Title: The Sins of Steel and Shadow
Author: Steve Pannett
First published: 2025
A fantasy fiction novel written by yours truly (I’m a self-published author in the genre, as well as doing all…this *gestures to the rest of the website*).
I was my own client here, so I had plenty of freedom and explored lots of different paths before settling on this design. I wanted something that felt very much embedded within my chosen genre, but could still have good standout. Lots of covers in the gritty/grim fantasy space go very dark, or lead with an illustrated scene from the story – so instead I went light, and focused in on an artistic representation (a carved/crack statue) of a single character from the book.
For titling I went with more choices that felt at home within the fantasy space – as these covers need to instantly tell prospective readers that they’re shopping in the right genre – and embellished it with some 3D effects, discolouration and work with background shadows.
This is Book 1 of a series, so I anticipate that subsequent covers will follow the same approach, each depicting a different character on the front to create a complete set.
If you want to learn more about me as an author, you find out more by visiting stevepannett.com
