Three possible approaches to a postcard (4×6 — that is, bigger than you see here) that will be part of the Pajama Girls of Lambert Square press kit. In every case, a larger image of the cover will be on the backside, along with ISBN, etc.Thoughts? Suggestions? Preferences? Dislikes? Edited to add: thoughts on Give her a love story for Valentine’s Day? Also added the thumbnail to the right. Clicking on it will give you the bigger version of the red card.
You've stumbled across my official website and landed on the front page of my weblog.My name is Rosina Lippi. I'm a former academic and tenured university professor, writing full time since 2000. Under the pen name Sara Donati I am the author of the Wilderness series, six historical novels that follow the fortunes of a group of families living in upstate New York from about 1792-1825. A new series based on later generations of the same families was launched September 1, 2015 with The Gilded Hour. The next volume in the new series, Where the Light Enters, was released in 2019.
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Most beautiful: The Fishbowl one. Stunning!
Most oriented toward a person buying the book:The PIllow one.
Most oriented toward a book store purchasing agent: The PAjama one.
Should be in every one of them: The novel’s name (PI, PA), the writer’s name (none), the release date (PI, PA), the type of novel (FI, PI), what it’s about (FI, PI, PA).
LOVE LOVE LOVE the incorporation of the bird/fish quotation.
Also, I know you’re the writer so I should shut up, but somehow the lines about pajamas break up the rhythm (visual and “spoken”) for me. Yet how else will people know the connection to the title?
Another tiny nitpick: In the bird/fish version, there’s almost an implied association between him and the fish, and her and the bird, whereas really it’s a better fit (what with the agoraphobia and the claustrophobia) the other way around. I know you’re not saying She’s a Bird, He’s a Fish, but it might be even more brilliant as a metaphor if the subtle association was more apropros.
All things considered, I like the first one and the third one best.
The bird and fish one. The pajama one is a bit too casual and doesn’t make much of a visual impact, and the dark red one with the fancy type looks too smushed and difficult to read. The bird and fish one is clean, cute, easy to read, and simple enough to be memorable. IMO.
Thanks so much, really useful feedback. More! More!
Carrie — the smushed/hard to read thing goes away when that card is at it’s full six-by-four inches. My publicist is thinking it would be good to try to take advantage of the fact that PG is coming out on Valentine’s Day.
Rachel — I see your point. It is easy enough to swap the text.
Asdfg — I promise, all that info will be big and upfront.
Love the fishbowl one; the font gives it a contemporary edge and I love the sense of space in it. The red one doesn’t really work for me; too much in a small space, although it probably spaces better in real size.
The Valentine’s thing is a non-issue in Australia. We don’t celebrate it, and I would probably be a little turned off a book that used it as an advertising push (which isn’t to say that it won’t work in the States, there’s a definite cultural thing at play in that comment).
The pillow one would catch my eye for Valentine’s Day, and is sumptuous. It implies a cosy evening reading, for me.
What if you had to use the pillow book cover as the entire postcard. What if. That would include all the pertinent stuff. Then maybe on the message side, it could say: Spice up your Valentine’s Day with pages 43-45. Other good parts to flip to: page 1.
This would be in handwriting typeface, across the back. But maybe too playful. Could work for advance copies to the press, at any rate.
What about a list of the types of pajamas famous authors prefer? As if such a list existed. Well, perhaps one could be made up. Again, too cutesy. And it’s not all about pajamas, is it. Good luck with promotion stuff – I heard it’s not your most favourite thing.
The first one looks nicest to me, it is striking and there is enough whitespace to make it stand out. I’d lose the pajamas line, it ties in to the title but it doesn’t really do anything for me.
Picture this, (Sicily, 1934):
On top of your bird/fish poster the words ‘A bird and a fish may love each other’ then the rest of the saying at the bottom border. Get rid of the pajama habits and add the he’s claustrophobic, she’s agoraphobic bit where that was on either side of the picture.
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Regarding the tagline:
This Valentine’s Day let her read about a man more screwed up than you are…
Ahem.
This is why I don’t work in PR.
I liked the fishbowl one best – it’s eyecatching and pretty clean as well!
The visual match to the actual bookjacket will make it easier to locate the book for purchase on crowded bookstore shelves. Red makes the Valentine’s Day link subtly without overpowering the message, but even the full-sized version looks way too crowded. I would remove the Valentine language at a minimum.
The bird and the fishbowl is the most striking graphic of the three and makes very pleasing use of the white space. Postcards are a difficult medium to do well, but of these, the fishbowl does it for me.
I like the fishbowl one. Nice and clean and it’s eye catching. I like this one better than the red one.
1) Bowlfish/Bird – It is great.
2) Red w/ pillows: Too crowded. It needs a clean up.
The red one is a bit too busy for me, too much going on. I would suggest keeping it red but printing it landscape moving the picture of the book to the left and one of the comments on the right, my favorite being about the bird and fish. And on the reverse you can put the one where you say “Give her a love story for Valentines Day.” or on the front would still be good but not too busy. The pajama one I think is good. Don’t like the Fish and bird one at all.
Are you sorry you asked everyone’s opinion yet?
I don’t regret asking at all — the feedback is very helpful. And of course, you can’t please everybody; some people won’t like the final product, no matter what it is.
The pajama card is by far my favorite. I love the drawing of the woman shape in the man’s pajamas and the way it’s drawn suggests a humorous storyline…like a P.J. Wodehouse story. Other reasons I like it are: the title is prominent, it’s simple and the red highlights will attract the eye for Valentine Day shoppers. I suggest losing the “she’s agoraphobic and he’s claustrophobic” because the “He doesn’t wear pajamas. That’s all she wears.” already suggests opposites and isn’t at all intimidating or pretentious . I would also suggest adding… Released on…to the date and wonder if saying “Valentine Day” will hinder sales after Feb. the 14th?