DS9 - Enigma Tales by Una McCormack pre-release thread

[Mage]

Well for me, I wouldn't call it hate, as I said already, it's embarrassing and half arsed in its execution. Even the second and third Prey book covers are high art compared to this given someone took actual time and effort over their executions. (and I'm critical of those covers too)

Pretty much this, yeah.

I mean, I can understand that it's no longer possible for Pockets to pour buckets of money into every cover for Star Trek. I get it isn't that profitable. But this.... This isn't even bad Photoshop, this looks like it was done in Paint. And that's just sad. And like Dimesdan said, only the first Prey cover was good, the others weren't well made either. But atleast effort was put into it.

 

[Jarvisimo]

Especially after Control, a gorgeous cover, suggested someone at pocket cared, this is utterly disappointing.

However just as The Crimson Shadow was an awful cover for a *beautiful* book, this will hopefully be the case too!

 

[JD]

Uh, that is pretty bad. Just lazy and boring.

 

[DS9_Klingon]

Agreed. Too bad Una doesn't have much, if any, say in the cover, just pitiful....Thank god she has a superb reputation as a writer..

 

[DimesDan]

I think the clothing Garak is wearing isn't from a screengrab.

It's probably not actually given how out of focus it is compared to his head.

And you know what this cover reminds me of, one of those dodgy ebook covers for unauthorised fan fic that pops up on Amazon from time to time.

 

[Jinn]

I actually tried to recreate the cover to see if Dimesdan's 8 minutes estimate holds up (it took me 30 minutes, but at least half of it was spend with figuring out how gimp works, or rather doesn't, on my new computer. And the result looked hideous...) and I am quite sure that the Garak picture was taken from the scene where he stands next to Dukat on DS9 while the station is under attack. Not sure which episode and who attacked (though it might be the Klingons), but here's a picture. It's close, but not the same image that was used on the cover. The background is literally taken from the second picture that you get when you type "Cardassia" into the Google image search...

 

[DimesDan]

I said ten minutes, not eight, those two minutes count! Plus how good at Photoshop/Graphic Design are you?

 

[Jinn]

I said ten minutes, not eight, those two minutes count! Plus how good at Photoshop/Graphic Design are you?

Not as good as I'd like to be (or have been two years ago). Here take a look:

Spoiler: Beware...

This was created around midnight so I was too lazy to actually do a good job with Garak's hair and find the episode the actual cover takes it's Garak from, so the head and the shirt don't really mesh. I also have no idea how to change the color of the whole background, so there's that.

 

[USS Firefly]

That is indeed a very disappointing cover

 

[Mage]

Not as good as I'd like to be (or have been two years ago). Here take a look:

Spoiler: Beware...

This was created around midnight so I was too lazy to actually do a good job with Garak's hair and find the episode the actual cover takes it's Garak from, so the head and the shirt don't really mesh. I also have no idea how to change the color of the whole background, so there's that.

Don't post that!! It's gonna make the actual cover look good!!

 

[Jinn]

Don't post that!! It's gonna make the actual cover look good!!

Dammit, you saw through my evil plan!

 

[Burning Hearts of Qo'nos]

Oooh, do we ever do 'make your own book cover' contests here? Or is that something that would happen in the fanart forum?

 

[David cgc]

I think there's been book cover contests in the art forum, but they're usually for imaginary books. You could also post in the art thread stickied at the top of the lit forum.

 

[Burning Hearts of Qo'nos]

@Jinn please do not think ill of me but I went and made a cover too... it seemed like fun! However, I tried to make one that looks nice in full spite of how lazy the cover we're getting is! I, for one, am so saddened by ugly or lazy book covers (despite the fact I don't buy physical books, but still, its principle). The fact that they will put a face on new clothes for these covers drives me crazy...not because it looks bad or anything (but sometimes it so does), but that it actually takes TIME to do something like that. It takes time to find the right images to stick together, time to remove backgrounds, time to adjust the color balance so they match......like if you have enough skill to do something like that it is NOT hard to make everything else come together to make something that people won't automatically be like, 'damn, thats crummy.'

Anyway, I made this in about an hour.

 

[USS Firefly]

@Jinn please do not think ill of me but I went and made a cover too... it seemed like fun! However, I tried to make one that looks nice in full spite of how lazy the cover we're getting is! I, for one, am so saddened by ugly or lazy book covers (despite the fact I don't buy physical books, but still, its principle). The fact that they will put a face on new clothes for these covers drives me crazy...not because it looks bad or anything (but sometimes it so does), but that it actually takes TIME to do something like that. It takes time to find the right images to stick together, time to remove backgrounds, time to adjust the color balance so they match......like if you have enough skill to do something like that it is NOT hard to make everything else come together to make something that people won't automatically be like, 'damn, thats crummy.'

Anyway, I made this in about an hour.

Wow!
That looks waaaaaaay better than the original cover!
Had Pulaski have a facelift? She looks younger than in TNG

 

[MadeIndescribable]

@Jinn please do not think ill of me but I went and made a cover too... it seemed like fun! However, I tried to make one that looks nice in full spite of how lazy the cover we're getting is! I, for one, am so saddened by ugly or lazy book covers (despite the fact I don't buy physical books, but still, its principle). The fact that they will put a face on new clothes for these covers drives me crazy...not because it looks bad or anything (but sometimes it so does), but that it actually takes TIME to do something like that. It takes time to find the right images to stick together, time to remove backgrounds, time to adjust the color balance so they match......like if you have enough skill to do something like that it is NOT hard to make everything else come together to make something that people won't automatically be like, 'damn, thats crummy.'

Anyway, I made this in about an hour.

Considering Una McCormack got into writing professional Trek after her fanfic got noticed, I'd definitely say Pocket books should be sourcing fanart talent for their covers as well....

 

[MadeIndescribable]

Also...

Honestly, we have some of the authors on this forum. If you guys read this, please, let Pockets know what we feel about this shit.

There's nothing stopping you from letting Pocket Books know yourself. And to be honest, it might even have more clout coming from us members of the money paying public who are the ones who buy the books?

 

[Burning Hearts of Qo'nos]

Wow!
That looks waaaaaaay better than the original cover!
Had Pulaski have a facelift? She looks younger than in TNG

Why, thank you! It's actually a screen shot from TNG and the uniform is from Ezri in DS9. I was trying to find a more recent picture of Mulduar since she's much older now in the timeline... But her more recent pictures actually feel older than I imagine how she would look now in-universe.

 

[Reanok]

Burning hearts of Qo'uonos your artwork is much better than the original cover for Egnima tales.

 

[Hardtarget]

That's a neat alternative cover but it's funny, at this point I've switched completely to ebooks and it means I barely ever seen the Cover. Now I find since I already know what the characters look like I tend to only really care about covers if they show a new style of ship or station (ie the new DS9).