Do your homework before you meet with a book designer!Recently, I met with an author at a local coffee shop. Dave started the conversation by giving me a detailed description of his book—verydetailed. I interrupted him by asking my standard first question: Can you tell me what your book is about in two or three…
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My expertise is graphic design. I am not a writer. But, I know when a sentence is not a sentence. Case in point: A CEO rewrote the text in his brochure. This CEO is not my direct client; my contact is a project manager who handles the creative jobs for the CEO’s company. [Let’s call…
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(left) Tim’s initial idea; (center) stock photo; (right) final book cover Assignment: Author Tim Leach contacted me to design the cover of his poetry book, Icarus Flees the Garden of Earthly Delights. He showed me his cover idea—an old illustration of the Garden of Eden with a small Icarus pasted on the top corner. We…
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The email message said, “A voice from the past.” My former corporate client, Annie, had switched departments in her company, and it had been more than a year since I heard from her. She now needed help with an unfinished design assignment. Annie said the project was a community-involvement book for investors. “Did anyone from…
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Assignment: Design a new book cover for Viral Vengeance. The author, Norma Rose, had previously published her book under the title of HPV. I liked the first cover and asked the author why she was changing the title and cover art. She explained that HPV did not sound like a thriller and was hard to find via…
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Your book cover is your most important marketing piece. A professionally designed cover is the main focus of your brand and self-promotion materials. Utilize your graphic designer to create materials that engage and reach your target audience. A graphic style complements your book cover and visually builds your brand. It’s essential to be consistent across…
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There’s always something to learn about book marketing. I recommend the following books for authors and writers. Put these on your reading list for 2017. 1) Online Marketing for Busy Authors by Fauzia Burke. This is an easy-to-read book with a concrete, step-by-step process for beginning authors to follow. Small-business owners who are just starting…
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A blast from the past—a vintage poster we designed long ago. Fond memories of a favorite project surfaced when I found old photo negatives* of a concert while I was searching for something else. Creative challenge: Design a commemorative poster to welcome musicians Flora Purim and Airto Moreira, who were doing a concert to benefit…
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