As I’m writing this I am on a train on my way back to Rhode Island from Balticon. It’s been a very busy weekend, but an educational one for myself and (hopefully) many others. I recorded several of the panels I either moderated or participated in, and have plans to post those over the next few weeks. You can likely expect one or two a week until they’re all up here. Tons of good information on books and publishing went out, but there were still bucketloads of things we didn’t have time to touch on.
Resources
On Fonts
When I go to do a cover, the biggest time suck will inevitably be one thing.
The title font.
The Heart of the Story
A cover is the first interaction any potential reader will have with your book. Within the first five seconds, a reader will make a whole slew of inferences based on what they see before them. What genre is this book? Is it a lighthearted tale, or a serious one? How much effort has gone into this book? Was time taken to consider every part of production? Is the story intriguing?
These questions, and many others, will be answered with one look. That’s all you get. With the deluge of media out there, competing for a finite pool of consumers, their first look has to be one that leaves them wanting to know more. [Read more…] about The Heart of the Story
Introduction: What I Offer and Why
I want to tell you all a little about why what I do is such an important service.
As I’m also a writer, you might guess that I love telling stories. That is just as true for my design work. Even if it’s a simple business card, my ultimate goal is to create an image that gives a narrative about who or what the contents are. In a word, a story.
This is why I love designing book covers. It allows me the opportunity to give a potential reader a little glimpse into a larger tale. My best work comes when I speak to an author about their novel or short story and hear all the excitement they have about their work. One-on-one relationships with authors give me insights into the stories that a reader might not get. For example, in doing a recent cover, the author told me about the history of his novel’s setting that was not included in the manuscript. As a result of my knowing this, he said he was amazed at how well I captured the look and feel of the place he had only imagined. As an artist who physically renders words into pictures, this is the highest praise I could possibly receive. It gives me a sense of true accomplishment. It’s what I strive for in all my creations. [Read more…] about Introduction: What I Offer and Why