Lisa Emme's Blog, page 27

Giddy x 10

Look what just arrived!

Pick Me! Pick Me!

That’s basically what you want your cover to shout to your potential readers.  Let’s face it, we do judge books by their covers. If that wasn’t the case, everything, not just books, would come in plain, brown paper wrappers and PR/Marketing firms would be out of business.

The cover of your book isn’t just packaging. It’s your front line marketing.  It makes a statement to the reader about what they can expect to find inside. Different genres tend to have different elements that are important on the cover.  Shirtless males with ripped abs scream romance or erotica, guns and handcuffs imply police procedurals.  Your book’s cover needs to appeal to your target audience. The trick is to make your book stand out but still keep it anchored to reader expectations.

A quick google search will get you heaps of advice, but when it comes to your book cover, my only advice is this:  DON’T DO IT YOURSELF!

Unless you are an experienced artist/designer, hire one. After all, you don’t want your book to end up here.

If you only have a small amount to spend on getting your book published, spend it on the cover, but if you insist on trying it yourself, here’s some good advice.

For my first book, Dead and Kicking, I hired the very talented Scarlett Rugers and I couldn’t be happier with the final product. The cover conveys just the right mood, a little dark, a little mysterious and like Harry, a little quirky.

In my next post, I’ll walk you through the process we took to get to the final product.

S.I.A. Looking for Something to Read?

Support Indie Authors

While you wait for your copy of Dead and Kicking to arrive, why not check out fellow indie author, Brittney Sahin.  Her first book, Silenced Memories, is available now.

Click to go to the S.I.A. page for more info

Brittney describes herself as a “Former history teacher. Mother of a spunky toddler. Lover of all books–but especially loves romance, suspense, and thrillers.”  When she’s not writing or reading, she’s spending time with her family and enjoying the great outdoors in North Carolina.

Gimme a Hug!

Less than two weeks until the release of Dead and Kicking.

Don’t forget to pre-order your copy today.

For those of you holding out for the print copy, you can beat the release date and order your book today on Amazon.com and Createspace.  I hope to have it available on Amazon.ca as soon as possible.

Fun Friday

Time for a little nerdy parody.  Get down!

The UPS Man Thinks I’m a Crazy Person

So yesterday was a pretty stellar day for me.  I held a printed copy of Dead and Kicking in my hands for the first time and I received my first official review (and it was fantastic).  While cradling that newly minted copy of my first ever published book in my hands was no where near what it felt like to hold my newborn son in my arms, it was a close second.

I fully admit I cried happy tears.

I also might have freaked out the UPS guy a little when I rushed to the door with a sharp utensil in my hand, ripped the package from his arms and tore it open, all while babbling at him, “No, wait you can’t go!  You have to see this!”

Once I managed to get through all the packing tape (hence the sharp utensil), I pulled out the proof copy of my book, danced a little happy dance, and showed it to the baffled UPS guy like I was Vanna White modelling the next prize on the Wheel of Fortune.

“THIS IS MY BOOK!”  I squealed at Mr. UPS like some sort of deranged lunatic.  “I WROTE THIS BOOK!!!”

You would think I would get some sort of reaction for my performance, but nope.  Obviously this sort of thing must happen all the time in the day in the life of a UPS delivery man because he just sort of shrugged and said “Okay” and walked back to his truck.  And it was more of a plodding, nonchalant walk, not a ‘careful we don’t want to spook the crazy lady’ one.

Geez, you think he could have at least pretended to be interested.  As it was, I had to wait a couple of hours before I could accost my neighbour across the street and show the book to her (thanks Gail for indulging me).

The Last Days of Summer

It feels like I have been on radio silence for a several days. It’s been a while since my last post, but I have been busy, busy, busy. With the cover for Dead and Kicking finalized (LOVE IT!) I have been busy updating all the various platforms with the final version of the manuscript and making sure the cover files are updated. October 2nd is fast approaching and there seems to be a lot of things to get organized. Press releases, promos, blog tours, launch party…these are a few of the things on my plate.

You might have noticed a new addition or two here on the website. First, I played around this weekend and created a book trailer. You’ll find it here. I have to say, I think it turned out pretty good. What do you think?

Second, I added individual detail pages for each book in Harry’s trilogy. Just click on the book covers to take you to each page. Speaking of book covers, now that the cover for Dead and Kicking is done, my designer is hard at work on book two’s. Watch for details in the near future.

It hasn’t been all work though. I spent the weekend at the cottage. My absolute favourite place to be. It seems summer isn’t quite ready to let go and the weather was beautiful. I love the cool, crisp, starry nights out there. Sitting in front of a bonfire with the sound of the lake in your ears and the stars overhead. Life doesn’t get much better than that.

This picture is from a couple of years ago. Looking over the beach on a gorgeous evening.

Check Out My Print Cover!

Last night I did a little happy dance after receiving the final print cover file from my wonderful designer Scarlett Rugers.  I love it.  What do you think?  Let me know.

Getting the Word Out

A big shout out Thank You to fellow Indie Author, Brittney Sahin for featuring Dead and Kicking on her website’s Authors to Read page.  Brittney has her own book coming out soon. Check out Silenced Memories, available for pre-order now.

Dead and Kicking Cover Reveal

I’m very excited to reveal the final concept for the cover of my first book, Dead and Kicking.  Although this isn’t the finished product, the concept is finalized and I wanted to share it with you.  I will write a bit about my experience working with the designer to achieve the final product in an upcoming post.  Drop me a line and let me know what you think!

Remember, the release date for Dead and Kicking, the first novel in The Harry Russo Diaries, is October 2, 2015 and the pre-order is now up and running. Please consider buying now during the pre-order period.  You won’t be charged for your purchase until the release date and you will be helping me with my all important release day sales.

Here are a few of the places where you can find my book:

Amazon.com

Amazon.ca

Kobo  

Barnes and Noble

Apple iBooks