Choosing a book cover for “GLADIATOR”
Posted in American Gladiators, Book on April 10th by Dan.
Choosing a book cover in never an easy task. We went through a couple different incarnations that I'll SHOW you in this post for my book - Gladiator – A True Story of Roids, Rage and Redemption. Early on I had my ideas of what I wanted and then it changed as the content of the book changed. The book became extremely personal and even though it's framed by "Gladiators and Steroids," the heart of the book is about: identity, love, family, addiction, and survivorship.
I thought these themes would resonate with readers because I always knew the Gladiator audience was more sophisticated then the wrestling audience. I also believed if I made the book extremely personal and candid and made sure not matter how dark the journey got — that my humanity shined through — I would reach beyond the core audience and into readers who'd never watched Gladiators — but love a great story. By the feedback and reviews, I humbly think I've succeeded. Here is the INITIAL COVER the publisher came up with:
Again, the book is an extremely candid look at a life — that was pretty freakin' wild, astonishing, and at times heartbreaking — and I wanted the cover to reflect that. So as cool this cover was with the burnt edges, it just didn't do it for me. The SECOND COVER was intriguing:
I loved the colors on this cover, the large font, the ominous feel. But at the end of the day, it didn't feel like it was the appropriate cover for a Memoir. It felt like it was written by a reporter or someone not associated with the show, so I asked the publisher to keep trying.
This COVER is my FAVORITE and the one I fought to use. I lost the battle. First off, I'd change the color of the font to red. But what I love about this cover is the juxtaposing of the images of "Current Me" and "Nitro" on the front. You get to see the "journey" in a snapshot. The journey from Gladiator to the man I am today. I think that's interesting and more appropriate for the book. Especially with the female readers. And, thank God, there's been a lot.
Here's the COVER THEY USED. I like it, but really believe the cover above is the best one.
That being said, I'm most appreciative of the people at Simon and Schuster — they've done a great job. Plus, there's always PAPERBACK!
What do you think? Love to hear your feedback.
Be brilliant!
Dan "Nitro" Clark
Technorati Tags: Gladiators, Choosing a book cover, American Gladiator, Dan Clark, Nitro, Dan Nitro Clark, Simon and Schuster, memoir, best books, Gladiators, how to chose a book cover, writer, author
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OMG! I’m really glad you chose the cover that you did. The last one was by far by favorite, because like you said, it showed the journey from Gladiator to who you are now.
But seriously…the covers are amazing, but I think the right choice was made.
I would have liked the one that was your favorite–showing you then and now. But at least you got both pictures in–even if one was on the front and the other on the back. I would not however used the red font after reading the book–it would have been too much like the blood you shed on a regular basis.
I’m not crazy about the current cover on the book where it’s only Nitro. I wish they would’ve gone with the one with both images on the cover! I think the one with only Nitro on the cover is to off-putting to women.
lol the second one with the matel action figure a definate no no. Please dont use that one its way to comedical. Not to say the toy was, I actually used to have most of the AG collection and events growing up. My favorite is the first one in black and white with nitro from season 1 straight out of football.
Of course the one on my copy is ausome too.
So what if its off putting to women, you could always throw in some more photos of the female gladiators.
I vote for the black and white one! The current one also gives the reader a sense of you today which is cool too. f-in sick man whichever.
-Bid D
One more comment about the black and white image Dan is that as I read the book for the second time through I get a real feel for what you put into nitro as a character. The tough explosive cocky destroying machine. Its very inspiring to me as an athlete as well. Especially sharing a few things in common.
-Bid D
Dan,
I love the one with the current you on the cover… it shows your smile & that authentic side of you. With the image of Nitro in the back. If I were to see the one of Nitro alone… I may just pass it by, thinking it is just a book about Gladiators & the picture is of just one of the characters.
But with you, your smile & the character… it is definitly more personal and makes a connection. I think that alone would make me stop & pick it up to see more. At least read the back or front to find out if I would want to know more about this real person that played a character.
Either way … I’ll support you
May all the wonder & abundance flow your way with this & every new adventure going forward.
Namaste,
Kelly … Breathe
I’m really loving that first one. It’s straight from the old school!
I love having the current cover though, and I’ll say that I do like it better than the third one. See, it’s like this, the current cover shows the reader who you used to be, and the back of it shows who you’ve grown to become after all the problems and the discovery of yourself beyond the “Nitro” character. The cover you wanted does the exact same thing, but I like the current cover with the red text.
And I’ll agree with Daniel Cottrell that the one with the action figure is a definate no. Who would take the book seriously with that cover if they weren’t even a fan of Gladiators — even with the serious title? But, the colors ARE nice though.
And, funny story about the picture on the first cover. I have that picture, but it’s really small and you can’t really see what it is that you’re holding. I thought it was a WWF title or something. When I first saw the picture I thought, “Nitro was in the WWF back in the day?”
I’m happy with the current cover though. It looks good.
Thanks Kelly. That was sweet.
Hi, good post. I have been wondering about this topic,so thanks for posting. I will definitely be coming back to your site.
Hi, good post. I have been thinking about this issue,so thanks for sharing. I will likely be coming back to your blog. Keep up great writing
Original post by Dmitri Gromov
The article is usefull for me. I’ll be coming back to your blog.
I'll be calling on all you for help with my NEXT book cover!
Dan