New Cover for Second Edition. Too Similar?

[LCEvans]

I just got back the rights to one of my books--Jobless Recovery. After I complete minor revisions, I'm going to publish it myself as a second edition in paperback and Kindle. It's never been available in Kindle before, so I'm pretty excited. I had to have a new cover designed, since the rights to the original belonged to the publisher and they wanted to charge me a lot of money for it. Any comments? The new one is the cover on the left. By the way, the cover model is Dave Parnell, lead singer songwriter for the up-and-coming band, Runaway Dorothy (CD is The Arc). He's a friend of my family and was a starving artist a few years ago when I hired him to pose for my cover.

 

[nogdog~6op6ou]

I like the addition of the dog.

One thought for which I do not claim to know the answer: is there any design rights issue with the general design being essentially the same as the original, e.g. the man holding the sign with the same wording along with the general layout?

[LCEvans]

is there any design rights issue with the general design being essentially the same as the original, e.g. the man holding the sign with the same wording along with the general layout?

I don't know about design rights. Maybe I should check into that. I supplied the original photo of the young man and the sign to the original publisher. In the  photo I supplied he was standing in an old cemetery with tombstones in the background. The publisher cut him out and put him in a city street scene. I wonder if there is a simple way to change the new one to look more different and still use my cutout.

[DLs Niece]

I don't know about the legalities but I think you are to close to the original for comfort unfortunately. Maybe go back to your original photo in the graveyard.... but not sure that is fitting either. I would definitely change the sign message for starters and try to think 'outside the cityscape' for a background. Love the dog addition! 

[LCEvans]

Thanks. I love the dog, too. I've contacted my cover designer and asked him to rework things. I hate to be picky, but covers are so important.

[R. Doug]

If you took and supplied the original photo of the young man holding the sign, then that is your "design element" whether or not the publisher then clipped that image out of its original setting and set it down into an urban environment.  As such, and as long as you can prove you were the originator of the idea, I would say go ahead and use it again (disclaimer: but I am not a lawyer, and I am especially not a copyright lawyer).

Technically speaking on the photos themselves, the right side shot is the better of the two because of the lines (sidewalk, street, covering above, roof line to the right) all draw the observers eyes into the photograph and they focus the eye onto the subject, who stands off center as he should.

Just my 2¢.

[LCEvans]

If you took and supplied the original photo of the young man holding the sign, then that is your "design element" whether or not the publisher then clipped that image out of its original setting and set it down into an urban environment.  As such, and as long as you can prove you were the originator of the idea, I would say go ahead and use it again (disclaimer: but I am not a lawyer, and I am especially not a copyright lawyer).

Thanks. I've consulted with my cover designer and we've reached the same conclusion. The photo is definitely mine. I have the name of the cover model and a signed model release. I'm going with the new cover as is, except for a slight change in the font. I agree with you about the photo lines in the original cover, but I like that the man in the new cover is bigger and his sign is easier to read.

Linda


New font:


Old font   

[Belle2Be]

Thanks. I've consulted with my cover designer and we've reached the same conclusion. The photo is definitely mine. I have the name of the cover model and a signed model release. I'm going with the new cover as is, except for a slight change in the font. I agree with you about the photo lines in the original cover, but I like that the man in the new cover is bigger and his sign is easier to read.

Linda


New font:


Old font   

I really dislike it :/ It looks cheaply photoshopped. The image itself is boring, it doesn't make any sense or tell any sort of story. Can you PM me? Do you have the original images?