Do we have you covered?

I like doing the occasional guest blog post. Having done one for Aleksander Romance on the Insanity of Being a Multi-Genre author, I was asked to do one on covers. First of all, I'll say I'm not the total cover wizard. I don't pay thousands of dollars to have my covers done professionally (I'm an Indie author- who has the $!). So, much of my book production process involves doing my own. Is it easy? No way! Once in a while you get lucky and the pieces fall into place, and the cover looks great. Most of the time, however, I'm battling for weeks to get it right. And for me, there's a feeling of personal pride when I get a cover that looks good.

OK, so you ask, what makes a cover great? I've read many blogs on just the subject. Some say covers have to be bold, primary colors; others say match your cover to what you find in the chosen genre. Still, more say that lettering and your name is the most important part. Personally, I think a blend is good.

Let's look at just one of my covers: the one I did for the free ebook Space Crazy. It's a sci-fi adventure, not a terribly long book- just 44,000 words. It was suggested by another author to put out a free book to hopefully draw more readers to my other books. Has it worked? Actually, for the most part, yes. My goal was to produce a book with little to no cost out of my pocket. Mind you, the book is not perfect, but it has been fairly well received.

 

As you can see, it's a simple cover. Just a gloved hand reaching for the stars. Why is this important? It's actually a visualization from a scene in the book. How many of you have picked up a book because the cover looked great and the back copy (or ebook synopsis) sounded good; but when you read the book, the cover had NOTHING to do with it?! Is that annoying or what? Does it kind of make you feel cheated? Maybe the book was awesome, and the cover didn't do it justice. There are those out there too. I always like to have my covers resonate some relevance to the story. Some have argued with me on that, but I'm the author and it's my book, and if I make a cover that isn't right for the book, well, it's my own fault!

How did I go about making this cover? It was fairly easy. Step 1: find a background. I went online and found several sites that have free computer wall paper images. This image was part of a wall paper. Since it was free, I took the image, cropped what I wanted, and had my base to start with. Step 2: the hand. Yes, that is my hand in one of my old fencing gloves. I got my middle stepson to photograph it over a dark blue towel. Then I used Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 (PSE)  and masked the image and fixed a few things on it. Once I had just the image of the glove and no background, I pasted that over the background image. It required a little fiddling to get it right, but finally I had a workable second layer. Step 3: Text. PSE has a wealth of script options. The program can be a bit stubborn to work with, but if you stick with it, you can make some great covers very easily. Once the text was done, I saved the full image. I recommend saving it twice- once as a JPG and once as a PSE file (just in case you need to go back and fix something) The PSE file will maintain all the layers you have worked with.

If you plan on doing a print run of your book and need a full cover, I recommend a program called BookCoverPro. It's not cheap, but once you get good at using it, you can offer services to make covers for other authors. I've done a few, and have just about paid for my initial expense. The program works on a very basic Photoshop type level. Every part of the book is seen as a layer. As with PSE, in the beginning, it's a little confusing, but when you get it figured out, you can have a full cover done in less than an hour!

Here are the links for the products I use. There are many others out there on the market, these just happened to be what I found usable. There are also newer versions of what I use. The key is to find something you can feel comfortable working with.

http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements.html

http://www.bookcoverpro.com/features/

In the end, the cover is really what makes the book. If the cover isn't catchy, then a reader may well look for something else. Unless you're H.G. Wells and have the notoriety to have a bland cover like this, you better get busy and make some magic!

Good luck, and happy designing.

Until next time, my creatively obsessed friends,

Kathy

PS: if you'd like to check out some of my other covers, you can find them on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/K.-Rowe/e/B003H2UCNI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Marketing in the Middle of Nowhere

This post will also be available on the Indies Unlimited site at a future date.  http://www.indiesunlimited.com/

Admittedly, I live in the middle of nowhere. It’s 18 miles to the nearest town; and the county, (which boasts a population of 13,000) has only ONE traffic light, and it’s in the center of town. My closest neighbors are 200 yards away. The nearest “city” of 30,000 people is a 40 minute drive. If we need to go to the “Big City,” that’s an hour and forty minute drive. Yet, I’m an author and I sell books.

No, it’s not easy either. I also juggle a 100 acre farm, 2 dogs, 2 cats, and 3 horses; so my time is divided up amongst everything. As difficult as it is, I find the time to write, edit, blog, and promote my books. Sometimes I’m up late, other times, I’m up early. To make some sort of success, you have to make sacrifices. Am I successful? I would say for only being published just over 2 years, mildly.

For most authors, the word “market” is akin to a 4 letter word. We all hate it—me included. But we’re not part of a Big 6 publishing juggernaut that will tell the whole world about our books. No, it’s most of the time just us. So how can you market without spending a fortune? If the internet isn’t your friend, it darn well better be! Take advantage of every opportunity to put your face and your books out there. There are many platforms to use such as Goodreads, Google +, Librarything, and many more. Here’s my most-used list of FREE ways to advertise:

Facebook—my friend! I wasn’t keen on getting a profile, but my best friend pestered me. So, I broke down and got one. Actually, it’s been tons of fun. I have 3 pages: 1 personal page, 1 author page, and 1 page just for my military thrillers. I can chat with friends, leave postings on specialty pages, (like romance readers, or sci-fi) and also put up announcements of when I will be releasing a new book. I can’t tell you HOW many books I’ve sold because of Facebook. Hurrah!

Twitter—my next best friend. OK, less fun to use because of text limitations, but AWESOME for getting news out about a new release, or using for short PR blasts to get attention. You can even post pictures now. And I always stick a link to where my book(s) can be bought.

Author pages—Amazon, Smashwords, and any other eBook sites you can utilize. This is your landing pad for sending folks. If you don’t want to just post a link to one book, use this and let them discover all your books. These are great because it gives you a professional look.

Blogs—Eh, I wasn’t too keen on this one either. But, I finally did it. I don’t use my blog for an instrument of sales; rather I blog on things like writing, farming, and stuff that’s not always related to books. Once in a while, I’ll put up a new book, but I don’t like to hit sales hard there. I think a blog should be for information or enjoyment for the most part.

So there you have it, my free ways of marketing a book from the middle of nowhere. One day I suppose I’ll have to get a website, but as some of my friends know, HTML hates me! It may take 5-8 years to make enough from my books to supplement my retirement. Until then, I do the best I can with what hours I have in the day. The most important part is being able to figure out which internet sites will do the best for you. Don’t be afraid to dive in and check a bunch of them out. It may be the one lucky break you need.

Here’s my links:

http://www.amazon.com/K.-Rowe/e/B003H2UCNI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/sturgeoncreekpublishing

http://sturgeoncreek.blogspot.com/

Twitter: sturgeon3736

http://www.facebook.com/pages/K-Rowe-Author/136794706391542

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Dragonslayers/411626645650

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kathy-rowe/32/740/333

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=K.+Rowe

http://www.bookstrand.com/sturgeon-creek-publishing

Here’s some cool places to check out:

http://www.librarything.com/

http://www.breakthroughbookstore.com/

http://newbookjournal.com/

http://www.indiebooklounge.com/

http://www.theindiespotlight.com/

http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/index.html

http://www.indiebookcollective.com/IndieBookCollective/Home.html

http://www.authorsden.com/

http://www.writersdock.com/

http://www.selfpublishingreview.com/

http://www.theindieview.com/

http://www.indiebookslist.com/

http://www.books2heart.com/

Well, that's all I got for now. I need to get back to Space Available and get Dar into some more trouble. Poor Dar...

Until next time my creatively obsessed friends,

Kathy

Hootie Owls and the Writer's Voice

One amazing thing about living in the country is the solitude. I was walking to the barn this morning and it was still fairly dark. As I made my way up the road, I heard something coming from the direction of our hunting cabin far back on the property. It sounded strange. So I stopped and got the dog to stand still as well (very difficult for an ADHD puppy). Listening more, I realized it wasn't just one owl, it was two. I could hear: hoot, hoot, hoot, hoot, hoot, hoot; and then a reply by another one: hoot, hoot, hoot, hoot, hoot, hoot. What stuck me funny was they were saying the exact same thing over and over. What kind of communication says only one thing? Sure, they have a few different calls and screeches, but their language is pretty simple.

Then there are the dolphins and song birds, both with large vocabularies. Besides man, these are the most articulate in their "speech." Man, however, assigns great meaning to our words. They have started wars, ended wars, made people laugh, cry, swell with patriotism, and provoke deep thought. The human language is both beautiful and complex. And our language varies by where you live in the world--even within the same country. Someone who was born and raised in Kentucky will not sound like someone who has lived in New York city all their life; the culture and influence of our surroundings dictate who we are.

OK, to my point--as writers, who are we? Simple, we are products of our own unique upbringings. Some of have more school than others, some have broader ranges of travel and exploration that make them up. Each writer who picks up a pen or sits down at a keyboard has a different view of life. And we should bring that voice to our work--sometimes it needs to be done softly; other times you can shout it out from the top of your lungs. 

Depending on your genre (or genres) you can impart a lot of yourself into your characters or setting. There's nothing wrong with it, just make sure you're not reliving a whole episode of your life on the pages of a book (unless it's a memoir). It's fine for your characters to have a blend of you and them--don't run their lives. Make sure you give them plenty of "breathing room" to develop their own story. Relax, you might be surprised that they write the book for you. There are a few staunch critics out there that say something to the fact: "your characters are just extensions of your imagination- you fully control them, they are not alive."

I disagree with that, and I know a few of you will too. Have you ever been asleep, dreaming of your character, and they say something or do something that brings you out of a dead sleep? Sure it may be your subconscious speaking, but it's a different side of you. It's the side that you "gave" to your characters to live in. And if they are telling you something- listen!

Once you have those wonderful thoughts and words; you need to get them down on something. Here's where your voice comes into play. You are the master of your thoughts and words. It's your job to weave a story that will have readers enthralled from the first page. It's your voice (though your fingers) that will make or break the story. Your grammar, word usage, and diction are unique to you. Even punctuation is rather unique (right or wrong) to each person. What you say on the written page is a direct reflection of you.

So just what makes a writer successful at their game? What is it about the way they tell a story versus another author that makes them best sellers? Sometimes it's hard to tell. Society is made up of plain folks to uber smart ones. Most have a good intelligence, but they are lazy--and I will include myself in this group. Why? Because I hate to read anything that sends me packing for a dictionary every fifth word. Some folks love that, others will put a book down because it's too much work (yeah, I'm one of them). I think the key--and this is just my personal observation, is to keep it simple. Tell a great story, use words you're comfortable with, and keep it easy to read for anyone. 

Perhaps in retrospect, the hootie owls had it right. They were keeping it simple; expressing their wants or needs in simple terms--maybe that's a good thing. Live for the moment, write for the moment, and hope you're leaving a legacy that will be remembered. 

Until next time my creatively obsessed friends,

Kathy

Don't Bite the Hand That Feeds You

Recently I was reading a thread in one of the Facebook author groups I belong to. I love those groups, folks are wonderful! But there was another posting from a blog that made me wonder about some of our Indie authors. The blog post was a polite rant that namelessly exposed some Indie authors as being rude to others. It said they were rude to reviewers, blog owners, other authors, and the like. 

This surprisingly didn't shock me. I, despite my polite nature, was the victim of an Indie author's nasty dislike of me. All I had done was introduce myself on a FB page, and state that I was new to the genre. Wow, he opened up on me like an M-2 .50 cal machine gun! Not cool! And the guy didn't even know me. Hmm, wonder what he's like on a first date?

Was I mad? Very. Did I lash back at him? In a way, yes. But I chose polite words over hateful ones, and brought my 20+ years of writing to the table and some of the awards I'd won. Personally, I'm not one to toot my own horn, but sometimes in this game you have to- just to shut people up. In the end, it worked, and he backed down and apologized for being so rash. Well, why did you have to be so rash in the first place? The world is full of assholes- we all have one- but there's really no need to truly act like one.

Yes, we are all Indie authors, each fighting for that little piece of the pot we call our royalties. Do we compete against each other? Sometimes. But I've discovered it's far better to ally yourself with other authors than to alienate yourself and think they are out to steal your sales. The old adage of getting more with sugar than vinegar is very true. So why does this work?

1. An Indie author is basically a nobody until somebody recognizes you. Just accept that! God may have blessed us with certain talents, but that doesn't mean you're anything important. There are millions of writers, deal with it. Our mission is to rise above the others, to be the cream on top of the milk. The last time I checked, assholes only rise to the top when a body is floating face down in a pool.

2. To get recognized, you need to meet people. No living in a cave and beating on your chest hoping that readers will flock to your new work. Sorry, you gotta get out there in one way or another. Face-time and social networking are a must. I live in the middle of nowhere and still manage it.

3. Meeting people requires certain "social graces." Would you trash talk to your mother or father? Oh, if you did, I'm sure they'd smack you silly for it. Be polite to folks!

4. Get off your high horse. OK, I may ride a large horse, but he has nothing to do with my writing- he just eats my profits! Humility is a beautiful thing, don't be afraid to take a nice long bath in it. And it does wonder for your skin!

5. Embrace everyone as a potential sale. Even other authors can be your customers- and they are VERY valuable customers at that! If they like your work, they might just tell their fans- voila!

6. Don't burn ANY bridge. You never know when you may need some help and if you've pissed someone off, they will surely leave you hanging in the breeze.

7. Deal with the fact this is hard work. We all want our stories to be perfect and our reviews to be as well. Uh, got news for you- all of that requires WORK! You can't just sit back, bang out a story, and think it will be a bestseller. No, you need editing, proofing, formatting, and a good cover to make a book work. Unless you intend on paying for all this (and most of us Indies can't) then you will need to enlist friends, family members, and fellow authors to help you. Yeah, putting out a book sometimes requires an army.

8. Deal with feedback. Don't think your writing is perfect. Give it to your peers and let them decide. If your peers say something sucks, well, don't pout about it- fix it! 99% of the time, they will be right. And their input could be what it takes to make your book a bestseller.

9. Love your fans- all of them, even the geeky, creepy ones. You never know if one of them holds the magic key to sending your career over the moon. Treat them well, give them goodies, and keep them happy- they will buy your books, tell their friends, and hopefully write you good reviews.

10. Don't let a bad review ruin your world. We all get them- somewhere there's a cranky reader that no matter what they read, they will say it sucks. Personally, I think they should just quit reading! But if you get a 1 or 2 star review, read it. Then decide if there's something worthwhile in that review to help you- did the reviewer give specific points that they did not like? If so, great, food for thought. If they just said the book sucks, ignore the review- they weren't polite enough to say their real mind. Someone needs to give them a glass of happy juice.

11. Lastly, don't be a jerk to blog owners. You don't know if that guest post you just turned down might have been read by someone really important who would look up your work, and think you're the greatest author in the world. This kind of goes back to not burning your bridges. ANY opportunity you get for a free promotion- GRACIOUSLY take it! It may require some work on your part, but the outcome could be 10x greater than the effort you expended.

As Indie authors, we need to look at everyone as a food source. No, I'm not talking Zombie apocalypse and eating their brains, I'm talking about everyone in the world is a potential customer, a potential source of PR. Be polite and do everything you can to keep them happy- or they may hunt you down and eat your brains! How did I get on the subject of Zombies?!

Just don't bite the hand that feeds you. 

Until next time my creatively obsessed friends,

Kathy

  I wuv my mummy!

The four-legged money pit.