Tag: #Covers

Choosing A Color Scheme #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Oct 7, 2024

Do you favor certain color schemes for your book covers?

This will be a short post because I leave the design choices of my covers to my cover artist, K.M. Guth.

And I lost internet last night after a major thunderstorm blew through our area. Plus she is on vacation and overseas!

Anyway, I am always amazed at what she comes up with for my covers. There is a different scheme for each series.

The Free Wolves series features strong, bright, colors. Since the books feature action, the colors reflect that. And how she finds the perfect images for the cover models amazes me.

She went a totally different direction for the Harmony Duprie stories. Instead of repeating the background, she chose muted colors with subtle background pattens (you have to look closely.)

Then, for the Jake Hennessey books, although they are tied to the Harmony books, she designed covers that were reflective of the main character’s personality.

The cover of my new book, Edwards Investigations, The Rimer Files, hearkens back to the era in which is takes place. (1985-ish) I can’t show it here, but it’s coming soon. Let’s just say she did a marvelous job of picking elements of the story to add to the design.

I know a few of the authors on this hop design their own covers, so I am looking forward to their posts. Check them put by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe!

Oct 7, 2024

Do you favor certain color schemes for your book covers?

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My Most Favorite Cover #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

July 17, 2923

Post your favorite cover from your books and explain why it’s your favorite.

One? Just one? I’d offer you my entire gallery of book covers because I’m in love with my cover artist’s work. (Shout out to you, K.M. Guth.) Can I pick one and a backup?

I’ve learned a lot watching her do her magic. Not enough to duplicate her results, but at least I understand what she is doing and why. I can even offer intelligent suggestions! She may shoot them down, but rarely, I come up with something worthwhile.

Back to struggling to pick my favorite. Here it is.

 

 

I love the ferocity in the model’s eyes. She looks like she could tear you apart with just a glance. It fits my main character’s personality completely. What really amazes me is that at least three different pictures have been combined to create this image.

And I’m no artist, but I love how the background colors draw attention, and how those colors are reflected throughout the cover. To my eyes, the cover is a work of art.

I will confess that Lori, the main character of Wolves’ Gambit, is also one of my favorites, and that may have influenced my choice of cover.

Here’s the blurb.

Wolf-shifter Lori Grenville was rescued from near-slavery and a brutal pack leader by the Free Wolves. To pay back the favor, she’s dedicated her life to helping others in the same situation, leading shifters to safety and a new start, risking her life in the process. She’s faced down alphas and has no qualms in undermining pack structure.

Now she’s challenged with the task of restoring an alpha to his rightful place. If she gets it right, she can stop a war from ripping apart two packs and spreading across an entire state. If she fails, she’ll be among the first to die.

There’s still the option of walking away and letting the Jaeger and Destin packs destroy each other. That means she’ll fail in her original mission of rescuing the daughter of the Jaeger alpha before the girl is forced into marriage for political gain.

Lori hasn’t failed in a mission yet. This one may be the exception.

Because I can, I’m going to reveal my runner-up cover. It’s a totally different style. Which makes sense, because the story is nothing like Wolves’ Gambit.

 

I am going to include a gallery of covers below. While I love all the covers in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries, seeing them together heightens the impact.

What are the favorite covers of other authors on this hop? Find out by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

 

July 17, 2923

Post your favorite cover from your books and explain why it’s your favorite.

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

A Picture is Worth – You Know The Rest #IWSG

  By IWSG
 
 
 
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

The awesome co-hosts for the February 1 posting of the IWSG are Jacqui Murray, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, and Gwen Gardner!

February 1 question – If you are an Indie author, do you make your own covers or purchase them? If you publish trad, how much input do you have about what goes on your cover?

Yes, I am an indie writer. It’s a decision I made back when I first entered the wild world of publishing. I knew from the beginning that I was not qualified to create covers. When it comes to fonts and color shading and perspective, I’m lost. Luckily, I had a resource that knew all that. She’s designed all my covers. Thank you so much, K.M. Guth!

Thanks to the joys of video conferencing, I’ve been able to watch her weave her magic. It amazes me, frankly, how she can morph things to suit her needs. She’ll ask for my input, but I normally defer to her as the expert. Now and then, I’ll spot something she missed, but that doesn’t happen very often.

Many of the covers she’s designed for me are below. 

Check out some of the other talented folks on this hop by clicking on the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe.

 

A Thousand Words: Cover Wars #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

July 18, 2022

Do you create your own covers? Work with a cover artist to design them? Hand your ideas over to a professional and let them come up with a design? Buy a pre-made cover?

Before I begin, let me update you. We are in our new home on Pennsylvania but nowhere near settled. We’re working hard to get the basics in place—its nice to sleep in our bed again—but there’s lots of unpacking to do. Since I have officially retired from my day job, we can tackle it a little at a time, at least until we get tired of boxes everywhere. One of my goals once we are at basic functionality is to put together my new writing space. That room is currently not usable because it’s filled with boxes and furniture that needs reassembled, but soon I will have a real office. I’ll share pictures when I can.

Now, on to the topic—covers.

I have several artistic hobbies I enjoy, but making covers isn’t one of them. Heck, I can barely pull together a post for social media using Canva. I know enough to know that a cover is beyond my skill level.

Luckily, I have a talented sister who is trained in graphic arts and helps me. (As always, thank you, K.M.!) We’ve developed a ‘standard” process for cover designing.

We start with the blurb so she can get a ‘feel’ for the story. Then we spend time scanning photo sites for ‘the’ picture that will become the basis of the cover. I’ll send her links to several I think have potential, and she’ll use them to find one that’s better. That’s just a starting point—she will end up combining several pictures to create her final design.

Fonts are another aspect of covers I leave to her. She understands how to combine them—or not—what size they should be, and which style works with the overall theme. Things I am clueless about.

What do I do besides watch her create a masterpiece? I get final approval. Tough job, but someone has to take the responsibility!

I’d love to show you a few of the preliminary designs in contrast to the ultimate covers, but my PC  with those files is still packed away. Instead, I’ll share my top three favorites.

Three different styles of covers reflecting three very different books. I think the first one is my all-time favorite because of the intensity in the model’s face, but the last one I love because it showcases the skill of my cover artist. The middle one made the list because of its seeming simplicity, but a closer look reveals semi-hidden details that elevate it to one of my favorites.

I believe we have at least one regular on this hop that designs their own covers. It’ll be interesting to hear their take on this topic, as well as everyone else’s. Just follow the links below!

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

July 18, 2022

Do you create your own covers? Work with a cover artist to design them? Hand your ideas over to a professional and let them come up with a design? Buy a pre-made cover?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

 

What Do Covers Have To Do With It? #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book
 
April 4, 2022
Let’s discuss. “Let’s face it, books are judged by their covers.” —Whitney Hill
 

Your mother may have told you “Never judge a book by its cover,” but it’s the way of the world. Just ask an author who has changed their covers and then changed them again. And again.

Have you ever watched a person pick out a book at a bookstore or book signing event? The first thing they do is scan the cover and read the title. If that quick peek passes their inspection, they may pick up the book and read the back. If THAT passes their judgement, they’ll open the book, flip through the pages, and then either tuck it in the crook of their arm, or put it back on the shelf and move on.

Sorry authors, but it’s true. Unless a customer is looking for a particular book, that’s the way it works. All that hard work you put into the finding just the right words is secondary to the cover. At least, that’s true for the first of your books a customer reads. Once you’ve entertained them with your story, they may overlook a less-then-stellar cover for a second story, knowing what they will find inside will allow them to escape from the real world or expand their knowledge.

And that’s why we see shelves of the same cover repeated over and over with minor variations. You know, the half-naked brawny men with six-packs, the shadowy figure running from an explosion, young lovers embracing but not kissing? Marketing experts have decreed that’s what customers will buy, and we as authors must follow their advice. The sad part is, there’s a large measure of truth mixed in.

I’ve experienced this. The first covers I used for the Harmony Duprie series were meant to highlight the ‘fun’ part of the books. (You can see those covers here and here. Just scroll towards the bottom of each page.) Although my cover artist received many compliments on her work, I soon found out that they appealed to a younger age group than what I intended. That was one of the several reasons we changed them.

I also see it in action at book signing/cons/other events I’ve been a part of. Not just for my books, but for other authors as well. People will walk down the middle of an aisle to avoid eye contact/interaction with the vendors, including writers. The cover of a book is the only opportunity to reach potential buyers.

There a few exceptions to this. An appearance on traditional media can help. A well-done post on Facebook or other social media with a great snippet can attract potential readers, with or without a cover, and there’s always word of mouth. But these rarely bring an author long-term exposure. (unless they get lucky!)

What makes a brilliant cover? This is where I step aside. I don’t have the ‘eye’ to do design. Thank heavens for my cover artist! I’ve watched her do her magic, and while I understand what’s she doing, I couldn’t recreate it. Thanks, K.M.!

Now, on to find out what the other authors on this hop have to say. Just follow the links below. And, as always, until next time, please stay safe!

 
April 4, 2022
Let’s discuss. “Let’s face it, books are judged by their covers.” —Whitney Hill
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter