Designing a Book Cover That Tells

Dec28

I found this helpful post by Christopher Lentz who is a guest on “The Owl Lady’s” blog – Vivdrewa.me. I had never heard of the backward six scan we apparently all do. I also like his comment in his “squinting at it” section. What is prominent does depend on who you are as an author. I’m sure you’ve noticed how some (not all) prominent authors have their name almost as large or larger than the title. They are obviously selling themselves and their reputation that you’ll want that book you’re looking at. Most of us aren’t in this category – not yet anyway 😉
There – I learned my new one thing today. Hopefully I’ll learn a few more, too 😉

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Where Publishing Dreams Become Reality

Viv Drewa - The Owl Lady

By Guest Blogger Christopher Lentz

If you’re reading this, you’re probably a storyteller. That’s part “story” and part “teller.” So what do your book covers tell potential readers?

First confession: I may be new to the self-publishing world, but I’m not a newcomer to the universe of design and marketing. Since the launch of my novel,Blossom, I continue to be amazed by how many people are attracted to and comment about the book’s cover.

Though trends in romance cover designs come and go, timeless and tested truisms of marketing contributed to Blossom’s cover design. Here are five things I applied while designing what’s proving to be an impactful, engaging cover.

Second confession: If you’re looking for a guaranteed how-to list of tips for designing covers that will propel you to the heights of TheNew York Timesbestsellers list, this isn’t it. If you find one, let me…

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Print Piracy and Free Trade

Dec7

My general take on print book priracy (or ebook priacy for that matter) – it’s not worth my energy and time to do anything about it. There are so many other positive things I need to do with my time related to my books (and my personal time for that matter), but David has given us some very good information about how the process all works, and good information and knowing the process that you’re a part of (whether you like it or not) is always a good thing.

I have also had an issue with my ebook and print books not being connected, but I was also able to fix that by contacting the kdp support people, and it only happened once. But if you want to know how to fix it yourself, David tells you how.

Source: The Book Designer – Practical advice to help build better books

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Do you believe in the “overnight success” theory?

Jun14

Here is a short bit from Jean Cogdell about overnight success – the key word she uses is patience. I also like the quote she has from Kate Morton.

Take a look:

Do you believe in the “overnight success” theory? | jean’s writing

CKBooks Publishing
Where Publishing Dreams Become Reality

11 Tips on Getting Your Book Published

May23

Melody Moezzi has some very good points about getting published. There is no one way and no one secret. As you have probably heard many times, writing a good story is number one. And I like that she has reading as number two. I would concern on the order of both of those points. I also like her point about doing your research. There is a lot to learn when you’re trying to get published (self or otherwise) and the best way to spend your money wisely is to know what you’re spending your money on, so ask around and read and keep your ears open. And then there is the infinite amount of patience that she doesn’t mention but is inherent in this process.

Source: 11 Tips on Getting Your Book Published

IngramSpark vs. Createspace: Print on Demand Battle Royal

Mar18

Dave Chesson of kindlepreneur has made a very handy list of pro and cons for IngramSpark and createspace, really the only two printers/publishers I would suggest anyone use. I have used both for my clients and myself.

I would have to agree that IngramSpark is not as user friendly for those unfamiliar with the publishing process, but would also agree that their quality is more consistent. The other thing that might throw a self-publisher is figuring out what percent discount to give the various distribution options that IngramSpark has. They say the standard is 55%, which is similar to selling a print book on Amazon. (I’m not sure the % createspace takes for its various distribution outlets, but I can’t imagine it’s different. If anyone out there knows, I’d love to hear!)

I have one book with IngramS at the moment (Will the Real Carolyn Keene Please Stand Up) and went with 50% vs 55% for US sales (less for international because of the cost) and I still get sales. I went with IS for this book because I wanted a hardcover and createspace doesn’t do hardcover (though I know some have managed it through them somehow). I also have a soft cover of the same book through them. Plus I wanted to see how my sales were on IS vs the couple books I have printed through createspace.

So far, I sell more print books through IS than createspace, but I’m not comparing apples to apples since they are different books and may interest different people (though they are both historical fiction books). And just so you know, IS distributes for Amazon, so any Amazon orders I get for a print book will be fulfilled by IS. And IS only has certain sizes for hardcover. My Carolyn Keene book is 5.5″ X 8.5″ which they do. My most recent MG book (Intrigue in Istanbul: An Agnes Kelly Mystery Adventure) is 7.75″ x 5.25″ which they don’t do, so I went with a local printer (Publisher Graphics) for that and they did a wonderful job. Now I have to decide if I want to do a soft cover with IS so I can get a wider distribution network or see if I can convince them do something custom for me. They have many size options for soft cover. And their shipping costs to me are less than createspace, but maybe that depends on where you live (I live in Wisconsin).

One more FYI. You can not use both companies. If you want to try IS and you currently have your book printed through createspace, you will have to take it off createspace before IS will print/distribute it for you.

If you have any other questions about either publisher, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’d be happy to help out.

Source: IngramSpark vs. Createspace: Print on Demand Battle Royal

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Where Publishing Dreams Become Reality

THE Voice of the Independent Publishing Industry

Mar12

I know it’s been 2016 for a while but I wanted to share this anyway. Jillian Bergsma Manning reminds us of things we as writers should think about (and hopefully implement) in the new year.

What’s on your writer’s to do list for 2016?

I know one thing I would like to improve on. I would like to plan out my book events a bit more in advance, if I can. It will make me feel better and will be less stressful to boot!

Source: Independent Publisher: THE Voice of the Independent Publishing Industry

Rites of Submission: Cover Letters and Query Letters

Dec9

For those who are looking to publish with a big (traditional) publishing house, either while you’re self-publishing or instead of self-publishing (it doesn’t matter these days), Jacqueline has posted some information about the very important cover and query letters.

And it goes without saying (but it’s important so I’ll say it anyway), your manuscript has to be as best as you and your editor can make it.

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Sample cover letters, query letters, and comments on the art of writing them, by Jacqueline K. Ogburn, published as part of a WWW site dedicated to children’s books and the writing and illustrating of them.

Source: Rites of Submission: Cover Letters and Query Letters

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Where Publishing Dreams Become Reality

HarperCollins Will Close of Authonomy Writing Community in September

Aug22

I was not aware of Authonomy before I read this article about it going away, but it sounded like a smart way for both HarperCollins’ and writers to find each other and get some good feedback in the process.

I don’t know anything about HCs’ HarperImpulse or the Borough Press, but maybe those are other options for those that want to get in with a traditional publishing house.

HarperCollins Will Close Authonomy Writing Community in September | The Independent Publishing Magazine.

So You’ve Decided to Submit Your Manuscript (Guest Post)…

Aug9

I tend to write and share posts about self-publishing because I think that it makes sense for most writers to go that direction, and for a myriad reason. But what I suggest to any of my clients or writers I am talking to who want to go the traditional route is to do both: self-publish and try and get a traditional publisher. It used to be that you couldn’t do both, but that is not the case any longer. The better you do as a self-published author, the more likely you will be picked up by a traditional house.

Of course, there is no reason at all that you can’t just go for traditional publishing but be prepared for a lot of work and a long, long wait. Of course, there are always rare exceptions to this, but this is the norm. That’s just one reason I suggest, while you’re working on getting traditionally published, self-publish and start building a fan base. It can only help!

Thanks to Chris (from Reading Ape’s blog) and Helen Jones for the post.

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Where Publishing Dreams Become Reality

Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

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If you’re serious about being traditionally published you will need an agent. The majority of publishers don’t accept unsolicited manuscripts, so finding someone to represent you and your work is essential for getting that elusive book deal. I’ve been down the submission path myself (and have the pile of rejection letters to prove it). As it turned out, I wasn’t ready at the time, and neither was my book, but I didn’t let it get me down (too much). Instead, I went online, joined a writing forum, read as much as I could, attended a seminar and gave my book to several more people to read. And I learnt a lot, both about the type of book I was writing and about how to submit to agents. So I thought I’d share it with you.