Allan Krummenacker's Blog, page 31
March 3, 2013
Today's Guest Blogger Michael Brookes
I'd like to welcome my guest blogger Michael Brookes who will be discussing book covers. In particular, he'll be addressing how he chose the cover for his new book "CONVERSATIONS IN THE ABYSS".
Cover Me:
If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then the cover is the gateway to your book. Whether it is a paperback or a Kindle download, the cover is usually the first thing the reader sees. A good cover attracts the reader’s interest. Hopefully it interests them enough so they read the blurb (that’s a whole other topic!) and then purchase the book.
It’s also a part of the publishing process that I enjoy. Not as much as writing the book, but it’s still a fun part of releasing a book. I’m no great artist, but as I’m writing I usually have some idea of what I want the cover to be.
That’s the first stage of the process. You need something strong. The cover not only needs to attract attention, but convey what the story is about.
For ‘Conversations in the Abyss’ much of the story is about a character who creates his own tableau of a Parisian cafe alongside the abyss. In this case the abyss is a river of souls that acts as a border between his mind and the next world. I felt this was such a strong image it needed to be the cover for the novel.
A great idea, but I bumped into another key aspect to creating a good cover. It needs to be achievable. As already mentioned I’m no great artist. I am lucky enough to work with talented artists in my day job and I realised I couldn’t do the idea justice.
By this stage the book had been sent off for a final edit pass so I had time to focus on the cover. I needed something simpler, but still strong enough to represent the story. I trawled through stock photography and illustration sites looking for inspiration. I tried a few ideas, but nothing worked. I was still fixated on the idea of providing a sense of location. Unfortunately the key locations are fantastical, so finding the right images was impossible.
The breakthrough came when I changed my approach. The main character steals a miracle that grants him immortality, but the miracle wasn’t intended for him, so it comes with a price. The price is a fire that burns all through his body. This suffering is a key part of his experience. Coming from this angle I found a couple of key images that when combined provided the concept I wanted.Or rather it gave me two concepts I wanted. [image error]
I liked the subtlety of the first concept, although as somebody pointed out it would get lost when displayed on the Amazon web site. That raises another point, the cover needs to work where it is being used. So for the e-book I’ll use the cover with the fiery background. I’ll use the white concept for the print edition. The best of both worlds!
Finally the cover needs text, the name of the book and who the author is. Naming a story is an art in itself, I was lucky that the name triggered the story so I didn’t have to worry about that. When it comes to typography I’m a great believer in keeping it simple. The text needs to be readable above all else. At a glance you should be able to read the title. In this online age you also need to be aware that the cover will be displayed at small sizes, so zoom the image out and make sure you can still read the title and author.
Finally let’s touch on the tricky subject of licensing. Make sure you are allowed to use the images and fonts you pick. It’s not too expensive; I paid £25 for the images I used and have a suitable commercial licence for them. Check the terms and conditions of the sites you get your images from. Don’t just download images you find on the Internet without checking, you might be creating a legal problem for yourself.
In the end I didn’t get the cover I thought I wanted, but I did get the cover that I am pleased with and I hope will sell the book. I hope you agree.
Conversations in the Abyss
‘Conversations in the Abyss’ is the sequel to the 5 star rated supernatural thriller ‘The Cult of Me’ Stealing Lazarus’s miracle gifted him immortality. Combined with his natural ability of invading and controlling people’s minds this made him one of the most dangerous people on Earth.But the miracle came with a price. His punishment was to be imprisoned within the walls of an ancient monastery and tormented by an invisible fire that burned his body perpetually. To escape the pain he retreated deep into his own mind.There he discovers the truth of the universe and that only he can stop the coming Apocalypse.Buy now from Amazon:UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BCP08JU/US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BCP08JU/About Michael BrookesMichael Brookes is an Executive Producer with a leading UK games developer. Working in games and writing are two of his life passions and considers himself fortunate to be able to indulge them both. He lives in the east of England, enjoying starry skies in the flattest part of the country. When not working or writing he can sometimes be found sleeping. Which is good as that is where many good ideas come from.Other Books by Michael BrookesThe Cult of MeFor too long he dwelt apart, watched those who passed him by. With his unique abilities he entered their minds and inflicted terrible suffering upon them. They didn't even know who he was. The game has lasted for years, but now the game has become stale. On an impulse he decides to make a final and very public last stand. After surrendering himself to the police he enacts his plan to seize the prison for his final bloody act.
There he discovers that he's not as unique as he once thought.http://www.amazon.com/The-Cult-Third-Path-ebook/dp/B008O7ZVXW/An Odd QuartetA quartet of dark short stories (10,000 words) to thrill and chill.
The Yellow Lady
Grave robbing is a dirty business, in more ways than one. When he disturbs the grave from a childhood scary story he discovers it's not always treasure to be found.
This Empty Place
At the heat death of the universe, Death contemplates his existence.
Forced Entry
Terrorists seize an average suburban house. A Special Forces hostage rescue team is sent in and encounter more than they were trained for.
The Reluctant Demon
A young demon prepares to take his possession exam.http://www.amazon.com/An-Odd-Quartet-ebook/dp/B009QJMMPC/
Cover Me:
If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then the cover is the gateway to your book. Whether it is a paperback or a Kindle download, the cover is usually the first thing the reader sees. A good cover attracts the reader’s interest. Hopefully it interests them enough so they read the blurb (that’s a whole other topic!) and then purchase the book.
It’s also a part of the publishing process that I enjoy. Not as much as writing the book, but it’s still a fun part of releasing a book. I’m no great artist, but as I’m writing I usually have some idea of what I want the cover to be.
That’s the first stage of the process. You need something strong. The cover not only needs to attract attention, but convey what the story is about.
For ‘Conversations in the Abyss’ much of the story is about a character who creates his own tableau of a Parisian cafe alongside the abyss. In this case the abyss is a river of souls that acts as a border between his mind and the next world. I felt this was such a strong image it needed to be the cover for the novel.
A great idea, but I bumped into another key aspect to creating a good cover. It needs to be achievable. As already mentioned I’m no great artist. I am lucky enough to work with talented artists in my day job and I realised I couldn’t do the idea justice.
By this stage the book had been sent off for a final edit pass so I had time to focus on the cover. I needed something simpler, but still strong enough to represent the story. I trawled through stock photography and illustration sites looking for inspiration. I tried a few ideas, but nothing worked. I was still fixated on the idea of providing a sense of location. Unfortunately the key locations are fantastical, so finding the right images was impossible.
The breakthrough came when I changed my approach. The main character steals a miracle that grants him immortality, but the miracle wasn’t intended for him, so it comes with a price. The price is a fire that burns all through his body. This suffering is a key part of his experience. Coming from this angle I found a couple of key images that when combined provided the concept I wanted.Or rather it gave me two concepts I wanted. [image error]
I liked the subtlety of the first concept, although as somebody pointed out it would get lost when displayed on the Amazon web site. That raises another point, the cover needs to work where it is being used. So for the e-book I’ll use the cover with the fiery background. I’ll use the white concept for the print edition. The best of both worlds!
Finally the cover needs text, the name of the book and who the author is. Naming a story is an art in itself, I was lucky that the name triggered the story so I didn’t have to worry about that. When it comes to typography I’m a great believer in keeping it simple. The text needs to be readable above all else. At a glance you should be able to read the title. In this online age you also need to be aware that the cover will be displayed at small sizes, so zoom the image out and make sure you can still read the title and author.
Finally let’s touch on the tricky subject of licensing. Make sure you are allowed to use the images and fonts you pick. It’s not too expensive; I paid £25 for the images I used and have a suitable commercial licence for them. Check the terms and conditions of the sites you get your images from. Don’t just download images you find on the Internet without checking, you might be creating a legal problem for yourself.
In the end I didn’t get the cover I thought I wanted, but I did get the cover that I am pleased with and I hope will sell the book. I hope you agree.
Conversations in the Abyss
‘Conversations in the Abyss’ is the sequel to the 5 star rated supernatural thriller ‘The Cult of Me’ Stealing Lazarus’s miracle gifted him immortality. Combined with his natural ability of invading and controlling people’s minds this made him one of the most dangerous people on Earth.But the miracle came with a price. His punishment was to be imprisoned within the walls of an ancient monastery and tormented by an invisible fire that burned his body perpetually. To escape the pain he retreated deep into his own mind.There he discovers the truth of the universe and that only he can stop the coming Apocalypse.Buy now from Amazon:UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BCP08JU/US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BCP08JU/About Michael BrookesMichael Brookes is an Executive Producer with a leading UK games developer. Working in games and writing are two of his life passions and considers himself fortunate to be able to indulge them both. He lives in the east of England, enjoying starry skies in the flattest part of the country. When not working or writing he can sometimes be found sleeping. Which is good as that is where many good ideas come from.Other Books by Michael BrookesThe Cult of MeFor too long he dwelt apart, watched those who passed him by. With his unique abilities he entered their minds and inflicted terrible suffering upon them. They didn't even know who he was. The game has lasted for years, but now the game has become stale. On an impulse he decides to make a final and very public last stand. After surrendering himself to the police he enacts his plan to seize the prison for his final bloody act.
There he discovers that he's not as unique as he once thought.http://www.amazon.com/The-Cult-Third-Path-ebook/dp/B008O7ZVXW/An Odd QuartetA quartet of dark short stories (10,000 words) to thrill and chill.
The Yellow Lady
Grave robbing is a dirty business, in more ways than one. When he disturbs the grave from a childhood scary story he discovers it's not always treasure to be found.
This Empty Place
At the heat death of the universe, Death contemplates his existence.
Forced Entry
Terrorists seize an average suburban house. A Special Forces hostage rescue team is sent in and encounter more than they were trained for.
The Reluctant Demon
A young demon prepares to take his possession exam.http://www.amazon.com/An-Odd-Quartet-ebook/dp/B009QJMMPC/
And Another...
Wow! Another 5 star review for "THE BRIDGE". And in this case, I KNOW the reviewer had one of the earlier flawed 1st editions. Most of the errors have been dealt with in the current 2nd edition (which for the record is kind of a 3rd edition really).
I made changes once before and still didn't get a lot of the errors , luckily only 1 or 2 people got free review copies of that version which I was starting to call the 2nd edition. Then I went back and edited AGAIN, to create the current 2nd edition which has been gathering most of the more recent 5 star reviews.
http://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Something-waits-Para-Earth/product-reviews/1481847007/ref=la_B00B1W8TEU_1_1_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
February 28, 2013
New Review For "The Bridge" On Amazon...
Fantastic!, February 28, 2013By ReiserThis review is from: The Bridge (Para-Earth Series) (Kindle Edition)The Bridge was a fantastic story that completely sucked me in. The characters were great, with witty banter that had me cracking up. You will not be able to put this down! This story takes a charming English psychic into a dark, mysterious, and evil world.Twists and turns will have you thinking, "did that really just happen?"
Wonderful story reminiscent of my Dean Koontz days. I will be watching for more from this author.
"Just then the human wall, known as Casey stepped in front of him and gesteured to a table, 'The ladies are waiting for you.'
'So is St. Peter,' Alex muttered turning and heading towards what he hoped would not be a last meal."
This book was given to me for free in exchange for an honest review.
February 24, 2013
Another 5 STAR Review for "THE BRIDGE"
I'm so excited to share this review with you all:Review by: Danielle Silva on Feb. 24, 2013 :
I absolutely loved, loved, loved The Bridge!!! I do have to say
that there are a few spelling and grammatical errors, and a few places where the sentence structure could use a little bit more editing/proofreading. However, this was not bad enough to cause any problems with reading through those areas.
With that said, I absolutely fell in love with the characters and the plot! The story was absolutely amazing! It has a
wonderfully amazing supernatural element and I really loved the way the author portrayed Native American Shamans. The mystery was so intense and suspenseful ... I had a hard time putting the book down for any reason. The plot is full of twists and turns that kept me guessing and the ending was absolutely amazing with a twist that I did not expect! I really hope that the author, Allan Krummenacker, will write a sequel to this book! Either way, I look forward to reading more from this author!There are more reviews at Smashwords.com. Click on the Link below to see them:http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/272613
February 23, 2013
February 22, 2013
END OF MONTH SPECIAL...
****END OF THE MONTH SPECIAL****
From now until the end of February, I'm running an e-book special on my novel "The Bridge". This new 2nd edition (I corrected as many of the grammatical errors as I could find) will be available for $1.99 until February 28th on Smashwords.com. You can get the Nook, Apple, Epub and Mobi editions for your e-reader here. Grab yours now, because the price will go back up to $3.99 on March 1st.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
From now until the end of February, I'm running an e-book special on my novel "The Bridge". This new 2nd edition (I corrected as many of the grammatical errors as I could find) will be available for $1.99 until February 28th on Smashwords.com. You can get the Nook, Apple, Epub and Mobi editions for your e-reader here. Grab yours now, because the price will go back up to $3.99 on March 1st.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
February 21, 2013
The Importance of Editing....
The last 7 days have kept me busy. I mean REALLY busy. And the sad thing about it all is that some of this could have been avoided....up to a point. Now I'm talking about re-editing my first novel AFTER it had already come out. Why would I do that? Because in spite of the combined efforts of myself and 2-3 other people checking the novel over for grammatical errors, a number of them got past all of us. From day one, I was determined to try and put out as good a product as I possibly could. And when I found out I'd failed, I felt obligated to go back and fix things.
Now, I'm sure a number of you are wondering to yourselves, "Is he saying he never got it professionally edited?" The answer is, "I did not." Now, this is not because I was so arrogant in my own writing abilities, nor was it because I was being cheap and didn't want to put the money out. The truth is... my wife and I have applied for Food Stamps and have been getting aid from my In-Laws for the last 5 years.
I was a Realtor up until the market crashed. And I've not been able to get anything since that happened. I'm set up with three different temp agencies, I'm applying for jobs every day, every week, but the economy and job market are not great where we are. I've gone on plenty of interviews but things aren't happening. Perhaps it's because I'm 48, or that I've had so much job experience in the past people won't consider me for minimum wage jobs because I'm over-qualified Whatever the case, this is why I went back to college and got my A. S. Degree in Human Services. Unfortunately, most places now will only consider people with a B. A. Degree. Well, my wife is working on hers right now and my turn will come in 2 years when she's finished. So in the meantime, I keep applying and trying, while also doing the writing to keep my spirits up.
So, in short, I CANNOT afford to spend a few hundred dollars, or even just $100 dollars to get my 380 page, double-spaced, novel professionally edited. I have to rely on myself, and a few select people I trust (among them are English teachers). Now, if you're wondering how errors got past even them, apparently my story was so good they kept getting caught up in it. This is why my readers have been giving it 4 and even a 5 star review, in spite of the grammatical errors. Those who gave it 4 stars flat out said in their review they wanted to give it a 5 star rating. Plus, they also stated they are STILL eager to read the next one.
So, what could I do about this situation? The only avenue available to me. I went over the book line-by-line and word-by-word. I found areas where a word was missing, spots with a word duplicated, or two ideas (one of which had been abandoned in favor of another) still mixed together. I fixed them all as best I could. This is something I should have done in the first place, but I was so confident others would catch everything for me. Now, will I still use those people again? Yes, because I've shared with them what we missed so they can help watch out for them. PLUS, I'm going to go over everything word-by-word again after they've reviewed the manuscript. If by some lucky chance I can afford a professional editor by then, I'll use one. But if I can't then this is my last line of defense to help put out a good product. Which is what I want to do every time.
And I recommend you all do the same thing. Even if you're book has been professionally edited, look it over word-by-word. Especially if you made changes at any point, because I found a number of new errors that were created by my revision efforts. It's so easy to get caught up in the story you're perfecting that you might overlook mistakes you're creating in the process. And this will keep your book from reaching the level of perfection you're aiming for.
Now, one more thing. Since I published through Smashwords and Createspace, it was easy for me to replace the interior of the book with a new edited 2nd edition. I then everyone out there what I did. Just like I'm telling you right now. I also offered to replace any flawed e-copies, with the new version, if they wished at my own expense. So far no one has taken me up on it, because they love what they got, warts and all. Remember, they still have the version that was earning the 4 star ratings because they thought the story itself was that good!
But I also ordered 25 printed copies before I found out about the errors. So what did I do about them? Luckily no one had ordered one of those yet, but I was still stuck with them. Then it occurred to me, those 25 copies were the first ones ever printed. In short I had 1st edition copies which were limited in number. Well, I decided I would sign every one of them and offer them up as flawed, first editions. I made sure everyone (FB, Twitter, websites, LinkedIn, Blogs, word of mouth, etc.) knew about the grammatical errors first. This way any buyers knew what they were getting if they wanted one. I also offered to personalize the books as well as sign them. This took place a couple of days ago and the results so far is that I now only have 16 copies left. Honesty can pay off folks.
So, that's all for today. I'll be posting again soon. Stay tuned take care and keep writing.
PS: If anyone is interested in one of the remaining 16 books, they are going for $15.00 plus $3.00 shipping and handling for U. S. delivery. If you're overseas let me know and I'll look into what the cost for shipping would be to your country and we can talk. Thanks and take care.
Now, I'm sure a number of you are wondering to yourselves, "Is he saying he never got it professionally edited?" The answer is, "I did not." Now, this is not because I was so arrogant in my own writing abilities, nor was it because I was being cheap and didn't want to put the money out. The truth is... my wife and I have applied for Food Stamps and have been getting aid from my In-Laws for the last 5 years.
I was a Realtor up until the market crashed. And I've not been able to get anything since that happened. I'm set up with three different temp agencies, I'm applying for jobs every day, every week, but the economy and job market are not great where we are. I've gone on plenty of interviews but things aren't happening. Perhaps it's because I'm 48, or that I've had so much job experience in the past people won't consider me for minimum wage jobs because I'm over-qualified Whatever the case, this is why I went back to college and got my A. S. Degree in Human Services. Unfortunately, most places now will only consider people with a B. A. Degree. Well, my wife is working on hers right now and my turn will come in 2 years when she's finished. So in the meantime, I keep applying and trying, while also doing the writing to keep my spirits up.
So, in short, I CANNOT afford to spend a few hundred dollars, or even just $100 dollars to get my 380 page, double-spaced, novel professionally edited. I have to rely on myself, and a few select people I trust (among them are English teachers). Now, if you're wondering how errors got past even them, apparently my story was so good they kept getting caught up in it. This is why my readers have been giving it 4 and even a 5 star review, in spite of the grammatical errors. Those who gave it 4 stars flat out said in their review they wanted to give it a 5 star rating. Plus, they also stated they are STILL eager to read the next one.
So, what could I do about this situation? The only avenue available to me. I went over the book line-by-line and word-by-word. I found areas where a word was missing, spots with a word duplicated, or two ideas (one of which had been abandoned in favor of another) still mixed together. I fixed them all as best I could. This is something I should have done in the first place, but I was so confident others would catch everything for me. Now, will I still use those people again? Yes, because I've shared with them what we missed so they can help watch out for them. PLUS, I'm going to go over everything word-by-word again after they've reviewed the manuscript. If by some lucky chance I can afford a professional editor by then, I'll use one. But if I can't then this is my last line of defense to help put out a good product. Which is what I want to do every time.
And I recommend you all do the same thing. Even if you're book has been professionally edited, look it over word-by-word. Especially if you made changes at any point, because I found a number of new errors that were created by my revision efforts. It's so easy to get caught up in the story you're perfecting that you might overlook mistakes you're creating in the process. And this will keep your book from reaching the level of perfection you're aiming for.
Now, one more thing. Since I published through Smashwords and Createspace, it was easy for me to replace the interior of the book with a new edited 2nd edition. I then everyone out there what I did. Just like I'm telling you right now. I also offered to replace any flawed e-copies, with the new version, if they wished at my own expense. So far no one has taken me up on it, because they love what they got, warts and all. Remember, they still have the version that was earning the 4 star ratings because they thought the story itself was that good!
But I also ordered 25 printed copies before I found out about the errors. So what did I do about them? Luckily no one had ordered one of those yet, but I was still stuck with them. Then it occurred to me, those 25 copies were the first ones ever printed. In short I had 1st edition copies which were limited in number. Well, I decided I would sign every one of them and offer them up as flawed, first editions. I made sure everyone (FB, Twitter, websites, LinkedIn, Blogs, word of mouth, etc.) knew about the grammatical errors first. This way any buyers knew what they were getting if they wanted one. I also offered to personalize the books as well as sign them. This took place a couple of days ago and the results so far is that I now only have 16 copies left. Honesty can pay off folks.
So, that's all for today. I'll be posting again soon. Stay tuned take care and keep writing.
PS: If anyone is interested in one of the remaining 16 books, they are going for $15.00 plus $3.00 shipping and handling for U. S. delivery. If you're overseas let me know and I'll look into what the cost for shipping would be to your country and we can talk. Thanks and take care.
February 18, 2013
Signed 1st Edition Copies of "THE BRIDGE"
Okay folks I have 25 first edition prints of my novel "The Bridge". I just finished creating a 2nd edition. What's the difference between 1st and 2nd? There were errors that got past me and my helpers in the 1st edition. This is the same version that had earned me 4 and 5 star reviews. (it would have been more 5 star ones if it hadn't been for the errors, people even said so in their reviews). I found out about the errors after I placed the order. So there are only 25 of them in existence and they were the first ones ever printed, which is why I'm referring to them as 1st edition.
I tried to correct as many of the errors as possible for the 2nd edition. Anyone interested in the 1st edition copies, let me know. I will personalize them as well as sign them for those who wish it. The price will be $15.00 plus $3.00 shipping.
I tried to correct as many of the errors as possible for the 2nd edition. Anyone interested in the 1st edition copies, let me know. I will personalize them as well as sign them for those who wish it. The price will be $15.00 plus $3.00 shipping.
February 14, 2013
Valentine's Day Limited Time Offer....
I'm running a VALENTINE'S DAY SPECIAL! From today through Saturday Feb. 16th, my novel "THE BRIDGE" is available at Smashwords for (Sony, Apple, Nook, EPub, Mobi for Kindle, and PDF formats) for half off at $1.99. Get yours while you can as the price will go back up to $3.99 on Sunday:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/272613
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/272613
February 13, 2013
"Ghost Hand" Will Be Free On Kindle Starting Tomorrow...
Wanted to share some news. I recently shared a review on the book "Ghost Hand" which I gave 5 stars. The author just informed me that from Feb 14-16, people will be able to download the book for free onto their Kindle. Here's the link, remember to check it out starting tomorrow through Saturday.
http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Hand-The-...
http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Hand-The-...
![[image error]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xmlpX1KNgmc/UTDg93fzZQI/AAAAAAAAALg/uubOBaduOmA/s1600/cover3.jpg){kind=link}