IN GREAT SALES FOR YOUR BOOKS!
Yes, I write for five different publishers. Yes, I have
self-pubbed my own books in between my publishers’ releases for me (and hired
talented designers to package those products for me). But also, I used to be in PR and advertising for many
decades and have mucho experience hiring and directing designers for everything
from logos to billboards. So here are a few recommendations for you if you are
bewildered by the plethora of designers from which to choose.
For erotic romance, cover art is The Big Deal, isn’t it? The
way the book will be sold to thousands of readers. While trends come and go,
the best package for a book to sell is superbly rendered art. And while the
self-pub and digital industry grows, so too do the pool of graphic designers
whom we love to love.
What are the markers
of a great designer?
For me and I daresay for this industry, those markers are
all of the following:
1. A knack for
finding evocative photographs.
Great photography begins with selection of a good subject,
but it must also include an understanding of high resolution.
Do bookmark those designers’ websites who create book covers
and visit their sites repeatedly. By looking at their wares, you will begin to
note what you especially like, what speaks to you and you will learn why.
Not all designers do work suitable for every sub-genre. Some
are adept at all genres.
Note their own clientele and who returns for more of that
designer’s art. Repeat business is the mark of success.
2. A talent for using
the basic art or jpeg in the most appropriate manner for the type of book it
is.
This includes an understanding of the theme, setting and the
author’s VOICE in the book.
(Hint: A good description of your Voice in the cover sheet
request is vital here!)
This talent includes taking a much-used jpeg and cropping it
correctly for the feel and tone of the book. One jpeg might be great for a
Regency romance, but cropped differently, or magnified in a certain way, and
that picture may be used as a basic for a Regency mystery!
3. An understanding
of dimensions and how and where to place the author’s name and title in slugs
that enhance the basic art.
In other words, balance is a wonderful art form in itself.
The title and author’s name should be legible, proportionate and the font
should complement the period, Voice and genre of the novel.
4. A deft hand at the artistry of cutting,
cropping, outlining and resolution.
Taking a couple from their original background, dropping
them into another, changing the color of their clothes or removing them (yes, I
asked one artist to do this for me and she DID beautifully!) requires skill and
devotion to art.
Cutting off the heroine’s wisps of hair or shortening the
hero’s nose is not quite what the doctor ordered. So this last talent, I do
believe, is the whipped cream on the cake!
Giveaway:
I also show you here my 3 self-pubbed novels, each of which
was rendered by a superbly talented artist.
For one person who comments here about the values of a superb artist or who
gives the rest of us a warning about a boo-boo she encountered, I will give
you one of my self-pubbed books. You will choose!
1.
LADY
STARLING’S STOCKINGS, Regency erotic romantic suspense
2.
A LONG
TIME COMIN’, contemporary erotic romance
IS THAT A GUN IN YOUR
POCKET?, contemporary erotic romantic comedy and suspense
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