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My fantasy novel DEMON HUNTER: SAGA comes out next week. To say it has been a labor of love would be an understatement to the testament I've dedicated to this piece of work. I wrote it, formatted it, and designed the cover. In this day of online publishing at its peak you have alot to compete with. I like to be hands on with my project from start to finish and cut out the middle man wherever I can. But I've studied graphic design and I know how to do certain things to make a cover stand out. Alot of authors don't. And I think it is unfortunate that you have companies or freelancers out there who are charging obscene amounts to format or edit a book and its even more unfortunate to see these cookie cutter book covers, which are little more than templates punched up with some fancy fonts, being sold to unsuspecting authors for hundreds of dollars. It is hard enough to bust your ass writing the book and putting in hours of promotion only to be bilked out of your hard earned dollars for a piece of work that can, and HAS, been sold to about ten other authors to use as their covers. How does that help you stand out from the pack when every romance cover has the same heartthrob on the front? What I'm saying is that a cover should represent what the book is about on a title by title basis. They should each be individually their own because the story inside is individual to the author who wrote it. For DEMON HUNTER: SAGA I chose a very clean look with only my lead character on the front with his weapon high in the air. I decided to give it a bit of a "graphic novel" appeal due to the gritty content inside. For my other novel, THEATER OF PAIN I went a different route. This novel is a thriller set in the world of professional wrestling therefore it needed a ring on the front to depict that. But again clean and to the point. Now I'm not the best in the world when it comes to design, far from it, but I know how to put things together and I know what catches the eye. I suppose these "professionals" believe they deserve to put an astronomical price tag on their covers due to the clients they have worked with in the past, and that's fine if they are customized to the novel. But again what bothers me is the templates, the cookie cutter designs, the unoriginal, that are being sold with "Your Title Here" and "Your Name Here" on them with nothing but stock photos that have been used 100 times. That's an insult to the author. Why would you buy an overused template when you can get something customized for the same price...actually, my design services are about half the price. And that's not because I don't value my work, it is because I'm an author too and I know how difficult it is to compete out there. And you can agree with me or not, I don't care. But I believe an author's novel deserves better. So here is what I am going to do. If you are self publishing a novel and you need a cover designed for it please write me the premise and what you would like to see as your cover in the comments below. I will choose one winner for a FREE cover design and I will even feature it at my website
www.OriginalCynAdvertising.com with a link back to your book page or website. Give me your best pitch and tell me why you are deserving of a free cover. Ready? Go!
*Contest ends March 1, 2012. Any entries after that date will not be accepted. Winner will receive ONE free cover design created for them completed before said novel goes to press. Any revisions requested by the author will be an extra charge. Cover will be displayed on creators website with link to author's novel at no additional fee.
Hopping right on this, Cynthia. I am self publishing a scifi romance I have received rights back to. I've been looking at covers and trying to learn Gimp but there is not enough time or enough money. I need a class, haha.
ReplyDeleteSleeping Warrior
Married to a warlord as part of a treaty, Sabralia lives a lonely but luxurious life in a Harem, her only companion her obedient servant Qy, a cyborg. When her husband demands his Harem pleasure his Commanding Officers at a victory celebration, Sabralia makes a daring plan to hide to avoid rape.
The Palace is ambushed and her cyborg gets her off world. The impossible has happened−Qy the gentle cyborg becomes the man he once was, the warrior Kaistril. Pursued for valuable information, Sabralia is thrust into dangerous, unfamiliar situations where she must stand up to the challenges, or lose the man she loves.
What I would like For the Cover:
I want a cover that tells the reader that this is a science fiction romance in One Glance. It doesn't have to be elaborate, but I would like a space background, like a galaxy, planets or stars, and a couple.
This is set in the far future so the couple can't wear contemporary clothing--but they could be in silhouette, or in night wear/negligee for the woman or bare but tasteful. Novel is sensual not erotic. The man does not need metal appliances, since for part of the book they are removed.
There is a space ship, and a orb space station in the book, either would be a terrific touch but are not vital. I would like title and name to be visible on the thumbnail, like on your covers above.
This is a great idea, Cynthia. My book I'm working on is still in the research stages, but will eventually need a very special cover. Can one win and wait to redeem the prize until the book is further along?
ReplyDeleteGreat question Kaye. Yes, you may put off claiming your prize until you're ready for it.
ReplyDeleteBut do enter the synopsis, etc. Here or at least a brief description (whatever you can me) about the novel in question.
If it remains only you and Melissa I'll probably award you both!!!
A different idea from me. I have written several financial books, you can see them by searching my name on Amazon, and they have a routine cover provided by the publishers.
ReplyDeleteI want to go the self publishing route, and am thinking about a series of trading books, each on different aspects. Frankly, I don't know whether that would be a waste of your talents, making a cover for a technical book, but it occurs to me that it would be good for the series to have a common theme in the way the cover was presented.
I was intending to do it myself, using some variation of what my published books look like - it can't be that bad, they keep asking me to write more so they must be selling! What are your thoughts?
Alan
Hi Alan,
ReplyDeleteIf time is not an issue I'd be happy to help you out. I'm currently building my portfolio so diverse pieces would good to have.