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nsg blog ramblings

Attribute and Respect

9/29/2014

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I wanted to quickly touch on two things: providing correct attribution in your work that is well deserved, and respecting your designer's opinions.

It recently came to my attention that it's possible that a large number of authors don't even think about providing attributions for their designer. IF YOU HAD SOMEONE ELSE MAKE YOUR COVER ART, YOU NEED TO LIST THEIR INFORMATION ON THE COPYRIGHT PAGE OF YOUR MANUSCRIPT. Whether you knew this or not, it can still be extremely offensive to your designer if you don't put it in print, and essentially scream it to the world. They worked hard for you, so pay due respects.

I also really want to touch on general respect for your designer. This does come from several instances of personal experience. Your designer knows you want your cover to represent your style as an author, and also mirror the story you've written. However, because you are working with a professional designer, their opinion is crucial. If you as the author knew the best way to design your cover, you'd do it yourself, would you not? It is essential that you listen to your designer, and really listen, not just say you are. What you have in your head may not be realistic or feasible. Also, think about your entire design thoroughly before having your designer start working. THEIR TIME IS JUST AS VALUABLE AS YOUR TIME. Don't waste it by having them design something just to decide you don't like it and have them do something else entirely. Most designers WILL charge you for this. Avoid the extra charges and the headache on both ends. Take the time to think about the design before jumping the gun.

That's it. Just keep your designer in mind. It's not a matter of who's opinion is more important. It's a matter of respect.

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Gagging on Fonts

6/29/2014

22 Comments

 
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See all of those? Don't use them. Ever.

Okay, perhaps that's a bit drastic. How about this? Use them for personal use ONLY. None - I repeat NONE of these fonts belong on a book cover.

If you intend to make your own cover design, you'd be better off using Times New Roman or Arial than any of the above images. If you're unsure on a font, consult with someone who has an artistic eye. If you're still uncertain, search for cover designs in your same genre that have high sales, or do a search on your favorite search engine for recommended fonts for professional use.

Most of the above fonts come pre-installed with Microsoft Office. The others can be found as free, downloadable fonts on sites such as dafont.com, fontsquirrel.com, and 1001freefonts.com.

For the love of your book cover, please have the decency to add these to your little black book of non-useable fonts. They give me a killer case of heartburn.

Have a font to add to the list? Post a link to the font in the comments!

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Book Judgement: Internal or External?

6/1/2014

1 Comment

 
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Look at the five book covers above. Without studying them too much, which ones really jump out and snag your attention? Which ones are easy to pass over without a second thought?

Of course, this entire subject can be debated based purely on personal preference, but one thing is a resounding common factor. It is human nature to judge a book by its cover.

According to Wikipedia, the English idiom "don't judge a book by its cover" is a metaphorical phrase which means "you shouldn't prejudge the worth or value of something by its outward appearance alone". (1)

Unfortunately, it has become human nature to judge EVERYTHING by the outward appearance, the first impression.
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For example, the original cover of Charged by Casey Harvell was...well...made by the author due to lack of funds. Casey (bless her heart) volunteered this cover because she knew it wasn't up to par. Sometimes, authors do what they have to do in order to get their story out.

Luckily, Casey was able to get some reviews of her story purely based on the story alone!
  • “ The journey is phenomenal and the characters unforgettable.  ” Angels in my hair
  • “ There is action suspense and a bit of sweet romance.  ” cathy
  • “ The next book in the series looks to be very interesting.  ” P.S. Winn
Not so luckily, she probably could've gotten plenty more if she had been able to afford a professional cover from the beginning. This is one of our biggest downfalls as humans.

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Casey has since managed to upgrade her cover. I don't know if she's received new reviews since the change, but I believe she'll get more response with this new one.


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Let's look at Hemphill Towers. Leona graciously volunteered her cover as well. I don't know who originally designed it, but I do believe they were meant to be in a professional opinion to do so. At first glance, Leona's cover isn't all that bad. The font is placed nicely and the typography is a solid fit for the design. In fact, the bottom half of the cover is great! However, the top half, the half with the three couples, is poorly constructed. Not only are all three couples muddled and degraded in terms of quality, but the crop job around them is choppy, amateur, and not even well blended. It's very possible that most common viewers wouldn't notice these things, but more often than not people are MORE critical versus the contrast (less).

Nonetheless, Leona was also fortunate to receive some colorful raves.
  • This is an awesome book with an amazing story line that will keep your interest to the very end.  ” Christy
  • “ I look forward to her next work!!  ” Christopher Inman
  • “ Love this story, just the right amount of intrigue & suspense.  ” Michael Damizia


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These three covers are structurally sound, and extremely appealing to the eye. The first two use sex appeal to attract the viewer, which is one of the most common techniques society has trained us with. The third uses mystery and color to pique interest. (Thank you to Rene, Sammie J., and Kim for volunteering your covers.)

As a graphic designer, I notice so many issues in designs used. It's my job as an artist. However, as a READER and a fan, I know that there are so many books out there that have covers that just don't do the story justice. If we were not such visual creatures, this wouldn't be such a big deal, but it tends to become detrimental to those authors who put so much of their time and effort into their stories. If there was a way to advertise a story for its interior rather than its exterior, I wish we would all focus more on that.

I have a challenge for you. Once a month, seek out a cover that falls short and purchase the book. Give it a shot. You may be surprised!


(1) The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, 3rd ed. 2002

All images are linked to their Amazon purchase link (except the very first row of images). Please feel free to click them to view larger images, read blurbs, and purchase books.
1 Comment

    Rachel A Olson

    Single mother of one, published author, southpaw, paranormal enthusiast, nerd/dork/geek/unicorn.

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