Cover power

Hey people!

I know it's kinda late in the month for my first post, but I've been laboring away at trying to find a job. I'm now waiting to get called back, if I do get called, and biting my nails in the process.

The good part with all this free time is that I've started writing again -> well, not so much, but I did write the beginning of a new project. A Hunters style novel, only much darker - I might just change my allegiance and join the Paranormal Romance writers. Though my pet project is still YA, I can't figure out how to epically start that one so it's on the back burner while I fool around with much easier things to write.

So, in the meantime, I've been cooking up more covers. That is, because I'm more and more drawn by the prospect of self-publishing my baby. It's not that I got rejections (I didn't even try sending it out yet, honestly), but I just feel like it. I don't know why, but I find that book to be so easy and... um, not exactly literary brilliance that I think it might sell easy on its own. I mean, I got a lot of good responses for it from my crit partners (and I had over 20 people reading it - I know, wow - and I thank all of them).

Anyway, to celebrate that, here are the 3 covers I've cooked up for it. Some are better, some are worse, some are different concepts. I'd really like to know which one you like most.

You already know this one

  So, this is what I have been working on. You already know the first one. It was my first attempt after fooling around in photoshop. Good parts of it - the valley with the village actually appears in the book, the moon plays some role, and I made the chick with green eyes. Plus, it's mysterious and my friends liked it.

The second is similar only with a city background - since half of the book goes on in the city and half on some dang hills, the first two covers both have aspects of the book on them. Plus, I made the city chick redheaded (I learned how to do that :D)
Also, I made her eyes the green I had in mind for Rachel. And there's blood around her mouth, which I found awesome. The bad part, it might hint that it's a book about vampires as the MCs. Honestly, I don't mind that. The book description will serve to clarify that.

Second possible version

 The third one is a bit more symbolic. There's the moon, some castle window, books (which are incidentally Bibles) and a redheaded chick which looks pretty cute. I made her hair red (believe it or not, it was pink) and planted her there. This cover is more likely focusing on the searching and unusualness of the whole thing - plus, it has a moon there.

Now, another thing, each potential cover has a different writing style and placement of title and author. I'm not sure which one I like best either.

Latest version

After these three versions, I'm out of women. Yes, yes, it's not so easy to find stock photos of women out there (well,not one that could potentially be Rachel). So, my next attempts can combine any background (I have more I haven't used) with any of the three ladies and writing styles. I also have more backgrounds and more eyes and moons to try to make an alternative version of these.

So, my question for you this time would be - which one do you like? Cover plus writing style or mix between the elements and writing on different covers. Even cover style - the mysti (first), the city (second) or the pure symbolism (third). Also, what other elements if any would you like to see on the cover? (For people who want Daniel on that cover too, eh, I can't find any photo that remotely even looks like him, so I'd rather leave him to the reader imagination - acceptable guys photos are even harder to find.)

Would you buy a book with any of these covers?

Hope to be back soon with good news, more covers and possible info on my new project :D Since NaNo is coming closer and closer.