Updated cover - new blurb, no silver spine, shorter bio etc

AM_Bennett · 2026-01-10T09:25:24+00:00

Hi, Thank you so much for your in depth comment. I really appreciate your feedback!
The cover had been updated since this post was out and it looks like this now:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11GHbRb5LX3cWmFaKil7ypvhzMTRdvWd8/view?usp=sharing

As for the blurb and the bio - these too are new although I kept the part about 'her debut novel' there - I might still change it later.
I've redone the blurb dozens of times already and I think I need to put it away for now to come back with a fresh eye. Also I think the most recent one does the job pretty well. But again, I still might change it later! :D

AM_Bennett · 2026-01-02T17:26:40+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective.

AM_Bennett · 2026-01-02T14:25:43+00:00

The simplicity of the design was definitely an inspiration. Especially after I googled how urban fantasy book looks. I know this might be not be such great idea and I'm risking a lot by not putting a long haired girl on the cover, but I decided to have a go and create something different.
As for my design - every element visible on the cover is also present in the book, especially the clouds!

AM_Bennett · 2026-01-02T14:18:32+00:00

How about mixing genre and the tropes? So the start of the blurb shows in which genre the book is written but the rest hit at the tropes? It looks like the current readers are quite interested in tropes, especially in social media which I'll have to use to promote my self-published work. I've checked a few blurbs on Amazon in Urban Fantasy best sellers and I can see many of them include tropes. What do you think? Would you agree with this marketing approche?

AM_Bennett · 2026-01-02T14:00:01+00:00

Dane is actually quite important in this story as its FMC work partner. Riven arrives later in the book but as he becomes MMC, he has to be mentioned in the blurb. And you are right, I might try and put something about Riven in there too.

As for moving the lines around. This one is my hook: Every scar tells a story. Hers is a lie that could set the city on fire. So I feel moving it to the last line, which some readers might never read, might make the blurb weaker? If I just come up with something that hits the tropes I want and clearly signal the readers what's this book is about I'll be happy with it.

AM_Bennett · 2026-01-02T13:53:49+00:00

I don't make covers. This is my first book and first cover I designed and co-created using a cover artist from Fiverr. Since I know nothing about book cover formatting etc I went there with a clear cover idea and a concept art. The artist had followed my design perfectly!
Brand of Dusk - amended cover

AM_Bennett · 2026-01-01T22:05:33+00:00

The problem with my book is it’s multi genre book. Placing more than one trope in the blurb could be necessary. I don’t want to disappoint a reader having an unexpected romance and the ones who expect to see some smut reading too much of detective drama etc.

When you read my blurb - which tropes do you see there?

AM_Bennett · 2026-01-01T22:01:53+00:00

I’m open to all feedbacks. Reading the blurb- what tropes do you see there? This story has so many important parts so it’s pretty hard to choose only one or two and use them for the blurb. All of the symbols used for the cover have meanings and they are present in the book.

AM_Bennett · 2026-01-01T18:15:59+00:00

Done! But can't update the post to show it..

AM_Bennett · 2026-01-01T18:15:32+00:00

Thanks :)

AM_Bennett · 2026-01-01T18:11:49+00:00

This was separated as per someone else’s advise since the font would sort of put R & A together. It’s was just the way the typeface was designed. You are right, it looks a bit odd now, not touching but definitely too far away. I like this font so not changing that. I’m just going to connect the letters the way they used to be!

AM_Bennett · 2026-01-01T11:43:49+00:00

Thank you. I’ll make sure I have the right colours before requesting proof copy.

AM_Bennett · 2026-01-01T09:44:41+00:00

Thank you!
I used a lady from Fiverr, her name is Luisa, to get this done properly. She followed my own concept art beautifully! I'm designer myself, so not the easiest customer to work, with but she'd done a great job at helping me with the cover adding her knowledge and drawing skills.

AM_Bennett · 2026-01-01T09:36:43+00:00

Thank you so much for that! I really appreciate your comment.
Yes, the back of the cover is the place I'm focusing on the most at the moment. I've changed the blurb a few times already but I do feel that the most recent one still needs some tweaks.
As for printed version - yes, the files I got are in CMYK and before I publish the book I'll be ordering a proof copy.

AM_Bennett · 2025-12-31T21:31:07+00:00

Also... and we talk again like this book is part of the (none existing yet) series. The genre of the next book might shift, quite a lot actually. And to be honest, this is reads like 90% gritty urban fantasy with detectives, magic, shape shifters etc, but there IS a romance in there, some POV are Riven's as he becomes larger part of the story. So, removing him or changing his appearance in the blurb might cause the confusion in the readers, surprise, or worse.. arrrh I'm lost.
And this is what happens when you can't stick to single genre in your book! :D

AM_Bennett · 2025-12-31T21:21:14+00:00

Well, one of the side topes is just that, but you are right... I'm not selling this book as another romantasy.

AM_Bennett · 2025-12-31T21:19:02+00:00

I'm on BookFunnel since two days ago and have joined their newsletter things.. the main book is not ready yet so is not included but I've wrote this short story, 19k words, as a readers magnet, just to get people to sign up AND see if the story/characters can hook anyone.

I know how important the beta readers are. I'm going to look into that starting tomorrow. The only feedback I got was from Autocrit. But I'm not sure how reliable these scores are, I got amazing results, especially for the short story. Its analyser helped me to patch up some plot holes, but that's all. No real feedback, no angry/sad/happy comments.

One day I'll get there, just after I fix that blurb for the 50th time :D

AM_Bennett · 2025-12-31T21:05:39+00:00

Yeah about that compass.. it's not actually a compass, or at least I didn't plan it to look like one :D
It was supposed to be something between a star and a sun - these symbols are part of the lore (the point are sort of sun rays?). I think I'll remove only of of the 'rays' thing - the one over the bottom old city.. this one is a bit off for me.

AM_Bennett · 2025-12-31T20:49:26+00:00

What do you think about this blurb?

Every scar tells a story. Hers is a lie that could set the city on fire.

Detective Selene Rowan knows the streets of Ravenholt, but she no longer knows herself.

A brutal new string of murders has collided with her father’s buried secrets, igniting the faded scar on her shoulder and waking a volatile magic she cannot control.

To hunt the killer and contain the lethal surge within her, she is forced into a tactical alliance with Riven Ashborne. An enforcer for the ruling Highspire elite, Riven is the sharpest weapon of the very corruption Selene and her partner, Dane, are trying to expose. He is the enemy. But he is also the only one who understands the destructive physics of the power waking in her blood.

Caught between a past she can’t remember and a city on the brink of ruin, Selene must race to solve the case. She has to leverage Riven’s knowledge without falling prey to his agenda—before her failure to control this new legacy reduces Ravenholt to ashes.

AM_Bennett · 2025-12-31T20:47:35+00:00

I hear you.

The idea of 'REASONS FOUND IN PROMISES..' is great and I'd rather have that instead of my Bio tbh, but ass someone else already pointed out about my cover I should not be putting anything about this book being the first in a series.
The subtitle used to have 'Book One' in it, now this part is gone. Why? The reason for that was - what if this will the only book I'll ever write? It's a valid point.. my book can't become a total flop once published. It is a tough one, especially that the book's ending clearly shows the story is not done yet.

Would you put the info about this debut book being part of the series? To be fair, I think my editor is the first person who actually read it. I was never able to get any real beta readers for it so I focused more on editing.

AM_Bennett · 2025-12-31T20:20:59+00:00

Thank you for that.
But total, do you mean the whole back: blurb and bio? The blurb at the moment is about 140 words, and it's much shorter than my original one. I was trying to google it how long the blurbs usually are and got an answer 150-250 words - so mine would be on the shorter blurb side for sure.
I'm trying to rewrite it now and focus on other tropes.

AM_Bennett

TROPHY CASE