A must-read post by
Do you know how to use social media? Check out Kristen Lamb’s latest post and fire up your career.
Her advice hit home for me because when I get on Twitter it’s as if I lost in the great wild woods of social media. I can’t find my way home. LOL
Thanks for the reminder Kristen. I don’t have to stay all day reading and tweeting. LOL
Source: 3 Ways to Fire Up Your Writing Career Today
I sure do, those are the ones that sale.
A killer cover, gets the shopper to click and hopefully buy.
If you follow my blog, you already know I’m working on publishing a children’s book.
You’ve listened to me bitch, moan, complain and crow (just a little) about the process. As I get down to the wire, making my cover work for an ebook and a print book.
I know I can’t be the only one struggling with this dilemma. So I thought y’all might be interested in some of the stuff I’ve uncovered in my research.
Turns out there is a lot out there on making a book cover pop.
According to Derek Murphy over at Creative Indie Covers, the “main thing about the cover has to be the images; the text just needs to be built INTO the picture in a subtle or complimentary manner.” Click here to read the rest of his article.
In another post, Mr. Murphy explains just what is important. He reminds us that people aren’t going to squint to read the title. “The thumbnail should look clean and professionally designed. It should be balanced with complimentary colors and nice spacing between elements. And if possible (difficult as a thumbnail) it should be eye-catching and evoke an emotional response (surprise, lust, interest, humor…)” Click and read…
Canva.com now has a template for ebook design. I found this very helpful in moving text, pictures around for my cover. Canva enables you to mix and match different art and photos. Go to Canva and have some fun playing with your cover.
LiberWriter.com gives an abundance of good advice for your cover. “First of all, a “cover” for a Kindle book really isn’t a cover at all. It’s a flat image that will be displayed on various web pages – most likely as a thumbnail, but also in a larger format if the user wants to have a look. For print books, not only does the front of the cover have to be good, but the back must be designed correctly too, with a catchy quote or blurb that captures the reader’s attention and makes them want to spend more time with the book. On the web, none of this happens: readers who want to know more click on your book, and an Amazon page pops up with all kinds of information about the book: blurbs, author bio, reviews, and so on. This information takes the place of the back cover.” To read the entire article click on…
So, fancy or plain, the main thing I got from all of these articles is that my book cover thumbnail needs to pop. The title needs to be readable, and the picture should draw the shopper’s eye.
If the shopper doesn’t click on my thumbnail, odds are I’ve lost a sale.
I hope these tips help you. Me? I’m more confused than ever.
Any of y’all have some good advice for making a great thumbnail cover? Please share.
You’ve made it this far so give me just two more seconds and hit Facebook and Twitter and share.
Thank you!
If you’re not already, I’d be much obliged if you would follow me @jeancogdell on Twitter or jean.cogdell on Facebook!
We all know about waste words, but what about over doing the descriptive words? Has the definition changed? Research, research, research, now I’ve got to research my words. Sigh.
No one wants their writing to be boring. But in our quest to use different words and mix it up a bit, sometimes we miss the mark. At least I do. Thankfully, I’ve a great critique partner who reigns me in. Thanks Sheila!
In my effort to get my reader to see what is in my head, I often times use a superfluous (fancy, right?) word when a plain one would work better.
Writers on the Move published a post by Melinda Brasher that made me rethink these types of words. Head over and read…
What do you think? Are any of these words tripping up your story?
You’ve made it this far so give me just two more seconds and hit Facebook and Twitter and share.
Thank you!
If you’re not already, I’d be much obliged if you would follow me @jeancogdell on Twitter or jean.cogdell on Facebook!
Jean's Writing 