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.

I'm with the Mockingjay

I heard some readers felt emotionally-drained from Mockingjay, the 3rd book of The Hunger Games. I enjoyed it because it had concepts similar to Nineteen Eighty-Four. =) Catching Fire was the emotionally-draining book for me. I felt that Katniss was weighed down by her worries.

There's some spoilers in this post even though I indirectly talk about them.

In the drawing, I wrote vague terms for what I thought were Katniss' main worries in each book before the games. I added trees because nature is her relief. With each book, she is more cut off from it. Dystopic societies usually cut people off from nature or see it as too wild.

Also this series shows nature used as and altered into a weapon. However, nature continues to live as if independent from the story's events. Man suffers and struggles to survive because of man.

I have a drawing tablet now.
I'll try quick sketches to illustrate points.

 In The Hunger Games, Katniss was a survivor but she was numb. Her main focus and devotion was her family's survival.

At this point, she doesn't know that other districts suffer just as bad or worse. Her own district has had worse days, which the adults recall.

In Catching Fire, she should no longer have to worry about her family, but Snow proves that fact wrong and adds more worries to her list. Katniss fears even her own actions and the interpretations of her actions because of consequences.

For fans of the love story/love drama, the second book seems to be their favorite.

I feel that Katniss had the most spirit in Mockingjay. She rebelled at almost every moment. She wants to be more informed on situations. She acts more than fearing on acting. Because of this strong spirit, I was not shocked at her move during the peace ceremony.

I had hoped for that move because the leaders fit George Orwell's attitude in  Nineteen Eighty-Four  that all parties are the same. The people still had to trust a leader blindly. Some people still feared for their lives. Daily life was controlled by the leader. The rebel society still lacked humanity. In the final conference, Katniss states that things are still the same.

I could not think of a right replacement for Snow, but when author Suzanne Collins showed the final leader, I agreed strongly with the choice. That person had showed interest in the people and had suffered from the Capitol.

Mockingjay is perfect...if you expect a dystopia. The first book had the dystopic setup, but was told as an adventure thriller. The second book is the transition to dystopic. Mockingjay is the dystopia of the series. I felt that Collins held back themes and attitudes in the other books. Mockingjay explains the society such as the careers in the games. This book may be my favorite of the three because of these reasons. The first book is still a great example to me of constant conflicts and the audience's influence.

I say perfect, but the book is not flawless.

The reader may get confused when the pace is too fast for storytelling near the end, but you are put in Katniss' position. You feel the rushed moment as she does.

The ending is short and quick, but I am fine with that. Although I read the book over a week instead of a few days like some readers, I needed the story to end already. You feel burnt up by the events and need relief from the tension. I recommend stopping once in a while because of the numerous events and their impact.

If you have not read  Nineteen Eighty-Four, then I recommend doing so including the prologue or section about George Orwell. I was just told that the districts and Capitol in The Hunger Games are similar to Brave New World. I bought a copy, but I'm taking a break again from dystopias.