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Good or bad, your book is judged by its cover

Published on April 2, 2016April 1, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell26 Comments

B = Book Cover & Design

Unlike what we learned in kindergarten, books are judged by their covers.

Yes, the first impression of your book cover influences the reader.

Some people are natural at putting forward that just stepped off the runway look, even at the grocery store. And there’s me in the produce aisle in my fluffy slippers. Hey, they’re warm!

I’m not homeless, just a little absent-minded. The lady shopping next to me, in four-inch Jimmy Choo’s, might be a model or she might be a femme fatale. Hmm, I feel a plot coming on.

But, back to the A-Z Challange and what I’ve learned over the past year from an amazing Web of Writing Bloggers.

Backward Six (see #10 below)

If you want someone to pickup, or click on your book, the cover and design better grab. The book cover needs to pull at them, make them want to look inside or at the least, flip it over and read the back.

So although we are taught at a young age not to judge people by their looks, readers do judge a book by how it is presented.

12 things I learned from you guys about book cover and design:

Looks are important. Forget what your mama told you about the inside being the most important part. If no one is drawn to open the book, they won’t read the story.
A book cover must look good as a billboard or thumbnail and everything in-between.
Artwork doesn’t have to be expensive to be good.
Clean and eye-catching is better than cluttered.
Not artistically inclined there is usually someone who can help. The world is as close as my keyboard.
Research other book covers that are similar. Which ones worked and which ones didn’t.
Art, image, and photo software need not be expensive. There are some that are free.
A trendy book cover can work. (This I’m gonna need to remember in the future.)
The book cover should go for an emotional response, then the reader will react.
The eye reads a book cover from top left to bottom right, and across to the left again. (Backward 6.)
The book cover is mine, even if I hire a pro, it presents my hard work to the world so I better make sure I’m happy with the end results.
And last, but not least, I learned that I’m not going to get it right on the first, second or maybe even the third try. But that’s okay.

DIY: How to Design an Indie Book Cover By Alex Palmer

10 Tips for Effective Book Covers By: dmatriccino

5 Tips for a Successful Cover Design

Designing a Book Cover That Tells Christopher Lentz

Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Let me know what you think about book and cover design.

Are you a DIY, or did you hire a pro, or do you fall somewhere in-between?

You can find me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

Do you want to know why honorable mention and not winner?

Published on March 21, 2016March 20, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell9 Comments

Me too!

I’ve received the Honorable Mention label a few times and truth be told it was exciting.

First time, second time, third time, but then…

Well, then I got the always a bridesmaid syndrome. You know what I’m talking about, right?

What was wrong with me? I mean my stories. Sorry, that sounded so whiny.

Thanks to David Farland latest email I got a few answers. Not satisfying answers but answers nonetheless.

Here’s what I learned from the Story Doctor.

It’s not me, it’s my writing. Ouch, that hurt.

Not because the writing is bad, it’s just not good enough for the judge. Ouch again.

Since there are no new ideas under the sun, I’d better make sure my take on whatever I write is fresh, unique and interesting. There must be something original that lifts it above others written on the same subject.

Beautiful writing does not make up for sloppy execution.

A dynamic beginning still needs a firm six-pack middle and a satisfying ending with a try-fail cycle that leaves the reader breathless.

Missing elements – no character is an island. They may live on one but they don’t live in a vacuum void of interaction with someone or something. Characters, think and feel about the things around them and that is what brings them to life. Judges need to see that.

David did give me some encouragement. He said if a writer is receiving Honorable Mention then we’re on the right track. Whew, there’s hope for me after all.

Plus, He suggested making a tip sheet of 25 things judges might grade on before submitting. Great idea.

Thanks, David!

If you’d like to read the entire article click the link below.

Why editors reject your story? by David Farland Story Doctor

What do you think?

Is Honorable Mention a Win?

Do you have any tips to take contests past the HM level?

Thanks for stopping by my blog.
You can find me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

Do you think your novel could be a novella?

Published on March 15, 2016May 3, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell17 Comments

This is something I’ve considered before.

Novel or Short Story, Part 2

Maybe I just need to wrap things up and call it a day.

Writing a novel is a daunting task. A finished novel, after editing and cutting, will be about 60,000 words. Which means I need to write about 80,000 or more. Gotta give the editor plenty to slash out of the manuscript. Sigh…

So maybe I should consider changing my goal.

Have you ever considered the novella?

There is a lot more wiggle room regarding word count, with a novella. Usually between 30 to 60,000. With fewer words, comes fewer characters, fewer scenes, and fewer conflicts. Story structure is still very important but with the novella, things happen fast. There isn’t time to drag out the tension nor room to waste words.

No, we must get to the point quickly, leading the reader to the climax with little detours.

How would you go about taking your current WIP and turning it into a novella?

Make an outline using 3 acts
Limit the characters to those necessary to the purpose of the story
Edit out unnecessary characters and subplots (this is hard)
Limit to one single but satisfying conflict, question or goal
Increase and build the pace toward the final conflict during the 3rd act.

Want to read more about writing a novella read the following article from Bridget over at Now Novel

How to write a novella: 6 essential tips

What do you think? Do you see a novella in your future?

Do you think it would be harder or easier to write a novella?

Still want more? Click and read Part 1:

Why Not Turn Novel into a Short Story?

YOU CAN FIND ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY CLICKING ON THE LINKS BELOW.

AND DO STOP BY JEAN’S WRITING ANYTIME, I’LL LEAVE A LIGHT ON.

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Do you know how to avoid a stale bio?

Published on March 14, 2016March 10, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell14 Comments

Not smothering your screen with Febreze, nope that’s not going to help at all.

I’ve been doing some housekeeping on my website lately and realized my bio needed a bit of updating too. So I wondered if maybe I might not be alone.

Do you need to update yours?

Like most things about writing, a bio needs editing and tweaking to keep it fresh. If you’re like me you spent hours writing a good description, posted and then forgot about it.

I mean writing about myself in the third person was embarrassing enough the first time much less revisiting it again and again.

However, as a writer, we are always evolving and changing and our bio should say that to a degree. And you need to have more than one bio.

Why? Because what works for your website may be too long for a contest but may not be long enough for an in-depth interview. And won’t work at all for a byline.

So what to do?

Write several now.

That way when the time comes you aren’t struggling to write one that meets the requirements of the publisher. You will only need to tweak it a bit.

Most ask for a third person bio, however on occasion, a first person is requested. As with all publishers, the rules are important. Read them carefully.

The things that should be included in a bio are pretty basic. Name, rank, etc.

However, don’t include:

I’ve been writing only 6 months and look how great I am. It’s taken 5 years to write this amazing novel. (really?)
I love writing! I love writing more than ice cream. (if you didn’t love to write you wouldn’t write.)
My husband thinks this will be a best selling novel! All of my friends love my book. (they don’t care.)
Copyrighted with the US Copyright Office, so don’t try and steal my story. (Geez.)
I have 5 kids, 3 cats and love to knit. (not important unless the book is a how to knit matching sweaters for kids and cats.)

So what type of bios do you need?

A short one sentence byline that can be tagged before an article:

Jean M. Cogdell, Author and blogger currently living in Texas.

A short paragraph bio, (usually 50 words or less) for contests and magazines.

Jean M. Cogdell, grew up in a small SC town, but now lives in Texas. Her first book, Tryout’s for Ben, available at Amazon.com. Published stories and essays in magazines, anthologies, and journals, online and at Amazon.com. Read about her writing and life on her website, at Jean’s Writing.

A longer paragraph for where requested.

Jean M. Cogdell, Author and founder of Jean’s Writing a blog dedicated to learning and sharing more about the art of writing. Her first book, Tryouts for Ben received a Five Star Review from Reader’s Favorite. The book is available at Amazon.com. She has published short stories and essays in various anthologies and journals, for more information, visit her website. Ms. Cogdell grew up in a small SC town near the Great Smoky Mountains but now resides in North Texas with her husband where she is currently working on a new book due out this Spring.

A website bio – Go crazy – Go wild – this is your page to shine!

Personal info about yourself, your blog, family and interests. This is where you can share whatever you think inquiring minds might want to read.

Tell me, when was the last time you updated your bio?

Do you have any special tips or tricks for a good bio?

Do share in the comments and reach out on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.