Happy Thanksgiving!

Book Covers

One of the things my publisher asked for was for my book cover vision. Some publishing houses don't care what the author thinks. Luckily, mine does.

I had a lot of ideas, of course, but being the researcher that I am, I wanted to find out what, exactly, makes a good book cover. So, I did some research on romance covers.

I found three common themes: Person, couple, scenery.

There are often variations of the above three, like a person with a scenic/story-related backdrop.

I also took a poll, asking what readers prefer: person, couple or scenery. Scenery won. Person and couple tied.

My next step was to evaluate the covers of those top-selling books within the genre. Overwhelmingly, the big-name romance authors had scenic, feminine, and often floral motifs gracing the covers of their books. They also had their oh-so-famous names in giant bold letters, but that's another topic all-together.

Another observation is that, in addition to the themes listed above, romance covers are usually made from a photograph or a painting. Rarely, if ever, cartoon/vector art. With the exception of erotica, although that's not really romance, now is it?

Final step in my task was to do an experimental visual assessment. I scrolled down a long list of tiny icons in Amazon.com's romance section to see what, at barely an inch tall, caught my eye. Was it a person's face? A sexy, embracing couple? Nudity? Flowers?

It was color. Blue's and purple's specifically. These aren't my favorite colors but, for whatever reason, covers with blue/purple made me pause.

Using the above information, I came up with two book cover options for the design artist to toy with. One is scenic with a vibrant light blue sky. The other has a face and scenery, lots of purple. Both look great at 1-3 inches, which is important for online shoppers.
Remember: A cover isn't just a cover; it's an essential marketing tool. Readers may not buy your book based solely on the cover art, but the cover is what will make them pause and pick up/click on your book.

Productivity

I'm happy to say I've finished the PDF list I received with author TO-DOs. I compiled the following and sent it off to my editor:

Bio
Back-of-the-book description
Cover vision
Answers to questions about various things, etc.

I promptly got an email back--Editor Lady is fast! She'd made a couple changes to my blurb, tightened up my bio. I was pleased with the results and can tell I'm going to like working with her once the edits for the manuscript are underway.

She thanked me for being "so specific" with my cover vision, as opposed to the reaction I was expecting: ANAL. That was nice. Either my specificity really is a good thing or she's very tactful. A bonus either way.

On a side note, getting a publishing contract for one book is fantastic motivation for finishing another. I'm a busy mom with young kids, so my daily word count hovers around 300, give or take a few hundred. Ha. Ha. In the past seven days I've gotten 6,000 words down--good words, too. I'm thrilled. My goal, prior to these 6K words, was to add 13K to my WIP by the end of December. Possibility of exceeding goal makes me giddy.

What's Next?

The publishing contract has been signed by all parties. Big sigh of relief. I feel as if I can relax now...almost.

Truth is, I rarely relax when it comes to writing. Each time I reach a goal, I immediately think what's next?

So, imagine my joy when I received a list! My very own here's-what's-next list. Some people cringe at lists, especially lists given out by other people. Me, I love it. Making decisions has never been something I'm good at, so tell me what to do and I'll do it has always been my attitude. I just. Need. A task.

The items on the list were not unexpected. Matter of fact, I'd already begun working on a few of them. One, however, makes me feel like sulking, pouting, and a number of other behaviors my two year old would gladly slap his toddler endorsement on.

"The author bio," I whine. "What bio?"

I'm not that interesting. I'm not an expert...on anything. I don't have a world-class education--no offense, Mom. You homeschooled me and did a great job. I have no previous publishing credits, no extraordinary accomplishments, except for the birthing of two human beings which seems pretty damn miraculous, if you ask me.

I'm just normal. To quote Christine O'Donnell, "I'm not a witch; I'm you." And we see how far that got her.

Hook, Line and Sinker

I did it. I got offered my first publishing contract. Talk about being stoked!

Over several blogs, I will be sharing my experiences, starting with the querying process for this book. I'll also share what happens as I move forward--there's so much to do!

Editing (yes, again)
Cover design (fun!)
Blurb for back of the book (stressful)
Author website ($$$)
Getting reviews (scary)
Marketing (um...goody?)

Also, once the contract is signed on all ends, I'll dish out the details: With whom did I sign? When will the book be released? Where will it be available for purchase? Etcetera.

I anticipate being able to share parts of the book itself, an excerpt, perhaps even the first chapter. Before I can do that, I need to find out what my (future) editor/publisher allows. This can vary from one pub to another and I don't want to break any rules...not immediately, anyway.

To avoid the monotony of listening to me drone on and on and on, although that's the point of MY blog, I'll still be actively pursuing author interviews and guest bloggers.

Thanks for sticking around :)

UPDATE: I decided to sign a publishing contract with Camel Press, a new fiction imprint of Coffeetown Press, based out of Seattle. The release date for my book is March 2011. More details to come!

Preparing For...?

As I await word from publishers, I find myself vacillating between two impending outcomes. Contract offer or rejection. One of the two will happen; there's no such thing as a little bit published, right?

Getting an offer is the obvious preference. What if I don't, though?

I am pretty sure how I will feel about not getting a publishing contract, but the question is how should I feel?

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I have a 98-99% chance of being rejected. The odds are against me. I'm a realistic person and judging by past experiences, I've never been a first place kind of gal. Poetry contest--4th place. Spelling bee--2nd place. Various drawings/raffles--*nadda. The only time I've ever placed first was in a gift wrapping contest. I won a $10 Starbucks gift card.

Being good is not the same as being good enough.

There it is. The ugly truth.

In the meantime, I make a pretty good attempt at positive thinking, but I keep it real--there's a fine line between positive visualization and being delusional.

So if I don't achieve my goal, how dejected should I feel? Is the personal victory of having written, queried, and fought the good fight enough to satisfy? Should it fuel my determination and drive me to try harder?

I've never been one to beat a dead horse but let's face it, with odds like these I was kicking that horse corpse before I even sent my first query letter. So yeah, I'm mentally bracing myself for the worst possible--and highly probable--outcome, which is why I'm grateful to have an agent. If I didn't, my queries would look a little something like this:

Dear Editor,

I wrote a book that you will probably not appreciate; no one else seems to. I'm certain you'll reject it; everyone else has. But will you pretty please read it and send me negative comments that utterly conflict with what every other editor has said so I can continue to be confused as opposed to enlightened? I really have no interest in being published. I just like feeling like doggy doo doo every time I open my email.

Sincerely,
Me

*CORRECTION: When I wrote this blog I had not won a drawing or raffle. However, I have since--a book, of all things. Maybe that's a good sign...

UPDATED: As of November 9th, this post is n/a. *insert cheesy grin here*

When I Grow Up...

My mom was tired of the old junk sitting around her house so she sent it all to me. Inside three manila envelopes were various school papers and artwork from my childhood, including the journal from which the above excerpts were taken.

In case you can't read my handwriting, (it hasn't improved much in the past 19 years, btw) I'll translate the key points:

"Someday I'm going to be in the writing business. I'm going to write stories and poems. I'm going to be a famous writer..."

"...but mostly I want to be a writer. Because I'm a good story writer and poet. I'm also making a book now. This is all I want to do."

From the mouths of babes...

Self-publishing with Kay Nichols

Welcome back, Kay Nichols! Kay has bravely tackled my questions about self-publishing with candid and heartfelt answers. I appreciate her coming back to Whispers for a second time and sharing her publishing experience.

See Kay's first interview here.

Check out Kay's paranormal novel, SOULS, here.

"Like" author Kay Nichols here.



Tell us a little about your decision to self-publish.

The publishing world is a hard nut to crack into. I may not have the next NYT best seller, but I have some entertaining stories. If writing were solely a way to exercise my own creative muscles, then I would be content to keep my books all to myself. But it's not. I write because I want to entertain. I want people to be able to use my books to escape from their life - even if only for a few hours. Since my proverbial nutcracker was not getting me anywhere, I took matters into my own hands and opted for self-publication. It may never make me rich, but it satisfies my dream.

What was your process for picking the right self-publishing company for you? In other words, what made you pick one over the rest?

I talked to a few other self-published authors and lulu.com came highly recommended. One of the reasons I like lulu is that you have the ability to do as much or as little as you want. An author can publish for free, market to only family or to everyone, or purchase a pre-designed publishing package that requires little effort on the part of the author. All self-publishing sites are the same as far as services offered, but through my research I found that lulu.com has the most consumer traffic.

Did you hire an editor and cover artist, or were editing/art services provided for you by Lulu? What other services do they offer?

Lulu offers whatever you are willing to pay for: marketing, publishing, editing, cover design, etc. It also offers you the tools you need to do it on your own at no cost. Personally, since this was my first book, I opted for a publishing package. Lulu handled the formatting, cover design, and ISBN. I think this was the best route for my first book, but going forward, I intend to handle it all on my own. I did have an editor, a cover artist, and a marketing specialist that I will be working with on these future publications.

Is your self-published book available at the same venues traditionally published books are sold? For example: Will we be able to find SOULS on amazon.com or at a local brick-and-mortar bookstore?

Lulu has a relationship with amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. It does not provide an "in" at any actual stores. I have found, though, that many local bookstores will take local authors' books on consignment. It requires more legwork on the part of the author, but it's relatively easy. Most large book companies and retail stores will not accept self-published books for sale at their stores.

A lot of people reading this are actively seeking publication. Should they decide to self-publish, is there anything else you can share that will help them in their decision or prepare them for what comes next?

The best way I can answer this is that they need to do what is best for them and what accomplishes their goal as an author. My dream has never been to be a #1 selling author. I just want to write. I just want to see my books in print. I just want my family and friends to be able to actually hold a copy of a book I created in their hands. But, for those that dream of mass distribution and fame, self-publication would not be the way to go.

As far as whether this will help an new author stand a better chance of being published by a big name house: NO, IT WILL NOT. Self-publication is not considered publishing history. In fact, mentioning it in your query letter may actually work against you. Anyone can self-publish. A publishing house or literary agent does not see this as an accomplishment unless you manage to sell thousands of copies.

If you decide to self-publish, be prepared to market your book. I set up a facebook account, a Twitter account, and purchased a website. I also contact every local bookstore in my area to work out consignment deals. I have set up book signings. I contact every local media outlet in the attempt to gain an interview that could promote my book. It is not a bad route to go if you are willing to do the work that an agent or publisher would do.

I would like to add here that when I first made the decision to self-publish, I felt like I had failed. That is until I read one of YOUR blogs, Rhiannon. It was the one about everyone wanting that last piece of the "publishing" pie. I realized that the only way to achieve my own, personal dream was to go the route I did. And then I received the first copy of my book. It had that new book smell. My dream had come true. And that was all I ever wanted. I got my piece of the pie!