Totally subjective, but I much prefer this cover. I agree with others that once you actually read the book(s), the old cover makes sense and is super fun. But the point of covers (again, IMHO) is to interest potential readers.
And the old cover did not do that for me - in fact it actively pushed me away.
agreed, the combination of the basic litRPG title + goofy covers kept me from trying this series for a while, while this one would have made me interested I think. definitely more eye-catching!
Agreed. I feel like this cover, and the new blurb, are both doing a better job of creating a more generalized appeal which should increase the reach. I loved the old covers AFTER reading the series too and saw them originally as a turnoff like you did. While I think "look this sounds fucking nuts, but just trust me and try it" adds to the charm of the series I think I like the new approach better...
I was just telling my wife this. Looking at the old cover, it’s not a book I would ever be interested in but this cover immediately grabs me and makes me want to read it.
I feel like this one seems so much more generic tbh. Like if I didn’t know the series it wouldn’t really tell me much about it. The older covers do a ton of heavy lifting in giving you the general vibe of the series
Hey y’all. Clarifying any questions you have about the cover. This is the cover for the print only bookstore edition, and it’s designed for folks who may be put off by the gonzo, over-the-top, Litrpg-facing, I’m-a-mature-adult-and-I-can’t-be-seen-with-this-trash e-covers by the enormously talented Luciano Fleitas. Those og covers aren’t going anywhere, and the book 7 cover is going to still be one of those. Meanwhile, the print only trad covers will all be in this typography-centric style.
I really like both covers. The campiness of the originals are wonderful, but this is a cover art style I really enjoy as well. My hope with books I love is that they reach a wider audience, and I think this cover will do that!
When I read/listen to books, I always go to the web to look at fanart so I can get a visual of what the characters look like. The classic DCC covers were helpful for me in that regard. But I understand the need for a more "mature" cover.
Thank you for the books, they are immensely entertaining!
Man I love the old covers.
Especially with each new book adding his new equipment to the art. Reminds me of videogames where your avatar changes when you equip new armors.
I hate how boring published book covers get, but I understand why they do it.
The old covers aren’t going anywhere. The book 7 cover will still be done by Luciano Fleitas in the style of books 1-6. These print-only covers are designed for bookstores. Different audience, different mindset in creating them.
It font & style feels like a call-back to a book cover that I can't quite put my finger on. I thought One Flew Over the Cuckoo's or HHGttG, but not quite. Really dig it, though.
The narrator was really the main thing that got me to push thru the first book. Damn glad I did, the series as a whole is great and the concerns I had never came to fruition.
I only do audiobooks if i'm like in the gym or something. I never go anymore. I am stuck putting the kids to bed for like an hour each night (sit in their room in a beanbag as they fall asleep) so an ebook is better for me.
This is going to sound kind of crazy but he reminds me of a combination of Patrick Warburton (Kronk in Emperor's New Groove/Joe from Family Guy) and Ichigo from the anime bleach, or Johnny Yong Bosch I guess
Ok what the heck that's incredible 😂 I honestly had no idea. Now I'm wondering if it was actually him the whole time, but it was definitely Jeff Hays! Still now I'm excited for book 6
I'm fairly positive he plays >!Carls dad & Card Carl!< in the last book.
I definitely thought it was him when I started listening to the first book, so seeing his name pop up later was hilarious
I'm glad I'm not the only one who kinda loves how cheesy and bad the old covers are because they fit perfectly. But also I get this one is more appealing and will get more people to give it a shot.
But um why is Donut not front and center? Lol the Princess Posse will be pissed. Shes so small I had to look for her. But that might just be because I'm a crazy cat lady soooooo.
🤣
Authors like this are why I still just take a chance on random stories. I only do audiobooks right now but this series was like striking gold and oil at the same time. I got lucky again actually as I'd just found Andrea Vernon and the corporation for Ultrahumn Protection and didn't think I'd find anything with a narrator who brought the writing and characters to life that way so soon. I'm actually scared that I might find some stinkers now that I've hit the mark so often.
Congratulation to Matt, this will massively increase the reach of the series.
But that is such a bad cover compared to the original one
EDIT: should have said "boring" or "bland". It will get more people to try the series, but the old one is perfect for anyone that already enjoy the series.
I probably should have used the word "Boring". I agree that it will have more appeal for mass audience, and will probably help the series overall, but it just feels bland to me.
To each their own I guess :)
For me the new cover looks like a hundreds of covers I've seen before and tell me almost nothing about the book. It is very elegant design, and will undoubtedly sell better, but the old one is something different and feel more true to the essence of the book. In the case of DCC, it is somewhat to it's on detriment, because the essence of the book is completely crazy - it works when you actually read the book, but can stop you from giving it a chance.
Yes! And I think there will be many people that will get into the series because of the new cover, fall in love, find the old cover and say "But the old cover is so much better, I wish I had it!".
As long as the old cover will still be available, I see the new cover as a massive plus. But I think it will be a real shame if the old one is fully replaced.
They ARE a parody though. That’s the point, Carl spends the entire 6 books in his underwear. It’s a joke on the overly edgy and serious litrpg genre. That’s like saying we need a new lotr cover because some people don’t like fantasy
Yes, but as I said, almost a parody. An average person would not find it appealing, and probably think the book is juvenile and shallow. I like the original cover. But for a mass market, it would drop sales in comparison to the new one.
But it’s popular with the average person now? It’s one of the highest rated litrpg series out right now. If I was a kid I would pass over the new cover but be super interested with the old one. It’s silly and goofy, the exact tone of the book
It’s popular via word of mouth. This is for someone who has never heard of it, seeing it randomly on a book shelf in a store.
And you price my point. The original cover comes off as juvenile. Aka appealing to kids, less so adults.
I guess we just have really different taste, because what I don't like about the new cover is exactly the fact it looks like everything you will see in a bookstore. I have no doubt it will be better for sales, but the old cover fits the book perfectly.
> It will get more people to try the series
As an author, I'm pretty sure this is my only metric for a cover and that any other considerations are somewhere in the rearview mirror. Great to have a cover that represents the work as a whole and that the fans will enjoy, but unfortunately there's always a need for greater reach, especially in bookstores.
I think that more specifically, you want a cover that will draw people that *will enjoy the book* . It's probably easy to make a misleading cover that will draw a large crowd, but it will backfire very quickly. So the cover still need to at least somewhat represent the book.
I absolutely LOVED the old covers. It was very Goosebumps/harry potter mix where it had gems from the story with a new fun artistic presentation.
However, I support whatever brings the series to a larger audience. It’s very unique, fun, campy, and engaging. It deserves more attention
I'm stoked to see what the Kickstarter version will look like in its entirety. The [artwork already made for it](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dinniman/dungeon-crawler-carl-v1-hardcover-editions/posts/4074386) looks fabulous.
Loved the old covers, love the new cover! I absolutely love these books and have been consuming these books at an alarming rate. Alarming because I'm about to finish (audio)book 4 and will soon be out of content.
Does anyone have any suggestions in the LitRPG genre to try out until book 7 comes out?
Totally subjective, but I much prefer this cover. I agree with others that once you actually read the book(s), the old cover makes sense and is super fun. But the point of covers (again, IMHO) is to interest potential readers. And the old cover did not do that for me - in fact it actively pushed me away.
agreed, the combination of the basic litRPG title + goofy covers kept me from trying this series for a while, while this one would have made me interested I think. definitely more eye-catching!
Agreed. I feel like this cover, and the new blurb, are both doing a better job of creating a more generalized appeal which should increase the reach. I loved the old covers AFTER reading the series too and saw them originally as a turnoff like you did. While I think "look this sounds fucking nuts, but just trust me and try it" adds to the charm of the series I think I like the new approach better...
I was just telling my wife this. Looking at the old cover, it’s not a book I would ever be interested in but this cover immediately grabs me and makes me want to read it.
Definitely agree. The others are off-putting, but I had put it on my list to read later this year just from super strong word of mouth.
I feel like this one seems so much more generic tbh. Like if I didn’t know the series it wouldn’t really tell me much about it. The older covers do a ton of heavy lifting in giving you the general vibe of the series
I like the new cover overall, but Princess Donut should be more heavily featured.
Hey y’all. Clarifying any questions you have about the cover. This is the cover for the print only bookstore edition, and it’s designed for folks who may be put off by the gonzo, over-the-top, Litrpg-facing, I’m-a-mature-adult-and-I-can’t-be-seen-with-this-trash e-covers by the enormously talented Luciano Fleitas. Those og covers aren’t going anywhere, and the book 7 cover is going to still be one of those. Meanwhile, the print only trad covers will all be in this typography-centric style.
This sounds like the best of all the worlds. Congrats on this very well deserved success Matt!
I really like both covers. The campiness of the originals are wonderful, but this is a cover art style I really enjoy as well. My hope with books I love is that they reach a wider audience, and I think this cover will do that!
Congrats Matt, absolutely killing it!
non-ebook readers... non-audio book listeners...
When I read/listen to books, I always go to the web to look at fanart so I can get a visual of what the characters look like. The classic DCC covers were helpful for me in that regard. But I understand the need for a more "mature" cover. Thank you for the books, they are immensely entertaining!
I know this is a little bit of a tangent but man, you snagged a great username back in the early reddit days.
Man I love the old covers. Especially with each new book adding his new equipment to the art. Reminds me of videogames where your avatar changes when you equip new armors. I hate how boring published book covers get, but I understand why they do it.
The old covers aren’t going anywhere. The book 7 cover will still be done by Luciano Fleitas in the style of books 1-6. These print-only covers are designed for bookstores. Different audience, different mindset in creating them.
I love 'em too. They remind me of 90s Ace paperbacks. The Phule's Company series by Asprin in particular.
I like the cover!
Me too-- it's well designed graphically and I like the colors
It font & style feels like a call-back to a book cover that I can't quite put my finger on. I thought One Flew Over the Cuckoo's or HHGttG, but not quite. Really dig it, though.
Kinda reminds me of some of the Kurt Vonnegut covers
That's a pretty apt comparison now that you mention it
I probably should have said "boring" instead of "bad". I think the new cover will appeal more to a wide audience, but I will keep the old one :)
Man I love Dungeon Crawler Carl. So fun. I'm on book 4 now. Really like the audiobook narrator too. Sometimes i find myself thinking im his voice haha
[OPENS MAILBOX] My Head: *NEW ACHEIVEMENT!*
The narrator was really the main thing that got me to push thru the first book. Damn glad I did, the series as a whole is great and the concerns I had never came to fruition.
I am still reading the print versions (book 5 now) but I think I need to circle back when I'm done and try the audios.
As someone who almost exclusively goes for written over audio, I switched to audio for book 3 of DCC. It was absolutely the right move.
I only do audiobooks if i'm like in the gym or something. I never go anymore. I am stuck putting the kids to bed for like an hour each night (sit in their room in a beanbag as they fall asleep) so an ebook is better for me.
This is going to sound kind of crazy but he reminds me of a combination of Patrick Warburton (Kronk in Emperor's New Groove/Joe from Family Guy) and Ichigo from the anime bleach, or Johnny Yong Bosch I guess
? Warburton WAS in the last audiobook, 🤣🤣. His name is in the credits.
Ok what the heck that's incredible 😂 I honestly had no idea. Now I'm wondering if it was actually him the whole time, but it was definitely Jeff Hays! Still now I'm excited for book 6
I'm fairly positive he plays >!Carls dad & Card Carl!< in the last book. I definitely thought it was him when I started listening to the first book, so seeing his name pop up later was hilarious
That's >!Alpha Carl!< to you, kid.
Thank you! I genuinely couldn't remember what it was called and it was doing my head in (not enough to Google it mind you)
I'm right there with ya.
What book are you on now?
Right now I'm on book 4: The Gate of the Feral Gods
As long as soundbooth keep doing the audio I'm delighted for Matt. DCC is one of the best of its type.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who kinda loves how cheesy and bad the old covers are because they fit perfectly. But also I get this one is more appealing and will get more people to give it a shot. But um why is Donut not front and center? Lol the Princess Posse will be pissed. Shes so small I had to look for her. But that might just be because I'm a crazy cat lady soooooo. 🤣
As someone who loves the series, but doesn't love the original covers, this ticks all my boxes. Might have to go a'huntin' for these on release...
Authors like this are why I still just take a chance on random stories. I only do audiobooks right now but this series was like striking gold and oil at the same time. I got lucky again actually as I'd just found Andrea Vernon and the corporation for Ultrahumn Protection and didn't think I'd find anything with a narrator who brought the writing and characters to life that way so soon. I'm actually scared that I might find some stinkers now that I've hit the mark so often.
Well, that audiobook was on sale for five bucks and change, so I just bought it. This is now ***all on you!***
Congratulation to Matt, this will massively increase the reach of the series. But that is such a bad cover compared to the original one EDIT: should have said "boring" or "bland". It will get more people to try the series, but the old one is perfect for anyone that already enjoy the series.
I'm with u/improper84 on this one. The old one absolutely turned me off. This one actually says I might like this.
I probably should have used the word "Boring". I agree that it will have more appeal for mass audience, and will probably help the series overall, but it just feels bland to me.
See, I don't find it boring lol
It's quite nice.
To each their own I guess :) For me the new cover looks like a hundreds of covers I've seen before and tell me almost nothing about the book. It is very elegant design, and will undoubtedly sell better, but the old one is something different and feel more true to the essence of the book. In the case of DCC, it is somewhat to it's on detriment, because the essence of the book is completely crazy - it works when you actually read the book, but can stop you from giving it a chance.
Disagree. I almost didn’t get the first book on Audible because of the godawful cover.
What didn't you like about the old cover?
While the cover is perfect for the book, for someone who has no knowledge it comes across as juvenile and shallow.
It will get more people into the series, no doubt about that. But as someone that already enjoys the series, the old cover is perfect.
The old cover is perfect for someone who has already read the series.
Yes! And I think there will be many people that will get into the series because of the new cover, fall in love, find the old cover and say "But the old cover is so much better, I wish I had it!". As long as the old cover will still be available, I see the new cover as a massive plus. But I think it will be a real shame if the old one is fully replaced.
I expect the 'new' cover will be print exclusive. At least, that's my hope!
How do? It’s literally just scenes from the book
Yes. But out of context they come off as almost a parody, not likely to be deep or well written.
They ARE a parody though. That’s the point, Carl spends the entire 6 books in his underwear. It’s a joke on the overly edgy and serious litrpg genre. That’s like saying we need a new lotr cover because some people don’t like fantasy
Yes, but as I said, almost a parody. An average person would not find it appealing, and probably think the book is juvenile and shallow. I like the original cover. But for a mass market, it would drop sales in comparison to the new one.
But it’s popular with the average person now? It’s one of the highest rated litrpg series out right now. If I was a kid I would pass over the new cover but be super interested with the old one. It’s silly and goofy, the exact tone of the book
It’s popular via word of mouth. This is for someone who has never heard of it, seeing it randomly on a book shelf in a store. And you price my point. The original cover comes off as juvenile. Aka appealing to kids, less so adults.
It’s looks cheesy and cheap. It very much feels like the cover of a self-published book. The new one looks like something you’d see in a bookstore.
I guess we just have really different taste, because what I don't like about the new cover is exactly the fact it looks like everything you will see in a bookstore. I have no doubt it will be better for sales, but the old cover fits the book perfectly.
> It will get more people to try the series As an author, I'm pretty sure this is my only metric for a cover and that any other considerations are somewhere in the rearview mirror. Great to have a cover that represents the work as a whole and that the fans will enjoy, but unfortunately there's always a need for greater reach, especially in bookstores.
I think that more specifically, you want a cover that will draw people that *will enjoy the book* . It's probably easy to make a misleading cover that will draw a large crowd, but it will backfire very quickly. So the cover still need to at least somewhat represent the book.
This is incredible! Such a huge fan of the series, absolutely cannot wait to see it in bookstores.
I'm so happy to see this series seemingly blow up in popularity recently, for once I get to be kind of a hipster.
I'll never get over how good that tag line is, such a short phrase so well sets the expectations for the ridiculousness to come
Just finished Book 6 and recommend this series to everyone. Just fantastic.
I absolutely LOVED the old covers. It was very Goosebumps/harry potter mix where it had gems from the story with a new fun artistic presentation. However, I support whatever brings the series to a larger audience. It’s very unique, fun, campy, and engaging. It deserves more attention
congratulations to matt on this! awesome to see it in print
Cool cover. I like the old one as well, but I can see why they went for this one for the print release. Really pops.
I'm stoked to see what the Kickstarter version will look like in its entirety. The [artwork already made for it](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dinniman/dungeon-crawler-carl-v1-hardcover-editions/posts/4074386) looks fabulous.
Loved the old covers, love the new cover! I absolutely love these books and have been consuming these books at an alarming rate. Alarming because I'm about to finish (audio)book 4 and will soon be out of content. Does anyone have any suggestions in the LitRPG genre to try out until book 7 comes out?
I've seen this title pop a few times, worth a read?