The Kick A** Cover Thread

This one, Spears?

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Mark
 
The Positivity Cover Art thread was an experiment. We had several cover art threads at that point, including a big, long one, the name of which I don't precisely remember. They were excellent threads, but they had a habit of a member putting up a cover they liked and then having five or six people who didn't like that particular style of art to start whining about it and trashing it as well as the books the art was for. Didn't matter what style of cover art it was -- tasteful graphic decals to barbarian warriors on dragons, it would tend to get trashed. Consequently, the threads got short on art and long on argument. Plus I also had a months long discussion about cover art and the fantasy category market in another thread in which various styles of art were whined about, largely in line with each participant's personal preferences in reading material.

So I thought, hey, what if I do a cover art thread in which people can put up cover art they like and no one is allowed to criticize it, that it be completely positive. I wonder if the other members could do that; I think they can. And so I did it and people were very cooperative about it. I cannot help it if others liked that cover thread the best and keep bumping it up instead of the other cover art threads. :)

So I have no objection to this new cover art thread, though if Rob wants to dig up the big one we had before and merge them, 3rdI et al might find it interesting -- lot of good art we've had. And here's my kick ass contributions:

Berbora by Mike Sirota, an old pal of mine. Very mild mannered guy actually.:

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And the fourth novel in Gary Wassner's Gem Quest series, The Revenge of the Elves. The second image of it shows you the lower image that is on the back cover. All the covers in that series are excellent. The fifth and final one is hopefully coming out this year.

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Hobbit said:
Thought it was known: not a big secret, as far as I know: 'Jolly Yon' is me. :)

Or at least my surname and, no doubt, the characteristics of the character. :D (Mean, nasty, moody, bad-tempered, big axe: sounds about right. :) )

And yes, I was pretty floored when I was told. It's a really, really really nice thing to happen, if a bit odd.


I can be mean and nasty, though:



Look at those fangs!

Mark
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Whoa! I didn't know that either. Congrats sir!

On topic: Those Frazetta covers are most definitely BADASS.
 
Hobbit, I love the fold out cover for Green Angel. I've seen it a couple of times online.


Hobbit said:
But but but... you haven't included the cover of the Rothfuss that's like a Mills and Boon cover!

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Mills and Boon? This looks more like an Abercrombie & Fitch advertisement.
 
JT Billow said:
Hobbit, I love the fold out cover for Green Angel. I've seen it a couple of times online.




Mills and Boon? This looks more like an Abercrombie & Fitch advertisement.
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LOL it does dude. Kvothe is my favorite character of all time but for the life of me I can't figure out what the heck Rothfuss was thinking letting THAT be an actual cover. This is how I picture Kvothe..

The+Name+of+the+Wind.JPG
 
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You do know that Rothfuss has no say over the covers, right?
 
That's how it typically works in book publishing. Publishers contractually have the right to package the book however they choose to do so.
 
KatG said:
That's how it typically works in book publishing. Publishers contractually have the right to package the book however they choose to do so.
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I had no idea that is crazy. But wait didn't Brandon Sanderson have alot of input with all the artwork within WOK? Do the bigger selling authors have any say at all?
 
3rdI said:
I had no idea that is crazy. But wait didn't Brandon Sanderson have alot of input with all the artwork within WOK? Do the bigger selling authors have any say at all?
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That's up to the publisher about how much they want to involve an author. Usually, the publisher would prefer that the author not be unhappy, so if the author complains, they may try to accommodate that. But they don't have to and they are more concerned with booksellers and marketing. And when it comes to foreign editions, forget it. Top selling authors may have negotiated cover approval and again, they don't want them unhappy, but I've had bestselling pals who've had bad cover experiences. One had to come up with a new title and make an addition to her book late in the game to go along with the cover art the art department decided to throw on.
 
This is the cover of The Name of the Wind that I have:

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And while the stories inside didn't always live up to the covers, the D&D novels of the 80s usually had some cool covers. My fave, from Spellfire by Ed Greenwood:

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3rdI said:
WOW..I think I became 10% more awesome just by looking at that art. I had no idea anyone had done Conan art that freaking cool.
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It's Frank Frazetta that produced those paintings during his peak years... sadly he died not too long ago. We've got two fine prints (poster size) framed and hanging in our bedroom.
He did lots of Conan work and a ton of stuff for reissues of Edgar Rice Burroughs novels in the 1960s and 70s.

These are what grace our walls... both were originally book covers.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e3m2cCZ7h...qZh7c/s1600/frank-frazetta-egyptian_queen.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Earths-Core-Edgar-Rice-Burroughs/dp/B001BADNUM



There is, and was, no better artist of the fantastic than Frank Frazetta.
 
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Cheerwell said:
Been meaning to read that; Is it good?
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Yes, damn good.
And you may not know it, but the cover art is by the writer himself. Clive Barker is also a painter. The first Abarat book isn't quite as good as the second. Book two, Abarat; Days of Magic, Nights of War is one of my all time favorites... and it's pissing me off Clive hasn't produced book three yet.

I have a feeling that the second book was so well received he doesn't want the third to fall off in quality.
 
Sparrow said:
And you may not know it, but the cover art is by the writer himself. Clive Barker is also a painter.
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I knew that (Although it doesn't apply to my copy; I think the UK art is the usual minimalistic rubbish publishers like to impose on us), and his style is quite nice. Refreshing, anyway.

I'm sure I'll get around to Abarat one day, but I'm drowning in books. Drowning, I tells you!
 
Westsiyeed,

Finch managed to snag great cover art on both sides of the pond. Eventually, I will have to buy the UK version to go along with my US copy:

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Sparrow said:
It's Frank Frazetta that produced those paintings during his peak years... sadly he died not too long ago. We've got two fine prints (poster size) framed and hanging in our bedroom.
He did lots of Conan work and a ton of stuff for reissues of Edgar Rice Burroughs novels in the 1960s and 70s.

These are what grace our walls... both were originally book covers.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e3m2cCZ7h...qZh7c/s1600/frank-frazetta-egyptian_queen.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Earths-Core-Edgar-Rice-Burroughs/dp/B001BADNUM



There is, and was, no better artist of the fantastic than Frank Frazetta.
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That's awesome Sparrow. I imagine you had to drop some serious cash. Original Canvas?
 
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