I forget when I first discovered Kendra, but I'm pretty sure it was through Jaye L. Knight. Anyway, I picked up her books when they were free. I loved Kendra's witty writing style and twists on cliches. The only thing I didn't like was her book covers.
Long story short...I designed three of her new covers! I also helped her revise her others. (Note: this post is a part of Kendra's Bookshelf Overhaul.)
And here are the covers for The Bookania Quests...
For some reason Blogger isn't letting me format the pictures to that the book covers are in order...sorry. Apparently I can format a book cover, but not a blog post. lol.
Also, Sew, it's a Quest is a permanent free ebook on Smashwords!
Giveaway
In celebration of her bookshelf overhaul, Kendra is giving away a FULL set of books! Hop on over to her blog for details. Yes, comments on this post count for points.
The Ankulen Cover Design Process
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This was initial concept for The Ankulen. I couldn't find a bracelet that did the think I want, so I had to tweak it in GIMP. Don't worry, it was never intended to go on the finished cover.
Kendra said that she liked the concept, but thought it looked a little too "Princess Diaries". She also sent me a picture of her legs (which I used in the final cover) and the actual Ankulen she made.
So I went to work again...
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I adjusted the coloring and added Kendra's images in. But it was too plain. There was a bunch of dead space. It didn't look right.
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I added the word castle, word dragon, and ink splatters behind it. Originally, I used the back cover synopsis as the text. But Kendra suggested I use the first words of the book...
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| The Final Result! |
...so I did. But, some readers expressed some concerns with the cover, so Kendra and I made a few more changes.
Other Participating Blogs
Kendra E. Ardnek loves fairytales and twisting them in new and exciting ways. She's been or acting them on her dozen plus cousins and siblings for years. "Finish your story, Kendra," is frequently heard at family gatherings. Her sole life goal has always been to grow up and be an author of fantasy and children's tales that glorify God and His Word.
Thanks for sharing your design process with us! To be honest, The Ankulen is not my favorite of the new covers (sorry), but I like it a little more now that I've seen some of the thought process behind it.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! I thought it'd be a fun thing to do. :) That Ankulen cover isn't my favorite either. No worries. :)
DeleteSo fun to hear the design process and see each stage of the cover! And your design skills are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it! Thank you, Erika. :)
DeleteSeeing the design process was very intriguing. But I personally like the first version best.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it! :)
DeleteOH. IT'S A WORD CASTLE AND WORD DRAGON. THAT IS SO COOL! I did not notice that before. :D Thanks for showing us the process! It's definitely a unique cover, which is good, and I LOVE the pen in the title! :D Also how part of it is grey like her imagination. XD And the other covers you made are gorgeous! :D
ReplyDeleteYup! Lots of hidden details. :) Thank you so much!
Deletelknktnthngeognrbgr I CAN'T GET OVER JUST HOW GORGEOUS YOUR BOOK COVERS ARE!!!! *drools* I especially love your cover for Water Princess, Fire Prince! <3
ReplyDeleteYou're too kind, Olivia. :) Thank you!
DeleteThese are awesome! So cool that you can do this.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Meaghan! I love designing things and I'm so pleased I can help other authors out.
DeleteGreat job Alea!!!!!!! These covers look SO much better then before! I really like them! XD
ReplyDeleteThank you! Is it weird if I agree? ;)
DeleteNot at all ;)
DeleteAlea, I am wiped away by the talent displayed in those covers! God has seriously given you a gift. Those are crazy good!! It makes me want to write a book just so you can make a cover for it. =) Wonderful job!
ReplyDelete<3 Thank you, Hosanna! You should totally write another book! (Not so I can design the cover, which would still be awesome, but so that I can read more of your beautiful work!)
DeleteYour covers look like professional covers, Alea - especially Water Princess, Fire Prince, which looks like it could be mainstream YA (haha! we will lure regular readers in, and then feed them NON-ROTTEN LITERATURE! mwahaha!)
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of Kendra's books before, but I'm definitely heading over to get Sew, It's a Quest right now! :D
Jem Jones
Thank you so much! I can totally picture them next to other bestsellers on the shelves of Barnes and Noble.
DeleteYay! They're fun to read!
Oh my goodness, they are GORGEOUS!!! You did an amazing job!
ReplyDelete