bookmarketing

Another Bab's Booster for the weekend

Do you recognize yourself in any of the following scenarios?

“I have an idea and I’m going to write a book. I’ve never written anything before. But I think my idea is valid and I want to share it with the world. The best way to get my idea out there is to put it in book form.”

“I would like to build my credibility and my business by writing a book related to my profession.”

“I have this urge to tell my story and I want to tell it to as many people as I can reach. How better to reach them than through a book. I’ll write my story and present it as a book for the whole world to read.”

“I want to teach what I’ve learned about life. There are a lot of people suffering as I did for years and maybe my story will make a difference in the lives of many others.”

“People should stop eating so much junk food (overeating, smoking, doing drugs, avoiding religion–fill in the blanks). If they knew the truth about the dangers of ‘fill in the blanks,’ they would change their ways. I’m going to write what I know on this topic and try to change the habits of millions of people for their own good.

“If he and she can produce a novel and sell a few copies, I should be able to write and sell my novel. My story is better than many I see on TV or in the movies and a lot better than those I’ve read, lately. I want to get people’s reaction to the amazing story that’s rolling around in my head, so I’m going to write a novel.”

“I’d like to earn a little money for my retirement years. I have the time now and I might as well spend it writing. I know I have a good idea for a book. All I need to do is write it. A publisher will do the rest. I should be able to collect thousands of dollars each year from royalties. Writing could be a lucrative pastime.”

“I’m told I have writing talent. I do love to write. Maybe I should put some of my stories in book form and see if I can get a publisher interested.”

Do you see yourself in any of these scenarios? I’ve known people in each of them. Is your story missing from this list? We’d like to have you share it with us.

No matter which of these stories resembles your own, there are two things you really should do before writing that book (or at least before seeking publication).

1: Study the publishing industry 2: Write a book proposal.

And there is one thing you need to do upon completion of your book: Hire a good book editor.

Back in 2000, Dan Brown changed my life.

I have a Masters in Theology from the University of Oxford and religion, art history, architecture and spirituality are just some of my obsessions. Up until 2000, I thought that the only option to be a successful author in that arena was to follow in the footsteps of Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose.

But then Dan Brown made the religious thriller mainstream and commercial and it now has a great niche all of its own, with Steve Berry, James Rollins, Scott Mariani and others writing in the genre. There are now so many options for readers like me who devour these types of books and I mainline them (since I don’t have a TV, I read a LOT!).

So when I wanted to write a fast-paced thriller series based on themes that I love, Dan Brown was definitely one of my influences and my ARKANE books were born. I even wrote short stories for Kobo’s Descent, a contest to promote the launch of Inferno, so great was my fan-dom. So I am a Brown lover from way-back, a super-fan, one of those readers that writers want to attract.

But I just finished reading Inferno, Dan Brown’s latest book, and instead of reviewing it, I wanted to share my lessons learned as an author.

No spoilers, I promise.

(1) Write what you love and don’t get trapped into expectations

Inferno might satisfy the expectations of the publisher, and some fans for another Langdon book. But in reading it, I felt like Dan Brown did not have a fun time writing it, and in fact, he would rather be writing techno-thrillers.

The most interesting bits were about transhumanism and genetic modification as well as population control (which I also used as my bad guy’s motivation in Prophecy.) Fascinating topics and I also like his strong female characters (who are far more 3-dimensional than Langdon).

But I think that perhaps Dan needs to stop writing the Langdon series and write something that really turns him on. And as a reader I want to see what he does with a techno-thriller.

Smash through people’s criticisms, why don’t you, Dan? Please.

You don’t need the money so write something that’s fun for you. Anything that takes you that long and isn’t literary fiction can’t have been enjoyable to write.

As authors, it’s important that we love what we write and don’t box ourselves into a genre that becomes a burden.

Sure, this is a business and you know I’m commercially minded, but I also want to do this as my passion as well as my income. Trying different things is part of the beauty of being a writer. So have a go at a short story in another genre, or a novella, and see how it feels. If you start feeling dry on a project, maybe it’s time to switch it up a little.

(2) Book title, marketing and theme need to resonate

I’ve just read Dante’s Inferno in order to write the Sin series, so I know the book pretty well. It’s fresh in my mind, and Brown’s Inferno doesn’t even scratch the surface.

Instead of delving into the world of Dante’s Inferno – the book – he has delved into Florence, Dante’s home town, with the death mask a key artefact and a few cantos used as clues. But I was looking forward to the resonance of language and dark themes of Dante’s Inferno and instead, got a travel guide to Florence and some other European cities. The marketing and hype has all been about Dante’s Inferno, but as a hard-core reader of this genre and supporting works, I was disappointed that the book didn’t match that.

As writers, it is our responsibility to ensure that the experience of the reader lives up to the expectations of the packaging. Book cover and title are critical in this aspect and it is why authors like Polly Courtney have split with publishers over issues of covers that don’t match the book.

(3) Don’t confuse the reader

I was confused a lot as Brown’s Inferno jumped out of the action into flashback or detailed physical description or directions through the maze of Florence backstreets. Then one of the twists later in the book REALLY confused me and I needed to read back to various points, and then I found continuity issues that annoyed me.

As a reader, I don’t want to be jolted from the fictive dream, and as writers, we have a responsibility to make sure the story hangs together.

Most of the professional writers I know use 5-8 beta-readers as well as editors and proof-readers. That’s my process too, and my next book Desecration has already had 7 different people critique it and give me feedback as readers and editors. Now it’s off to another round of reading, and another round of improvement.

With all the secrecy around Inferno, I can’t help but wonder how many beta-readers read the book before it went to press. It’s just confusing, even for someone like me who is an uber-geek in matters esoteric.

Am I still a fan of Dan Brown?

There were other issues with the book, and I’m sure you’ve read the usual criticism of Brown’s writing style.

As someone who loved Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, and has defended Dan Brown a lot, I feel disappointed with Inferno. But as a writer, I think it teaches us a lot, and my opinion means little in this world, so I’m embracing my lessons learned on this occasion.

As a reader, I will buy another Dan Brown novel, but Dan, if you’re listening, I hope it’s a techno-thriller next time.

What do you learn from books by other authors? Do you find as a reader that you are more critical because you’re a writer? And does it help your own writing?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below (but please, no spoilers on the plot in case people want to read it).

 

A weekend thought....

By Casey Demchak (@caseydemchak)

I met Casey at the recent Author U event in Denver, Colorado. It’s not every day you run into someone whose specialty is back cover copy for your book. This is one of the most important pieces of copy you’ll write, since it has a lot of work to do representing your book and showing people what’s unique, interesting, or especially valuable about what you have to offer. I asked Casey to point out the big things authors ought to be thinking about when it comes to the back cover, and here’s his response.

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Every author knows the importance of a well-designed book cover can never be overstated. However, moments after being engaged by your cover, readers are going to flip your book over to read the back cover.

If your cover is good enough to grab readers, your back cover copy needs to convince them to buy. For authors who self publish this can be a challenge because writing promotional copy many not be their area of expertise. Plus, for many authors it’s never easy to “brag” about themselves and their own work.

Here are seven essential tips that provide you with a success formula for creating back cover copy that motivates your crowd to take action.

1. Start with a headline that makes or implies a promise

Headlines have two simple goals: capture the attention of readers and drive them into your body copy. You don’t need zippy, clever, sexy headlines to do this. In fact, simple headlines are usually the most enticing. Start your headline with an action word and then state or imply a promise of what readers can expect to gain from your book. Here are a few examples.

Learn Newly Uncovered Secrets about JFK’s Murder

Discover How to Think and Grow Wealthy

Find Out What Drives Serial Killers to Act

Thought-provoking questions are also a great way to grab readers. Are you dying to know who wanted Marilyn Monroe dead?

2. Make your copy “at-a-glance” friendly

If your headline draws readers in, don’t lose them by using large blocks of text to fill out your back cover. Instead, make it “at-a-glance” friendly by employing a liberal use of headlines, subheads, short paragraphs and bullet points. This common sales writing technique creates a lot of open space around your copy, which visually makes it look fast and easy to read.

3. Chose exactly the right voice

Create a definite, confident voice for your back cover. Depending on your topic, your writing should emanate authority, compassion, wisdom, insight, humor, suspense, intrigue, mystery, etc. Choose a voice for your back cover that matches your book and fuel it with emotion. 4. Create a powerful rhythm

Think of the movie trailers you’ve seen for the films you love. They move at a steady rhythm and pace because their creators know they only have one minute to convince you to go watch a two hour movie.

The same can be said for a back book cover. You’ve got one page to motivate people to read your entire book. After you’ve written your back cover copy, it should have a beat and pulse to it that you can snap your fingers to as you read it.

5. Focus on what your book is about – not on what happens

It’s certainly acceptable to write about what happens in your book. However, focus your back cover much more on how readers will benefit from your book. What curiosity will you satisfy? What challenge will you help readers overcome? What itch are you going to scratch?

What thirst will you quench for your audience? What inner desire or need are you going to meet? Describe the human satisfaction and value readers will gain from reading your book. Take your writing to this level and your ability to motivate readers to buy increases dramatically.

6. Stir up human emotions

The only marketing messages that really move us are ones that grip us on an emotional level. Always describe the benefits readers will derive from your book in emotional human-value terms.

Think of it this way: you don’t read about anti-aging skin creams so you can get rid of wrinkles. You read about anti-aging skin creams to get rid of wrinkles so you’ll feel more youthful and vibrant. You don’t read a murder mystery to find out who did it. You read a murder mystery to stimulate your imagination and create a sense of intrigue and excitement within yourself.

No matter what your book is about, your crowd will read it to fuel specific emotions within them. Identify what those emotions are and use your back cover copy to stir them up.

7. Leave them wanting more

This technique requires a little practice, but always conclude your back cover in a manner that leaves your readers begging for more. Wet their beak. Tease them up. Give them the sizzle, but not the steak. However you want to phrase it, conclude your back cover so readers have no choice but to flip through your table of contents as they’re reaching for their wallet.

Casey Demchak is an author, speaker and recognized expert at writing highly-effective sales copy for coaches, authors and corporate clients. You can sign up for his free, weekly sales writing updates at www.CaseyDemchak.com.

Photo: bigstockphoto.com

Last weeks show saw me speaking with Thomas Wedell and I promised you a Bob-o-Graphic illustrating the points in the book and how with a 5 plus 1 approach to innovation you can create a business culture that brings great ideas to life Here it is!

Someone emailed me after my presentation Tuesday night to tell me that he’d heard me speak before and that he got more out of my talk this time than he did the last time. He figured it was either that I had more to share now or that he was at a place where he was ready to follow my suggestions.

How astute of him. It is so true; when an author is not ready to hear some of the hard truths of book promotion, for example, he or she will tune out any words of wisdom whether they are spoken or written. If it is a concept they are not ready to face, they will discount it. We’ve probably all done that with regard to many things over our lifetimes.

How often have you made a suggestion to a friend who was struggling? The friend may disregard your ideas and comments until one day, she comes to you and says, “I’ve decided I’m going to do such and such,” which is exactly what you’ve been suggesting all along. Only your friend believes this is a brand new idea that she came up with all on her own. We’ve all experienced this scenario. She could not even acknowledge the idea until she was mentally, psychologically and/or emotionally ready.

I see this type of a scenario played out with some of the authors I meet. They will not open up to the reality of what it takes to promote a book. They go out and listen to professionals talk on the topic. They purchase and read books and articles by experts in the field. They consult with people in the know. But they believe what they want to believe until they are finally ready to take in the truth of it. And sometimes authors don’t truly understand the magnitude and importance of book promotion until after they’ve produced a book and are faced with the hard realities.

If you plan to produce a book, I urge you to open your mind to the business of publishing. Put at least as much effort into understanding the publishing industry—including what it takes to promote a book—as you have the writing of the book. The more you understand about your publishing options and book promotion, the more apt you are to make good decisions on behalf of your book and the more successful you will be.

Disregard the concepts that make you feel uncomfortable before truly understanding the impact they’ll have on your success, and you could easily be one of the nearly 78 percent of authors who fail.

A good place to start understanding the publishing industry is by reading my book, “Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author.” It’s at Amazon.com in print, Kindle and audio as well as at many other online and downtown bookstores. Or order it here: http://www.matilijapress.com

A little thought for the day....

There are two concepts that you need to consider when you have a book to promote.

• No one will buy a book they don’t know about.

• It is up to the author to promote his or her book.

I spoke to a group of 50 or 60 authors and hopeful authors last night—all who came out to learn how to promote their books without having to step too far outside their comfort zone. And I felt it was important for them to understand these two concepts first.

Let’s examine the first statement: doesn’t it make sense that if you keep your book a secret—if you don’t reach out to your potential readers and tell them about your book—they aren’t going to be clamoring to buy it? First, you should answer the following questions.

• Who comprises your audience? • Where are these potential readers? • What is the best way to approach them?

And you should be the one to create a marketing plan for your book since you care more about your project than anyone else in the world. As I told my audience last night, you can buy into your self-publishing company’s marketing package. You can hire a publicist. You can accept the (often) minimal help a traditional publisher offers as far as book promotion. But you should never turn your responsibility for marketing your book over to anyone else. During the writing process, through the publishing process and on throughout the entire book promotion process, you—the author—must take charge and consider yourself the CEO of your book.

Learn more about publishing and book promotion through Publish Your Book and Promote Your Book, available at amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores.

Ed: This post is reprinted from Catherine Ryan Howard’s excellent blog Catherine, Caffeinated. The interview was part of a series of stops on blogs I undertook as part of the launch of our BookDesignTemplates.com site. However, I think there are some valuable tips and discussion in this article, so I’m making it available here and for subscribers in case you missed it. (And yes, that is my official collectible Smashwords souvenir mug I’m holding.)

A Visit From The Book Designer

Regular readers of this blog or those of you who have ploughed your way through all 120,000 words of Self-Printed will know that I’m a big fan of The Book Designer and the man behind it, Joel Friedlander (@JFBookman on Twitter). It’s a fantastic resource for self-publishers and it always makes for interesting reading too. Joel also runs monthly e-book design awards, which offer a sometimes wonderful, sometimes… um, not so wonderful (ahem) insight into the world of self-published e-book cover design. Recently he launched Book Design Templates for self-publishers, and he’s here today to tell us more about them. Welcome, Joel!

Me: Please explain to us what exactly are your Book Design Templates, and how self-published authors can use them.

Joel: They are Microsoft Word template files specifically designed for authors who want to do their own book formatting. A template file is simply a pre-formatted layout used to make new documents with the same design. There are 9 different designs, and each is available in standard book sizes as well as in ebook versions.

The templates allow you to quickly create a book interior because all the basic work has been done for you. The templates are sized properly and contain all the Word style definitions needed to format the text in your book. Not only that, they come with the fonts you need as well as an extensive Formatting Guide that walks you through the process of getting your text into the template.

M: You know there are self-publishers reading this now who can’t imagine why they’d need to use one of these templates. Here’s your chance to convince them…

J: Well, let me tell you Catherine, that there are a lot of authors who need something like this. The reason I say that is because I see a lot of self-published books, and most of them contain formatting errors. And I don’t mean errors like forgetting to put in your chapter title, I mean errors in book construction.

Now there’s no reason an author can’t do the same thing herself. What the template accomplishes for you is to make sure your file is set up properly, that it looks good, that you’re using appropriate fonts, and that your book will conform to industry standards. So we’ve taken care of most of the work for you, and at a very reasonable price. I think that’s pretty cool. M: Your website, TheBookDesigner.com, is a treasure trove of advice for the self-publishing author (that I recommend to other self-publishers all the time). What do you think is the ONE thing self-publishers need to know about producing a professional-looking print book?

J: If you want to create a package that gives your book the best chance of success, there are things you can do. First, for your cover, I strongly recommend hiring a professional cover designer, and this expense will be well worthwhile.

For those authors who plan to produce their own book interiors, you’ll need to learn about how books are put together, where each part is supposed to be in relation to other parts of the book, how we separate sections and number pages, and all the minutia of book construction.

Your other choices are to hire a book designer to format your interior, or you might want to take a look at our book templates, which take care of most of this stuff for you.

M: Once upon a time I didn’t understand why self-publishers would start Chapter 1 on page 1 when, presumably, there were traditionally published books on their shelves at home that they could pick up and refer to for guidance at any time. But since then I’ve made mistakes in my own paperbacks (such as not realizing that using MS Word’s sections feature, I can ensure that my blank pages are actually blank) so I can see how it happens. Why do you think it’s so difficult for self-publishers to get their print interiors right, especially considering that there are also—hopefully—avid readers?

J: Yes, it’s curious, isn’t it? I think I know why this happens, too. Almost all of us have grown up with books, and we were introduced to them even before we could read, when Mum or Dad would read us to sleep.

Consequently, we pretty much take books for granted. They seem like such dead simple parts of ordinary life, we can’t imagine that there’s anything complicated about them at all.

It’s only when you try to create a real book yourself that it slowly dawns on you that the apparently simple object actually has lots of parts, many details that need to be decided, and a whole raft of centuries-old conventions that need to be followed if you don’t want to create uneasiness in your readers.

M: Anyone who has ever tried to format their manuscript for upload to Smashwords or KDP knows that MS Word is indeed the devil. But why is it so difficult to make a good looking paperback interior with it? What are the biggest hurdles?

J: That’s pretty funny, Catherine. Of course, Microsoft Word is a brilliant program when it’s applied to its intended uses, mostly in an office environment. It makes it easy to create memos, reports, flyers, and many other common documents.

But it was never designed as a typesetting program, or intended for book layout. I can’t tell you how many self-published books I’ve seen with really horrible errors, like running heads on the title page, blank pages with page numbers, text that floats around the page, and formatting inconsistencies throughout.

Our templates were designed to get authors over those hurdles without them having to become Word ninjas. The template makes it easy.

M: The reaction to the Book Design Templates, from what I’ve seen, has been amazing. Has this surprised you? And what’s next for The Book Designer?

J: Right away it was obvious that we had hit on something people really wanted. Instead of struggling with Word for hour after frustrating hour, and not even getting the result you want after all that work, authors saw right away that the template would free them from the drudgery and mistakes. I love that.

What’s on the horizon? We’ll keep expanding the template line, since we’re getting regular requests for sizes and styles we haven’t had a chance to develop yet.

And I’ll break some news here too. My next business will go in the opposite direction. I’m working right now on setting up a business to provide done-for-you professional-level book interiors based on the outstanding typography produced by Adobe InDesign and employing my own award-winning book designs.

I can’t say any more about that yet, but I’m pretty excited about it. This way, no matter how an author wants to get their book done—by themselves using the software they already own and know how to use, or with professional typesetting—I’ll be able to help them get into print.

For over 25 years I’ve been an advocate for self-publishing, and I love helping authors get their books done and into the hands of readers. That’s my mission, whether it’s on my blog, with these templates, or any of the other ways I try to help authors realize their publishing dreams.

There are two main ways that people will find your books.

(1) Through your book

This is all about your book retailer sales page, targeted email marketing and promotions and other things that have nothing to do with your “platform”. After all, how many books do you pick up where you know nothing about the authors at all? Quite a few I’d imagine.

(2) Through you

This is all about your platform and how you reach people in the world. This includes content marketing, social, multimedia, PR and anything that relates to you.

One thing to keep in mind when weighing up how to spend your time is that you can never sell as many books as Amazon can. (Or Kobo or Nook or any of the other stores who have rampant readers.)

Now I believe that (2) is important. I have spent a lot of time and effort building my own platform and it has changed my life. I’m a full-time author-entrepreneur because of this site. BUT/ I definitely sell more books to people who haven’t got a clue who I am and nor do they care.

Readers shopping on Amazon buy more books

So, that leads me to a fantastic new book that focuses entirely on (1) and how your book can sell itself, or how you can optimize its chances of selling.

David Gaughran is an author and a blogger with a strong voice in the indie camp. His in-depth, critical and intelligent analysis of the publishing scene is well worth following. His first book on self-publishing was ‘Let’s Get Digital: How to self-publish and why you should‘ and now he has released ‘Let’s Get Visible: How to get noticed and sell more books.’

You need to immediately allocate a couple of hours to reading this and assessing what you need to change. Here’s a couple of things I learned (and I’ve been at this a while!)

(1) Amazon algorithms are different for different charts and different territories

I’m not one of those people who likes to track data, but I have known for a long time how important the Amazon algorithms are for selling books. What I didn’t know was the difference between the Sales Rank, the Recommendation Engine, Bestseller Lists, Popularity lists, Top-Rated in Categories, Hot New Releases, Movers & Shakers and all the other ways you can target the lists and prime the sales pump.

There’s also a fantastic section on choosing the best categories for your book, which is certainly how the ARKANE books have sold. If I had stayed in Action-Adventure, I wouldn’t have sold so many, but I moved to Religious Fiction and have been in and out of the bestseller charts since release.

(2) Staggering your launch is better for long-term sales than a big initial spike

A few years back there was a boom in ‘Amazon Bestseller’ promos where people would try to spike sales on one day, hit the charts and that would make everything a success. However, Amazon’s whole aim is to give people fantastic content and those kinds of programs were boosting books that didn’t necessarily deserve visibility. David talks about how the algorithm now pushes those books back down as fast as they rose, so when you launch, you want to have a slow start, with sales spaced out over time. He has a lot of specific ideas around the launch, definitely worth taking note of.

There’s also a great section on free pulsing and price pulsing which you should read if you’re still confused about ebook pricing! Plus a detailed method of evaluating paid advertising and doing group promotions.

The book also reiterates that most of these strategies are only effective when you have a couple of books out.

I’m as guilty as anyone of focusing on selling the first book, but it’s always important to remember that the one of the best ways to sell more books is to write more books!

Highly recommended. Go get your copy now and get your book sales moving!

You can find Let’s Get Visible: How to get noticed and sell more books’ on Amazon here

There’s also a special price on Let’s Get Digital for the launch, so get that if you haven’t already!

You can find David’s fantastic blog here and he’s on twitter @davidgaughran

You can also listen to a great interview with David on the empowerment of indie publishing.

 

 

The latest issue of the IBPA Independent features my article, “How to Entice People to Your Presentations.” If you’re a member of IBPA, it’s on page forty. Here’s an overview of that article:

• Make sure you have a hook. • Find out how the program chair plans to publicize your event. • Make sure the publicity person follows through. • Prepare a bio for this person to use in publicity. • Announce your presentation at your website. • Post the announcements at your blog, Twitter, your newsletter, etc. • Send press releases to local newspapers. • Send press releases to appropriate newsletter/mag editors. • Use all your social media accounts. • Send notices and then reminders to your email list. • Call key people and invite them. • Schedule a radio gig. • Create flyers/ post posters. • Contact bookstores owners and other appropriate businesses. • Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up.

Also in this issue, “Get More Mileage From Your Blog,” “Marketing Fiction,” a piece on modern day book distribution, one about bulk sales—how to make them happen and one on illustrated books If you do not belong to IBPA, you might consider checking them out. http://www.ibpa-online.org

I had an article in SPAWNews this month, too. This is the enewsletter for SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). In fact, we put out a pretty interesting free enewsletter. This month, our book doctor talks about book promotion, book trailers and autographing book. We review a book about starting an editing career. We feature articles on shy writers, book clubs and unusual places to sell books. Subscribe and/or join here: http://www.spawn.org

I’m off to speak on book promotion tonight at the Ventura County Writers Club. If you live in the area, be sure to come by and join in on the fun. Camarillo Senior Center on Burnley Street in Camarillo, CA 7 p.m.

Pump Up Your Book and Milly Taiden will be giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card during Milly’s Wolf Protector Book Blast today ! This promotion starts April 15 and ends on May 17. To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below and good luck!

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ABOUT WOLF PROTECTOR

A woman with a secret…

The Federal Paranormal Unit is an elite squad of supernaturals dedicated to solving missing persons cases. Erica’s gift allows her a special connection with the crime, but it comes at a deep personal cost… Until now, she’s kept her gift a secret, even from the other members of the team. But this case will throw her together with Agent Trent Buchanan. He’s the object of her secret desires, but he’s also a cocky womanizer. She’d rather swim in shark-infested waters with a paper cut than admit she has feelings for him.

A man with one desire…

Wolf Shifter Trent wants Erica more than he’s ever wanted any woman. He’s spent years patiently waiting for her to admit that she wants him too. Working one-on-one in a race to find a serial killer, Trent’s patience and Erica’s resolve wear thin. When Trent discovers the truth about Erica, will he accept her for who she is? And can he protect her from the horrors that her gift brings?

A case that pushes them to the edge…

Erica will have to risk it all if she wants to stop the killer, and when she does, Trent may have to put his own life on the line to make sure his mate is protected…

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS

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ABOUT MILLY TAIDEN

Want to know about this author? Milly Taiden (aka April Angel) was born in the prettiest part of the Caribbean known as the Dominican Republic. She grew up between New York, Florida and Massachusetts. Currently, she resides in New York City with her husband, bossy young son and their little dog Speedy.

She’s addicted to shopping for shoes, chocolate (but who isn’t?) and Dunkin Donuts coffee. She loves hearing from readers so feel free to connect with her.

Her latest book is the paranormal romantic suspense, Wolf Protector.

Visit her website at www.millytaiden.com.

TWITTER | FACEBOOK

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Pump Up Your Book and Millie Taiden are teaming up to give you a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Join Michelle Hughes, author of the contemporary romance novel, Romance Book Club, as she tours the blogosphere May 10 through May 15 on her first Book Blast with Pump Up Your Book!  Michelle will be giving away a $25 Amazon GC/Paypal Cash to one lucky reader! To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form on the participating blogs below anytime during the tour and good luck!

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ABOUT ROMANCE BOOK CLUB

A book club, a romance novel, and a group of professional women in Atlanta, Georgia. That might bring to mind a nice enjoyable evening of companionship and fun, but what if the women in question wanted to take things just a step further than the safety of a cozy living room meeting? When Jessie’s book club decided to put some real-time research into the background of their latest reading topic, she had no idea it would land her right in the middle of Sensation’s Dungeon!

Chase Davenport had seen dozens of women walk into his dungeon, curious about what his lifestyle entailed. Never had one ran for the door and looked on in abject horror like a certain petite little brunette. Challenge, that’s what he considered when he stared into eyes the color of a Caribbean sea at sunset filled with fear.

The sexy club owner fit the description of a sexy alpha male romance character to a tee, and to Jessie that wasn’t a compliment. When he offered to give her a tour of his dungeon, and discuss the reality of his lifestyle, she should have ignored the temptation. But how did anyone resist a chance to talk with a man that had a body built for sin and a smile that made her knees tremble?

Determined to give the tempting beauty just a little education about his world, he had no idea unlocking her mind would result in his own need to stake his claim. He was a man accustomed to having women beg for his attention, but there was something about Jessie that called out the true alpha in him. Would she be able to accept what he really wanted from her, or walk out his dungeon never to return?

It began with a love of reading romance behind the pages of a book… but in the end, reality would show a different world awaited if either of them were willing to take the chance.

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ABOUT MICHELLE HUGHES

Michelle Hughes is an international bestselling independent author. She currently resides in Alabama with her husband and her five children. Hughes began her career in entertainment as a singer and host for a nationally televised satellite talent program and continued to perform across the United States until she decided to move home and start her family.

Hughes owns Tears of Crimson. The website began as role-play and fan fiction base and has since become the home of Tears of Crimson Books. Hughes states her love of writing comes from her muse Rafe, who has given her dreams of fantasy worlds since she was a young girl.

Hughes started reading Harlequin romance books at eight years old, sneaking them from her grandmother. It instilled in her a love of romance that is still with her today. Her grandmother was raised on a cotton farm and only completed a sixth grade education, it was through watching her struggles with reading that Hughes states gave her the love of the written word.

Connect with Michelle!

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Pump Up Your Book and Michelle Hughes are teaming up to give you a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash!

Here’s how it works:

Each person will enter this giveaway by liking, following, subscribing and tweeting about this giveaway through the Rafflecopter form placed on blogs throughout the tour. This promotion will run from May 10 through May 15. The winner will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter and announced on May 16. Each blogger who participates is eligible to enter and win. Visit each blog stop below to gain more entries as the Rafflecopter widget will be placed on each blog. If you would like to participate, email Tracee at tgleichner(at)gmail.com. What a great way to not only win this fabulous prize, but to gain followers and comments for your blog, too! Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

———————–

Romance Book Club Book Blast

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Participating Blogs:

Friday, May 10

Confessions of a Reader

Tyhada Reads

Sweet ‘n Sassi

Urban Girl Reader

Saturday, May 11

AR Book Corner

Bookswagger

Review From Here

Sunday, May 12

Inside BJ’s Head

Literal Exposure

Fictional Candy

Monday, May 13

Mary’s Cup of Tea

As the Pages Turn

Between the Covers

Book Marketing Buzz

Tuesday, May 14

Love Books! Book Reviews

The Writer’s Life

Redroom

My Life. One Story at at Time

Wednesday, May 15

Miki’s Hope

Moonlight, Lace, and Mayhem

My Neurotic Book Affair

If you would like to join this book blast, leave a comment below with email information or email Tracee directly at tgleichner (at) gmail.com.

Welcome to the e-Book Cover Design Awards. This edition is for submissions during April, 2013.

This month we received:

60 covers in the Fiction category 14 covers in the Nonfiction category

Comments, Award Winners, and Gold Stars

I’ve added comments (JF: ) to many of the entries, but not all. Remember that the aim of these posts is educational, and by submitting you are inviting comments, commendations, and constructive criticism.

Thanks to everyone who participated. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did. Please leave a comment to let me know which are your favorites or, if you disagree, let me know why.

Although there is only winner in each category, other covers that were considered for the award or which stood out in some exemplary way, are indicated with a gold star: ★

Award winners and Gold-Starred covers also win the right to display our badges on their websites, so don’t forget to get your badge to get a little more attention for the work you’ve put into your book.

Also please note that we are now linking winning covers to their sales page on Amazon or Smashwords.

Now, without any further ado, here are the winners of this month’s e-Book Cover Design Awards.

e-Book Cover Design Award Winner for April 2013 in Fiction

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Simon Jenner submitted Ethan Justice: Origins designed by Ares Jun. “I originally designed my own cover – big mistake. I’m so much happier with this pro version – I think it fits well with the thriller genre and the skyline gives readers a clue that the book is set in London” JF: Smart move! An excellent ebook cover that touches all the bases. Strong and recognizable imagery, dead center aim on its genre, and a sense of excitement that draws readers in. ★

e-Book Cover Design Award Winner for April 2013 in Nonfiction

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Sonia Marsh submitted Freeways to Flip-Flops: A Family’s Year of Gutsy Living on a Tropical Island designed by 1106 Design. “Before deciding on one of the 3 concept covers designed by 1106 Design, I took my covers to a Barnes & Noble Manager and asked for their opinion of which would “sell my book.” I did the same at a local Indie bookstore in OC, California, and they both piked the one I chose. Thanks Joel.” JF: Just the right kind of cover for a lighthearted family adventure. I love the way the designer has used all the tools at her disposal, from type styles to color to the framing device that focuses us on the message the book has to deliver. A clear bulls-eye for this genre, delightful.

Fiction Covers

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Aaron Overfield submitted Veil designed by Aaron Overfield, Megan Wunder (Makeup), Jenna Thall (for Killer Imaging), Misha Grace (model). “I’ve been close friends with the makeup artist, Megan Wunder, (you could call her my doppelgänger) for over half my life. When I told her the overall theme of my book and an idea as to what I was thinking for the cover, she gladly accepted the challenge. She’s a freelance makeup artist in Las Vegas and has relationships with many models and photographers. She choose Jenna Thall as the photographer and model Misha Grace. What the three of them were able to produce went beyond anything I could’ve imagined or hoped for. Megan’s makeup is elegant yet surreal, Jenna’s shot is stunning and eye-seducing, and Misha’s pose is alluring yet defiant. I knew I had to frame the shot in a way that didn’t detract from any of those aspects, so I carefully chose the typeface and position. I also applied a gradient to the font (usually a huge no-no from my experience), which mirrored the balance between the makeup and flesh and I think it ended up being quite mesmerizing. I hope you agree and enjoy! Thank you for the opportunity to submit it to your eyes.” JF: A riveting and unique cover for an ebook, really well done. To my eye the gradient on your title is too extreme, and I really don’t like the way the bottom of the letters is starting to disappear, it just distracts from the visual you went to such trouble to create. ★

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Bill D’oa submitted The Ice cream man designed by Bill D’oa. “first book, first attempt at a cover. Hope it works” JF: Keep trying—look at the covers that stand out this month for starters.

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Brian LeTendre submitted Private Showing designed by Jeff Rodgers / Brian LeTendre. “This cover was designed for my short story private Showing, which went live on April 28th. The story involves an old house that harbors an evil secret, so I wanted the cover to creep readers out a bit. I wanted the house to create a sense of foreboding, and I think Jeff really captured that in the cover. I discussed the design process for this cover in more detail in a blog post last week: http://www.seebrianwrite.com/2013/04/i-am-not-artist-why-you-should-get-help.html” JF: Despite all that, the end result is a weak ebook cover. Most of the cover, in fact, is background. This has the effect of “pushing” the image and title farther away from us, and it’s hard to make out what exactly is happening. Combined with light colors it just doesn’t work.

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C.S.R. Calloway submitted Peculiar, INC designed by Kit Foster Designs. “Kit created this cover for me, friendly, professional and understanding every step of the way. We went through a few versions, and this is the one I settled on and love.”

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Carla Herrera submitted Nexus designed by Carla R. Herrera. “I’ve went through three different covers for Nexus and I’ve decided on this image. Keeping my fingers crossed on this one.” JF: A good, simple approach to a sci-fi cover that does the job nicely.

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Carlos Silva submitted Urbania designed by Ana Ferreira. JF: Nice attempt at an atmospheric cover, somewhat undone by the long quote at the bottom of the cover. At what size would we have to see this cover so that the type would be readable?

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Cynthia Luhrs submitted Lost in Shadow designed by CreativeIndie Covers. “thanks!” JF: Another strong cover from Derek Murphy, who shows exactly how a talented designer can draw you into a book, provide a hint of the atmosphere you’ll find there, and make a promise to the reader all at the same time. ★

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D.M. Cherubim submitted Mary Baker and The Eye of the Tiger designed by D.M. Cherubim. “Thank you for the opportunity to enter. I hope you love it! Sincerely, D.M. Cherubim”

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Damon Za submitted After The Purple Heart designed by Damonza. JF: Beautiful job combining images to create a cover that holds its various pieces together well, a sensitive and effective design. ★

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Damon Za submitted Ashes and Ice designed by Damonza.

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Damon Za submitted Beyond the Shadows designed by Damonza. JF: I love the type on this cover, but not sure I really “get” the image. Creepy? I guess, but what the heck is going on?

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Damon Za submitted Dark Horse designed by Damonza.

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Damon Za submitted Hail Mary designed by Damonza. JF: I love the retro look the designer has given to this series, and this one most of all. Everything on these covers contributes to the series branding, even the color treatments that repeat on each cover.

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Damon Za submitted The Mummy Case designed by Damonza.

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Damon Za submitted Shadow Hunters designed by Damonza. JF: Strong, perfectly balanced. And there’s no ambiguity here, like there was on the first book in the series.

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Damon Za submitted The Benefits of Line Dancing designed by Damonza. JF: A lovely paperback cover that just becomes too indistinct and hard to read at typical ebook sizes.

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Dan Maurer submitted Snow Day designed by John M. Maurer. “Here is a link to the cover for my novella, “Snow Day”. I would like to have it considered for the eBook Cover Design Awards.”

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Daniel Smith submitted Storykeeper designed by Littera Designs. “Storykeeper is a historic/literary novel. Thank you” JF: It would be much better for all designers and authors who submit covers to use ones without badges, seals of approval, award notices, and anything else “stuck on” the cover because it just makes it difficult to evaluate the cover design, which is what this contest is about. Here, despite some nice textural touches, the artist hasn’t achieved a cohesive balance in combining the images, and the pieces never really come together.

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Dustin Langan submitted Freedomization designed by Joe Wray. JF: The book cover as a unified piece of artwork, here on a satirical novel. Admirable in the way that every element on the cover contributes to the overall effect, the importance of the lettering of the title to the whole tone of the cover. Excellent. ★

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Eric Lorenzen submitted Fallen King designed by Eric Lorenzen. “The book is an epic fantasy novel. Cover design by Eric Lorenzen, Cover photo copyright by Ragne Kabanova/ Dreamstime.com” JF: Very solid.

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Erik Pepper submitted Hopeful Anarchy designed by Erik Pepper.

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Erin Keyser Horn submitted River’s Edge designed by Rod Karmenzind. “This is my Young Adult Paranormal/Horror. It’s not a gory or graphic story, but it does have a few creepy scenes. I told my amazing designer, Rod Karmenzind, that I wanted the cover to be spooky enough to warn my more conservative readers. He somehow created a cover that is both spooky and beautiful. The blue tint alludes to the mythology in the story. Plus the illusion of river and trees ties in to the nature theme. I couldn’t be happier with this cover!” JF: Nice, just the right amount of creepy.

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Genese Davis submitted The Holder’s Dominion designed by Fabio Barretta Zungrone. “The cover art was designed by Fabio Barretta Zungrone with Eric Kieron Davis as the Creative Director. Thank you.” JF: Another excellent example of how combining images—when done with care—can create a unique effect. A fine and multi-layered look.

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H.B. Bolton submitted The Trickster’s Totem designed by Elisabeth Alba.

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Ioana Visan submitted Sweet Surrender designed by Ioana Visan. “Sweet Surrender is a bonus story in my new vampire series The Impaler Legacy.” JF: I like both these covers, Ioana, and the very strong branding colors, textures, and exotic knives. Sticking to a few elements is a great strategy that yields good results on this series.

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Ioana Visan submitted The Impaler’s Revenge designed by Ioana Visan. “The Impaler’s Revenge is the first novella in my new vampire series The Impaler Legacy.”

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James Bagworth submitted Out of the Limelight designed by James Bagworth. “I wanted to combine a feeling of foggy Victorian London with the idea of theatre, and this is what I came up with.”

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Jason Aydelotte submitted Greystone Valley designed by Jessica Grundy. “”Greystone Valley” is the first YA Fantasy offering from indie publisher Grey Gecko Press. We’re very proud to feature the stellar artwork from the very talented Jessica Grundy, whose work really brings through both the whimsical and every-so-slightly adult nature of this young adult title. You can find more of Jessica’s work on her Etsy shop at www.etsy.com/shop/solocosmo, and great indie books Grey Gecko books including “Greystone Valley” at store.greygeckopress.com. Best of luck to all the contest entrants!” JF: An absolutely charming illustration nicely suited to this genre, and notice the way the designer controls your eye path with the pathway leading up the right side. On the other hand, not too happy with the way the title has been relegated to a little banner which, even given the composition, could have been much larger and added a strong element this cover would benefit from.

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Jean Oram submitted Champagne and Lemon Drops: A Blueberry Springs Chick Lit Contemporary Romance designed by Cali MacKay. “Thanks for holding these awards. They are great for watching trends–and the coolest part is seeing how much indie book covers have improved over the past year!”

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Justin Swapp submitted The Magic Shop designed by Arthur Wang. “Cover by Arthur Wang Art” JF: Beautiful and engaging artwork really helps hook the browser, as this cover demonstrates. Well-balanced with a nice type treatment, I wish there was more effort to incorporate the all white type with the rest of the palette here, but that’s nitpicking.

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Kathlena L. Contreras submitted ThAUTOmaturgy designed by Ronnell D. Porter. JF: Not sure where that purple is coming from, but it’s not helping this very disjointed cover.

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Keith Shaw submitted Neworld Papers: Series 1 designed by Keith Shaw. JF: I often recommend a limited palette to help create a cover in which the parts work together, but I think we’ve gone off the cliff with this one. It’s so monotone, the cover ends up just being murky, and that’s not good.

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Ken Mooney submitted Godhead designed by Designforwriters.com. “For this contemporary fantasy involving the Greek gods, I had very clear ideas what I wanted; something magnificent but also dark; something that had a serious adult tone while still as striking and eye-catching as the genre needs to be. Of course, my MS Paint skills didn’t really cut it when it came to capturing that on the page. Andrew at designforwriters.com helped me to build an outstanding brief that got behind my “I think this looks cool” drive and got to something that the book was really about; loss, death and decay. On top of all that, I think it truly captures what I wanted to achieve…possibly even more than I ever imagined possible.” JF: Beautiful and effective, with nice typography that’s appropriate to the design, textures, drama, the lot. Well done. ★

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Kerstin Rachfahl submitted Hannas Wahrheit designed by Kerstin Rachfahl. “Romantic, Distracting, something is not okay, not so nice at it seems, a Little suspensful -> this Feelings I want to get, when you look on the cover :-) Kerstin” JF: The feeling I get is disturbing, probably from the combination of the floating baby head and the one that looks like it’s already been buried and is looking back up at the world. Disturbing in all the wrong ways, I’m afraid.

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Kristen Kindoll submitted Queen’s Autumn Gambit designed by Karen Spidare. “The cover design concept was derived out of wanting to reflect the key elements within the book. The autumn tree, growing from the black and white chess board, is highly graphic and pretty, simple even in design. However, beneath the surface of the chess board, the tangled roots lurk and intertwine with one another. I liked the idea of utilizing the color of blood red. The characters in the book are related to each other, blood relations and many have a dangerous past. In “Queen’s Autumn Gambit”, there is much more than meets the eye.” JF: Unfortunately, the book you’re describing, which sounds like an interesting story, doesn’t seem to have anything to do with this cover. Here’s my suggestion, go look at the top 100 books in your genre and see if you see any that look like yours. I’m betting you won’t, and that’s something to learn from.

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Laurence Patterson submitted Painting by Numbers designed by Crooked Cat Publishing. “Further details on the process by which this multi-layered cover art was produced are available here: http://crookedcatpublishing.com/2012/05/30/1225/”

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Manny Birch submitted Pandemonium Justified designed by Manny Birch and Tajiisartphotography. “The cover for my second book Pandemonium Justified the sequel to my first book.”

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Maree Anderson submitted Seer’s Hope, Book One of The Seer Trilogy designed by Rob Anderson. “Book One of The Seer Trilogy: our aim was to try and brand all three books as an obvious series by using similar artwork. Our hope is that the covers successfully convey the genre (fantasy) to readers. When choosing artwork, we try our best to find stock photo “cover models” that encapsulate the main characters – in this case a young blind woman who’s been transformed into a golden-eyed Seer.” JF: Rob Anderson is back with another great series of covers. I love the way these mirror each other so well over the series, the sensitive type choices, and the consistency of vision. Nice work. ★

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Maree Anderson submitted Seer’s Promise, Book Two of The Seer Trilogy designed by Rob Anderson. “Book Two of The Seer Trilogy: We hope that when viewed in conjunction with Books One and Three, readers will be curious as to why this character is different (i.e. no golden eyes like the other Seers) but the cover still brands this book as being part of a trilogy.”

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Maree Anderson submitted Seer’s Choice, Book Three of The Seer Trilogy designed by Rob Anderson. “Book Three of The Seer Trilogy”

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Martin Greening submitted Azure Keep Quarterly – Issue 1 – Spring 2013 designed by Martin Greening.

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Masha du Toit submitted The Broken Path designed by Masha du Toit. “This is the sequel to “The Story Trap” so I had to keep the colours, typography and mood similar enough to show the relationship, but still make an eye-catching design. The book is about two water-witches, which is where the cover image comes from. I did the illustration myself in the same style as the interior illustrations.” JF: Another great cover from a previous winner here. When the same hand can draw the artwork, create the lettering, and compose the cover, as Masha du Toit does, you end up with almost a kind of artisnal design product, all in her inimitable style. ★

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Matt Sinclair submitted The Fall designed by Calista Taylor. “The cover by Calista Taylor was designed to convey not only a sense of abandonment and neglect but also hope and shelter, albeit temporary. The red-orange tinge to the clouds is meant to suggest a new dawn — or is it fires burning in the distance? The stories in The Fall reflect visions of apocalypse from thirteen authors.” JF: I think given everything else going on, the distressed title isn’t adding to the overall effect.

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Meredith Collins submitted Fangsters designed by Scott Carpenter.

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Meredith Collins submitted Spank Me, Mr. Darcy designed by Scott Carpenter. JF: Love the artwork and layout of this cover, but I find the title a bit hard to read. Saucy.

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Meredith Collins submitted Warlock Masters designed by Scott Carpenter. JF: Notice how this cover has basically the same elements as the one above, a torso and arm. But this one has none of the verve of the previous cover. It’s hard to make out, very heavy with type for a work of fiction, and generally communicates very little.

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Michelle Halket submitted The Kid Who Missed The Bus designed by Andreas Weidemann, Michelle Halket.

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Mira Prabhu submitted Whip Of The Wild God designed by Abhilash Sivadas. “The genre of the book is Spiritual/Visionary/Metaphysical Fiction.” JF: Cool art, would be better if we could read the type near the bottom, and it’s not that hard to fix.

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Nick Auclair submitted Steel’s Treasure designed by Streetlight Graphics. “Streetlight Graphics did a great job with this cover (as well as the internal formatting) — I will use them for all future projects. They have captured the feel of the book. This is definitely a case in which you can tell a book by its cover.” JF: *Sigh.

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Nicole Kelly submitted Dark Sleepers designed by Ruth Gunning. “Great young adult fantasy book” JF: The illustration looks lovely, and someone had a good time playing with type, but the two never come together, there’s no connection at all.

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O.L. Ramos submitted The Keeper:Awakening designed by K.P. Harrell. “This is an original cover designed for my Paranormal fiction novel.” JF: Nice job, the type is careful and nicely positioned.

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Rebecca Berto submitted Drowning in You designed by Okay Creations. JF: Yep, it’s Okay.

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Rob McCleary submitted Diary Of A Skyway Woman designed by Connor McCleary. “This book is currently available for FREE for a limited time on itunes.” JF: Images that are difficult to make out, simplistic typography, and unnecessary elements like the very strong oval shape combine to ill effect.

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Rudy Mazzocchi submitted EQUITY of EVIL designed by Alexander Von Ness. “Alexander Von Ness recently designed the covers of Book ONE and TWO of The EQUITY Series. Please let me know if you require additional images. Best regards, Rudy Mazzocchi www.rudymazzocchi.com”

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Scott Rhine submitted Dreams of the Fallen designed by Renee Barratt (the cover counts). “This cover prompted 7000 downloads and bumped me to #16 on the epic fantasy list, just under Game of Thrones. Renee did a fantastic job. I’ve used her exclusively for all my books.” JF: I’m happy for your success. On the other hand, I’m not sure why the design seems to consist of pieces glued together and a title that’s almost intentionally hard to read?

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Stephanie Fowers submitted With a Kiss designed by Jacqueline Fowers. “This is a paranormal romance with a comical twist. We looked at other covers in the genre and noticed that many of the models wore elegant dresses with bold splashes of color. We tried to emulate that look, but then, unlike the other books, gave our main character a more comical expression. This is the first book in the series, and the other books have a similar feel as this one. While this girl looks cross, the next girl looks overwhelmed, and the final girl has a bit of an airhead feel . We’d love to hear your take on the cover, as we’re always looking to improve. Thank you!” JF: I like the concept and the drawing, but I prefer the type on the cover that’s on Amazon, and I’m not sure why you took the series identification off the one you submitted, it actually helps “ground” the cover. The combination of your border with the wings and the geometrical figure in the background are overloading the cover with unnecessary and distracting information, leading us away from the charming young woman. This also applies to the dark colored anklets, which distract for no purpose. But you’re close!

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Stephen Kelly submitted Mark Star – Alien Induction designed by Karen Pappin and Ruth Gunning. “Excellent cover for a YA sci-fi” JF: Title’s too small for me, otherwise very nice.

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Steven Whibley submitted GLIMPSE (The Dean Curse Chronicles, #1) designed by Pintado. “This is the eBook cover to my MG/YA novel, GLIMPSE. It is book one in The Dean Curse Chronicles. For more information about this book or the series, please visit www.stevenwhibley.com” JF: Another great ebook cover that shows how color control, typography, and layout can come together to create real excitement and energy that draws readers in. ★

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Tony LaRocca submitted False Idols and Other Short Stories designed by Tony LaRocca. “Made with a combination of 3ds Max and Photoshop.” JF: This is a good effort, but the type, although well set, feels claustrophobic since it has no space at all to breathe, and you’ll have a stronger overall cover if you can find a way to integrate the type and graphics into a cohesive whole. But you’re on the right track, look forward to seeing more.

Nonfiction Covers

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Andrea Chapman submitted Cold Canapes designed by Andrea Chapman. “Hi, These are all my designs, I am also the author.” JF: Nicely done, with a lovely photo. Typography is a bit naive but works well for this subject.

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Dana Sitar submitted A Writer’s Bucket List designed by Dana Sitar. “An inspirational guide to the writing life. This Kindle edition cover is an update of the original PDF design. I’d love to see how it stacks up and apply your feedback for the paperback edition.” JF: You have good elements, and the strong association of typewriter-like type with writing subjects, and a refreshingly simple style. But the cover suffers from a typical design flaw, since all three elements—the title, the illustration, and the block of type of the subtitle, are all about equal. It would be stronger if the elements were in a more dynamic balance.

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Daniel Goldhar submitted The Power of Giving and How it Leads to Success and Happiness designed by Daniel Goldhar. JF: It’s remarkable that this author, with a background in distributing toys and sporting goods, could produce the ebook cover we see here. Beautiful typography and a well-balanced cover. ★

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David Perlmutter submitted Wrong Place Wrong Time designed by John Perlmutter-Earth, London.. “This is the cover for my book, Wrong Place Wrong Time, my true story that became a bestseller in True Crime on Amazon in US, Spain, France and top 20 in UK. My brother designed the cover which is currently in a book cover contest. Hope you like it! David P Perlmutter” JF: Nice genre cover, and one of a number this month with a variety of images composited together in an attempt to make a compelling narrative.

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Maria Novillo Saravia submitted A twisted faith designed by BEAUTeBOOK. “Another book from the series of Gregg Olsen´s True Crime”

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Maria Novillo Saravia submitted If Loving You Is Wrong designed by BEAUTeBOOK. “This is the story of Mary Key Letourneau…” JF: A formula can be very strong when it unites a series of books in an intelligent way that emphasizes their branding while still featuring the subject of each volume. But when a formula is applied whether it works or not, you get things like this title that’s desperately trying to be seen against an unfriendly background.

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Matthew Trinetti submitted Tales of Iceland or “Running with the Huldufólk in the Permanent Daylight” designed by Benjamin Orsborn. “We wanted the cover of Tales of Iceland to highlight the vastness and beauty of Iceland, while alluding to the fun ‘tales’ and somewhat racy language used in the book. I think Benjamin captured this perfectly. The background photo is an actual photo I took while traveling through Iceland.” JF: It’s amusing, but you may have gone too far with the primitive lettering that comes across as awkward and overbearing.

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Meredith Collins submitted Un-Philtered: Life On and Off the Rock’n'Roll Tour Bus designed by Scott Carpenter. JF: Very cool, and I love the type choice, but do yourself a favor and remove the colon from the title, it’s unnecessary.

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Meredith Collins submitted What Every Gay Man Needs to Know About Prostate Cancer designed by Linda Kosarin, The Art Department. JF: Like many covers, this is a layout rather than a design. One element needs to dominate, take charge of the “message” of the book. This looks like the cover of a report.

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Meredith Collins submitted Who is Katie Holmes? An Unauthorized Biography designed by Scott Carpenter. JF: Clean and effective.

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Michele Burke submitted …And I Will Heal Their Land designed by Self Designed. JF: No idea from this cover what the book is about or why anyone would want to know.

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Michelle Halket submitted Slightly Dented Halos designed by Michelle Halket. JF: Although I like the simplicity of this cover, it really does look like fiction and I wonder if your readers wouldn’t have been better served having more information about the book on the cover.

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Nikki Parkinson submitted Unlock Your Style in 14 Days designed by Kelly Exeter, Swish Design. JF: Needs a border around it.

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Well, that’s it for this month. I hope you found it interesting, and that you’ll share with other people interested in self-publishing.

Use the share buttons below to Tweet it, Share it on Facebook, Plus-1 it on Google+, Link to it!

Our next awards post will be on June 17, 2013. Deadline for submissions will be May 31, 2013. Don’t miss it! Here are all the links you’ll need:

The original announcement post E-book Cover Design Awards web page Click here to submit your e-book cover Follow @JFBookman on Twitter for news about the E-book Cover Design Awards Subscribe to The Book Designer Blog Badge design by Derek Murphy

Enjoyed speaking with Thomas Wedell who is not just a great guy but has really good ideas about innovation...enjoy! http://www.theengagingbrand.com/2013/05/business-ideas-podcast.html http://www.theengagingbrand.com/2013/05/business-ideas-podcast.html www.theengagingbrand.com

No matter how many years you’ve seen, springtime can make you feel like a puppy running in the grass, don’t you think? And why not, when you’ve got such talented bloggers as these to educate, inspire, and inform us? Today take a minute out to gain from a recent survey, breathe deeply of the air of freedom, concentrate on selling books and rights, and get your book descriptions in shape. Have fun.

Mark Coker on Smashwords New Smashwords Survey Helps Authors Sell More eBooks “It’s helpful to imagine dozens of levers and dials attached to your book that you can twist, turn and tweak. When you get everything just right, your book’s sales will increase through viral word-of-mouth … I refer to these tweakable things as Viral Catalysts. A Viral Catalyst is anything that makes your book more available, accessible, discoverable, desirable or enjoyable to readers. This survey attempts to identify Viral Catalysts by analyzing the common characteristics of bestselling (and poor-selling) Smashwords ebooks.”

Joanna Penn on The Creative Penn You Have Permission “I’ve been writing journals for 20 years but blogging here for nearly 5 years has changed me far more. Because clicking the Publish button has made me think more deeply about what I want to say. Because these words are going into the world, and people may well read them. Because I have met writers who have challenged me to go deeper. Those of you who have been reading this blog for a long time have witnessed the change as I’ve shared the journey with all its ups and downs.”

Catherine Ryan Howard on Catherine, Caffeinated Social Media: Have You Got It All Wrong? “I think it’s time we demystified this whole selling-books-with-social-media thing. Because maybe if we took your average Social Media Skeptic and explained to them, in practical, tangible terms, what it actually means, they’d feel differently.”

Tom Chalmers on FutureBook Authors and book rights – some more truths “Historically this is not an area in which authors have been required to have any great understanding of – it was generally handled by the publisher and/or agency – but with more authors self-publishing, a better understanding of this fundamental revenue stream is now vital.”

Stephen Hise on Indies Unlimited Book Description Epic Fail “I … want to focus on book descriptions. When I vet books, this is about as far as I ever have to go. Occasionally, I will read the preview of a book only because I can’t believe the book itself could possibly be as bad as the description. In many instances, the book is WAY better than the book description.”

Photo: bigstockphoto.com

Until a few months ago, I had never written a short story for publication.

But then I was commissioned to write three for the Kobo Descent competition based on Dante’s Inferno for the launch of Dan Brown’s new book, also called Inferno. I read about 50 stories and lots of information on how to write them and then I jumped in. You can get all three stories here.

It was a LOT of fun, and I experimented with a genre I haven’t written before. I wrote two dark mystery stories and one post-apocalyptic story which was something very new to me.

So I know personally that short stories can expand your craft, earn you money and get you publicity. Here’s Doug Lance, editor of eFiction Publishing to explain more.

Happy National Short Story Month!

May is unofficially the official month to read and write short stories. As well as a fantastic way to develop your craft, short stories are also a great marketing tool.

When selling fiction you can either let Amazon feed you traffic, or generate traffic on your own. Writers who can generate their own traffic have what’s known  in the industry as an author platform.

I don’t like the phrase “author platform.” It makes it seem like the author is standing on a stage with readers surrounding them. My preferred nomenclature when talking about selling fiction is funnel. It is more analogous to the actual process people go through when making a purchase.

The actual purchasing process is more like: reader see mentions of a title, they check it out, but don’t always make a purchase. For most indie writers, that’s where their funnel stops. The reader views your Amazon page, decides that it isn’t for them, and they click away; never to be seen again.

Smart writers promote their website, where potential readers can sign up for a newsletter or add you to a social network, instead. Thus begins their swirling in the sales funnel. They receive updates and spin ever closer until finally they connect with a purchase.

Rather than the author standing up on his/her platform, s/he’s at the base of the funnel catching readers on a gilded pillow as they fall in.

I bring up this analogy and viewpoint on selling fiction to help illustrate one underutilized way to expand and strengthen your sales funnel: writing and publishing short stories.

1. Get into bookstores

Most indie writers exclusively publish their titles digitally. They use KDP or Smashwords or another service to get their titles out there in a digital format for ereading devices. That is fantastic. You can reach a ton of people that way. Another cadre of indie writers publish their stories using a Print on Demand service such as CreateSpace or iUniverse. This means that when someone orders the book online, it is printed and shipped to their residence. This method of printing definitely works for a lot of readers.

But (you knew this was coming) there are many readers who are yet to purchase books on their computers. These people go to bookstores, buy books there, and that’s that. Amazon, while very popular, is not the only place people go to buy books.

I can hear the “It’s impossible to get into bookstores!” counter points already.

I know how tough it is to get into bookstores. But there is a shortcut. Write short stories and publish them with companies who are already producing titles that you can find in bookstores. There are plenty of short story markets that are available at Barnes and Noble. To find them, simply go down to your local shop and ask about them. The assistant will happily direct you toward their magazine rack or anthologies.

These publications can get your foot into the door without giving up your writing independence. Short story markets are still competitive, though the vast majority of people writing short stories are not professional writers. A professional, who is committed to writing great short fiction can find publication in these markets.

2. Expand your presence on retail sites

Now that bookstores are digital, retail space is infinite. So how do you stand out in an infinite bookstore? By taking up the largest percentage of that bookstore as possible. The more room you take up, the more likely someone is to stumble onto your work.

Short stories can help fill out your presence on retailer websites. While a novel can take upwards of a year to publish from start to finish, short stories can be written, edited, and finished in a much shorter time frame; and with a smaller budget.

By publishing short stories alongside your longer work, you expand your presence on a retailer website, and thus come up more often in searches and on featured pages. This extra traffic will increase sales of your other titles

3. Fill in the gaps between novel releases

Novels are hard work. It can take months or sometimes years to get them right. The publishing process might have been majorly simplified by modern tools, but the writing process is still just as arduous as ever.

Short stories, by comparison, are simpler. Not easier, because writing a great short story is still a major challenge. But the process is much simpler. Writing short stories is similar to writing a single scene (or a few scenes) for a novel. Except, you don’t have to pay attention to an over-arching storyline.

Publishing short fiction while working on a novel is a great method to keep your audience reading your stuff and gives you something to promote while you work on your big project.

4. Experiment with new genres.

Short stories are a smaller commitment than is a novel. You can write a short story in a new genre in a weekend and file it away if it doesn’t work. If you put the time in required to write a novel in a new genre, you might feel obligated to then publish it and put your full power behind it. That is a huge risk and most authors simply avoid it.

The risk involved with writing and publishing shorts is much lower. It is a medium that is open to experimentation. I find that a lot of writers are pigeon-holed into the genre they write and feel that if they wrote in other genres, they won’t find success. That is simply not true.

If you’ve never explored other genres and other mediums, you don’t know what will work for you. Especially if you haven’t found the success you’ve been looking for, experimentation with short stories is a great way to figure out what your readers want and to then follow it up with a novel.

5. Expand your universe.

In addition to all of the previously mentioned benefits to writing and publishing short fiction, the most interesting to me is to use short fiction to expand a fictional universe that you’ve already created.

I’m sure there have been tons of scenes that you’ve had to cut because they just didn’t work in your novel. Why not flesh those scenes out as a short stories and put them up as companion pieces? Your readers want to know more about your characters. They already love them (or they should, right?). You can skip a lot of the backstory and reward your true fans with extra scenes that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to get.

An astonishingly small number of writers actually do this. Less than 1%. You’re working hard to write your stories. Don’t just trash every scene that doesn’t fit. Re-purpose it as a supplemental short. Or write that scene that you’ve always wanted to write as a short and give your readers an extra taste of something different. Who knows, it might catch on and be the impetus for you to write a new novel with a market-proven hook.

Short stories are a struggling form of writing when compared to novels. But they don’t have to be. Writers who approach writing short stories from a smarter perspective, one that uses insights from marketing and experience in the industry, can revive the short story. It happens one short at a time.

What do you think about short stories? Do you write them and what are your tips for getting them read? Please leave a comment below and tell us about it.

Doug Lance is the editor-in-chief of eFiction Publishing. His company produces ten monthly fiction magazines in a variety of genres.

During May, National Short Story Month, he is promoting a Kickstarter campaign to #SaveTheShort from obscurity.

Top image: Flickr CC notebook by Frederic Guillory

What does it take to successfully promote a book? Money or effort? Does it take a bankroll or time and energy? Do you get results from pursuing costly marketing programs or by using a little elbow grease?

I suggest spending your money to educate yourself about the huge process of publishing and marketing books. This might mean purchasing one or more good books on the subject, attending a writers’ conference that focuses on publishing rather than creative writing, subscribing to newsletters related to book marketing, joining publishing organizations and participating, taking a course or signing up for a workshop on book promotion, attending lectures, etc. You might pay as much as $350 for a conference or as little as 0 for a free subscription, for example.

And the next thing you really should arrange for, if you plan to produce a book, is time. It takes thought, planning, time, energy and effort to successfully promote any book. And who better to take on the promotional work, than the author? No one else cares as much about your book as you do. No one knows it as well as you do.

Sure, you can hire someone to publish your book for you. You can throw money at the publishing service and other companies who promise to use their various commercial tactics to sell copies of your book. Or you can maintain the personal touch and manage your own marketing program. You can pay for impersonal cookie cutter promotion or you can market to your true audience in a more personal, real way.

So what will it be, will you pay thousands of dollars to turn your baby over to strangers to raise or will you step up to the plate, take responsibility and do the right thing by your literary creation?

The major expense you should plan for is professional editing. If you don’t bother to have your book professionally edited, it could be that no one will be able to successfully promote it. It may not be as readable as you may think.

Another thing you must consider is your audience. So many authors today write for themselves. Then they wonder why they can’t sell copies of their book. It’s because they don’t know who their audience is.

Maybe you can see now why it is so important to consider the material you are producing before you decide to publish. Perhaps you are getting an inkling as to how important it is to write every word of your story or your nonfiction book with the reader in mind. If you simply write what you want—what is meaningful to you—you may not actually have an audience.

There’s more to consider, when writing a book for publication, than what pleases you—what feeds your soul. There’s more to producing a viable product than jotting down your story or your ideas. And there’s a whole lot more to successful publishing than writing checks for promotional services that you truly don’t understand.

Educate yourself. A good start in the process is to read my books. I’ve been writing the books and articles authors need in order to experience greater success for many years. If more people would read these and books and articles by other professionals, there would not be a 78% failure rate among authors.

You do not need to spend a lot of money to get your book published and for marketing services. What you need is an understanding of the publishing industry and how you can successfully fit into it. And then you are more apt to make better decisions on behalf of your book project.

Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More.

All available at amazon.com in print, Kindle and audio as well as most other online and downtown bookstores. Can also be purchased here: http://www.matilijapress.com

This weeks podcast - coming out Sunday is about ideas and today it prompted me to think about how ideas are like children! http://www.theengagingbrand.com/2013/05/business-ideas.html