I had an interesting experience last week at my first book cover photo shoot!
The publishing team for A Shadow Away, the first book of my Alex Cort Adventures series, decided we should create a new, more action-oriented image for the cover. A Shadow Away was written as an action adventure with a touch of magic, but I was told the cover looked more Young Adult and Fantasy. I wanted to appeal to a broad spectrum of readers, from a romance for women, to adventure for men, to something appealing to young readers, as well. Kind of like Indiana Jones, who everyone likes!
Anyway, the team experimented with new, more exciting backgrounds depicting action and the excitement of a chase through the jungles of Brazil, when a jeweled statue linked to the legend of El Dorado disappears under mysterious circumstances. It has been a long process, with suggestions analyzed, and portions accepted while other parts rejected.
Finding the right character to portray “Alex” took a while, too. Many long hours were spent searching for just the right model, who resembled most closely my imagined image of the hero of the series. And guess what—we found him!
Of course, my ideal image won’t match every girl’s or woman’s hero image, so that’s why you won’t see exactly what “Alex” looks like. You can imagine him for yourself!
Several days before the scheduled book cover photo shoot, I had to decide what I wanted “Alex” to be wearing on the expedition to find the lost city of El Dorado, as depicted in A Shadow Away (Book 1). I had a lot of fun choosing the right clothing—from shirt to jeans, to jacket/no jacket, to the right type of boot. I had no idea there would be so much involved. Lists of costumes were made, lists of possible action shot poses, lists of lists. It was all rather exciting.
The day of the shoot was actually pretty much all fun. The team works well together, and we all had brilliant ideas about what our action hero could be doing. Many, many photos were taken of multiple jumping, standing, crouching, leaping, climbing poses and actions. The best will be selected, then fit into the action sequence on the new cover.
The team was pretty tired after a full day of running and jumping by all of us, not just our hero. I give him credit though, because he was willing to wear a twenty-pound pea coat with a scarf wrapped around his neck in 90-degree weather, for a possible image I was thinking of for the fourth book, set in Ireland, The Black Horseman.
So much goes into the actual publishing of the stories we writers try so hard to bring to life. I’ve been very lucky to receive many positive and enthusiastic responses from the people who have read A Shadow Away. I am so happy that those of you who have read my book love it and can’t wait for the launch of All Under Heaven, the second book of the series. It’s coming!
I hope you enjoyed the images I wanted to create in your minds of all the work and the fun of publishing!
If you enjoyed this post, please remember to “like” and share it with your friends! And use the sign up form below to be added to Joan’s email list so you never miss a post or update!
Last week we talked about what it takes to create a plot and write your story. This week I’d like to share what I’ve learned about the next big step on the way to being published. We are lucky with the newest technology making it possible for you to decide whether to pursue the traditional publishing route, or take control of your destiny and publish the book yourself. Both routes involve the spending of money, so for the sake of argument, we won’t discuss that part.
Traditional publishing involves query letters and the search for a literary agent who likes your book well enough to approach established publishing houses on your behalf. When that is accomplished, it would be a good idea to engage an experienced lawyer who will mediate your discussions with the publisher about your rights. These topics will most likely include everything from what they intend to name your book (it may change from the name you chose), how the cover and the book will be designed, whether you retain foreign publishing rights, film rights (that could happen!), and many other details for which you will want legal guidance.
On the other hand, there is the option to indie publish. It’s good to know the standards for, and the acceptance of, self-published books is steadily rising. Indie publishing got off to a shaky start in part because new ideas are hardly ever accepted in the beginning. A second problem happened because many new authors skipped the important editing portion of the process and posted first-draft level stories. Things are slowly changing, though, and indie publishing is gaining status in the world of books due to the better-written stories now being offered. So, if you do plan to publish your book yourself, make it the best possible version you can. And get professional help. It’s important!
If you like being in control, it might be a good idea to look into publishing the book yourself. There are people available on LinkedIn and online for every aspect of indie publishing, from branding your image to marketing before and after your book is launched. Even if you go with a traditional publisher, you will still be responsible for marketing your product. I, and others, have said before, “Writing is the easy part!”
Here is a brief run-down of the steps I have encountered on the way to becoming published: After your story is written, the real work begins when you present your book for professional editing. This step could happen several times as your story is refined with re-writes. When that stage is complete, Beta readers will offer their comments and suggestions. This will probably involve another round of re-writes. Everyone will have an opinion! By this time, you will probably have decided which route you want to travel as far as publishing. Either way, the journey is a long one. But if you enjoy the trip, it will be worth it.
Next week I’d like to share with you some interesting people and books that inspired me. I’d love to hear what inspires you!
If you enjoyed this post, please remember to “like” and share it with your friends! And use the sign up form below to be added to Joan’s email list so you never miss a post or update!
