First-time authors have a goal—like a map destination—but on an unfamiliar road. I asked author Charles J. Pearson the following question: “As a first-time author, what did you learn about the book design process?” Here is what he told me: “The visual impact of a book design is both complex and comprehensive. The book cover, front and…
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Follow the Leader was a kid’s game from my past. Wikipedia explains how it worked: Players first chose a leader or “head of the line,” and the remaining players (the followers) all lined up behind the leader. Then, as the leader moved around, all the players mimicked the leader’s actions. These days, I follow the leaders in book marketing. These are experts…
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My friend Sherry saw my Facebook post about the St. Louis Publishers Association’s webinar, “How to Publish Your Book.” I teach a segment on book design. Sherry was curious because she would like to write a book. Here are the questions she asked about book covers. Q. Do you read a book from cover to…
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Searching for a particular photo can be frustrating. I’m the graphic designer for Heart magazine, published by the Society of the Sacred Heart since 2003. Pamela Schaeffer, the editor who started the magazine, wrote “The covers, photos of hearts in nature, are symbolic of Christ’s presence at the heart of the universe.” Each issue has a beautiful,…
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Editor Katherine Pickett referred me to an author who was publishing a memoir of love and war. JimLaurie is a former NBC news correspondent who covered the wars in Cambodia and Vietnam. His book tells the story of the last-minute rescue attempt of a woman he loved that occurred right before the fall of Saigon. The rescue failed. Before we…
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The Yellow Glasses Project is an eye-catching reading promotion at the St. Louis County Library. Yellow book covers are extremely popular and attract attention. Sure enough, the display caught my eye when I walked into the library. Displayed on an eight-sided console were oodles of books with yellow covers, plus a yellow sunglass’s sticker. The…
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I scheduled a meeting in my garage with Jan, a new client who found me through my website. Jan has been undergoing chemotherapy, and she needs to take extra precautions to protect her health when she meets with people. “While I want to be careful, I really do want to move this project forward, so I would like to keep the…
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Here’s a book cover case study to illustrate that point. Cherita, a first-time author, contacted me about my book-design services. First, I wrote her a contract that included a cost to design the cover. She responded, “I already have a book cover, so I won’t need that service.” I deleted that cost from my estimate. …
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