~Krystal
Monday, February 18, 2013
What every author should know about cover art
by Elizabeth Sharp
I am a total and complete cover junkie. I browse Amazon searching for
images I just gotta have. I have bought books without reading the blurbs
because I loved the covers so much. And you know what? Some of them were just
simply awesome. At the same time, I don’t care how good your blurb is or how
many rave reviews you have, if the cover is awful, I’ll pass. As a cover artist
as well as an author, I’m keenly aware of the trends in cover art. I’m very
opinionated about it and I don’t apologize for that. There are some basic rules
in cover art you should keep in mind, or you’ll lose a lot of other readers who
are like me.
1) Make it look professional
If you’re going to do your own
cover, that’s great. But if you don’t have the skills to make something anyone
would consider art, maybe you should scrape together the cash. There are many
affordable options out there.
2) Avoid clutter
Any cover that has too much going
on is a total turn off. Just because your story features fifteen unique
characters, you don’t have to picture each one. If you have several images you
love and want to use, write a series.
3) Make it relevant
If you’re going to have a cover
with a unicorn on it, your book should have something to do with unicorns. Even
covers like Twilight, with its simplistic imagery, pull themes from the story
itself, according to author Stephanie Meyer (even though the only one that
makes sense to me is Breaking Dawn).
4) Make sure its self-explanatory
If you have to explain your cover, it’s not doing its job. A cover should
be a clear and concise representation of your work, whether symbolic or just
recreating a scene on the cover. They say a picture is worth a thousand words.
Never is that more true than referring to cover art.
5) It needs to be eye catching
There are hundreds of thousands of titles on the market and you need to
stand out. One of the easiest ways is with an amazing cover. Bright color,
shocking imagery and clear conveyance of ideas go a long way and doing this. It
doesn’t matter what type of cover you want, you need to make it stand out.
Don’t be afraid to go afraid to try something new. One of the best traits of
indie publishing is the ability to quickly change what doesn’t work.
6) Don’t change your art too
frequently
For someone like me, who is all about the cover, someone who changes
theirs once a month is frustrating and turns me off of their work. Some people
believe that changing covers often drums up sales. But I personally believe
that it makes a book recognizable. Right now, think of the cover of your
favorite book as a child. Mine is The Monster at the End of this Book). Now go
look it up on Amazon (here’s
mine). If the cover is the same as the one you imagined (like mine), you
just got a blast of nostalgia, imagining your parents reading to you, or
curling up under the covers with a flashlight. But if it’s different, you feel
let down. I’m not saying you have to keep the same cover, but people are
looking for something to picture when they think of you and your work, so give
them a stable image.
There is so much to choosing and creating the perfect cover, it’s hard
not to feel attacked when people complain about your cover. But remember, your
cover is first and foremost a marketing tool. And if a tool isn’t doing it’s
job, you replace it. These ideas might not be the industry standard, but this
is a revolution. You need to worry about standing out, not fitting in.
Enter Lisa's imagination where light ends and fantasy begins. But heed these warnings . . . it's dark, it's magical, you may experience tingles.
For my first question, let's get inside the writer's mind for a moment. Where in the world is your favorite place to write and why?
"Hmm, a superhero, huh? After some consideration, I've come up with Thora of Asgard: Thor's betrothed and equal – why not."
Final question, if you couldn't be a writer, what would you be?
"If I couldn't be a writer (gasp at the thought) and still know what I know now, I'd be a graphic designer. I'd love to design my own book covers, and web pages. I'm very fussy and no one can give you exactly what you want but yourself."
Thanks so much for sharing your creativity with us, Lisa. It was nice to get to know the writer behind the interview persona!
"Some people curl up in their favourite chair with their laptops, or in a tranquil home office, but I can only write in one place – a small room on the second level that used to be my son's play room. I'm sitting in a tan leather chair with a cat-scratched back rest, surrounded by stuff in need of a home, like an old stereo, a book case - the bottom two shelves contain old VHS tapes I can't bear to throw out - a wooden trunk housing hundreds of photographer magazines, and directly beside me, within reach is a doorless linen closet. But when I'm writing, I don’t see any of it. My vision forms a tunnel straight to the monitor, and the words that appear on the blank white Word page . . . and there's nowhere I'd rather be."
I know exactly what you mean, Lisa. Writers tend to get caught up in the moment while writing. You think you've been writing for fifteen minutes and the next thing you know half the day is gone. Instead of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, we should have our own flick named, INVASION OF THE MIND SNATCHERS! Speaking of which...if you could choose any film or television world to live in what would it be?
"This answer changes with time. This first 20 years of my life I would have said Oz and Narnia. Now, hmm, if you said book world, this question would have been a whole lot easier, I would have said: Kryn (Dragon Lance). I'd definitely like to visit Middle Earth and have an extended stay with the Elves."
"This answer changes with time. This first 20 years of my life I would have said Oz and Narnia. Now, hmm, if you said book world, this question would have been a whole lot easier, I would have said: Kryn (Dragon Lance). I'd definitely like to visit Middle Earth and have an extended stay with the Elves."
You are a true fantasy enthusiast! What draws you toward writing fantasy and paranormal? Do you remember the exact moment you decided you wanted to be a writer?
"Yup. The exact moment! February 2/09. I finished reading the first Twilight book, and said to myself, "I can do this." I've always wanted to write, but never thought I could, and other times when I tried, nothing came to me. But, this time, I sat at the computer and wrote a full length novel practically without stopping. Four years later, I'm on my fifth novel (not all published) and have many works in progress. So yup, Twilight was my inspiration."
As a writer of fantasy, what type of character do you identify with the most? In other words, if you could be a superhero, who would you be?
As a writer of fantasy, what type of character do you identify with the most? In other words, if you could be a superhero, who would you be?
"Hmm, a superhero, huh? After some consideration, I've come up with Thora of Asgard: Thor's betrothed and equal – why not."
Oh yeah, I can picture you now, Lisa. A biker chic weilding a lighting bolt while your hair rustles in the breeze underneath your horned helmet. Very sexy, chica!
"If I couldn't be a writer (gasp at the thought) and still know what I know now, I'd be a graphic designer. I'd love to design my own book covers, and web pages. I'm very fussy and no one can give you exactly what you want but yourself."
The Devil's Flower Blurb
Killing isn’t exactly on Rosalie Lockwood’s list of things to do when she runs away from home. But despite her search for peace; guns and motorcycles become her latest fashion accessories as Divine interference leads her to Steele, co-leader of the Fallen Paladins motorcycle club.
Leathered and tattooed, Steele’s presence scares off most people he comes in contact with—but not Rosalie. She’s immediately drawn into the dangers of his biker world—and into his heart.
While Rosalie is busy learning how to shoot a gun and ride a motorcycle, Steele is busy avoiding her and his budding feelings for her. He wants her out of his life and away from the dangers he represents. But when some of the gang turn on her, he has no choice but to tell her his secret.
He and Rosalie are immortal enemies, each with one purpose in life—to kill the other.
Once the truth is revealed, Rosalie must prove to Steele and his brethren that she’s not the killer they fear by saving their souls. But in order to do that, she must become soulless herself.
The Dark and Light Realms collide as Rosalie chooses between life, death, and the ever-after to become that which she is fated to destroy.
I know you're dieing to learn more about Lisa and her writing, so here are the links that will lead you to Lisa's fictional world!
Blog
Website
Goodreads
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Boss:
Hello
A.M.:
Boss, is that you?
Boss:
Why yes, A. M., who else would be answering my phone?
A.M.:
Er... right. Well, I'm calling to
let you know you can pick up my luxury Ford Focus at Starbucks near the
interstate.
Boss:
Why ever would I want to do that?
A.M.:
Because I quit!
A.M. hit the end button
and speed dialed her husband.
A.M.: Hi
hubs, can you pick me up at Starbucks?
Hubs:
Sure... Having some car trouble?
A.M.:
Not at all. I don't have a car to
have trouble with because I just quit my job.
Hubs:
WHAT?!
A.M.:
It's time for a new career and I am going to be a very famous novelist.
So began A. M. Hargrove's career as a YA/NA and
Adult Romance Author. Her novels include The Guardians of Vesturon Series
(Survival, Resurrection, Determinant, Beginnings and the soon to be released
reEmergent), Dark Waltz, Edge of Disaster and Shattered Edge.
1-Do you write different genres? If so, what ones, and do you have a favorite genre?
"I Also have books in the YA/NA genre, that are a blend of paranormal/sci-fi/fantasy. They are the series The Guardians of Vesturon and the books are Survival #1, Resurrection #2, Determinant #3, Beginnings a novella, and I'm currently working on reEmergent #4. I have another adult book that's a spin off of this series called Dark Waltz. Then Shattered Edge is An Edge Novel, with Edge of Disaster being the first in those novels which are adult contemporary romances. Those are all stand alone, but all have some common characters."2-From the sounds of your bio, you always wanted to write. Did you always have that certain novel waiting to burst out of you?
"I don't think it was that one certain novel, but it was more like a ton of ideas waiting to be formulated into something. I have always had somewhat of a hyperactive imagination and could conjure up stories but never had the time to put them down on paper.3-Who would play Terri and Justin in the movie version of your book?
(Wow - sounds just like me)
"Justin...Chris Hemsworth with dark hair. Terri...undecided."
(Mmm, Chris Hemsworth)
4-What do you and your characters have in common? Do they have any of your traits? Lived any part of your life?
"All of my characters have something of lots of people I know, including myself in them. I can't disclose which parts of me though ;-) Physical traits...only when the female is tall since I am almost 5' 10". Other than that, I like to scatter the hair and eye color around because I believe beauty exists in all colors. Now, admittedly, I am extremely partial to men with long hair. Just can't seem to help myself. Because of that, you'll always find that in one of my characters. Hence, Chris Hemsworth. Love that man's hair!"
(I just love him - and his hair.)
5-Before you go, do you have any advice to beginning writers or writers at the querying stage of the game?
Thanks so much for stopping by Indie-Licious for a visit. We like to pick author's brains here, and, well, yours was just ripe for the picking this week :)"No advice on the query front because that's something I'll never do. I wouldn't waste my time and effort when I could be writing instead. So, since I've gotten that out of the way, the best advice I could give would be to connect with other authors, bloggers and readers through Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter. Find a group to hang with that can help you find your way. And then write, write, write. Don't expect your first book to do much. In fact, it probably won't do much of anything until you get the next book up. Or even the one after that. Be patient and keep at it. Don't get discouraged. The more you write, the better you'll get and the closer you'll be to finding your voice. It may not be in the original genre you thought it would be. But that's okay, because you're learning as you go along."
Their trial relationship was meant to last six months, but things didn’t quite work out the way they planned . . .
Justin Middleton, who has left a string of broken hearts across the
state of South Carolina, has only one thing on his mind, and that’s winning
Terri Mitchell’s heart in six months. That’s all the time she’s given him . . . six
short months. If he can’t do it by then,
they’ll go their separate ways.
Terri Mitchell knows she’s lost her mind when she even suggested this
harebrained scheme. She finally thinks
her heart is on the mend from her past encounter with Justin. However, when he
shows up at her house late one night looking deliciously sexy and irresistible,
her iron will to fight him vanishes and the words tumble from her lips before
she’s barely aware of what she’s done.
Within weeks, both of them find themselves passionately involved, but
when Terri’s brother, Preston, shows up, mysterious things begin to happen,
turning their blissful world into something dark and dangerous.
Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Smashwords ~ Author Website ~ Author Blog ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Facebook
Other novels by A. M. Hargrove:
Their
trial relationship was meant to last six months, but things didn’t
quite work out the way they planned...
Justin
Middleton, who has left a string of broken hearts across the state of
South Carolina, has only one thing on his mind, and that’s winning
Terri Mitchell’s heart in six months. That’s all the time she’s
given him...six short months. If he can’t do it by then, they’ll
go their separate ways.
Terri
Mitchell knows she’s lost her mind when she even suggested this
harebrained scheme. She finally thinks her heart is on the mend from
her past encounter with Justin. However, when he shows up at her
house late one night looking deliciously sexy and irresistible, her
iron will to fight him vanishes and the words tumble from her lips
before she’s barely aware of what she’s done.
Within
weeks, both of them find themselves passionately involved, but when
Terri’s brother, Preston, shows up, mysterious things begin to
happen, turning their blissful world into something dark and
dangerous.
My
best friend was getting married in ten minutes. I was
about
to
walk down the aisle as her maid of honor and I’d never been so
nervous in my entire life. My palms were pretty much dripping water
and I only hoped my dress wasn’t stained beneath my arms, because I
was sure that about right now I was having massive antiperspirant
failure. I had practiced walking in these shoes for two solid weeks
at physical therapy. My therapists had convinced me (I actually made
them pinky swear to me) that I could do this. At this moment I was
quite certain that they had fed me some boldfaced lies. I knew when I
took my first few steps, that I would stumble, then my bad leg would
give out, and I would go rolling instead of walking down that aisle.
Crap
in a handbasket!
I
looked at Tana, the wedding director, and she nodded, signaling it
was my turn. My grip tightened on my bouquet of fresh cut flowers. I
was surprised the damn stems weren’t crushed by now. No doubt my
fingers would be green by the time the ceremony was over.
My
left foot went out, followed by my right. Okay, I had this. I
repeated this mantra...left, right, left, right, until I was up at
the altar and taking my place next to the spot where Lexi would
stand.
I
smiled and I’m sure it reached my ears, because I swear I could
feel
my
earrings tickling my cheeks. Then I forgot the promise I made to
myself. I totally blanked out because I was so excited about the
stupid fact that I had made it down the aisle without looking gimpy.
I let my eyes wander across the altar and damn if they didn’t land
directly on him.
Shiz!
He
looked like the dude in the Ralph Lauren Polo ad...tall dark and
alluring. Dressed in a black tux, he was perfect. Justin Middleton,
brother of the groom and best man...my heartbreaking nemesis. I
suppose nemesis is relatively harsh, but heartbreaker isn’t. I had
dreaded this day now for months. I should be happy for Lexi...she’d
been my bestie since freshman year at UVA. But I was pulling the
selfish card today. I tried not to, but everything I did was useless.
I pasted a smile back on my face and jerked my head to the back of
the church so I could watch Lexi walk down the aisle.
Damn,
that girl looked gorgeous. Her dress was really something. I’d
never seen a bride where anything close to that. Originality...pure
and simple. Her dress had an illusion neckline, making it appear
sleeveless and off the shoulders, when it actually had sheer fabric
that afforded a boat neckline. The dress was fitted and had fabric
beads sewn onto it until it hit mid thigh where it was covered in
layers of chiffon and stiff ribbon, giving it a totally off the
charts look. And she was getting married in the
church
every Charlestonian would give their left hand...hell their right
hand too...to get married in. St. Phillips was the church on every
Charleston postcard ever made. You had to be connected to get married
there. And the Middletons were certainly connected. Hell, they were
Charleston. South of Broad, blue blooded born and bred. Lexi sure
lucked out here.
And
Pearce...didn’t he look yummy? Not nearly as yummy as Justin, but
girls all over South Carolina would be grieving today because one of
the most eligible bachelors, not to mention one of the wealthiest,
was getting hitched. Once again, Lexi sure lucked out. But if anyone
deserved it, Lexi did.
Now,
I sure wish the show could get a move on, because I would love for
this thing to get the hell over with. I only had enough plastic
smiles to last for a certain amount of time and once they ran out, I
was gonna have to hit the road. I hated to be so snarky about this,
but I couldn’t stand around with this happy assed face when I was
cracking to pieces on the inside.
The
happy couple said their vows and damn it all, I started crying. Thank
God the Tana gave us a list with a bag at the rehearsal last night,
which included waterproof mascara and eyeliner, or I would’ve
looked like Rocky raccoon, resident maid of honor and side kick to
Bullwinkle. Yeah, this was gonna be fun.
Now,
I had to look forward to picture time and more plastic smiles. I
pulled up my bootstraps and watched as Lexi and Pearce walked down
the aisle as Dr. and Mrs. Middleton. Oh good lord, they looked so
happy. I really couldn’t help the true smile that formed then,
because looking at them made me believe in it all...their love was
nothing short of bursting from them.
I
heard a throat clearing and looked up to see Justin waiting with his
arm bent. I’d been so engrossed in watching the happy couple, I’d
forgotten I had to walk arm in arm with him.
Well,
isn’t this a crap storm?
I
didn’t have time to prepare myself. When I put my hand on his arm,
I felt the jolt all the way to my toes. I forced myself to look at my
feet, when all I wanted to do was to fall into his eyes...his
perfectly gorgeous eyes. Lexi always called Pearce, Smoky Eyes,
because he had gray eyes. Well, Justin’s were gray too, but his
were the color of the sea, right before a storm hit. Deep, dark
bluish gray and every time I looked at them I was pulled into their
depths...just like I would imagine the sea as it would call to me.
Mysterious, with things unknown lurking below the surface. That was
Justin. Beautiful and sometimes frightening because he made me feel
things I’d never felt before.
He
leaned his tall frame down to my smaller one so he could whisper to
me, “You were perfect when you walked down the aisle, Terri. You
made me proud.”
That
caused my head to jerk up. I shouldn’t have done that because my
eyes landed right on his. And there I was, falling into
them...deeply, dramatically, and yes, painfully.
“God,
you’re beautiful.” Three simple words that nearly made me cry. I
felt my lower lip tremble, but forced myself to smile instead.
“Thanks.
You clean up pretty good yourself,” my voice trembled.
He
smiled and it felt like someone lifted all the blinds and curtains in
the church. The light just entered and blazed around him. He was that
kind of beautiful. I knew I needed to get away from him. That’s the
sort of effect he had on me.
Suddenly,
I was back there again...last March.
“Ms.
Mitchell, we’re taking you into surgery. You were in a car accident
and your leg was broken. We’re going to fix you right up.”
Car
accident? Where was Justin? Was he okay? Surgery? The next thing I
knew I woke up again in a room and there were my mom and dad.
Several
surgeries later, that damn wheelchair, physical therapy and
Justin...Justin. God, why couldn’t I forget him? Things had been
moving along so well until that wreck. All those surgeries and he
couldn’t stop blaming himself. And then Lexi catching him with
those two girls and my heart nearly breaking. Yeah, my leg had been
broken and I’d been left with a twisted mass of scars, but my heart
was the one that felt more damaged.
We
reached the back of the church and were whisked off to the side by
Tana and the photographer to where pictures would be taken. I was
hoping they could put this thing on fast forward, get to the
reception, have a little face time with Lexi and get the heck outta
Dodge. That was my plan anyway.
Picture
after picture and tons of pasted smiles later (I hope Lex didn’t
shoot my ass when she saw these pictures), we finally hopped in the
limos and left for the reception at the Charleston Yacht and Harbor
Club.
I
mingled with some of the guests, and made my way around to chat with
Lexi and Pearce for a while, but before long, the throbbing in my leg
and the aches and pains, had me hunting a chair. I spied one back in
the corner so I walked, or at least gave my best imitation of one,
over to it and blew out a huge puff of air when the weight left that
leg. I was happy Lexi had approved the long dresses that we wore
since they hid the scars that covered my disfigured limb. I absently
rubbed it, like I often did, wishing for a huge bag of ice. They
ought to invent Spanx you could cram an ice bag into for people like
me. Maybe I could join forces with the Spanx lady and we could come
out with Spanx on Ice. I bet those professional ice skaters would
love that! We could even make a version for hockey players.
“You
must have something terrifically funny on your mind by the look on
your face.”
That
voice of his made me want to strip off every thread of clothing and
run naked through the streets yelling, “Take me, take me!” Crap!
What kind of sexy did that man have working?
“I
guess so. I was thinking about a joint venture with the Spanx lady.
We could call it Spanx on Ice.”
“What?”
he asked, bewilderment clouding his eyes.
“You
know...for my leg.”
“Oh.”
He smiled, nodded and acted like he was with me. I knew better from
his odd expression. He didn’t get it at all.
“Do
you even know what Spanx are?”
“No
clue.”
I
burst out laughing. “Never mind then. They’re something no man
should ever know about.”
“Hmm,
now I’m intrigued.”
“Oh
God! Don’t be.” The last thing I needed was for Justin Middleton
to see me in a pair of Spanx.
Mother
of God save me now!
Links to buy:
Follow A.M. Hargrove:
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
~Krystal
Monday, February 11, 2013
This weeks Tools & Tips are brought to you by Nancy Straight. Here are her Helpful Hints:
When I saw the topic, “Helpful Hints,” I nearly cringed. I am no expert on marketing and I want to preface this post with: these are the five things that have made an impact for me.
1. Personal connections. Every friend I have on Goodreads or Facebook gets a personal message from me. I’m more interested in getting to know a hundred people who read my books and loved them than I am in connecting with a thousand who may or may not be excited to hear about my latest release. Writing is very personal for me and I like the idea that the people I connect with are people I want to know and who want to know me.
2. Book Covers. Okay, true confession here: I am in the one tenth of one percent of the reading population who never looks at a book’s cover. Every book I’ve read for the last two years has been based on a friend’s recommendation, a goodread’s group read, or an author I’ve met on-line who I think is fun and I’m anxious to see if their personality came through in their writing. For the other 99.9% of the population, a coveris critical. Make sure it looks as good when it’s the size of a quarter, as it does when you’re looking at it stretched across your screen. The bulk of the people who see it, will see it when it is the size of a quarter. It’s got to be dramatic enough to catch their attention long enough to read your synopsis and peruse your reviews.
3. Meet other authors in your genre. They’re just like you and me. They have families, jobs, community commitments and they write because they love it. If you read one of their books and a character or scene moves you, tell them. Of the books I’ve read in the last two years, every story that brought tears to my eyes, made my heart race or made me want to throw my kindle across the room resulted in a message to the author. Most have become close friends and exceptional sounding boards for ideas.
4. Edit. If you’re on a tight budget and can’t afford a professional editor, find one that you can trade with. Offer to help them market their editing business, offer to recommend your friends to them, do whatever it takes to make sure you publish a polished book. There are thousands of readers out there who will overlook spelling and grammatical errors (yes, I think these people are angels on earth), but there are nearly as many who will be sever in their critiques / reviews. A well edited book with a great plot and characters is one readers will gladly recommend to all their friends.
5. Schedule a blog tour. Bloggers are the unsung heroes of the independent publishing world. They routinely take a chance on an unknown author, devote hours of their personal time to read and review a story then publish to the world their opinions. Word of mouth is THE BEST advertising any author could ever hope to have. Experienced bloggers have a substantial group of followers, know how to insert tags in their posts, and if they fall in love with your story will more than recommend your story, they will advocate for you!
For any authors out there who don’t know where to start, John Locke’s book: How I sold a million E-books in 5 Months is the best $3 you will ever spend. I haven’t sold a million E-books, but he his book is full of great ideas.
To learn more about Nancy Straight, please check out her Blog.
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