If these things annoy you, then they definitely annoy me. In this book, you will find a variety of pet peeves, notes, and tips for both readers and writers alike. You'll find contemporary and clashing views about the landscape on this website, so be...
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"
Yes, that's all I have to say.
Listen, I know people always press on the whole, "Don't judge a book by its cover" schitck. And while I do agree, I don't think that statement is actually talking about books. And even if it did, your brain—and my brain, and everyone else's for that matter—is literally coded to judge "a book" by its cover.
Take this for example: Why is a blue poison dart frog blue?
Because its name starts with blue? No, I can name anything any color I want even if I was a biologist and it still wouldn't just turn that color.
It's blue because it's poisonous. That's also why the word "poisonous" is in its name, wouldn't you know?
And why does it being poisonous make it blue? Not because the poison is blue, oh no, it's because the bright rare color is basically a flashing warning sign of "You wanna get a bite? Try me, bud."
So, if your average frog-gobbler knows to judge a frog by its color, what's to say we don't know to judge a book by its cover? Our brains naturally tell us when a predator is dangerous the same way it tells you that fanfiction with the grainy photo and off-center title will probably be as bad as the last one you read.
So, what exactly is making that cover above so painfully ugly? The graininess sort of suits the photo in this case (sort of being the key word there). Throw some sepia on that baby and you've got a half-decent 1920s style romance novel cover going.
But obviously that's not what Mr. I_amashamedofthis3761 did (don't question my aliases... also, if there's actually a person who has that username, I sincerely apologize for your awful lack of representation. I'm sure you make lovely covers.) Getting off topic there.
Anyways the next thing I'd like to point out is the border just thrown on there. It'd be nice if it actually served any sort of purpose. Like, to encase a photo, or fill in empty space, or something, but no, it just sits there not even making a perimeter around the person.
I would like to add that the little "flair" bits (please does anyone know what those are called???) don't need to be red. That's just a little unnecessary nit-pick though.
Ah, and more importantly, the title. The fact that it's just slightly off-center is absolutely infuriating. Heck, it hurt me so much that—before I burned this cover in a fire—I actually went back a re-aline just for my own satisfaction. But, moving on, why is it three different fonts? The two different colors for emphasis, are actually nice! But holy macaroni, why are random words different fonts? Maybe I could get by just "Her" being a different font, but it's just sort of random. Besides, I haven't the faintest clue if the fonts somehow manage to suit the book—obviously, because it doesn't exist—but they sure don't suit the photo for crying out loud. Cheeses crust, I've said the word "but" four times in this last paragraph alone.
Now, for the crème de la crème; the grande finally; the most eye bleeding, heart breaking, brain wrenching part—that username placement! W H Y ? Why is the color so random? Why is the font so bland? Why isn't it centered, or at the bottom, or at the top, or aligned with literally anything?
It actually hurts to know I made that so-called cover.
And you know what? This probably isn't even the worst one I've ever made. Yes, that's right, could you believe the random person online isn't absolutely perfect. [insert gasp emoji here] Yessiree, I also make bad covers. It's just a part of life. You shouldn't be ashamed if graphic design isn't your strong suit; it's not your fault. YOU can love reading. YOU can be proud of your writing. YOU don't need to make your own cover if you don't like what you're doing.
There are loads of people on this site that can make fantastic covers. Some of which, will make them for free because this site houses not only starving writers, but also starving artists. Imagine, a cover made out of the goodness of one's heart instead of a generic Canva model.
Now, while I myself am too lazy to list people, just go looking around. If you make covers I guess you could comment here or something.
~•~
755 words
"Dayum, this is a long one! I actually went full-on rant mode. What do you guys think about covers? Are they that important? Vote if you liked it, comment your thoughts, and I'll see you next chapter!"
