First Proof of "A Warrior's Path"

I just got my first proof of my book in print. It's pretty slick. I have to say, I can't help but be a little excited about it. After seeing it, I did make one modification because of the quality of Urietsin's image, but it was very close to what I wanted. I'm really pleased with it.

As a point of interest, I wanted to share the evolution of the cover image with you. I started out with a really cheesy, low-res mockup I created in Photoshop Elements years ago:

As I started getting closer to publishing and finalized my decision to self-publish, I knew I would have to do better, so I went back to the drawing board. This time, I tried to make it not just a better resolution but all-around better. This is what I came up with:

You'll notice that this is pretty much what the cover looks like for the digital copy cover image I'm using on Smashwords and Amazon. Well, here's an actual photo of the proof I received today (the background behind the book is photoshopped):

This looks so close to my second mockup, I was really stoked to see it. I've had one of the two mockups hanging over my desk for years as an inspiration to get this done. Now, to see it in front of me in reality, the manifestation of my vision of this project, makes me feel like it was totally worth all the effort!