Monday, November 12, 2012

Under Cover of Invisibility

I'm still working toward completion of the first draft of my novel. In the meantime, however, I have finished the first draft of the cover of my novel. I hope this will help motivate me to write faster, either since more of you will start badgering me to do so, or because I won't want to wait any longer to have a copy of this in my hand:


I like to think it captures my novel's marriage of action, drama, and humor quite well... perhaps better than the novel itself. Of course, I like to think a lot of things. Over-thinking is one reason I've changed the working title more than a half-dozen times so far.1

More importantly, what do you think?


1 Yes, inquiring readers, the story still contains unseen simians, despite the fact I've strayed from the original title of And Then Came the Invisible Monkeys. At least, for now...

18 comments:

  1. Looks great, Nate! It conveys snark, which I'm sure will be involved in the writing.

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    1. Thanks, Alez. The book won't contain as healthy a helping of snark as my blog, especially since it's in third person, but I'll do my best.

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  2. Artistically speaking, Great composition and mood! And I'm sorry about confusing "Invisible Monkeys" with "Space Monkeys" in my comment on your last post!, although I suppose in a literal sense, Monkey's in space are pretty much invisible to the naked eye. right?

    I hope your cover brings much motivation and writing momentum! :)

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    1. Thanks, Bridget, and no need to worry about the confusion. I have enough hard time keeping track of what's in my own novel to remember the specifics of others (especially those I haven't had a chance to read yet). And yeah, the space monkeys would be invisible in that sense... I may have to send them up at the end of the novel.

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  3. Ummm, i totally LOVE the cover. I think it definitely captures everything you thought it did. I would pick that book up

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    1. Excellent! Goal accomplished. Next step: Make the story (particularly the first few pages) compelling enough you wouldn't put it back down.

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  4. AND THEN CAME THE INVISIBLE MONKEYS is funny but would never have made the cut for a title. I misread UNVISIBLE as INVISIBLE so I didn't notice the change at first. What do you think UNVISIBLE means and why did you choose it?


    From an artistic perspective. Two thumbs up to the like color font on top of like color background. It really does make it seem nearly invisible without unnecessary photoshop tricks.

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    1. I misread the title as INvisible, also! I like UNvisible, but I wonder how many will misread it and when they do a Google of Amazon search (when that publication date inevitably rolls around) will type in what they THINK it is and can't find it! OH NO!

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    2. Yeah, that was my thought as well. Unless it has direct meaning to the story itself, it will limit the visibility (no pun intended) of the title.

      And frankly, Invisible is an awesome title too.

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    3. And that's why it's still a working title. To me, UNVISIBLE means pretty much the same as Invisible, except with an undertone that something is off; it has a slightly awkward quality to it. It's not used once in the novel itself. I chose it here because I'd (temporarily, at least) talked myself out of using any of the two dozen other titles I'd come up with. I shied away from INVISIBLE, in part, because a quick Amazon search brought back a few with that title already.

      I clearly underestimated the title's potential for confusion, though. Good thing I have plenty of time to find a replacement before I query. Thank you for your professional feedback, Joe. And thanks for weighing in as well, Bridget.

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  5. Love the shorts. Do the invisible monkeys wear boxer shorts, too? I would read that in a heartbeat. :D

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    1. Alas, no. The monkeys aren't the type to abide by things such as "rules" or "common decency." They's nekkid.

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  6. Well, thank goodness the Invisible Man wasn't happy to see me.
    If you know what I mean.

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    1. Nope, not you. The Invisible Man has a thing for the ladies.
      If you know what I mean.

      (I understand if you don't know; it's hard.)

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  7. I love that cover. I especially love the heart boxers, because I know if I were an invisible dude, I would invest in heart boxers.

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    1. Thanks, Hannah! But wow, an invisible dude with ethics. Not me. Why invest in heart boxers when you can just take 'em?

      (I'd pay for the hat, thought. It's a fine hat.)

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  8. I love the hat, am not sure how I feel about the cigarette (couldn't you make it a joint, instead?)and want the boxer shorts (love the hearts, btw) to show a bit of a manly bulge. Or, depending on the statement you want to make, a whole nuclear submarine in those shorts.

    And it would be really cool if your invisible man was also wearing flippers. Not because that has anything to do with your story, but because flippers are always appropriate attire for any occasion.

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    1. Thanks for the suggestion, but I think I'm going to leave the boxers bulgeless. Although it might garner me a larger female readership, it could also make a percentage of my male audience uncomfortable. And I'd rather do that with my prose.

      But yes, flippers! I should've thought of that. I may have to work those into my next mock up...

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