Business of Writing

Preparing for a Cover Design Meeting

September 23, 2016September 22, 2016Business of Writing, Uncategorized

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

There’s a lot to think about and remember for so many different aspects of book production and book release. I recently shared my checklist for releasing a book. Today I thought I’d list the different elements I pull together before meeting with my book designer.

The brainstorming portion:

For a first book in a series or the first time working with a designer, it’s helpful to reference/link to covers that appeal to you or that you feel represent your genre well.

I like to provide general element ideas to help the designer get started. For instance, where is the cover set? Are there any people or animals on the cover? What mood are you trying to set?

Printed books:

Designers will need to know your page dimensions.

If the book isn’t done yet (mine are usually not even started when I get the covers done), make sure to tell your designer you’ll need to check back in with the final page count (including all front matter and back matter) to ensure that the spine is the correct width.

You’ll want your bio and author photo for the back of the printed cover.

What’s your book’s price?

Be prepared with your back cover copy.

Other considerations:

Do you need an audiobook cover?

Do you need promotional extras like Facebook and Twitter cover images or bookmarks?

Payment:

I almost always pay for all book production services through PayPal after the cover is complete. It makes tax preparation easy to go through my PayPal statements at the end of each year.

Finally:

Because good designers book up quickly, I always go ahead set the next appointment with my designer, Karri Klawiter. Having a date on the calendar helps me to come up with a concrete concept for another project before our meeting.

Any other tips for keeping organized before a cover design meeting?

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Top Tips for Entering A Writing Contest

September 9, 2016September 6, 2016Business of Writing, Writing Tips

By Joanna Campbell Slan, @joannaslan

Over the years I’ve entered and judged a variety of contests. Since we’ve recently opened our call for entries to the 2016 FREDDIE AWARD for WRITING EXCELLENCE (FAWE) competition sponsored by the Florida Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, I thought I’d share a little of what I’ve learned.

First impressions matter. Fortunately, the FAWE is electronic files only. But back in the day when I judged the St. Martin’s Minotaur contest, a woman sent me a stack of papers tied together with an old, dirty shoelace. Sure, I overlooked the grunge when I read her work, but I’ll admit it was hard to separate the visual introduction from the words on the page. Think a minute about the impressions you’re leaving as you work your way through the contest process.

Follow the rules. When you’re staring at a stack of entries, the fastest and fairest way to winnow them down is by checking to see if folks followed the rules. Personally, I like to print out the rules and check them off as I submit.

Transparency for communication helps. Do you have multiple addresses? Write under a pen name? Use a variety of email addresses? Are you planning a long vacation in Africa where you’ll be unavailable for months? Don’t make it difficult for the administrators to contact you.

Readability is essential. Of course, this won’t matter if your file is electronic, but I’ll never forget the contest manuscript that arrived in bright green ink. Ever. And there’s a lesson there. If you hand-write an entry form, is it legible? Did you use that favorite purple pen of yours? Don’t.

Print is Still Important

August 22, 2016August 21, 2016Business of Writing, Uncategorized

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’ve found that, bottom-line, readers are still interested in purchasing and reading books in print. My print income remains a stable monthly source of revenue. If there is any lag in putting a new release into print format, I do immediately hear from print-loving readers. Now I start putting a new release through the uploading process for print (which does take a bit longer to go live) before uploading the digital format to retail sites. I’d recommend that everyone offer their books in this format.

A little more information about print options and costs:Continue reading