Balloon Hats

A few changes can be enough for a story.

The expressions didn't changed, but the silence is enough to express the moment. I hope you got a chuckle from this comic. :)

Redesign a Book Cover

Original cover

I have entered a short story contest at Figment.com before, but I just noticed the book cover contests. You redesign the cover of a new young adult book. Entries have to be original work. You must own any photos used; So no stock photos. The first chapter is provided on the website to get a sense of the story.

Judging: The author chooses ten finalists, and then the public votes for those ten.

Prizes: Finalists get a signed copy of the book while the winner gets a signed copy and recognition for his/her winning entry as the new book cover.

Last month I entered the False Memory book cover contest. My entry was not selected as a finalists, but you can vote here until November 9th if you have a Facebook account. I root for four finalists. The winner will be announced on November 12.

Here is my entry done on Photoshop.

My entry

Factors I considered:
* How to play with title?
* How much of the story to tell? (I researched reviews.)
* How to target both genders?

Thoughts after entering:
* The author's name needs stand out a bit more.
* Try altering faces more to look less like referenced faces.
* I tried a clean look, but next time try background texture, which most young adult books have.
* The contest was a good exercise for design and Photoshop.

Because contests are not just about winning, here is one of my favorite postmodern quotes from Sonmi-451's section in Cloud Atlas:

So winners, Hae-Joo proposed, are the real losers because they learn nothing? What, then, are losers? Winners?

Original cover

The current contest for Beta has been extended to November 26. The rules are the same except for ages 13-25. Here is the contest page.

I probably will not enter the Beta contest because I want to finish a few current projects. There is 11 days left if I change my mind. The book synopsis actually reminds me of Sonmi-451 .

In this case, I root for Ashley's "I am a Beta" entry. =) I left a comment on her entry. Voting for this contest is not open yet.

Ashley's entry

For any Figment contest, I recommend checking contest details at least weekly. In both of the writing and book cover contests I entered, details including the deadline were changed without an announcement or email. In the writing contest, the deadline change did not work in my favor. =/

Good luck if you enter. Make the process a fun learning one.