Cover critique, please -- 6 covers to choose from!

[BTackitt]

I like #3.. I like the fact that the word Rabid uses the virus from #1 for the letters, great Idea. Color-wise it does blend a bit with her hair yes... if there were a way to change the shading of the virus to match the color of #2 I think it would blend less with her hair.

[Decon]

Okay, so I've been making covers lately instead of writing. Procrastination is fun! (But not lucrative.)

Please ignore the white boxes around the covers. I'll trim those off in the final draft. Ditto the lines through the viruses. I'll actually buy the stock photo when I decide which one to use.



The tramp stamp on the girl in #4 is a biohaz symbol.

What do you guys think? #4? #5?

Or bag it all and get a pro?

So anyway, my dearest strangers, which one do you like?

(It's a crime novel/bio thriller. One of the VP characters is a 25 yo female virologist who would terrify sexually insecure men.)

TK Kenyon

Number two looks the most professional, but I don't like the colour of the title.
Could you post 6 of number 2 with different title colours?

[Kathelm]

I understand why a lot of people might say they don't like the "tramp stamp", but you also have to remember that the biggest selling book right now is "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Currently, a tattoo on a woman hits a cultural nerve. It looks edgy and dangerous. That sells books. The woman in #2 has a mask on. She's safe.

You have to be careful.  A tattoo in that particular location carries and entirely different sort of cultural baggage than the general case of tattoos.

What I'm trying to say is that "The Girl With the Dragon Tramp Stamp" would be taken a little less seriously. 

[telracs]

well, for me, it depends on what you want to say your book is about....

if it's about a skanky girl, than the half naked chick with the tramp stamp works. 

if it's about some virus or virus hunters, unless one of them is a tramp, i wouldn't use those.

personally, I like number one the best.

oh, and i don't care about what best selling books are, the pose of the girl in these photos makes me think erotica or romance, which does not gibe with at title of rabid....

[tkkenyon]

Once again, I am astounded by the generosity of the KBers.

Thank you all for your feedback. I'm going with #2, with different font and color of font.

Finalish draft:


TK

EDIT: I just wish there was some place to sneak in more color, short of pseudocoloring some of the background viruses.

~Teke

[JETaylor]

My preference is the third one with the close up of the woman's face and the virus in the title lettering.  That one got my attention.

[maritafowler]

I like #2.

[CraigInTwinCities]

Okay, so I've been making covers lately instead of writing. Procrastination is fun! (But not lucrative.)

Please ignore the white boxes around the covers. I'll trim those off in the final draft. Ditto the lines through the viruses. I'll actually buy the stock photo when I decide which one to use.



The tramp stamp on the girl in #4 is a biohaz symbol.

What do you guys think? #4? #5?

Or bag it all and get a pro?

So anyway, my dearest strangers, which one do you like?

(It's a crime novel/bio thriller. One of the VP characters is a 25 yo female virologist who would terrify sexually insecure men.)

TK Kenyon

I think the last one (#6) would draw you the most male readers. Scantily-clad females tend to have that effect.

I think #5 is more on-target.

I'm not a fan of #2's image, even though it's in your finalist post. I think #5 pops more, whereas #2 gets all washed out from too many shades of the same color.

#5's image with your updated fontography would be a winner in my book.

[Megan Duncan]

I love the last cover

[Imogen Rose]

Lady with mask (maybe try to get a reflection of the virus to show in her eye).

[Christopher Bunn]

I like #2 the best, but I wish you could tinker with the green background and make it more plasticky/rubbery and have someone's face behind it, pushing forward.

[Connie Chastain]

I like one, two and five.  I don't like the font used for the title. Author font is good.

Here are pics of the actual rabies virus.  It's not as dramatic looking as the ones on your covers.  In fact, it's rather benign looking for the diabolically horrifying disease it causes...

https://www.google.com/search?q=rabies+virus&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=TkMvT72sDonKsQLQqsG-Dg&biw=1419&bih=736&sei=VUMvT-uJFJGosALWkOmEDg

[Sebastiene]

You have to be careful.  A tattoo in that particular location carries and entirely different sort of cultural baggage than the general case of tattoos.
What I'm trying to say is that "The Girl With the Dragon Tramp Stamp" would be taken a little less seriously. 

LOL. Thank you, Kathelm! That made me laugh. You're exactly right!

[angelamcconnell]

I like the lady with the mask. It hints more at the story, I think, than just a picture of a virus. Reminds of SARS. But definitely caught my interest the most.

The ones with just the virus look good, but I think it's because they seem more in line with other covers of the genre. They look professional...but typical.

Not so keen on the covers with the girl and tattoo. Seems too disconnected with the storyline and genre. Almost looks like erotica.

Wow! Nice to be able to choose from so many. Good luck with this!