I've finished the book that I've posted the first three chapters to up on [link]
Which made me happy. I've also decided to take an independent publishing route, which will involve me self-promoting the book etc.

First off, I'm not asking that someone do this for free. Of course I wouldn't. This will be a paying contest!

Awards
- 100 Dollars(US) for the 1st place pick, and a free copy of the book. Will be used for cover art of the book. Artist and Picture copyright and rights will be named in first page of the book.

- 50 Dollars(US) for the 2nd place pick (though it won't be used,) and a free copy of the book. Will be used in a back section, "Alternate covers." Artist and Picture copyright and rights will be named in first page of the book.

- 20 Dollars(US) for the 3rd place pick (though it won't be used.) Will be used in a back section, "Alternate covers." Artist and Picture copyright and rights will be named in first page of the book.

- 10 Dollars(US) for the 4th and 5th place pick (though it won't be used.) Will be used in a back section, "Alternate covers." Artist and Picture copyright and rights will be named in first page of the book.

- 5 Dollars(US) for those that are picked 6th-10th place (if that many people even try.)


Rules
- State here that you are going to be working on an entry. Any entry that is not announced in this thread will not be accepted or judged.

- The contest is until April 5th, 2008. If you are one or two days off from completing, please let me know and I will hold back on announcements till then.

- Please include the color RGB that you are using for the background, so that it will blend with the book cover.

- Stay within 1838 pixels wide and 2775 pixels tall please.

- Do not add borders to this. This has a back you know.

- If you include your signature, do so neatly in the LEFT bottom corner. You will be credited for your art within the first page of the book.

- You can use any program you want as long as it ends up in PNG, JPG, or GIF format at the end of your work.

- No nudity. Unless you're going to send that just to me, and if you do, make sure they're good boobies not bad ones. I can't stand bad ones. Seriously, no nudity.

- Simplicity is always best. Extravagant covers will likely not on the front cover.

- When finished, either post it on your DeviantArt, or send the finished product to me at blizzardveers@gmail.com

- Payments can be done through Visa/Paypal/Snail-Mail - whatever else you want. Payment method is up to you.


Picture Guidelines
- First thing, I'm not looking for Anime, Chibi, etc. I'm looking for a serious cover that will draw the eye.

- Include a character from the book, or don't, your choice. If you need a description of the characters, well I can provide that right now.

Ethan - Protaganist of the story. Young, 6'1", Human, Long silver hair, blue eyes, small scar above his left eye, slight break in his nose, smokes, wears beat up jackets, tends to put his hands in his pockets. Should be easy for someone.

"Slayer" - Older (40s), Human, 6'5", Short brown military style hair, black eyes, face is essentially nothing but scars, scar going down his throat, wears armor, wields weapons frequently. Military legend in Alabastor State.

Arctaurus - Elder (77), Human, 5'9", Medium length grey/black hair, brown eyes, large grey moustache, walks with a cane, generally dresses in suits, has no scars, romantic ties to Kesis. Leader of the Knights of the MAGUS Council.

Kesis - Young, Neko, 6'0", For the purpose of the book, she'll be clad in dark brown robes if featured on the cover at all. Romantically tied to Arctaurus. One of the Knights.

Janis - Slightly Older, Human, 6'3" For purpose of the book, he'll be clad in dark brown robes if featured on the cover at all. One of the Knights.

The Grand Zan - Antagonist of the book. Elder (80s?),Human, Long grey hair, dark black eyes (abnormally so), a sneer crosses his face constantly, he wears black, is gloved, wears an obsidian cloak bearing many jewels on it. Leader of the Over-Society.

The Final Experiment - Antagonist of the book? No age, Unknown, is a completely black monstrous shadow that seems to take on whatever form it wants when dealing with Ethan. Not much else is known.

The MAGUS Council - A group of 7 of which the book is following the events of their departure from the world.

The Over-Society - A system of politics and a large dome that was creating to keep citizens inside. Ruled by the Grand Zan, the Over-Society is thought to be a place where people enter but never can leave. At least by those on the outside.

- Please don't put any text on the cover, if you do including it like this: In a smaller format, "Memories of the End" and below that in a larger format "The Shadows of the Council" or "Shadows of the Council"

Let me know if there's anything else that you need explained to.