Space Opera Fans discussion

I drew up an illustration for a book (other profile photo). I was wondering If illustration's added to or took way from the story flow, in Space Operas. Any Authors or know of any Space Operas where illustrations really added something to the book? What are your opinions?

I read on a Paperwhite, so illustrations lose most if not all of their usefulness.

Teresa wrote: "I read on a Paperwhite, so illustrations lose most if not all of their usefulness."

Does it matter if its a black and white illustration?
Hmm... I ask because there is certainly a cost to adding illustrations in the books.

The images I've seen in the few books that use them are not full screen, so they are tiny and I can't zoom them. If it's an image I really want to see I use the kindle app on my iPad, which is color and the size is much larger.

But this is just ME. I don't care much for illustrations in books anyway. And I'm likely not your target audience.

What percentage of your target market read on their phones? I'm out of date on YA SF market since I avoid reading YA and NA in any genre and haven't worked in book store in several years. The trend then was toward either graphic novels or novels without illustrations not a combination. There were a few exceptions but they were books from established authors whose fans were probably going to buy pretty much whatever they did.

I have moved this thread from the Reader Discussions folder to the Author and Blogger Shoptalk folder. Brian, I understand that as an author you want to get input on certain issues from readers, but that's why we devoted a whole folder to Author issues. Please keep that in mind.

Illustrations can make a book beautiful. But as an earlier reader noted, they're best enjoyed in dead tree format.

Illustrations can be good or bad, like anything else. The kind of picture you’re talking about doesn’t seem value-added to me.

Honestly, the fact you put an apostrophe in a plural word and added a space inside the parentheses is far more distracting to me. Authors really need to get the basics of grammar and punctuation correct before they start thinking about pictures and other fluff.

Trike wrote: "Illustrations can be good or bad, like anything else. The kind of picture you’re talking about doesn’t seem value-added to me.

Honestly, the fact you put an apostrophe in a plural word and added a..."

Thank you for the heads up, that's also why I hired an editor.

It's unfair, but true, that every post you make on Goodreads is basically a cover letter.

I don't think it's worth putting illustrations at all. I think the majority of people won't care that much and if you're selling in ebook it's even more silly to include it. I like your cover and that's the best use of money regarding that type of thing.