New November Snow Covers

You may have noticed the little makeover I've given my November Snow series of paranormal fantasy novels.  Thanks to Eeva Lancaster over at The Book Khaleesi, my favorite doomed psychic has a new look for the new year.

I just love the colors on this one!  There is an innocence about it, which seems appropriate as November enters a new and dangerous world.  It also has a bit of a romantic feel, which makes sense to me because there is something very seductive about the supernatural powers and individuals she encounters in Book 1.

This one communicates heat and danger as November copes with all the changes to her existence.  I love how the background reflects the Gothic feel of the church where she hides at the start of the book, and the way it looks like she is heading into danger.

I love the regal power this one communicates, as November strides into danger with her head held high.  The details of the scepter and the trees correspond so well to the story.

All in all, I'm pretty thrilled with the new look.  Hopefully a few new readers will be enticed to leap into the story.  Happy reading!

RRBC Writers' Conference and Book Expo

The Rave Reviews Book Club is getting ready to host an online conference, December 1-3.  It's a chance to make connections with your fellow indie authors and service providers as well as to attend insightful educational programming.

I've helped create two of the educational sessionss: "Intro to Canva" and "Anatomy of a Book Cover."  For "Intro to Canva," I've created a video tutorial on using Canva to create social media graphics.  "Anatomy of a Book Cover" is a presentation I've been working with author/designer Jan Hawke.  They are both super informative, full of good advice and examples, and will get your creative juices flowing.
 
Other planned sessions include

• Building Your Author Platform
• Why Your Brand is Important and Why Protecting It Is Even More Important
• Why You Should Never Refuse LIVE Media Interviews
• Blogging for Success
• Literary Lingo 101
• Marketing 101
• Indie vs Traditional: Which One Wins?
• Social Media Dos & Don'ts
• Editors: Sniffing Out The Right One
• Formatting Made Easy
• Your Best Self Promotion Tool...
• Writing In The Senior Season
• Writing the Perfect Book Review
• Book Blurbs Do's & Don'ts

You will also find Author Booths and Vendor Booths.  You can discover great new books to read, and you can look for the publishing professionals you need to complete your current work in progress or to help you market your catalog of published work.

Even if you are not a member of Rave Reviews Book Club, this event is worth checking out.  You can register for sessions here.  If you want to have an author booth, you must first join the club here. The registration deadline for the conference is November 23, so don't dawdle.

Hope to see you at the RRBC Writers' Conference and Book Expo!

Paperbacks tips for the indie author

I waited to do the paperback version of She Dies at the End until after I'd released the ebook on Kindle via Kindle Direct Publishing.  I wanted to gauge the level of interest before I put in the time.  I was surprised to find out that a lot of people, even young people, still prefer a physical copy and asked me when one might be available.  Having a two month gap also allowed me to correct some editing issues that came to light after I published the Kindle edition.

I used CreateSpace, an Amazon subsidiary, to create my paperback.  Here are just a few tips I figured out along the way.

When you upload your text, CreateSpace lets you know the dimensions your cover needs to be based on your pagecount and the size book you choose (6" by 9", for example).  The dimensions include the front and back covers, the spine, and a little extra for bleed.  You can then either use their cover creator or upload a pdf that matches the required dimensions.

I chose to use Canva to design my cover, since that's what I used to do the ebook and I wanted the two to match pretty closely.  Canva lets you do custom dimensions, and I had no problem creating my cover.  Do remember to leave room for the barcode on the back, and make sure the writing on the spine is centered and oriented properly.

I love Canva.  It is free if you use your own images, and the price for their images is quite reasonable.  It is quite versatile, and they have some lovely fonts.  You can hire a cover designer, of course, but if you have to or want to do it yourself, Canva.com is a good choice.

When you upload your book's docx file to Createspace, it converts your document to the new size and can generate a new docx file for you to download with the proper page dimensions and margins.  You then want to save that file so you can add page numbers, tweak spacing and font, etc.  Remember that you need to choose different odd and even pages under page numbers due to the way books are bound.  (You might need bottom right on odd pages and bottom left on even pages, for example.)  Once you have perfected your work, you upload the new file and submit your cover and interior files for approval.

Once your files are approved and you think the digital proof looks right, get a hard copy proof before you approve your files for publishing.  I cannot stress this enough.  It looks so much different in your hands than on the screen.

Good luck, and happy writing!