By Joel Friedlander
Welcome to the e-Book Cover Design Awards. This edition is for submissions during February, 2019.
This month we received:
45 covers in the Fiction category
15 covers in the Nonfiction category
Comments, Award Winners, and Gold Stars
I’ve added comments (JF: ) to many of the entries, but not all. Remember that the aim of these posts is educational, and by submitting you are inviting comments, commendations, and constructive criticism.
Thanks to everyone who participated. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did. Please leave a comment to let me know which are your favorites or, if you disagree, let me know why.
Although there is only winner in each category, other covers that were considered for the award or which stood out in some exemplary way, are indicated with a gold star: ★
Award winners and Gold-Starred covers also win the right to display our badges on their websites, so don’t forget to get your badge to get a little more attention for the work you’ve put into your book.
Also please note that we are now linking winning covers to their sales page on Amazon or Smashwords.
Now, without any further ado, here are the winners of this month’s e-Book Cover Design Awards.
e-Book Cover Design Award Winner for February 2019 in Fiction
Hampton Lamoureux submitted The Terrorist designed by Hampton Lamoureux.
JF: A clever and effective design for this action thriller. Somehow we know there will be double-crosses and surprises along the way, and the image makes us think we will encounter “double agents” too.
e-Book Cover Design Award Winner for February 2019 in Nonfiction
Evan Kail submitted Ubered: My Life As A Rideshare Driver designed by Future Frame Productions. “UBERED is a nonfiction memoir from an eclectic Minnesotan driver with a warped sense of humor. The cover – the author’s hand handcuffed to the steering wheel- is a metaphor for what it’s like to be an Uber/Lyft driver.”
JF: We get the message in this vibrant, energetic design with well-placed copy using an appropriate typeface. Well done.
Fiction Covers
Alexa Whitewolf submitted Avalon Dreams designed by Y. Nikolova at Ammonia Book Covers. “The image/cover indicates the duality of the Lady of the Lake’s life – her past in Camelot vs her modern life. The color palette was designed by my cover artist to pop among the large variety of fantasy covers out there.”
JF: The palette is good, but the composition is awkward and out of balance, and I believe the capitals with flourishes used in the title are really intended to be used one at a time.
Alexa Whitewolf submitted First to Fall designed by Y. Nikolova at Ammonia Book Covers.
JF: This one is better, creating a focus on the protagonist, but the various elements are not always working together.
Alexa Whitewolf submitted Relics of the Underworld designed by Y. Nikolova at Ammonia Book Covers.
JF: Best of the three (see 2 above) where all the elements have been fully integrated into a complex and interesting message. Classic typography rounds it out.
Andrew Harvey submitted Nightfall designed by Andrew J Harvey. “The cover reflects the Alternate History and SteamPunk genres of the book with the title’s typeface (LHF Old Abe Regular) chosen to emphasise the period the story is set in. The background (Red Square in Moscow (1801) by Fedor Alekseev) is used across all three books in the Trilogy.”
JF: Pretty effective for this genre by relying on the strong period artwork and an appropriate font, although the title should stand out more than it does here, where it looks like it was pushed to the top by the illustration.
Brett Yates submitted Teen Sex Tragedy designed by Quinn Wang.
JF: I’ve been staring at this “cover” for a while, wondering what the author and/or designer were trying to accomplish, and I’m still stumped.
Chris Norbury submitted Straight River designed by Carl Graves. “Farm scene because much of the book takes place in southern MN farm country. Noose because a death involved hanging. Curved river suggests all is not as it seems (contrast with the ironic title: Straight River). Partial silhouette of the man hints he’s in control from above–a puppetmaster. He is.”
JF: A very effective thriller cover with expert image compositing, good use of color contrasts, and emphatic typography.
DA Ferg submitted Angel Without a Shadow designed by DA FERG.
JF: The full-on self-published look.
Darja DDD submitted The Rat Collector designed by Milo from Deranged Doctor Design. “Post-Apocalyptic book cover design, Age of End Book 1”
JF: This series (see 2 following) makes a great impact with clear signals about its post-apocalyptic theme, an intriguing emblem, and scenes to draw us into the story.
Darja DDD submitted Kings and Crowns designed by Milo from Deranged Doctor Design. “Post-Apocalyptic book cover design, Age of End Book 2”
Darja DDD submitted Vigo’s Lament designed by Milo from Deranged Doctor Design. “Post-Apocalyptic book cover design, Age of End Book 3”
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