NaNoWriMo Idea #4

First, I think this is silly. Although I don't own one, I would like a Kindle cover. I've seen other's with covers and think that it would be a good addition to my Kindle library. But I don't want one that makes my Kindle look like a book. First, I like having a thin Kindle. You put a huge book-like case on it, and half of what I like is gone. Secondly, it smacks of putting a flat HD TV in one of those old school television consoles with the tubes in the back. Sure, a Kindle may be becoming an antique in the e-reader and i-Pad world but I don't want it to look quite so ancient.

Now for the NaNoWriMo idea. This one was inspired by a police video I watched at work that showed an officer getting beaten to death and then shot by a fireman who was out in rural Oklahoma cooking meth in his trunk. It was a gruesome video. I thought it would be interesting to have a main character compelled to go and help the department retrieve the damaged video and then help track down the murderer. It's a bit one dimensional at the moment, so I may not use this one either. Also, I think NaNoWriMo should be for flexing ones muscles, trying new things, and enjoying the writing. Maybe I should go back and revisit those thriller ideas.

A Purple Place for Dying Covers

A while back I was comparing pulp covers for some of the books I've read. It's a fun thing to do isn't it? To see the evolution of book covers over time? I even have my own evolution. I've seen my covers change over time a bit. I think they're there now. I doubt I'll see many more versions of my cover. 

In terms of A Purple Place for Dying, there are myriad. 

Next New Book

As a blossoming, somewhat seasoned writer and self-publisher, I get asked often for advice from other writers. Sometimes I'm asked to take a look at a book and give it a review. Such is the case. 

You know what . . . despite what might jump to mind when you first look at the title and the cover, it's a darn good book. In fact, I'm a bit jealous. Why?

Enquiry Might Be the Last For a While

I may have OD'd on my favorite authors, especially Dick Francis. I wrote a couple weeks back (see HERE) about my reading lately, between classes. 

This last one was Enquiry, and it was really good. It's simple, quick, fun, and fast. Love it. I've been writing alot about covers lately (see HERE), so I wanted to get you an update on Enquiry's covers.

Like the last Dick Francis, this one too has a TON of covers associated with it over the years. My favorite is the top one here. Love the sunset (or maybe a sunrise). I'm also still a fan of the puzzle blocks style that is the second down. Then that third one down is pretty fun too, it captures the whole story and all the sub-plots in one cover.

First Line Right Now

As regular readers will note, I'm in the midst of another Dick Francis novel. Why? Cause they inspire me. I love the simplicity. The characters are the driver of the story, as it should be. They're quick, easy, fun, and I'd love to have my books be more like these. 

I doubt I'll ever be as prolific!

Stunned by the Rat Race

A couple of days ago I wrote about the rat race . . . and how at the end you're just the lead rat (see HERE). So, because I have about another week or so to go before my next class picks up and I have to put down reading for fun and pick up reading for texts once again, I thought I'd slip in a few more faves, and I guess rat racing was on my mind. 

I've never read this one, which again, surprises (and delights) me. 

McNally's Cover is a Let Down

I have to admit, I'm a little let down. I've been compiling these posts with covers (see HERE) for the past few months and really been enjoying it. I was hoping for more out of McNally's Secret. I was hoping for at least a peak at an artists representation of Archie. Instead we get a stamp (which makes sense) another cover that is derivative of the first, then a completely generic cover. Not even a pulp to make me smile!

High Stakes Cover

Yesterday and last week I wrote about what i'm reading right now (see HERE). The week before that I wrote about the first line from that book, as I often like to do (see HERE for all my first lines and why I catalog them). As anyone who follows this blog knows, I am currently in a phase of liking to see all the different varieties of covers that go along with the books I read (see HERE). 

This first one is what I like best about Dick Francis books. This style. this is what I was trying to mimic with my first series of covers for my own books. I failed. I do still like this style though. 

Nightmare in Pink Cover

I'm sure many of you will find it odd, but there's very little these days makes me happier than going back and finding the pulp (and other) covers that are associated with he books I read. Naturally, when I say that there is "nothing that makes me happier" I'm being hyperbolic, if only because my best friend Sadie is around. 

Having just finished John D. MacDonald's Nightmare in Pink (see HERE) I was very eager to get out there and see the evolution of the covers!

Another One for the Morning Label

Long time readers will know that often when reading novels I'll catalog and note when I see a description of a morning in a novel. Particularly if it's a good one (see here).

I found one in the novel I'm currently racing through . . . trying to finish before my next class starts. 

As usual on a fine morning, the air and the view were exhilarating. The sun was no more than a promise on the far distant horizon and there was a beginning-of-the-world quality in the light. I watched the shadowy shapes of the horses ahead of me curving around the hill with white plumes streaming from their nostrils in the frosty air. As the glittering rim of the sun expanded into full light, the colors sprang out bright and clear, the browns of the jogging horses topped with the bright stripes of the lads’ ear-warming knitted caps and the jolly garments of October’s daughters.

Francis, Dick - For Kicks

Back Again

I have two more weeks to cram in some more fun reading (see here). I have class starting up again in two weeks . . . two classes actually, so I'll be back to writing more about adult learning then (see here). But until then I'm going to push hard to get in more leisure reading!

To that end I went back again to an old favorite. Milo Talon by Louis L'Amour, wasn't bad, but it also wasn't good. A bit of a puzzle in the plot arena. Fun characters and an easy read, but not exceptional. I can't remember if I've read this one before or not, but we shall see!

The Earl of October drove into my life in a pale-blue Holden which had seen better days. 

Another Old Friend

 As I have a month or so to walk down memory lane before my next class takes over my free time, and as I've already read a Dick Francis, and Lawrence Sanders novels, and as Louis L'amour was also an old fave of mine from when I was growing up, I might as well give him a quick go too. 

I've selected one that I'm fairly certain I have not read. I have read a tone of Louis L'Amour books, but he had what seems like thousands, so there's a good chance I have not read this one. Also, since the other day I discussed pulp art covers (see here), I went ahead and found the most pulpy I could and posted it first.

Pulp Covers

 I've always been a huge fan of pulp art novel covers. I don't know why, but they've always appealed to me. I think the first I remember seeing was for Foundation by Asimov. I think I've mentioned here before (see here) that when I was growing up I would spend summers with my grandfather in the country. He was an avid novel reader and I became one as well. We would go to the paperback bookstore in the town nearby and trade in all of paperback books and get new ones for a discount. I think that might be where I first became aware of my liking pulp covers. 

Covers, Covers and More Covers

So there was one thing that came out of that last review that I felt compelled to address. Romantic wrote:

To the author, please consider getting a professional cover done. The current one really doesn't do justice to the level of writing in this book.

Although this is a wonderful compliment about my writing, it's not the best compliment about my skills in terms of cover design. When I first started this journey, I tried making my own covers. That came to a screeching end very quickly (see here, here and here). 

In my defense, as a huge fan of Dick Francis, I was trying to mimick his style. They do look rudimentary and cheap though, so I'm glad I decided against using them long term.

It took me a while, but I found an online but when I found the ones I thought were professional, sophisticated and worthwhile, I invested in them, bought them, worked with the designer and rolled them out (see here).

These were far better, but they still lacked something. They looked too blank I realize now. Truthfully, even though Vapor Trail looks homemade, it was actually the most expensive one I bought. I never liked it though. It never truly represented the story. Romantic was correct.

Thanks to this comment by "Romantic" I went back and found a better cover for Vapor Trail (it's not easy by the way) and updated both the other two. I uploaded tag lines, provided some more flare. Now I'm far happier with them. I can live with these. Let's hope "Romantic," thinks the update is worthwhile.

Walking Away Girl Covers . . . How Prevalent Are They?

Truth is that the first few lines of Dead End Girl (see here) did not grab me, and based on my reading speed so far, it hasn't helped me get into the book. I have had a change in the way I see first lines and catalog them (see here).

Based on the cover, and it's similarities to the cover of my own book, On the Edge, I wonder if I should do a series on covers where the reader only sees the back of the girl (see here).

Corduroy pants swished between Teresa’s thighs as she crossed the parking lot. She had a headache. That drive-thru headset gave her a headache every damn time. The band squeezed her skull like an old man trying to find a ripe cantaloupe in the produce department. Pressing and pressing until her temples throbbed. When the headaches were really bad, she got the aura. And it was gonna be a bad one tonight. She could already tell. By the time she got home, she’d be nauseous from the skull throb along with the stink of fryer grease clinging to her clothes and hair and skin. Sometimes she swore she could feel it permeating her pores. 

She placed a hand under the lid of the dumpster and lifted. The overhead lights in the parking lot glinted on the surface below. It looked like water, but it wasn’t. It was oil. Every night they emptied the fryers, dumping the used oil into this dumpster. It was a disgusting task. Worse than taking out the trash on a 90-degree summer day, when the flies got real thick, and the meat went rancid almost as soon as they put it in the bin. It was dead out. No traffic. No noise at all but her fiddling with the dumpster and the bucket.

Vargus, L.T - Dead End Girl

I'm hoping it comes along, but I just noticed this: the title is "Dead End Girl: A Gripping Serial Killer Thriller." If the author has to put into the title that it's "gripping" it doesn't bode well for the rest of the book.

BUT! It was free and it's not all THAT bad yet. It's very much in the vein of Silence of the Lambs. We shall see where it goes.

Another (Techno) Thrilling First Line

I'm onto a Clancy (sanctioned) techno-thriller. This time Threat Vector. It's a typical and expected beginning to a typical and expected Clancy novel.

The five Americans had been lying low in the decrepit hotel room for hours, waiting for nightfall. 

Sheets of warm rain rapped on the window, generating the majority of the sound in the dim room, as there was little talk among the men. This room had served as the base of operations for the team, though four of the five had stayed at other hotels throughout the city during their weeklong stay. Now that preparations were complete, those four had checked out of their quarters and consolidated their gear and themselves here with the fifth man in their group. 

Though they all were still as stones now, they had been a blur of activity over the past week. They had surveilled targets; developed op plans; established covers; memorized their primary, secondary, and tertiary exfiltration routes; and coordinated the logistics of the mission to come. 

But preparations were now complete, and there was nothing left to do but sit and wait for darkness.

Clancy, Tom; Greaney, Mark - Threat Vector

What I can never be sure of is, which first line to take? The prologue first line:

These were grim days for former operatives of the Jamahiriya Security Organization, the dreaded national intelligence service of Libya under Moammar Gaddafi. Those members of the JSO who had managed to survive the revolution in their home nation were now scattered and in hiding, fearing the day when their cruel and brutal past would catch up with them in a cruel and brutal way.

Or the first line from chapter 1. I chose chapter 1 if only cause the prologue one was so damn boring. I guess Greaney and Clancy split the difference. One on the "good first lines" list (here) and the other on the "bad first lines" list (here).

Guest Post: Your Book Cover Design by Michelle Rene Goodhew

Today’s guest blogger is Michelle Rene a freelance cover designer and illustrator from Northwest Washington. Michelle is published in six genres and allows her creative diversity shows in my various works. Some of her illustrations were previously published in Creative Review magazine, as well as a few of her cover designs. 

Your Book Cover Design

As a designer, my best advice is that you do not create your own book cover. Homemade book covers tend to look homemade. The result would most likely be an amateur cover with what the public will perceive as an amateur book. But if you are still interested in designing your own cover, I have included a list of the most helpful video tutorials at the end of this article.

When it comes to book covers, they are the first sales point of your book. You do not want to display a b-rated or homemade cover because it will suggest the value of your book. It is highly recommended that you find a professional designer. There are hundreds of cover designers out there, what you are looking for is a great portfolio full of unique designs.

The Basics

You can expect to pay a median range of $500 for your cover design, as high as $750 or as low as $200. Hiring an illustrator could cost you considerably more and then a designer will still need to arrange the layout and font design. A contract should be agreed upon and typically a down payment of 50% of the total design costs will need to be paid up-front.

• The Concept

Before you approach your designer you should create a brief that the designer can work from, and most professional designers will want to read your book in order to create your specific design. If they don’t, you may want to look somewhere else for your needs.

Before you get started on creating a brief for a cover design you need to decide on the message you want to send.

Ask yourself: What is the book’s single-minded value proposition?
What is the target audience of readers looking for – Inspiration and Aspiration, Success and Achievement, Knowledge and Power, Romance and Passion, Murder and Revenge?
Boiling it down to the motivation, incentive and emotion will help you generate tons of ideas or visual metaphors that determine the imagery, choice of color palette, typography, and layout that help your designer capture what the book is all about.

This is your chance to brainstorm and maybe make a collage of things that appeal to you.

• The Brief

You will need to provide a cover design brief. Take a look at what the designer needs to know.

Points to include:

1. The Concept

2. The style

There are, broadly, 3 types of cover to choose from:

3. You need to consider:

• The theme or key image from the book that you want to use on the cover.
• Is there a particular character or scene from your novel you would like to show on the cover?
• Should there be a dominant color?
• Are there any visual clues such as badges or colors that will identify the content?
• Is the book designed to be part of a series? Does it need to match existing books?

Please provide as full a brief as you can.

• The Design

Your designer should offer you two or three concepts to choose from.

The cover design should generate excitement. Grab attention. The main goal of every book cover is to generate excitement. The cover is one of the best tools in your marketing arsenal. That’s why you should create something that will stop people in their tracks and evoke interest. The book cover is the hook that will help you to promote your book.

       
So many books today have a repetitive design style, they are copies of other books in their genre and therefore have a hard time standing out in the crowd. A professional designer will invest time in their work for you and should provide you with something unique.

The book cover should show what genre the book is. A really good book cover “talks” to its readers through choice of typography, imagery and metaphor.

     

A great cover design engages the viewer by drawing them in with a design style that speaks for the story. Branding the author is imperative, the designer is responsible for presenting the books image as a first impression to the public, special thought and time should go into font, color scheme and layout.

Book Cover Design Tutorials

Create a Realistic Book Cover in Photoshop
How To Create a Retro Style Superman Book Cover - Visit this Photoshop tutorial to get some basic skills in book cover design.
How to Design a Book Cover in Photoshop - YouTube is full of different Photoshop tutorials. This one of the simplest but still useful.
Designing Book Covers Tutorial (Advanced) - This is advanced level video tutorial, but why not have a try?
Create Character Driven Book Cover Art Using Illustrator and Photoshop – Part 1 - Learn how to create the “Let’s Go To Monster School!” book cover.
Dirty Design: Create a Grungy Thriller Book Cover



About Michelle

My name is Michelle Rene and I am a freelance cover designer and illustrator from Northwest Washington. I also contract through several publishers as a cover designer and illustrator. I am published in six genres and my creative diversity shows in my various works. Some of my illustrations were previously published in Creative Review magazine, as well as a few of my cover designs. I am an artist and have a true passion for my work.

As a designer I feel that hearing the heart of the story from you, the author, the passion you express for your creation fuels my creativity and design process. I want my authors to feel that my illustration and design is the vision they hoped for in representing their work to the public. I want to pull potential readers in with the cover design. My design has to stand out from the rest as a unique work of art. As an illustrator and designer, I combine my services to create a unique look that only your book will have.

What are you currently working on and how can I be of service to you?

Come take a look at my artwork and designs, check out my variety of services offered on my pricing page, you will find my rates to be competitive. I also design social and website banners, posters for book tours, bookmarks, book teasers, and business cards, all for your book marketing efforts. Review my testimonials and discover some of the people I work with. http://michellerenegoodhew.com

I look forward to hearing from you :-)

Sincerely,
Michelle Rene Goodhew
Book Cover Designer & Illustrator
Website: http://michellerenegoodhew.com
goodhewmichelle@gmail.com
USA 360-854-8610

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ArtistandIllustratorMichelleReneGoodhew
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichelleRene00
Google+: https://www.google.com/+MichelleGoodhew

Consider Me Intrigued . . . On Two Counts

I ran into this (see here) promotion for a class for book marketing by Karen Tyrrell and am intrigued . . . actually doubly intrigued.

First, I want to know more about marketing my novels. I have two novels out there (see here and here) and I've just updated their covers (see here) and I have some actually not bad reviews for them. In fact the artist who designed my new covers even said I should consider a "re-launch" as my reviews seemed so good. So, I'm always for learning more about marketing my novels.

I haven't done much marketing. Count me in the crowd that believes that the writing has to be good for people to buy it. I love what Hugh Howey did with Wool (see here). He produced a good work and let the writing speak for itself. People came, people recommended it, people discussed and reviewed it cause the writing and the idea was so good. That's the dream.

But I get it that's not the normal way of the world. Also, I'm guessing that that was how it was done. How do I know that Hugh Howey wasn't out there peddling his work to every Tom, Dick and Harry he walked by.

Secondly, I'm the Director of Training here for my company. We have over 50 offices across the United States. I've had a project in the past few months to outfit all of those locations with large format 52" video displays, PC's and speakers with microphones and other equipment to support online interactive streaming. My trainers can now train anyone in any of our U.S. locations from any of our other U.S. locations. The trainers can see and interact with the students and vice versa, real time.

Miss Tyrrell is considering providing her workshop via webinar (which is the only way I would be able to take part actually) and I'm incredibly curious about how she will do it. I know how I've done it when training people to work in refineries, but how will Miss Tyrrell pull it off.

We made the calculation to have two streams at once. One that shows the trainer in front of the class. The other that shows the power point. Audio and video stability is paramount which is tough to ensure in every case. And with all that bandwidth being chewed up it can get spotty at times, but we wanted both the power point and the trainer in front of the class to make it worthwhile.

Sarah Hill (see here), who is a part of my circles on Google Plus and describes herself with: "12 time Emmy award winning storyteller for the broadcast channel for Veterans United Foundation" and "the first journalist to use a Google+ Hangout on TV" also chews on these technological nuts. She has started to integrate Google Glass into her work which is something I'm thinking about trying as well.

Regardless, I hope Miss Tyrrell is able to get something together. I need the help in one arena and need to compare webinars for my job.

Book Review: The Fourth Deadly Sin or Makes Me Wish I Was Older in '86

I just finished Lawrence Sanders' The Fourth Deadly Sin, and basically I loved it as much or more than his other works. I enjoy talking and writing about the books I've read and have a whole series of em on this site (see here), but this one takes a bit of a different turn in that the cover design plays a significant part.

 I've never hidden my love for Sanders' writing (see here). I'm a McNally fanatic (though I don't do Lardo), and I'm really enjoying going back and reading Sanders' older stuff (see here and here). The Fourth Deadly Sin was published in 1986 which makes me with I'd been a better reader when he was producing these things.

The first I heard about Sanders was back in the early 2000's when my Uncle told me about him. I started reading the McNally series, if only because it was the easiest to find at the half price book place. I still remember that first McNally book I read and how I thought Archie was such a fun character. Sure, I've since found out he's a bit of a rip off from Rex Stout's Archie Goodwin from the Nero Wolf books, but Sanders brings his own flair to Archy McNally. Who can't love a fellow who wears a puce beret to go investigate.

Still, as much as I liked the McNally books, I think I like this earlier stuff first. After my first, and so far only trip to New York City this past fall, reading bout 1970's and early 80's New York is fun. Secondly I enjoy the fact that each book has a new character and a new angle. Recently so many authors and series are only considered if there's a viable character for multiple books. I enjoy the fact that Dick Francis and Sanders didn't conform in that way. Naturally I'm trying to emulate them with my books (see here and here).

The Fourth Deadly Sin was just as good as Sanders' other earlier works and makes me want to read more. That being said I did have one difficulty. Why is this cover decorated with a claw hammer? The murder takes place, Sanders makes a big point of this, with a ball-peen hammer, not a claw hammer. Having just finished a foray into cover design, successfully I believe (see here and above), didn't the cover designer care about accuracy? Or is a claw hammer just a bit more murderous looking than a ball-peen? Then again are covers that feature a couple of people running particularly murderous looking?

Regardless, if that's my primary complaints, Sanders should be quite happy.

Love to Know More

Wouldn't  you love to know more?

Since the re-release of my books with the new covers (quite pleased about those, see full cover below), I have had several folks purchase the books and one new review on my first novel, Toe the Line (see here), the story that takes place in Seattle and deals with a murder mystery around a triathlete.

The latest review is from "musiclover" who writes:

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing the entire time. The ending was a little abrupt but it was ok anyway.

Ah man! I want to know what she found abrupt about the ending. Did she need more exposition? More details? More denouement? What?

When I was a youngster I loved reading Stephen King novels. I hated how long and drawn out his endings were. The Stand, IT, I think even Salem's Lot, all of them had such horrible, almost unendurably long endings. I just wanted it over by the time I got to those final few pages. I remember deliberately trying to be precise in my writing in the end of Toe the Line. I didn't want people to be bored. I wanted it to be a climax to the end that came in a whoosh.

I would love to talk to musiclover about her thoughts.

Still she gave me a 4-star review. I'll take a 4-star review. Toe the Line has gotten four 5-star reviews, eight 4-star reviews, and four 3-star reviews. As long as she gives me 4-star or 5-star reviews she can think my endings are abrupt.

I think what I will do is track down ole musiclover and see what she thought was so abrupt. Could be an interesting exercise.