Q. Kelly's Blog, page 17
February 20, 2012
What's Next
OK, I've decided what to do when I put "Switch" aside for a few weeks. I'm gonna do a short-story collection for several reasons.
1) So when I get "Switch" back for finals, I won't be halting any momentum on a novel.
2) Writing a novel can be draining, and I've had several consecutively now. Shorts will be a nice little break and can be any genre.
3) It won't take long, maybe a month, and then I can work on a novel.I'm excited! :)
1) So when I get "Switch" back for finals, I won't be halting any momentum on a novel.
2) Writing a novel can be draining, and I've had several consecutively now. Shorts will be a nice little break and can be any genre.
3) It won't take long, maybe a month, and then I can work on a novel.I'm excited! :)
February 19, 2012
Equal Opportunity
Yesterday I blogged about what publishers ought to do about the so-called "Amazon problem" instead of blaming Amazon. (Hint: the publishers should look at themselves, not at Amazon.)
I'm an equal opportunity person. Today I'll touch on what indies can do. Here's a situation (may be common, may be only somewhat common, I don't know): indie has a book (or several) out. They're not selling. Indie doesn't see it as fair. So many other indies are doing well! Why not him? It's not fair.
Okay.
First of all, read this blog post. Do you meet the checklist?
- I have never read a writing book, never taken a writing class, etc.
- This is my first book.
If you can check both these items YES, then that's likely a big part of your issue. Learn about the craft of writing. Read the blog post. Really.
Further considerations: Is the book edited? (Not just proofread, but edited.) Is the cover professional? Is the blurb captivating and error-free? Have you tried distributing your book in as many outlets as possible (not just Amazon, but BN, Smashwords, print, etc.)? Have you tried making one of your works free, even if only for a limited time? Free does work a lot of the time. Experiment with price points.
Like with the publishers vs. Amazon, sometimes all it takes is a look at thyself to help thyself. Now, that said, some books probably won't ever sell well. For example, lesfic horror traditionally doesn't sell well, but I've been thinking for a while about writing a lesfic horror/romance. I want to someday, and I think it CAN sell decently. Just have to maximize the sales channels, the visibility and find the right price point. And if it doesn't sell, then I knew that was a possibility going in and that I did all I could. Sometimes risks don't pay off, but that doesn't mean anyone's to blame.
Also, sometimes these things take time. At least you're an indie and can leave your book up forever. With a publisher, chances are your book would be rescinded after a few months of not selling.
I'm an equal opportunity person. Today I'll touch on what indies can do. Here's a situation (may be common, may be only somewhat common, I don't know): indie has a book (or several) out. They're not selling. Indie doesn't see it as fair. So many other indies are doing well! Why not him? It's not fair.
Okay.
First of all, read this blog post. Do you meet the checklist?
- I have never read a writing book, never taken a writing class, etc.
- This is my first book.
If you can check both these items YES, then that's likely a big part of your issue. Learn about the craft of writing. Read the blog post. Really.
Further considerations: Is the book edited? (Not just proofread, but edited.) Is the cover professional? Is the blurb captivating and error-free? Have you tried distributing your book in as many outlets as possible (not just Amazon, but BN, Smashwords, print, etc.)? Have you tried making one of your works free, even if only for a limited time? Free does work a lot of the time. Experiment with price points.
Like with the publishers vs. Amazon, sometimes all it takes is a look at thyself to help thyself. Now, that said, some books probably won't ever sell well. For example, lesfic horror traditionally doesn't sell well, but I've been thinking for a while about writing a lesfic horror/romance. I want to someday, and I think it CAN sell decently. Just have to maximize the sales channels, the visibility and find the right price point. And if it doesn't sell, then I knew that was a possibility going in and that I did all I could. Sometimes risks don't pay off, but that doesn't mean anyone's to blame.
Also, sometimes these things take time. At least you're an indie and can leave your book up forever. With a publisher, chances are your book would be rescinded after a few months of not selling.
February 18, 2012
Fear Is Unattractive
For quite a while now, various book-related entities have been painting Amazon as a monopolistic monster. There have been pages-long screeds and responses and counter responses and so forth. I'm gonna keep this blog post as short as possible.
Bottom line of what's happened: Publishers had their comfortable way of doing business for many years, then Amazon came into the picture with a new way of doing business. In the process, Amazon has threatened publishers' ways of doing business.
Let's look at this. A company comes along, offers what looks like a much better deal for everyone involved. What's wrong with that? Nothing, really. This is the free market. It's competition. So why is Amazon the bad guy here?
My advice to publishers: stop whining about Amazon. Fear is unattractive. Use that energy you've been spending whining and use it to focus on how YOU can compete with Amazon. I recommend raising author royalties, for one, and realizing that many customers prefer ebook. Stop pricing ebooks higher than print books and release them at the same time.
I am very thankful for Barnes and Noble's Nook and for Smashwords. They are awesome Amazon competitors, and I believe competition is healthy. Amazon has flaws and warts, yes. Amazon probably needs BN and Smashwords to keep it in line.
Healthy competition is good! Whining isn't. ;-)
Bottom line of what's happened: Publishers had their comfortable way of doing business for many years, then Amazon came into the picture with a new way of doing business. In the process, Amazon has threatened publishers' ways of doing business.
Let's look at this. A company comes along, offers what looks like a much better deal for everyone involved. What's wrong with that? Nothing, really. This is the free market. It's competition. So why is Amazon the bad guy here?
My advice to publishers: stop whining about Amazon. Fear is unattractive. Use that energy you've been spending whining and use it to focus on how YOU can compete with Amazon. I recommend raising author royalties, for one, and realizing that many customers prefer ebook. Stop pricing ebooks higher than print books and release them at the same time.
I am very thankful for Barnes and Noble's Nook and for Smashwords. They are awesome Amazon competitors, and I believe competition is healthy. Amazon has flaws and warts, yes. Amazon probably needs BN and Smashwords to keep it in line.
Healthy competition is good! Whining isn't. ;-)
February 16, 2012
One FAQs Section Becomes Two
Hey, everyone! :)I got (and answered) a new batch of indie questions this morning. I then realized my website needs its own FAQs section for indie questions. No need to lump them with the writing/books questions. (Both sections have a couple of questions in common.)
So, here's the link for the writing/books FAQs: http://www.qkellybooks.com/p/faqs.html
And the indie FAQs: http://www.qkellybooks.com/p/indie-faqs.html
So, here's the link for the writing/books FAQs: http://www.qkellybooks.com/p/faqs.html
And the indie FAQs: http://www.qkellybooks.com/p/indie-faqs.html
February 14, 2012
Inheriting Anne Boleyn
Be sure to check out this new review of "Third"!
Excerpt:
We embark on an adventure as we read and travel backwards in time and move forward to the present and this adventure is given to us in Kelly's gorgeous prose. I love the way Helen's love for Tudor history is used in our matting with Anne and we learn that Anne has been kept prisoner by Helen's father and he did so for her best interests. Now Anne has a job to do in saving Helen and Yalia's marriage and the three women form a strange bond between them—they each love each other as they deal with their own vulnerabilities. Each woman has her own beauty and each has her own problems and it makes us wonder whether we would be willing to do what they do to maintain a relationship. What a wonderful read with a new approach to women's relationships and I whole heartily recommend this.
Excerpt:
We embark on an adventure as we read and travel backwards in time and move forward to the present and this adventure is given to us in Kelly's gorgeous prose. I love the way Helen's love for Tudor history is used in our matting with Anne and we learn that Anne has been kept prisoner by Helen's father and he did so for her best interests. Now Anne has a job to do in saving Helen and Yalia's marriage and the three women form a strange bond between them—they each love each other as they deal with their own vulnerabilities. Each woman has her own beauty and each has her own problems and it makes us wonder whether we would be willing to do what they do to maintain a relationship. What a wonderful read with a new approach to women's relationships and I whole heartily recommend this.
The Cover Artist Speaketh!
Books need good covers. That's no secret, and I'm glad to have had a not-so-secret weapon in my pocket since October. That weapon is my cover designer, Leigh. I'm very fortunate in that she designs my covers. She has dedicated untold hours to helping me put the best face possible on my books. The time and effort she has put into my projects is something I don't think anyone else would've been willing to do. She has collaborated with me on all my covers except my first two releases, "Strange Bedfellows" and "The Odd Couple."
And here she is today for an interview! :-) Some interesting tidbits in there (did you know that Anne on the "Third" cover and June on the "Switch" cover have my eye color? Yep!).
Tell us a little about yourself and how you came to do my covers.
Hello everyone! My name's Leigh, I'm 34, Sign: Cancer. I'm not a professional illustrator or graphics designer. I do some graphics design mostly as a hobby. I have had some formal classroom training through non-certification courses offered by a local community college on the weekends and the rest I've learned via online resources and tutorials.
How did all this get started with the book covers? Well, it all started back around the end of last August with me and you discussing your newly released novel "Strange Bedfellows" and about some of your anticipated upcoming works. A couple of months went by and you were looking to release "Waiting" really soon, but there was a problem; the cover was not ready.
The book cover for "Waiting" had suffered some unfortunate difficulties and delays. You at that point had decided to go ahead and do the cover yourself with a cover concept that you had already drafted up, but needed someone with the right software to do the finalization. I offered to do it and within a few days we had our present working cover.
Since then we have kind of just always done the book covers in collaboration. It hasn't always been easy. I have often felt overwhelmed and many times one or both of us have been very frustrated. Things go wrong: the background image isn't right or the typography doesn't work or even just about everything's right with what we have but there is some little element that is just so wrong and we have to scrap the whole project.
All in all, it has worked out quite well. Once we get synched on a base design, it's done within a couple of days. It has been a learning experience for me and I've enjoyed the opportunity to do it.
You said before you're not a creative person. Has that opinion changed?Maybe a little. I've still got a long ways to go before trying to do illustration in any professional sense. I have however found that maybe there is a muse somewhere in me, but she's really hard headed.
I enjoy working with graphics and maybe some day I might look more into doing book covers or something similar on a more regular basis.
For now, just working with me is enough, right? You're not looking for more clients?I have to limit myself a lot right now especially in light of the fact that I'm going back to school near the end of may. After that I may be able to expand farther. Time will tell.
You usually haven't read the book before doing the cover. Sometimes the book isn't even entirely written (or as in the case of "Switch," started). Do you think reading the book beforehand makes a difference one way or the other? I have to admit I like having the covers done really early. It's a motivator for me and helps me get the book finished sooner.Reading the book never really has been a factor for me. A good blurb or even just the overall idea of what the book is going to be is pretty much enough.
I need some basic info to get the cover started:
1.) Character ages, general appearance, etc.
2.) General time frame the novel occurs in. For example the "Third" cover image was geared towards the far past and "All in the Family" was very near past [current times].
3.) A general feel for the tone/mood of the book. I don't want to create a dark sinister theme for a book that is not going to be that way.
Reading the book may be of help if I was wanting to add in some kind of special symbology or tokens into the cover graphics like the necklace on the "Strange Bedfellows" cover that Joy [Argento] did.
Yeah, I think it helps a lot that I tell you the general concept that I see possible for the cover (like the reflections in "Switch"). The hourglass necklace on the "Strange Bedfellows" cover was my idea, by the way, but Joy wanted to read the book before starting on the cover. That prompted the above question, really. I love the "Miss Lucy Parker" cover, and you pretty much did that all yourself, including the concept. Anyway, I really like that you believe in me as a writer. You feel a special affinity for most of my stuff, and I think that shows through in the covers and the care they get and display. Can you expand a bit on that?Well, I do believe in you as a writer and have developed a special interest in--let me correct you--all of your works.
As to how it affects me in creating the covers is twofold:
First, having a special connection to the particular book that I'm trying to create a cover for sets up a sense of personal responsibility for me to make that cover as absolutely perfect as it can possibly be and then to go that one step further to make sure it stands out above all the others.
Secondly, just having a fondness for the genre or the nature of any given book drives me to make very special effort in the creation of a cover for it. I don't think I would have much interest (right now) in doing covers for books like say ~ westerns.
I realize that professional illustrators are called on to do covers for books that they may not necessarily like or care about and I applaud them for that capability. I hope that someday in the future I will be able to take the reins on any project I'm called on to do.
On a last note, I think some of my attention given to covers has to do with the fact that my muse, besides being hard-headed, also has O.C.D.
Which cover is your favorite and what was the process for it?
The cover for "Third" is my favorite so far, but the cover for "Switch" was my favorite to do. The process for making the "Third" cover was actually very difficult at the start. Coming up with the background imagery for this cover required both of looking through hundreds (possibly thousands) of images to find what we wanted.
We started with a concept of having three women on the cover, but that turned out to be somewhat unrealistic because the image we wanted simply couldn't be found or the creation of the cover would have been too cost prohibitive.
We changed gears and decided to go after a single image for Anne Boleyn. Somehow I managed to find this image that I simply loved and you found some alternatives that I didn't even know existed. We agreed on the one [alternative] you see on the book cover presently. [Side note from me: I was torn between two of the alternatives. I was leaning toward one, and Leigh was leaning toward the other. We brought in my wife as the tie-breaking vote. She went with Leigh's selection. We've also had to bring in Melanie for a few other tiebreakers. More often than not, she goes with what Leigh preferred. ;-) ]
There were some modifications that needed to be made to the cover image to make it the final product and this is the rough breakdown:
1.) The eye color needed to be changed: I grabbed a sample of your eye color and used it.
2.) The hair need to be filled in around the area of the part of her hair (she had a really severe part in her hair). I grabbed some patterns of my hair and use them to fill in the part to soften it.
3.) The image needed to be cropped and re-sized to focus more on Anne and less of the background.
4.) Beyond that it was just creating the gold typography and a lot of little adjustments till we got the perfect cover.
The vast majority of this cover was created in Photoshop CS5 with a little external work done in Adobe Illustrator CS5.
So, "Switch" was your favorite project, right?
Yes. It has been the most technically challenging so far.
Finding the working image for "Switch" was just as hard as all the previous covers, but I found this really cool background and knew that it was the one.
It was a very striking image and I just knew it would catch people's attention. There were changes that needed to be made though. We needed two women on the cover who were similar looking, but not exactly the same, and we wanted some imagery of how they were reflections of each other, but not the same person.
This is how we went about it once we found the base background image:
1.) The original image had only one woman on the cover, so I duplicated it, flipped it and moved it over to the other side of the picture.
2.) The next part was to create the subtle differences between the two women. I changed aspects like eye color, facial shapes, lipstick, skin tones, eyebrows, etc. [Side note: Leigh used my eye color for June on the "Switch" cover, like she did with Anne for the "Third" cover.]
3.) We wanted a title typography that reflected the nature of the story behind "Switch. It needed to show similarity but difference at the same time. You figured that one out. We went with a reflected title that used two similar, but different fonts.
The cover for "Switch" was the most challenging I had ever tried due to the numerous subtle alterations which need to be made to make it a finished product, but it was fun and a definite learning challenge.
So, which book of mine is your favorite? Well, since the Sasquatch series is still on hold, I think I'll go with "Third." "Third" appealed to that side of me that loves plots that are unusual or complex or unique. It definitely appealed to the hopeless romantic and the sci-fi geek girl in me. And as you know I've totally got a crush on Anne.
I think it's interesting that a hopeless romantic would find "it" in a polyamory book. I know we discussed this before, and you don't think poly is for you. I love that my poly book appeals to the hopeless romantics too. I'm gonna make a sales plug for "Third" right now: the love story is a love story, poly aside. Please give it a chance. :-) Before "Third," your favorite was "Waiting," right?Yep, "Waiting" is actually a very close equal as far as I'm concerned. Everyone is going to have their favorites and even though I may not see myself in a polyamorous relationship doesn't discount the fact that love can exist between more than two people. "Waiting" was that book that made my ears perk up and made me wonder "What's this gal all about and what are the future possibilities? Maybe I should stay tuned."
Hmm, really? I thought "Strange Bedfellows" was (the first book by me that you read). You wrote such a long and eloquent review on it and friended me on Facebook. I guess you needed another book to confirm.You are actually kinda right. With "Strange Bedfellows" I was intrigued; with "Waiting" I was hooked.
What are your favorite and least favorite aspects about making covers?
Funny you should mention that, considering my primary love/hate thing about book covers are so closely related. One the worst things about doing a book cover is finding the perfect background image. I've personally reviewed hundreds if not thousands of images trying to find one that is appealing and most notably workable. I know you've done the same with these covers.
One of the best things about doing a book cover is finding that perfect background image. That is the most wonderful feeling ever, because you know at this point that we can get it moving. Everything is finally falling into place.
Beyond all this, I guess the next up and down is typography. The title and author name must be readable and attractive and the placement is so very important. Everything else is pretty straightforward because once you have your base cover, all you have to do is season to taste.
So I guess you're not at a point where you can go out and photograph yourself the perfect background image?
No, I'm not ready to do that yet. I enjoy working with graphics and that's enough for me.
You said before that you like having success through me. How does it feel knowing that 25,000+ customers (and growing) have seen your cover work?
Well, I love it! And it at the same time makes me very nervous. I want readers to enjoy the covers, but I always worry that some may not. I don't know how to describe it very well, but the covers are not for me. They are for the readers out there. I want to make something that they can keep on their bookshelves or coffee table and proudly display. If they can't show it off with a smile then I've failed.
So, proudly display, bookshelves, coffee table? Does that mean you won't do nudity or heavily suggestive covers?
Nudity can be beautiful. I think you might remember some of the cover ideas that we had at first for "Third." I would definitely do nude covers as long as they are artistic and appealing.
No porno-type covers, eh?
Hehe, no sorry!
OK, we're about done here. Anything you want to add or say?
No matter how much you think you can't do something, you just need the chance to try once. Make the decision then. I didn't think I could do this kind of thing with the covers, but you gave me the chance to try. I made the decision that I could possibly do it after that.
I just want to say thank you again for all your time and effort and for believing in me. Thank you very much! :)
*****
Annnd, there ya have it. :-)
And here she is today for an interview! :-) Some interesting tidbits in there (did you know that Anne on the "Third" cover and June on the "Switch" cover have my eye color? Yep!).
Tell us a little about yourself and how you came to do my covers.
Hello everyone! My name's Leigh, I'm 34, Sign: Cancer. I'm not a professional illustrator or graphics designer. I do some graphics design mostly as a hobby. I have had some formal classroom training through non-certification courses offered by a local community college on the weekends and the rest I've learned via online resources and tutorials.
How did all this get started with the book covers? Well, it all started back around the end of last August with me and you discussing your newly released novel "Strange Bedfellows" and about some of your anticipated upcoming works. A couple of months went by and you were looking to release "Waiting" really soon, but there was a problem; the cover was not ready.
The book cover for "Waiting" had suffered some unfortunate difficulties and delays. You at that point had decided to go ahead and do the cover yourself with a cover concept that you had already drafted up, but needed someone with the right software to do the finalization. I offered to do it and within a few days we had our present working cover.
Since then we have kind of just always done the book covers in collaboration. It hasn't always been easy. I have often felt overwhelmed and many times one or both of us have been very frustrated. Things go wrong: the background image isn't right or the typography doesn't work or even just about everything's right with what we have but there is some little element that is just so wrong and we have to scrap the whole project.
All in all, it has worked out quite well. Once we get synched on a base design, it's done within a couple of days. It has been a learning experience for me and I've enjoyed the opportunity to do it.
You said before you're not a creative person. Has that opinion changed?Maybe a little. I've still got a long ways to go before trying to do illustration in any professional sense. I have however found that maybe there is a muse somewhere in me, but she's really hard headed.
I enjoy working with graphics and maybe some day I might look more into doing book covers or something similar on a more regular basis.
For now, just working with me is enough, right? You're not looking for more clients?I have to limit myself a lot right now especially in light of the fact that I'm going back to school near the end of may. After that I may be able to expand farther. Time will tell.
You usually haven't read the book before doing the cover. Sometimes the book isn't even entirely written (or as in the case of "Switch," started). Do you think reading the book beforehand makes a difference one way or the other? I have to admit I like having the covers done really early. It's a motivator for me and helps me get the book finished sooner.Reading the book never really has been a factor for me. A good blurb or even just the overall idea of what the book is going to be is pretty much enough.
I need some basic info to get the cover started:
1.) Character ages, general appearance, etc.
2.) General time frame the novel occurs in. For example the "Third" cover image was geared towards the far past and "All in the Family" was very near past [current times].
3.) A general feel for the tone/mood of the book. I don't want to create a dark sinister theme for a book that is not going to be that way.
Reading the book may be of help if I was wanting to add in some kind of special symbology or tokens into the cover graphics like the necklace on the "Strange Bedfellows" cover that Joy [Argento] did.
Yeah, I think it helps a lot that I tell you the general concept that I see possible for the cover (like the reflections in "Switch"). The hourglass necklace on the "Strange Bedfellows" cover was my idea, by the way, but Joy wanted to read the book before starting on the cover. That prompted the above question, really. I love the "Miss Lucy Parker" cover, and you pretty much did that all yourself, including the concept. Anyway, I really like that you believe in me as a writer. You feel a special affinity for most of my stuff, and I think that shows through in the covers and the care they get and display. Can you expand a bit on that?Well, I do believe in you as a writer and have developed a special interest in--let me correct you--all of your works.
As to how it affects me in creating the covers is twofold:
First, having a special connection to the particular book that I'm trying to create a cover for sets up a sense of personal responsibility for me to make that cover as absolutely perfect as it can possibly be and then to go that one step further to make sure it stands out above all the others.
Secondly, just having a fondness for the genre or the nature of any given book drives me to make very special effort in the creation of a cover for it. I don't think I would have much interest (right now) in doing covers for books like say ~ westerns.
I realize that professional illustrators are called on to do covers for books that they may not necessarily like or care about and I applaud them for that capability. I hope that someday in the future I will be able to take the reins on any project I'm called on to do.
On a last note, I think some of my attention given to covers has to do with the fact that my muse, besides being hard-headed, also has O.C.D.
Which cover is your favorite and what was the process for it?
The cover for "Third" is my favorite so far, but the cover for "Switch" was my favorite to do. The process for making the "Third" cover was actually very difficult at the start. Coming up with the background imagery for this cover required both of looking through hundreds (possibly thousands) of images to find what we wanted.
We started with a concept of having three women on the cover, but that turned out to be somewhat unrealistic because the image we wanted simply couldn't be found or the creation of the cover would have been too cost prohibitive.
We changed gears and decided to go after a single image for Anne Boleyn. Somehow I managed to find this image that I simply loved and you found some alternatives that I didn't even know existed. We agreed on the one [alternative] you see on the book cover presently. [Side note from me: I was torn between two of the alternatives. I was leaning toward one, and Leigh was leaning toward the other. We brought in my wife as the tie-breaking vote. She went with Leigh's selection. We've also had to bring in Melanie for a few other tiebreakers. More often than not, she goes with what Leigh preferred. ;-) ]
There were some modifications that needed to be made to the cover image to make it the final product and this is the rough breakdown:
1.) The eye color needed to be changed: I grabbed a sample of your eye color and used it.
2.) The hair need to be filled in around the area of the part of her hair (she had a really severe part in her hair). I grabbed some patterns of my hair and use them to fill in the part to soften it.
3.) The image needed to be cropped and re-sized to focus more on Anne and less of the background.
4.) Beyond that it was just creating the gold typography and a lot of little adjustments till we got the perfect cover.
The vast majority of this cover was created in Photoshop CS5 with a little external work done in Adobe Illustrator CS5.
So, "Switch" was your favorite project, right?
Yes. It has been the most technically challenging so far.
Finding the working image for "Switch" was just as hard as all the previous covers, but I found this really cool background and knew that it was the one.
It was a very striking image and I just knew it would catch people's attention. There were changes that needed to be made though. We needed two women on the cover who were similar looking, but not exactly the same, and we wanted some imagery of how they were reflections of each other, but not the same person.
This is how we went about it once we found the base background image:
1.) The original image had only one woman on the cover, so I duplicated it, flipped it and moved it over to the other side of the picture.
2.) The next part was to create the subtle differences between the two women. I changed aspects like eye color, facial shapes, lipstick, skin tones, eyebrows, etc. [Side note: Leigh used my eye color for June on the "Switch" cover, like she did with Anne for the "Third" cover.]
3.) We wanted a title typography that reflected the nature of the story behind "Switch. It needed to show similarity but difference at the same time. You figured that one out. We went with a reflected title that used two similar, but different fonts.
The cover for "Switch" was the most challenging I had ever tried due to the numerous subtle alterations which need to be made to make it a finished product, but it was fun and a definite learning challenge.
So, which book of mine is your favorite? Well, since the Sasquatch series is still on hold, I think I'll go with "Third." "Third" appealed to that side of me that loves plots that are unusual or complex or unique. It definitely appealed to the hopeless romantic and the sci-fi geek girl in me. And as you know I've totally got a crush on Anne.
I think it's interesting that a hopeless romantic would find "it" in a polyamory book. I know we discussed this before, and you don't think poly is for you. I love that my poly book appeals to the hopeless romantics too. I'm gonna make a sales plug for "Third" right now: the love story is a love story, poly aside. Please give it a chance. :-) Before "Third," your favorite was "Waiting," right?Yep, "Waiting" is actually a very close equal as far as I'm concerned. Everyone is going to have their favorites and even though I may not see myself in a polyamorous relationship doesn't discount the fact that love can exist between more than two people. "Waiting" was that book that made my ears perk up and made me wonder "What's this gal all about and what are the future possibilities? Maybe I should stay tuned."
Hmm, really? I thought "Strange Bedfellows" was (the first book by me that you read). You wrote such a long and eloquent review on it and friended me on Facebook. I guess you needed another book to confirm.You are actually kinda right. With "Strange Bedfellows" I was intrigued; with "Waiting" I was hooked.
What are your favorite and least favorite aspects about making covers?
Funny you should mention that, considering my primary love/hate thing about book covers are so closely related. One the worst things about doing a book cover is finding the perfect background image. I've personally reviewed hundreds if not thousands of images trying to find one that is appealing and most notably workable. I know you've done the same with these covers.
One of the best things about doing a book cover is finding that perfect background image. That is the most wonderful feeling ever, because you know at this point that we can get it moving. Everything is finally falling into place.
Beyond all this, I guess the next up and down is typography. The title and author name must be readable and attractive and the placement is so very important. Everything else is pretty straightforward because once you have your base cover, all you have to do is season to taste.
So I guess you're not at a point where you can go out and photograph yourself the perfect background image?
No, I'm not ready to do that yet. I enjoy working with graphics and that's enough for me.
You said before that you like having success through me. How does it feel knowing that 25,000+ customers (and growing) have seen your cover work?
Well, I love it! And it at the same time makes me very nervous. I want readers to enjoy the covers, but I always worry that some may not. I don't know how to describe it very well, but the covers are not for me. They are for the readers out there. I want to make something that they can keep on their bookshelves or coffee table and proudly display. If they can't show it off with a smile then I've failed.
So, proudly display, bookshelves, coffee table? Does that mean you won't do nudity or heavily suggestive covers?
Nudity can be beautiful. I think you might remember some of the cover ideas that we had at first for "Third." I would definitely do nude covers as long as they are artistic and appealing.
No porno-type covers, eh?
Hehe, no sorry!
OK, we're about done here. Anything you want to add or say?
No matter how much you think you can't do something, you just need the chance to try once. Make the decision then. I didn't think I could do this kind of thing with the covers, but you gave me the chance to try. I made the decision that I could possibly do it after that.
I just want to say thank you again for all your time and effort and for believing in me. Thank you very much! :)
*****
Annnd, there ya have it. :-)
Valentine's Day
Today is Valentine's Day. This is what I posted on my Facebook and G+ before I got out of bed (I use my phone a lot):
Valentine's Day. Another holiday I'm like: "Eh, whatever" about. People who are close to me know I don't put much stock in dates (birthdays, holidays, etc.). Maybe because of childhood stuff (isn't everything traced to that? :p), but I think we don't need people to tell us what to make of a specific day. We should make each day what we want it to be. Then what happens? I head into my office and find a card from my wife on the office chair. A card that makes my heart melt. Homemade cards are the best, aren't they? While I'm not much of a a holiday/birthdays observer, my wife is. It's forced me to shape up a bit. I want to keep her happy, right? ;-) So I give her birthday gifts, Valentine's gifts and all that.Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!
Valentine's Day. Another holiday I'm like: "Eh, whatever" about. People who are close to me know I don't put much stock in dates (birthdays, holidays, etc.). Maybe because of childhood stuff (isn't everything traced to that? :p), but I think we don't need people to tell us what to make of a specific day. We should make each day what we want it to be. Then what happens? I head into my office and find a card from my wife on the office chair. A card that makes my heart melt. Homemade cards are the best, aren't they? While I'm not much of a a holiday/birthdays observer, my wife is. It's forced me to shape up a bit. I want to keep her happy, right? ;-) So I give her birthday gifts, Valentine's gifts and all that.Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!
February 12, 2012
Indie Misconception Busters #1
Indie Misconception Busters #1: This blog post is probably the first in what could be an ongoing series on misconceptions about going indie. It's no secret that indies get looked down on all the time (although this is lessening, thank goodness). I deal with it, but what I notice more are the misconceptions many authors (with publishers, wannabe authors or already indies themselves) have. Going indie is not for everyone, but a misconception (or several) should not stop you. So, this series is designed to put the facts forth. It's up to you to decide what to do with the facts as they apply to your situation. The bottom line is that the indie experience isn't as hard as many people make it out to be. It's actually a lot of FUN.
*****
Oh boy. Going indie as an author. Hard work, right? You need to do it full time. And forget about having a life. Your job has full benefits, a nice 401(k). You don't want to go indie and quit all that. Right? Right?
Here's the thing. You don't need to quit. It's a misconception that indies need to be full time. I'm not sure why that misconception's occured, but you can certainly do indie part time or just a few hours a week (or a few hours a month). It takes longer than it would full time, but it is usually still faster than with a publisher. Indies part time can still get a book out faster than a publisher could.
Chances are you don't write full time, so why would going indie need to be any different? (And if you're spending lots of time querying agents and all that, that's time right there you can apply to the indie business.) The only difference in time between indie authors and authors with publishers is that indies (some, anyway) do their own covers, formatting and uploading. Some indies farm out these jobs. The other jobs: writing, revising, editing, blogging, promotion, going to workshops, etc., etc., etc., etc., you would do if you were with a publisher.
Cover.Formatting.Uploading.
That's really all that's separating indies from authors with publishers time wise. You can do your covers yourself in a few hours (Dean Wesley Smith recommends PowerPoint as an easy, cheap, but quality way). Same goes with formatting. Uploading is even quicker. The time these tasks take is probably less than the time you've spent querying agents and publishers and waiting (many months, most likely) for a response. If you were indie, you could've gotten the book out in that time and it'd be making you money already.
I do indie full time now, but I did not always. "Strange Bedfellows," my first indie book, was released in late August. I did indie/writing part time. In middle or late October is when I made the shift to going indie full time because the money coming in was justifying such a shift. In December, I made the decision (it was a hard one, yes) to pass up a teaching job so I could continue doing indie full time. Even if I'd taken the job, would I have had to quit indie? Nope. I'd just do it part time, like I always did writing part time before October.
I won't lie and say the process is roses and daffodils and tulips, especially at first. The first indie book is going to be the most difficult (at least it was for me), but it's much smoooover after that.
*****
Oh boy. Going indie as an author. Hard work, right? You need to do it full time. And forget about having a life. Your job has full benefits, a nice 401(k). You don't want to go indie and quit all that. Right? Right?
Here's the thing. You don't need to quit. It's a misconception that indies need to be full time. I'm not sure why that misconception's occured, but you can certainly do indie part time or just a few hours a week (or a few hours a month). It takes longer than it would full time, but it is usually still faster than with a publisher. Indies part time can still get a book out faster than a publisher could.
Chances are you don't write full time, so why would going indie need to be any different? (And if you're spending lots of time querying agents and all that, that's time right there you can apply to the indie business.) The only difference in time between indie authors and authors with publishers is that indies (some, anyway) do their own covers, formatting and uploading. Some indies farm out these jobs. The other jobs: writing, revising, editing, blogging, promotion, going to workshops, etc., etc., etc., etc., you would do if you were with a publisher.
Cover.Formatting.Uploading.
That's really all that's separating indies from authors with publishers time wise. You can do your covers yourself in a few hours (Dean Wesley Smith recommends PowerPoint as an easy, cheap, but quality way). Same goes with formatting. Uploading is even quicker. The time these tasks take is probably less than the time you've spent querying agents and publishers and waiting (many months, most likely) for a response. If you were indie, you could've gotten the book out in that time and it'd be making you money already.
I do indie full time now, but I did not always. "Strange Bedfellows," my first indie book, was released in late August. I did indie/writing part time. In middle or late October is when I made the shift to going indie full time because the money coming in was justifying such a shift. In December, I made the decision (it was a hard one, yes) to pass up a teaching job so I could continue doing indie full time. Even if I'd taken the job, would I have had to quit indie? Nope. I'd just do it part time, like I always did writing part time before October.
I won't lie and say the process is roses and daffodils and tulips, especially at first. The first indie book is going to be the most difficult (at least it was for me), but it's much smoooover after that.
February 11, 2012
FAQs Section
I added a FAQs section here. Most of the questions have been covered elsewhere in this blog, but a couple have not. (Yeah, I forgot them for both potpourri entries.)
February 10, 2012
Anna Nicole
Wow, Anna Nicole Smith has been dead five years. Hard to believe. I remember where I was when I found out. At the time, I worked 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. copy editing and designing (newspaper). That day, however, I had a meeting at noon or thereabouts. We got out at 4:30, and so I went right to my duties. A front-page discussion was going on, and I thought I understood (remember, I'm deaf) that Anna Nicole had died. I was like... "Whaaat?" The death of her son, Daniel, so recently before that had touched me. And yes, Anna Nicole really was dead.
I have no idea why the deaths of Anna Nicole and her son affected me as much as they did, but affect me they did. Wasted potential.
I have no idea why the deaths of Anna Nicole and her son affected me as much as they did, but affect me they did. Wasted potential.
