"Shiloh Book Covers" Topic

Hello all,

So, while I'm waiting for the Antietam proofs to arrive, I've been playing around with Shiloh book cover designs. And creating the order of battle. And starting the big battlefield map. Normally I take a month break between books, and I will, but right now while I'm waiting my muse is still whispering in my ear. Or yelling. Take your pick.

Anyway, I thought I'd share three Shiloh cover mock-ups just to pass the time. Any favorites?

Third one (with larger cannons) but with larger author's name.

Yeah. You normally make the image too big, so you can crop it to fit the cover template/specifications. So the author credit will appear bigger on the real cover. Plus the map at the bottom will be of better quality.

I wish the tree wasn't there for the third photo. If I had thought about it, I should have taken the picture from the other end of the gun line. But, I usually don't know which picture will end up being a cover photo. Which is why I take so many. :)

second one

I like the 2nd one. It best incorporates the wooded aspect of this battle.

Another vote for the 2nd one.

second one

"The terrible rain of last night has filled the ground with water and washed the gullies out. The trees are just bursting into leaf and little flowers are covering the ground – but their fragrance is lost in the pall of death which has settled down on this bloody field."

-The Civil War Diary of Cyrus F. Boyd. Fifteenth Iowa Infantry

I might tinker with the title font as well. I like Century Schoolbook because it is very period. But it is kind of plain and I may experiment.

Second one.

I prefer the 2nd one -- but the field doesn't look very bloody.

I think that the first one is best for folks who know the field but for those who don't it doesn't scream Battlefield. The composition on the third one is the best, I would go with it. It grasps the wooded nature of the field more than the second shot, the tree is not really (composition wise) a problem. The problem with the second one, again speaking from a composition point of view, is that the very front of the nearest cannon's wheel and (it looks like) the tip of the muzzle are cropped off. it's a little thing but were I judging photos it would lead to a small points deduction.

jowady,

Fixed!

Thank you all for the discussion. I hope you like the "inside baseball" of book creation.

Odd man out, but I like the photo of Ruggles Battery in the third photo. Distinctly Shiloh.

I would use the third as Chris Brantley said, but do away with the map on the cover.

Reasons I like the 3rd one over the second. First of all…historical marker by the cannon in the second shot (as well as the monument in the first cover) looks out of place to my eye and is distracting. Second…cannon are larger in the third shot…more upfront and personal…which seems appropriate in a book of regimental scenarios.

If you could brighten up the trees in the third shot to be as green and as sharp in contrast as in the second…that would be even better to my eye.

I'd keep the historical map…but would put in the bottom third of the page (with fade in transition) instead of the giving it half the page.

Not sure how cropping is going to result in a larger author's name since the author's name is pushed so far right. In general…fonts need to be larger and lettering more distinct if possible to stand out against the background.

Lastly, kerning looks okay..but spacing between title and subtitle is a bit tight.

Here are my thoughts.
1. First photo has no focus. What is the subject – cannon balls, woods, partial monument? This one should not even be considered.
2. Second photo – this would have been better if the subject was narrowed down to the first set of cannons.
3. Third photo – tree in the middle throws of focus again, but this is the best photo of the 3 you submitted.

Brad,

Given the choice I too would prefer the Third cover, and though the large tree in the middle is a tiny bit distracting it was most likely an actual witness to the fighting around the "Hornet's Nest"! Which makes it a better choice then a photo with Monuments and Placards in the view!

The one other suggestion I would make (no matter which cover you choose) would be to move the White Lettered Subtitle below the Photo using a black outline with it as in the Title.

Looking forward to both of your upcoming books!!!!

The second one. I like the view of the open pathway with the artillery positioned in it in contrast with the heavy woods on either side.

Second one. It has the look of Shiloh.

Another vote for #2

#3. It's more dramatic because the viewpoint is just in front of the guns, instead of behind.

Another for #2….

Brad, I've got a request on your "Summer Storm" book…

I plan on running 2d day at a HMGS convention and want to print out player aids from the book (maps, OOB, background).

I'd like your permission to do so.

Madcam.

Sure thing. You can scan or copy for personal use.

Having just been to Shiloh, the Second Photo is the line of guns Dan Ruggles positioned to blast the Hornets Nest. I walked the length of this line so I recognized it right away.

Good enough for me,

Kim

#3, and reduce or remove the map -- I find it distracting.

Thank you all for the discussion. I hope you like the "inside baseball" of book creation.

I always love inside info and behind the scenes sort of stuff. Thanks for sharing.

I agree that the type should be larger, especially for the authors, but for the title and subtitle also. I also agree that the map is distracting – either fade it or move it lower, or both.

One of the reasons I don't like 3 as much as 2 is that the guns are (or at least appear to be) too close together. Also, 2 appears more spring-like.

Hello all,

Thank you for the discussion.

In no particular order…

The picture are the top with the map at the bottom is the common design element of all my book covers. So that arrangement will stay. I might make the map take up less of the cover and the picture more.

I like 2 and 3 the best myself. Still not sure which one I'll go with.

Both 2 and 3 are pictures of Ruggles gun line. Just different sections of it.

The white text of the subtitle does have black shading. Its just hard to tell.

I have "greener" version of #3. I usually take 4 pictures of each angle in different exposures and filters.

I like #2.
Side note: I'm red-green color blind, so it's hard for me to read the main title. Consider that other people might be red-green challenged, too.
Just a thought.

#2 has the better photographic composition. Well framed, which is always good. The subject matter moves from lower left to upper right – also very good. My personal favorite aspect of the photo is the facing of the cannon. It conjures up an image of some "mysterious" impending danger moving toward the cannon.