The Insecure Writer and Working with a Cover Designer

 

Today is May's contribution to Alex Cavanaugh's Insecure Writers Support Group.

Why makes me an insecure writer this month?

Dealing with my cover designer.

Now I’m not suggesting my cover designer is hard to work with. On the contrary. She took the vague ideas I had in mind for my debut urban fantasy cover and turned them into reality in an amazingly short period of time. I had her tweak a few things, of course, but for the most part, I would have been happy sticking with her first draft. Even my family loved the cover, although I’ll admit they probably don’t know enough about such things (genre conventions, for example) to be  a proper judge.

No, the problem with my cover designer comes from all the decisions I’m required to make. Like the series title, for instance. I thought I’d already decided what it would be, but once it was time to lock it in, I suddenly wasn’t so sure. Even the decision as to whether I should separate the series title from the book number with a colon or bullet left me reeling. And that’s only the book cover.

Me trying to decide how my name should appear on the book

Since I’m a debut author, I need lots of graphics for my website and Facebook pages. The cover design package I purchased includes a wide range of promo materials from which to choose. Banners, cover reveal templates, book teasers, Facebook ad images, etc. I’m only allowed to choose so many, but which ones should I pick? I have no clue as to what I'll want or need in the future. I simply don’t have enough experience to know yet.

Still, all in all, I’m pretty happy with life. I have a cover, which puts me one step closer to publishing my book.  And as long as I keep moving forward, it will eventually happen.

BTW, I'm one of the IWSG co-hosts this month. The other co-hosts are Kim Elliott, Melissa Maygrove, Lee Lowery, and Nancy Gideon. Be sure to stop by their websites and say hello. 

Question for you guys. What was it like for you the first time you worked with a cover designer? Is it true what they say about you never forgetting your first one?

Take care everyone, and stay safe! 

ChemistKen

The Insecure Writer and Picking A Genre

Today is May's contribution to Alex Cavanaugh's Insecure Writers Support Group.

Why am I an Insecure Writer this month?

Because I don't not sure what genre my story belongs in.

You'd think this would be a pretty simple question to answer.  My story is a simple fantasy, not particularly ground-breaking in any way, but fantasy is too vague a term these days.  There are all sorts of sub-genres under the fantasy umbrella--urban fantasy, epic fantasy, and paranormal romance to name a few.  And based on what I've learned about marketing books over the years, picking the correct sub-genre is extremely important, especially if you're selling through Amazon. Pick the wrong sub-genre and you'll miss many of the readers who would like your work as well as outraging those readers who did read your book expecting something else. And outraged readers typically leave bad reviews. 

I've always considered my story to be urban fantasy.  It takes place in the present, in an urban setting. The heroine gets caught up in an alchemical war that's been raging on our world unbeknownst to the general public for centuries. And these alchemists have the power to manipulate chemical reactions. So far, so good.  Sounds like urban fantasy to me.

But there are other ways in which the story doesn't follow urban fantasy tropes.  There is no magic. Period. The powers wielded by the alchemists may seem like magic to the normal person, but they are never presented as magic.  In fact, there are very specific scientific rules concerning how those powers can and cannot be used--kind of like the powers in Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series. Will urban fantasy readers be disappointed there aren't any spells?  

Another trope involves the inclusion of various fantasy creatures such as werewolves, vampires, wizards, witches, the Fae, dragons--you get the picture.  I only have one such creature, the tiny subatomic beings that work with the alchemists to give them their powers. That's it. Would not having any other creatures be enough for urban fantasy readers to turn up their noses at the story? 

This isn't an academic question. To be successful in today's market, the book's cover has to convey the sub-genre at a glance.  My inclination was to have a female character on the cover, much like other urban fantasy covers, but instead of having her glowing with magical energy (as most of those UF covers do, see below), I would surround her with chemical and alchemical imagery. 

So will having an urban fantasy type cover cause the wrong readership to consider purchasing my book? That's the question I'm struggling with as I finish my book.

Any comments or suggestions?


ChemistKen

Seven Writing Links -- Volume 93

It's been doom and gloom around our house this week.  At least as far as the kids are concerned.  School started on Tuesday and they're already wishing it were over.  Me? I'm looking forward to all the extra writing time I'll have now that they're busy with homework.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the writing links!

ChemistKen



Why Change Your Book Cover Artwork?

The Writer Unboxed / BookBub Interview, Pt 1

The Legal Side of Writing for Anthologies (Part 1)

Manuscript to Ebook: A Cleaning Guide

Let Toy Story Show You the Key to Subtle Character

Editing Mistakes: How Forgiving of a Reader Are You?

How to Let Your Characters Move The Story Forward

Friday Links -- Volume 42

Did a little of everything this week.  Finished beta-reading a book for one author and am halfway through another book for a different author.  Read one of my chapters to my local crit group and received some great feedback.  And I forced myself to go back to some of my earlier chapters and make some hard decisions about scenes that I've been putting off for a year (or more).

Hope your week was just as productive.  Have a great weekend!

ChemistKen


15 Must-Have Website Essentials

Blurbs that Bore, Blurbs that Blare

The Art of Writing Back Copy: Boiling Your Book to its Essence

Why Should Anyone Help Your Protagonist?

5 Keys to Book Cover Success

Self-Publishers Aren’t Killing The Industry, They’re Saving It

How to Find Your Character’s Breaking Point

Friday Links -- Volume 40

Began editing a new chapter this week and was appalled by how much work it's going to need.  So it's pretty much business as usual.  I'm still waiting for that moment when I go back to one of my older chapters and think "Hey, this is in pretty good shape!"

Have a great weekend!

ChemistKen


Writing Active Settings, Part 2

A Better Way to Open Your Novel

Do you know who owns your book cover?

Building a Killer Email List

Are Your Scenes Causing an Effect?

Why You Should Be Mercilessly Hacking Apart Your Favorite Stories

Build a Story, but Leave the Door Open

Kindle Unlimited: The Key Questions

Friday Links -- Volume 35

A lot of links for self-published authors today.  Not sure if this is due to my subconscious telling me that's the route I'll be taking when I publish or because more writer/bloggers are entering the self-publishing arena. Either way, enjoy the weekend!

ChemistKen


What Every Self-Published Author Needs to Know About Taxes

Writing Basics: It's Exposition, Yeah, Baby!

How to Plan for a Successful Book Launch

How Emotional Peril Keeps Readers Reading

Writing Revealing Dialogue: Self-centered People and Unpredictable Outcomes

Nuts & Bolts – Back Cover Copy and Why Yours Is Bad

Tips on Making Covers or Working With a Cover Artist: Part 2

Thinking of Self-Publishing? Put These Books in your Self-Publishing Toolkit

Friday Links -- Volume 31

I'm not entirely sure what happened, but the Feedburner problems I mentioned a week or two ago seem to have fixed themselves, at least for the the moment.  My mailbox is now suddenly overflowing with email notifications for new blog content. While this means I'll need to spend this weekend catching up with all the blogs I follow, it also means I have plenty of links for you this week.

Enjoy the weekend!  Especially those of you who commemorate Memorial Day in the U.S.

ChemistKen

The Power of Covers

Blogging Tip: Increase Shares with Images that Pop

10 Reasons Why You Should Know How To Format Ebooks

Indie Writers: Make MS Word Work for You Instead of Against You

14 Questions to Ask Before You Self Publish

Varying the tension level to keep your readers’ interest

Your Query Checklist

Do Your Characters Need to Get a Life?

Uncontriving Characters

What Makes A Novel Into A Page-Turner?

All Hail Dilemmas: Why Your Characters Need to Make Tough Choices