30 Covers, 30 Days 2011: Day 8

Good morning! If you’re enjoying 30 Covers, 30 Days, you might also dig our NaNo Artisans forum—loads of awesome art created by and for other Wrimos! Today’s cover was designed by the superlative Mark Abrams:




Marigold Man by Argyle Schield

A regular joe named Paul, anonymous office worker by day and gardener by other times, discovers the incredible fecundity of marigolds: one plant produces hundreds of seeds, each of which can produce hundreds more.

He hatches (or plants) a plan to change (or at least brighten a bit) the world with marigolds. He starts his little revolution solo, planting seeds wherever he can, but soon discovers his noble but (frankly) pathetic efforts barely make a dent. The world is still the useful, practical, prosaic place it has always been. He finds a group of (somewhat) like-minded people who, next planting season, join the quest.

The small group, by the third year, becomes almost an army (a word Paul hates because it’s the antithesis of everything marigold), a veritable congregation of marigold planters, determined optimists who only want a world with a dab of color and poetry. His revolution grows to sizes and takes him to places he never dreamed he’d get to, so much so that he almost loses himself and everything he values most in the process.


Mark Abrams designs covers for Vintage Books and lives in Brooklyn, with his wife and baby. His first full-length work was “A History of the Jewish People,” written at age six.

It's an interesting cover, but I think the plot grabs me more.

The title and Author's name seem poorly placed, and I don't think the cover truly reflects the synopsis. It needs to have more colour, more fun, and a stronger sense of the ridiculous.

Wow... I love the random face!! I would definitely stop to look at this book.

I love the color =) I think it's a great cover and a really interesting sounding story =) Congrats!

i absolutely LOVE The sound of this story! it sounds fantastic! and really different and optimistic. The cover is...interesting. I saw the covers name and author name first (because i had to scroll to see the rest of the cover probably on my small netbook) so noticing the title wasn't a problem for me but i could see how it could be though/

Interesting take on it though! the title stood out more than the author's name because it's in a different colour

An eye-catching cover and it represents the synopsis quite well, but I think they don't suit each other so well as they could. Even so, great job to the artist and writer both. :) I love the story idea, it sounds absolutely random and just perfect. *hopes to be able to buy the book and read it one day*

On a less relevant note because I don't really want to make an entirely new thread just for this newbie question:I suppose if one is chosen for a cover, one must provide one's real name or a pseudonym to be placed on it before the cover can be completed? *doesn't quite fancy some day seeing one of my internet nicknames on a cover as I would an actual name*

I enjoyed the cover - and very creative. ;-) Nice job.

Unfortunately, I think this cover would put me off buying the book, despite the really interesting synopsis, simply because the colours and design make my eyes go funny.

LOVE the plot! just don't like the cover to be honest. If all I had to make the decision about whether or not to buy your book was that cover..I'd think I'd pass it over, sorry.

This is one of my favorites so far! The cover would definitely make me pick it up in a store.

I would have loved to see the title down on the right maybe toward the end of the second to last row. But it is a striking cover artistically. The face reminds me of the Great Will Ferral.

So no one's liking this much?

Because I thought it was fantastically spiffy, and it definitely caught my eye. It got me rather interested to read the synopsis and, come on, it applies to the synopsis in so many different ways at well! He's one of many faceless workers, a single face in a crowd, and then the yellow Marigold seeds... it's a very simple concept but it looks lovely to me.
That, and the synopsis sounds fantastic as well. I found it very interesting and I'd love to give it a read; but then I love stories like that, where a single underdog unknowingly changes the entire world through a tiny discovery.

True enough, though, that the title and author's name could have been a bit better placed and a bit more obvious, but I quite like the colour and it's definitely an eye-catching cover I definitely wouldn't mind having on my bookshelf.

I don't really have an opinion one way or the other on the artistic merits of the cover, but I will say that something about it made me go and check out the author's synopsis and then move on to his blog, which I spent some time browsing. I'm not sure if it was the design, or the title. Maybe a combination.

Author- I'm sure you've read about this woman, but just in case you haven't: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700013948/Forever-blooming-Amazing-daffodil-garden-is-closed-but-her-serigraphs-are-alive-in-a-new-book.html

What a fun, inspiring story. There's something about happiness shining through boredom that I find especially satisfying. It actually struck me as a interesting film plot.

I love the idea for the story, and the cover is perfect in a weird way. A funny, super appropriate way.

I like the synopsis a lot (remind anyone of what a certain Chris Baty started 13 years ago?).
Cover, not so much, but it's still pretty good. I don't see what it has to do with the plot, but that's just me.

Great idea for a story, though!

I like the idea for the cover but the execution? Not so much. How about making the title and author name larger? Like at least the same size as the dots. And maybe the dots should be flowers (Marigolds, just a thought).

Story sounds great.

Wow, very eye-catching! Great work, as always :)

No, this absolutely isn't my favorite. But a great plot, though. (: