract the less than older fans of fantasy and DnD.
Something we can all definitely agree upon is that we all want to see this line flourish, so whatever works ... works.