Cover Reveal - Land of No Demons

Hi everyone!

It's about that time. Land of No Demons is expected to be released at the end of February, which means it's time to show everyone the beautiful cover! The cover was designed by Amanda Kelsey at Razzle Dazzle Design, and like always, she did an amazing job. And without further ado, I present to you the cover of the final book in the Dark Ascension series, Land of No Angels!

For fun, I'll put all three covers next to each other below, so everyone can see what they look like together.

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Finding and Working With Cover Artists

This is going to be a two part blog series that talks about cover art. As an indie author/self publisher, there are two main ways to get cover art: Pay someone to do it for you, or do it yourself. If you have the design skills and software necessary, you can easily create a cover for free or cheap using the DIY method. However, not everyone has these things. Hiring someone to create a cover for you can cost a good sum, it doesn't have to be that way. It's all about finding a good deal. So in this post, I'm going to talk about how to find a cover artist, getting the most for your money, and how to work with artists during the design process. In case anyone is wondering about my expertise in this area, I have worked with several artists myself, created my own covers, and worked as an artist/designer for other companies.

What to Expect for Pricing
The reason I'm beginning with price is to help you understand how to approach and work with artists. It's always helpful to have an idea of pricing before speaking with anyone, that way you are prepared and no one is offended. The price of an excellent book cover can vary depending on what type of work you are looking for. To give you an idea, I've been quoted as low as $50 and as high as $600 USD. You can find ebook-only cover prices between $50 and $75 dollars if they are photo-manipulation and print/wrap around covers from $125-$200, which I consider a good deal. There are exceptions, of course, but this is generally what I've seen and what I've worked with. Once you start looking for artists to create illustrations, whether digital or traditional media, you will start getting higher in price. Illustrations take a very long time and depending on the detail can be very difficult to produce. They can even go higher in price than $600, but it's worth it for the beauty of original art.

Here's a little tip on getting a great price for beautiful illustrations without having to pay $300+: Find an artist on a site mentioned below who is taking personal commissions for cheap, and ask them if they would be willing to do commercial work and what they would charge. Often times if they take personal commissions at one price, they will take commercial commissions for 2-3 times as much. So, if the artist charges $50 for personal, their commercial price may be as little as $100! Keep in mind, this is not always the case, but it never hurts to find out. No matter what you do, don't pay a royalty or percentage rate. Only negotiate with flat rates when buying cover art.

One way to save money when purchasing cover art is to buy pre-made covers. There are a lot of cover artists who have pre-designed covers that they sell for cheap and will insert your desired text for you. It's super easy, inexpensive, and can be just as marketable and lovely as custom work. Generally, you can find these for around $25-$60. There are some small downsides to doing this, though. The first is that they are usually only sized for ebooks. So, if you want to change that ebook cover into a print book cover, it may cause some problems down the road. The second issue you might face is that the cover won't be exactly the way you want it. However, this point becomes moot if you happen across something perfect for your project. Heck, some authors even purchase a fabulous pre-made cover and then write a story based on the cover.

Finally, there are ways to find artists looking to build their portfolio who will do the work for free. In cases like this, it's rude to outright ask an artist to do work for free, but if an artist is offering, then it's appropriate to take advantage of the inexpensive (or free!) price. What's the difference? Well, how would you feel if someone came up to you and asked you to write a book for free so they could make money off of it, but all you got in return was "exposure"? Doesn't sound like a good deal, does it? Well, artists don't think so either, but if they are actively looking for experience and offer to do work for free, then that's a great deal for you and it's okay for you to partake. Just don't expect this very often.

Where to Look for an Artist
There are a number of places to find artists depending on what sort of art you are looking for. My two favourite places to look, however, are deviantArt and the KindleBoards. You can also google or ask for recommendations from author friends, but I personally love cruising for artists, especially on deviantART because this is the best place to find inexpensive, good quality work. Keep your eyes open for artists who have a record with successful commissions, though, to keep from having a problem with getting your project completed.

How to Approach and Choose an Artist
Once you have found an artist you like, I suggest contacting them. Tell them a little about the project and see if they are available for commercial work. Also, always ask them for a price quote if their prices are not already posted. Once they respond, be sure to answer their questions and don't forget to ask some more of your own. Here are some things you should ask when trying to decide on an artist:

-Ask them what their commission process is. They will usually give you a sample of how long they expect the work to take, what they expect from you, when they expect payment, when and how the artwork will be delivered, etc. It's helpful to know this, but also it can help with deciding on someone if you are struggling to choose between two excellent artists.
-Ask them how they want to be paid and when they want to be paid. Many artists will allow Paypal, even if they are international. And some artist require partial or full payment up front. Personally, I don't usually work with artists who require full payment up front, but that's a personal preference. Partial upfront or full payment before the final draft is sent, work best for me and help avoid scams or problems. Also, as a side note, I don't work with artists who require payments through Western Union, because of the scams coming through that money business. If you feel comfortable doing so, that's your choice, but I've been burned by WU and so have many others.
-Ask them how many revisions you receive. This one seems minor, but can be very important depending on your vision, communication skills, and the skills of your artist. Don't expect unlimited minor tweaks or revisions after the final payment, though.
-Ask them what rights you will be receiving. Make sure they are giving you the right to post the artwork anywhere you need to and use it for marketing purposes. Also make sure they will not be reselling the work later. And please allow them to post the artwork to their website and in their portfolio. Don't forget to explain that you will credit them in the book and on your website, and anywhere else you can. It's always best to credit them in as many places as possible!

Here are some minor problems that may crop up:
-You ask for a price quote and they ask you for your budget. Sometimes, an artist will be afraid to scare you off with their prices and won't tell them to you. They will insist you give them your budget. This is hard because you are not the artist and you, as the author, can not possibly know how much is an appropriate amount for that particular artist. To avoid the stalemate, give them a price range you are comfortable with that is within your budget. Often times I don't have a particular budget for covers, but I know how much I want to spend and how much I can spend, so I will range it between those two prices. Be sure to let them know that you are flexible.
-You can't decide between two awesome artists. This happens! It's actually a great feeling, but it can be very annoying when you are on a schedule. My suggestion is to compare skill, process, payment requirements, price, and track record. If the first four are equal, I'd go with whoever has successfully done commissions before. The other option is to go with whoever is cheapest, if all else is equal. Really, though, it's up to you on how to decide. Don't ask the artists to compete for the job, whatever you do.

Working Successfully With the Artist
Explain clearly what you would like your cover to be. If you don't have any thoughts or ideas and want to see what the artist can come up with, that can still work, but you want to give them as much information as possible. Some cover artists will give your a questionnaire to fill out, but if they don't, be sure to give them character information, mood and feelings, settings, general concepts, etc. Make their job easier by enveloping them in your world.

If you are working with an illustrator rather than a photo-manipulator, then your project may include a series of thumbnail sketches of which you will have to choose one to become your cover. Keep in mind that during the thumbnail/rough draft stage, the work will not look perfect and sometimes won't even look all the great, but this is how an artist works out the layout and design of the cover. Once you have chosen a design, the artist will usually work on a draft and send it to you for changes and approval. This continues until you have given the final okay.

Don't forget to be polite and don't pester them. A great tip is to try and find as many of your revisions as you can each time before you send it off to the artist. You want to try to have changes done in as few sittings as possible, because it starts to feel tedious and nit-picky to have to find things after the fact and send the revisions back 10 times for tiny problems. By doing it all at once, you minimise this problem.

Payment Process
Depending on how your artist requires payment will depend on how this part will happen for you. Some artists will send you an invoice, while others will not. Either way, be sure to pay in a timely manner. Generally, you should decided on how payment will work before the artist starts. If your artist doesn't give you an invoice, don't worry about it. At the very least, they will request payment through email and Paypal will give you a receipt, so be sure to save it. (If you use another payment service, I suggest saving a copy of your payment receipt in any way you can.)

Once your cover is finished, you will have to approve the final version before you pay. Expect not to get a usable version of your cover until payment has been received by the artist. Most won't give you the final draft until you've paid, especially when they don't take payment until the end. Generally, if you pay partial up front and the rest upon receipt, you may not be able to get a full refund on the first payment if you should cancel before the project is completed. Be sure to discuss this with your artist before agreeing to work together.

General Dos and Don'ts
-DO treat your artist with respect and be polite. These two things go a long way!
-DO credit your artist everywhere you can. (Your website, in your ebook or print book, anywhere and everywhere.)
-DO respond to them in a timely manner. Your artist is on a schedule as much as you are, so minimise the time-wasting.
-DON'T email them excessively. There is no reason to bother them all the time. Art takes time and you might not hear from them for a few days at a time if they are busy working on your cover.
-DON'T expect the artist to be a mind reader. Art is subjective and your artist may not create your cover the exact way you want, even after a couple of tries. Artists are not mind readers. Be patient and clear about what you want, and they will get there.

What to Do If Something Goes Wrong
It doesn't happen often, but there are things that might make your experience less than desirable. For example, if you haven't heard from your artist in weeks, but they said the cover would take eight days. In cases like these, it's appropriate to email them to find out what's going on. It's okay to part ways with your artist if you are not satisfied, but be warned that you may have to pay for some of the work they have already started. Communication and respect are the keys to a successful contract with a cover artist. Make sure you are prepared upfront for any issues that could occur and stay in contact with the artist without being obnoxious.

So, that's it for the advice and thoughts on working with a cover artist. Hopefully, I covered everything. If not, feel free to leave me a comment and I'll answer to the best of my ability.

[READER INTERACTION] Have you ever worked with a cover artist? What's your favourite part of the process? Do you prefer hiring out, or doing it yourself, or both?

Editing Cheat Sheet

It’s that dreading time in your novel where you’ve completed the first draft and let it breath for a little while, but now you have to do the editing before you can send it off to beta readers or your editor. No heavy sighs and no groaning. Editing isn’t so bad when you go into it prepared. For me, I have a little cheat sheet that I keep nearby when I’m starting the editing phase and it helps tremendously. With the cheat sheet, I can remember to watch for little things and edit in waves rather than plunk down in front of the manuscript and try to face the daunting task head on.

With all of that said, I can provide you with the cheat sheet I use when revising my manuscript after the first pass. Some things may be different based on the way you work and based on common issues your own writing may have, and this is also not to be used for a final pass edit. I suggest using an editor for that. At any rate, onto the list.

1. Fix General Trouble Areas (Homophones and Common Misspellings) - This one will vary from writer to writer. Come up with a short list of problems with specific homophones or spelling errors you notice your work has. For me, I have this annoying habit of typing LEAD instead of LED, almost every time when I’m writing really fast. So, it’s the first thing I check for, especially because it’s something easy to fix too. Sometimes, I have issues with Its and It’s. When I’m in “the zone” while writing, my fingers will just type and my brain is in full-on right side mode, so things like grammar and homophones are not on my mind. So, I check first for the homophones and any other minor spelling issues I know I have that can easily be found using the Find/Replace function. Compile a list of your known trouble areas to remember them.

2. Check Dialogue and Dialogue Tags - I check my dialogue for awkward phrasing. Sometimes I say it out loud to be sure it sounds like something a character would actually say. Dialogue should flow freely and be easy to read. Natural. Just like speaking is. I also make sure that I’m not repeating information with dialogue and that I’m cutting unnecessary dialogue. While I’m checking on these things, I also check my tags. Do I abuse adverbs? Do I repeat in the dialogue tags what is already clear from the dialogue? Is there a way to remove the tags and add an action? Before I finish this step, I also make sure that it’s clear who is talking. You don’t want the reader to be confused.

3. Check for Point of View Shifts - This is something I rarely have an issue with, but there are cases when I switch a sentence into a different point of view on accident. Unless your story is in third person omniscient, you should generally have only one point of view at a time. When you do have to change the POV, be sure that it is done clearly.

4. Watch for Repeating Words - Some writers or readers might not care, but I look out for repeats. As a reader, I notice things like chapters or paragraphs in a row that start with the same word or sentence structure. At first glance, this might not matter, for chapters even less so, but generally this indicates monotony. Varying sentence structure and word usage helps break up the monotony. No matter how action-packed or how interesting or how important the section might be, monotony will kill it. So, I check for this in my own writing. This also goes for word usage too. If I have a paragraph with four sentences in it and use the word “coin” five times, it’s too many. Or if I use a character’s name too many times in several sentences. Often, we don’t need constant reminders of what the word is.

5. Focus on Pacing and Plot Consistency - Pacing is important when writing a good story, as is consistency in the plot. This is where I check for plot holes or check for details like whether or not character A’s hair color changed part way through the book. Pacing should be looked at scene by scene and overall. Are there any places that drag in the overall book? Is there anywhere that needs to slow down a little? In my work, there tends to be a lot of action and high energy, so when I am revising I tend to look out for areas where there is little to no “down time”. Sometimes readers need a break from the action. If I forgot this fact during my outlining and writing phase, I have to correct it during the editing phase.

6. Listen to Your Manuscript - The last thing I do to get my manuscript ready for eyes other than my own, is to physically listen to the manuscript. Use the Text to Speech tool or have someone read it back to you. Yes, the entire thing. Listening to your book will help you pick out the trouble areas. It will also help you catch spelling or grammar mistakes as well as awkward dialogue. Also, it’s really fun to hear your book being read out loud.

If you need a reminder of what to look for when you edit your manuscript, feel free to use this cheat sheet. Anything else that is needed should be mentioned by your beta readers, editor, and proofreader, which is why this list isn’t all inclusive. Also, what works for me, may not work for you. I suggest you learn what your weaknesses are and create your own cheat sheet that caters best to your needs.

eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook Awards

eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook Awards

Bellmawr, NJ: The eFestival of Words Virtual Book Fair announces the nominees for the first Best of the Independent eBook Awards. The complete list of nominees can be found at www.efestivalofwords.com.

The eFestival of Words, scheduled for August 17-19, 2012, is the first virtual book fair designed specifically to highlight the best of the independent digital publishing community. The awards program is one of many events being ran in conjunction with the fair.

According to Event Coordinator Julie Ann Dawson, “The goal of the eFestival of Words Awards is to highlight those independent authors and publishers that have worked to raise the bar in terms of the literary quality and production value and of digital books. Many people still think of ebooks as nothing more than scanned pages of print books. We hope that both the fair and the awards will help readers discover the amazing wealth of original content being produced in digital formats.”

Dawson, who has operated Bards and Sages Publishing since 2002, says that all nominees were nominated by their peers in the industry. Only authors, publishers, and others involved in the production of digital books were invited to submit ballots. Nominations were accepted in over two dozen categories, including genre categories (horror, romance, thrillers, etc), format-specific (short story, novella, novel) and a few just-for-fun categories (such as The "I've Been Shyamalaned" Award for Best Twist Ending).

Each category will be narrowed down further seven finalists, which will be announced July 1, 2012. Final voting will be opened to all registered attendees of the eFestival of Words, with winners announced on the last day of the fair. Registration is free and entitles the attendees to not only vote in the final awards, but also participate in panel discussion, author chats, workshops, and more.

For more information on the fair and the awards, visit www.efestivalofwords.com.

Writing The Opposite Gender

So, today's a writing day and because the task ahead of me is so daunting, I'm here procrastinating instead of doing my work. Due to some news and business advice, I decided that instead of working on my Middle Grade novel, I was going to bang out this Young Adult novel that was next on my list. One of the biggest struggles I've come across in writing this story is that the main character is the opposite gender that I am.

I've written male leads before, and I'm by no means a girly girl, but I have to consider my audience, my limited knowledge of the male mind, and the story of this novel when I'm writing. For example, I believe more females read YA than males do, so my book having a male lead could be harmful if not done well. I noticed that of my two published short stories and my novel, the one with a male lead character and male on the cover does not sell as well as my other two. Could it be that the cover is just not as strong as the others? Perhaps, but when I consider how many YA books out there have a male lead, it makes me wonder.

This book I'm working on will have a much stronger romantic element to it than anything else I've written/published thus far, so to help attract the most people, I intend for the cover to show both an attractive male AND an attractive female. Doing so should keep it more neutral. I don't want to give anyone the impression that it's a paranormal romance, because it's a paranormal mystery of sorts, but I think highlighting the romance will help me reach my target audience, which is young adults between 13 and 19.

All that aside, the actual writing can be a challenge at times. In a good way, of course. But how much teenage boy do I want to include in the story before I start losing girl readers? I've been thinking about good YA I've read with male lead characters, and most of them were written by women. For example, Beautiful Creatures is a great book and has a male lead, and while the characters voice was there, I don't recall him feeling very manly. Teenage boys think about boobs and girls and nice legs, don't they? But I don't recall much of these things happening in the YA books with male leads written by women. I'm not saying that they have to overpower the story with the character talking about sex or boobs, but if a girl's blouse is too low or skirt too high and all the character does is mention this like an asexual third party observer, then what does that mean?

It's possible that I'm just over-generalizing teenage boys and that the majority of them don't sneak an (un)intentional glance at an attractive girl's chest when she leans over in her low cut top, or they don't notice long sexy legs in a short skirt. Maybe all of the guys in the books are too effeminate or too much of gentlemen to do such things. Or maybe the women writing the stories don't think it's important enough to mention, and maybe it isn't. I'm not sure, but I always found it strange that the point of view male characters were never as teenage boy-like as they should be. Again, it could just be me not knowing what I'm talking about.

So, how can I convey that this main character is in fact a teenage boy and not a woman trying to write a teenage boy? Voice and characterization are key, but how do I do this without making assumptions or stereotyping the character? An idea I had was in the way they notice things. Generally, I would say men are more visual and women are more intuitive. This is not to say that every single case is exactly the same or that both genders can't be both visual and intuitive. I know this happens and that's fine, but I'm speaking in general terms for the sake of this example. If both a man and a woman were to walk into a restaurant scene, how would their narratives differ? Would their narratives still differ if they were written in 3rd person rather than 1st? As a writer, I would tackle them differently, even in 3rd because the things they notice and the way they notice them would be different between them, not just because they are different people, but because they are different genders too.


[READER INTERACTION]: What are your thoughts on the subject? If you write, how do you tackle this challenge? Know any great examples of an author writing a lead/POV character of the opposite gender?

Two Weeks of Awesome!

So, in case you haven't heard: Land of No Angels is on Sale for a super awesome BIRTHDAY price! Why? Well, because August is the month for birthdays in my family. Mine is on the 19th, my husband on the 27th, and my dad and HIS dad are also in August. So, to honour so many birthdays, I thought it'd be fun to have a sale. It's only going to last through the 14th, so don't miss the chance. Also, if you wish to get your copy through Smashwords, please use coupon code CT22E for the discount.

Also, I'm finally able to show off the book trailer for Land of No Angels. It was super fun to create, and if you missed the blog post where I talked about my process for creating the trailer, you can check it out here!

The cool thing about the two weeks of awesome is that at the end of it, my young adult short story will be available for your reading pleasure. So, yeaaaay!

[READER RESPONSE] This reader response is going to be a bit different. If you were stuck in the demon apocalypse, would you hide, fight, or die? If you would fight, what would be your weapon of choice? Also, name one person you would fight to the death to protect from demons and why?

Cover Reveal: The Undertaking

Coming this August! I'm officially announcing my next short story from Dark Ascension: A Demon Anthology. It will be available in ebook formats on August 15th. Check out the awesome cover below.

Joanna was a star gymnast at Pencourt High, had a great social life, and perfect grades until a mysterious pregnancy prompted her parents to remove her from school and away from her friends. Now she’s close to giving birth and strange things are happening to her. Disturbing thoughts plague Joanna’s mind while she fights the burning desire to harm people. Worst of all, a sinister man is stalking her. Does he know what happened to her the night of a party that resulted in her pregnancy? Or will Joanna kill someone before her baby’s born?

The Undertaking is a young adult short story at approximately 5,000 words or 21 pages long.

Also, for anyone who is interested: I designed the cover myself using stock images from IQuitCountingStock and tkrain-stock of deviantART.com
Links to their stock galleries:
http://IQuitCountingStock.deviantart.com
http://tkrain-stock.deviantart.com/

Thesis Approved and Independent Publishing

It's been a while because I've been so busy with finishing my thesis. Speaking of which, my thesis has been approved and finalized and now I just need to send it off to a binder to have it specially printed for my school's thesis library. It's a really great feeling! I just have a couple of class assignments left and I finish at the end of May, but the important thing is the thesis and I'm finished. My last few assignments have to do with query letter writing and it doesn't really apply to me.

Why doesn't this apply? Well, my dear friends, the reason is because I am going to independently publish my work. Self-publish, for those who don't agree with the term Indie. No, I'm not crazy. No, I don't suck and can't make it in the traditional (legacy) publishing world. The point is that I don't want to try. Not yet, anyway. Maybe for my next book I might, but honestly I have a problem with the way that side of the book publishing world works. Some things just don't add up with me and I'd rather take it directly to readers. Additionally, there may be a higher chance to make a living by going this route. No guarantees but I'll take my chances.

With that said, I'd like to announce that Land of No Angels will officially debut in ebook format sometime in July, hopefully mid July. The print version will be available by the end of July, so there will be two formats. It's pretty exciting. I'm expecting to have contests and swag and copies of the book as prizes. It will be great fun, I think. The book cover should be ready sometime in June and I'll talk about that more as time goes on.

There we have it. It's a short post today, but I'm going to be having some Scrivener posts coming up soon because I haven't gushed about it lately.