Cover for an ebook novel by a New York Times best selling author

http://www.moorethink.com

I'm an author and technology business consultant. I've written three non-fiction political books, one of which was a New York Times bestseller. ("Bush's Brain") I'm trying my hand at fiction and have finished a science-fiction novel I've been writing for more than 20 years. The story presumes that man has evolved through constant intervention by alien intelligence. A wasting disease begins to move through the planet's population and there are clues that it is another intervention. But the government also appears to be involved. A reporter and a scientist are trying to discover what has caused the disease and how planetary devastation can be averted. The disease appears, in some cases, to be spread through sexual contact. Some witnesses claim that ETs are withdrawing blood from cattle to create a virus that will either wipe out humankind or reduce the population to where it is manageable and not destroying the earth. The scientist is searching for evidence among the Dogon tribe of Africa, which is believed to have ancient knowledge of the Sirius star system. He thinks that may provide links to the planet's current curse. The larger themes are about the environment, extra-terrestrial intelligence, morality, cosmology, and man's general place in the universe. The narrative is more humanist than religious and implies that the ETs may have even been mans' creators.

This is for a book buying audience on Amazon at Kindle Direct Publishing. The cover design will be what buyers see when they consider purchasing the book. The story is more mainstream than science fiction since it considers the larger issues of our time. The book is for intellectual readers that have been struggling to make sense of what's happening in our world. The narrative attempts to weave a theory of complete understanding of existence, how it is ordered, how it might work. It is an interpretation of headlines from mainstream and alternative media, which have been turned into a story. Readers of this book are probably not Trekkies. They more likely have read "The Mote in God's Eye" or "The Boat of a Million Years."

The title of the book must be across the top of the design/page. It is called, "In the Time of Man." In smaller print beneath should be the words "A Novel." The author's name belongs on the bottom of the page. "James C. Moore." Either under my name or next to it should be the words "New York Times Bestselling Author." These can lead into my name or be used as a subheading or all along a single line to save space, if type size is not too small. Either jpeg or tiff tif formats are acceptable to Amazon. Dimensions: Minimum 500 x Maximum 1280 pixels
• Minimum of 500 pixels, horizontally
• Maximum of 1280 pixels, vertically
Save at 72 dots per inch (dpi) for optimal viewing on the web. Please do not use any type of border. I want the design to appear as a book cover on a shelf. Please use colors. I see red and/or black as central but can be convinced of anything that works.
The iconic images in this narrative can help guide design. They include but are not limited to: UFOs, ETs, deserts, Monument Valley, the sun, stars, Africa, TV, planets, the Milky Way, wilderness, research labs, skinny, sick people, horizons, cattle, cities, large airplanes, etc.
I am looking for a design that suggests both mystery and an answer, if such a thing is possible. I don't want to be graphically overwhelmed. Simple is always the most elegant. But it has to be powerful.