Should I change my book cover?

Frogwithhat13 2021-03-14 21:01:11 UTC #1

I have my story both on Wattpad and Tapas and I don't think people are interested in my story cause of the book cover.
It's traditional art, and I think I should make it more basic to catch peoples attention? I don't know. Part of me wants to keep it the same cause I worked so hard on the book cover, but it seems to not be getting peoples attention.
I can't upload a image of my current cover vs what I think I should change it as, so here's just my book.

KJWhitten 2021-03-14 21:21:16 UTC #2

In my opinion, it looks too plain and doesn't really feel like a cover for a superhero story. Maybe you should make the title on the cover look like text on the front of a superhero comic and draw the characters in their superhero outfits, assuming that they have that.

Also, I noticed you uploaded multiple episodes at once. On Tapas, you can only show up on fresh once a day, so try to spread out your updates a bit. It usually takes time to gain traction on the platform, so you have to be patient and post as consistently as you can.

Bokyongyo 2021-03-14 21:29:19 UTC #3

Would really rethink probably how it looks yeah; because the cover doesn't really tell me alot that the comic is actually about. If you didn't tell me it was a superhero comic I would've thought it was a slice of life/drama romance comic just based on the cover and name alone.

So yes, I would look at other super hero comics you like and start from them in terms of understanding what makes them work and how you could implement those same elements in your comic

I was in the same boat with traditionally drawn covers too, I still draw traditionally but I do alot of clean ups in digital just to make it look more professional and appealing. (Traditional has a tendency to get messy if you're not careful and can look even messier on a screen which is why digital clean up is usually essential)

Here's two of my covers, both traditionally drawn but the second one being heavily retouched in digital clean up.

This same concept can be translated to your thumbnails too.

Can't tell you how much more attention my comic has gotten just by this slight shift in focusing a little more in digital clean up....

So yeah, traditional art isn't the issue. it's probably just you needing to clean up a lot of it just to make it more presentable and eye catching to potential readers.

darthmongoose 2021-03-14 21:35:00 UTC #4

Ahh yeah I can see why you feel torn. It does look like you put a lot of effort into this, but I can also see why people might be put off by it.

The characters are nicely drawn, but having them all just kinda floating there makes it look a bit undercooked as a composition. The handwritten font would probably look better replaced with a digital one. I recommend looking at title fonts on either:

or in the free selections on:

Overall, I wouldn't say it's the cover being traditional or the quality of the drawing that's at fault here so much as the design and composition of the cover. Tapas is very competitive; you're literally competing with professional artists and designers for eyeballs, so you need a really punchy cover to stand out.

I'm happy to give further guidance or elaborate on anything if you need it!