Book Cover Design Tips

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If you’ve been following my FB and blog, you already know about my Indiegogo campaign which was funded to help cover costs of self-publishing. Part of the campaign funds were allotted for the cover art for book one and two of my Alliance series.

Prior to the campaign, I spent a lot of time researching and brainstorming to give myself a plan for the covers. I needed to have an idea for series cohesion, a possible budget, and I needed to choose concepts appropriate for my genre. Basically, I needed to right the wrongs of my previous self-publishing adventure. I already covered some of this information in a previous blog post, so click here to get info on planning covers for genres and series.

Okay, so you know your covers need to fit the book’s genre and you need cohesion for a series. Now what? Let’s get more specific.

Find a designer within your budget who has a great portfolio and testimonials. You can even research those books on Amazon to see if they are real. Basically, do your homework.

Make contact when you find a designer you like. From that first email/message you can see how long they take to response and if they seem professional. If you are working on a series, don’t forget to ask if they offer discounts for multiple books. Not all designers will advertise a discount, but I’ve found many who were willing to offer me one when I inquired.

If you are on a really strict budget, there are some designers who offer premade covers at a much more affordable price. This can be a great steal if you can stumble on a premade cover that fits your novel. They usually update their premade selection, so bookmark a designer’s site if you like their work even if you don’t currently see one to fit your story.

Make sure you also do research on design rules. For example, your cover needs to translate well when reduced to a thumbnail size. The book might look good to potential readers in a store, but remember many customers will be browsing sites like Amazon. Your thumbnail image is important whether it’s print or ebook.

You should also understand what makes a good layout for a cover and this includes the importance of a legible font. I cringe when I see indie books using some really odd and hard to read font. A good designer can help you avoid these mistakes, but it helps to know the basics yourself. Again, do your homework.

I hope this information is helpful to some fellow indie authors. Stay tuned for my next post discussing a plan for self-publishing on a budget.

The Alliance Indiegogo Funded and Finished

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I know everyone has seen a barrage of Indiegogo campaign posts—I am sincerely sorry for the Indie overload—but I’m proud to say the campaign was fully funded. The campaign has also finished the month long crusade, so now I can make moves towards publication this fall. This also means I have more insight to share with you all via blog posts and Twitter.

First, thank you to all the awesome people who either shared or contributed to my Alliance YA series campaign. I’ll post occasional updates on the campaign page when I have dates for cover reveals and such. I will be keeping my contributors informed on the process because the series is getting a second chance thanks to all of their support. I’m very grateful for this opportunity and excited to share my journey.

Second, I have lots of steps to take before the books are published, but I am excited to get the ball rolling. The two novels are going through editing stages now. I’ll be in communications with the cover designer soon and formatting shouldn’t take too long. I created a plan of action before starting the Indiegogo, and I can share my initial plan for those interested in creating a campaign of their own. Right now my plan is scribbled in a notebook, but I’ll try to get it typed up soon.

Thank you all again, and I’ll try to have an informative post up at the beginning of the week. Stay tuned!

Don’t Be Scared to Change Your Story

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I decided to re-write the first chapter of Sacrifice because it’s the only section of the book I’ve been unhappy with. I always grimace when I have to provide that section for queries. Every time I submit to an agent I catch myself saying, “Ugh this isn’t the best part.” Well why isn’t it? Why would I keep an opener that isn’t strong enough to be a good selling point? If i’m not fully happy with the first chapter, why would I expect an agent to enjoy it?

Trust your instincts and don’t be stubborn with your drafts.

If something feels wrong or weak, you can always get another opinion or test a different scenario out.

Ask yourself questions. How could this part be more interesting? What is the weakest part? Is it the dialogue? Are the first few lines not catchy enough?

For Sacrifice, I asked myself what I thought was weak about the first chapter. I asked myself what parts worked and what parts weren’t helping the flow of the story. I came to the conclusion that I had all the information I needed to convey, but I needed to change my execution. I brainstormed different ways I could change the first chapter to better introduce my character. I decided to keep important dialogue bits, but i’m completely changing the setting. Instead of a boring phone conversation, my main character will be on the job and battling a supernatural creature. I’m currently testing different creatures and settings for this particular supernatural encounter.

So remember, don’t be scared to go back and make further revisions to your story. If something isn’t working, it’s best to improve the areas before making the plunge into queries. Sometimes I think we mentally tell ourselves the manuscript is done because we want the story to be finished, but not always when it’s actually a polished final draft. I wish I had thought to fix my “final draft” sooner. Lesson learned. (;

YA Series Indiegogo Fully Funded in Three Days; Let’s Exceed the Goal

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Wow, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has backed the Indiegogo campaign so far.The initial goal of $500 was met in less than three days! That’s mind blowing! A thank you doesn’t even cover how grateful I am for your support. This campaign means so much to me, and I’ll continue thanking you all until you’re sick of hearing it!

What does this mean? I can provide both Bloodlines and the sequel with cohesive profession cover designs. I can also cover the formatting costs and make sure I can get my rewards delivered to my backers.

I’m currently getting quotes for promotional graphics so that my backers can hopefully have unique images to use on FB and other social media to proudly announce themselves as a part of the “Alliance Street Team.” Maybe even bookmarks! I’ll post more details once I receive info back from the quotes.

The campaign has twenty-seven days left, so there’s plenty of time for others to join the madness! If you haven’t purchased your copy of The Alliance:Bloodlines, this is a great time to support the campaign and receive books! We can exceed this goal and provide even more! I’d like to make some website upgrades and offer better quality books. The more money I have at the end of the campaign, the better quality I can provide. $400 was the bare minimum I needed to make this publishing dream come true, but with more I can make the series even better. Cover design has various levels of quality. The phrase “you get what you pay for” is often true here. $250-300 might get decent cover designs, but sometimes paying a little extra can get you an even better quality. I might even be able to get some art prints commissioned to add to some reward tiers!

If the campaign ends way over the goal, like $800+ I imagine we could be funding the third book! The third Alliance novel is scheduled for a hopeful release next fall. Again thank you all who’ve joined my adventures into self publishing. Let’s keep this campaign growing!

The Alliance YA Series Indiegogo Campaign is Live!

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My Indiegogo campaign is live. I would love to have your support in my adventures of self-publishing. The Alliance series is a YA Urban Fantasy project I’ve been working on for many years. In order for this campaign to be successful, I really need as many people to rally behind me with likes, shares, comments, and retweets. You can easily help the series thrive even if you can’t donate. I can’t stress the importance and success of “word of mouth” advertisement.

I’ll be making more campaign updates throughout the month. I only have 30 days to reach my goal. Will you help me get there? Make sure to click the link to learn more about the project and why this YA series is important to me.