Pinterest and Cover Art

Releasing September 12th!

I've been involved in various writer's groups for almost eight years now. When Pinterest debuted there was a lot of chatter about how authors can use it to reach readers. I'm still not sure reaching new readers via Pinterest is a valid strategy for an author, but I have found uses for it.

Originally I wrote historical romance, and I've always had a thing for 19th century clothing. I have nine boards of historical fashion, all but one of them for the 19th century.

When I started writing SFR in 2012 I knew I was creating a world I needed visuals for. Once I knew what Lok'ma looked like I spent a couple hours hunting through Google Images and various photo sites looking for landscape shots that matched my vision of the planet.

As Pinterest evolved and I watched more of my writing friends sign their first contracts, those who had jumped on Pinterest had an advantage in one important area. Cover art. They had boards to go with their manuscripts so the art department could see what the writer sees.

Last month it was my turn to do cover art. I found a graphic artist I like and started talking with her about what I wanted my cover to be. It's inspired by a pre-made she had on her site that I liked the composition of. I sent her the link to the My Name Is A'yen Pinterest board so she'd know how I envision the planet the story takes place on. And you know what?

SHE NAILED IT! Pinterest helped give me the cover of my dreams.

Each book in A'yen's Legacy has a Pinterest board, with how I see the characters, important items and places, and the marking patterns that are a crucial part of the experience. You can follow me if you like.

Will I ever find new readers using Pinterest? Don't know. Don't care. All I care about is I got the cover of my dreams out of it.

Rachel Leigh Smith is a romance writer, a geek, and a Southern belle. She lives in Louisiana with a half-crazed calico named Zoe. When not adding words to an SFR novel she’s reading paranormal romance or crafting while watching some type of SF on TV. Her debut novel, My Name Is A'yen, will be out in September. She also blogs sporadically at www.rachelleighsmith.com and hangs out on Facebook.

My Name Is A'yen: Releasing September 12, 2014.

They've taken everything from him. Except his name.

The Loks Mé have been slaves for so long, freedom is a distant myth A'yen Mesu no longer believes. A year in holding, because of his master's murder, has sucked the life from him.

Archaeologist Farran Hart buys him to protect her on an expedition to the Rim, the last unexplored quadrant. Farran believes the Loks Mé once lived on the Rim and she is determined to prove it. And win A'yen's trust. But she's a breeder's daughter and can't be trusted.

Hidden rooms, information caches and messages from a long-dead king change A'yen's mind about her importance. When she's threatened he offers himself in exchange, and lands on the Association's radar. The truth must be told. Even if it costs him his life. 

Creating Cover Art

I've been interested in graphics ever since I first got a PC. That was back when MSN still had their groups and I joined one that taught Paintshop Pro and also HTML. Yeah, I'm old.

I stumbled into professional cover design by the simple process of making mock covers for my own work – being able to see the “finished” product was a huge incentive for me. When I signed ELEANOR'S HEART over to Champagne Books, I had one such cover and enquired as to whether I could use it. Not only did boss Ellen Smith say 'yes', but she asked it I wanted to create more covers.

It seems that a lot of self-published authors don't think about covers, which strikes me as odd. What is the first anyone is going to see about your book? Cover. What's the best way of advertising it? Cover. And yet some people scrimp on this vital part.

Creating a decent cover requires a graphics program which lets you manipulate pictures, a vision of what you want, and an understanding of typography. The cover has to capture a snapshot of the book – indicating genre and theme. So a sci fi romance ought to have something spacey (technical description) and a couple. Avoid clichés and cluttering, and keep it simple.

Remember that most purchase sites will reduce your cover to a thumbnail – check how it looks as a reduced size and ensure it's still legible.

It you're buying stock images there are two important things to remember. First, check the license and ensure it's one that covers everything you want – don't forget that you're not only going to be using it for the cover, but for all the promotional material. Secondly, the minimum resolution you want is 300px, even if you're just publishing electronically. Again, when it comes to physical promotion – such as bookmarks – you want quality to avoid “fuzzing”.

Lastly, if you can't do it yourself, then there are artists who don't charge an absolute fortune. Shameless self-promotion – I'm one of them. I've done covers, Twitter and Facebook headers, and blog banners. My rates are on my website and I have a portfolio of previous work.

Blurb and Cover Reveal: EVEN VILLAINS GO TO THE MOVIES

Even Villains Go To The Movies...

When your mother is America’s Superhero Sweetheart and your daddy’s the Number One
super villain, you grow up feeling a little conflicted.

Angela Smith has superpowers, nothing that will ever make her comic-book famous, but
her ability to psychically sense and manipulate the emotions of people around
her has drawn unwanted government attention. Forced to choose between her quiet
life as a teacher under constant surveillance or the life as a rogue, she
chooses the later. She plans to hide out in sunny Los Angeles where being a blue-eyed
blonde won’t make anyone bat a false eyelash.  

Silver screen star by day, superhero by night, Arktos is a triple-threat. He can fly,
freeze anything, and see glimpses of the future, all of which he needs to keep
the city of Los Angeles safe, but which does nothing for his social life. When
a frightening vision of an explosion leads him to rescue a damsel in distress,
he finds himself trading Shakespearean insults with a rogue.

Angela knows just how dangerous well-intentioned superheroes can be: one tried to kill
her family when she was young. Arktos knows he should hand the rogue over to
Company justice; it’s not safe for someone like her to be in the middle of a
fight.

But they can’t seem to stay apart. And together, they just might be able to melt
all the obstacles standing between true love for a hero and a villain.

Coming November 15th from Breathless Press

Cover & Blurb Reveal: SHIVER

First there was a space cowboy in Wither.

Then, a shapeshiter in Clash.

Now, there's an arena warrior with a bloodlust problem in Shiver...

 

The third instalment in my RECAST series will be available from Samhain Publishing early next year. I decided to post the cover here before anywhere else.

 

So, here it is...

 

 

Well, what do you think?

It was made by Kanaxa, and she captured everything perfectly! Not to mention that it fits in really well with the other two covers. :)

I absolutely LOVE it!

 

Oh, and here's the blurb:

  

Blood made him a monster. Passion could be his salvation.  

Recast, Book 3

 

After narrowly escaping brutal captivity in the Clash Arena and the bite of a bloodsucking creature, all Eniell Knox wants is to get off the crappy planet that ruined his life. When he steals an abandoned ship and is shot down over freezing northern Fray, he finds nothing but more trouble. An alluring young woman who stirs his hunger—and her shackle-happy mother—could push him over the edge. 

Day after day, Lian Shan lives like a prisoner, fending off a parade of creepy potential husbands her mother tries to force upon her. She longs to experience life outside the confines of her ice castle and meet the man whose face haunts her dreams.

 

When a handsome, mysterious man crashes onto the estate her world breaks apart, spilling unfathomable secrets. Some of them her own.

 

Though Eniell and Lian’s mutual attraction explodes off any known star chart, there’s something her dreams left out—he’s been bitten by a monster. Which means if he turns into one, the first thing on his menu could be her neck…

 

Warning: This book contains shared temptation hot enough to melt ice caps, a warrior with a blood craving, a rebellious heroine who isn’t afraid to share hers, and the galaxy’s most dysfunctional family.   

 

 

RECAST SERIES

 

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Yolanda

www.yolandasfetsos.com

 

EVEN VILLAINS FALL IN LOVE - Cover Art

Evan Smith isn't the average man next door. None of the neighbors suspect the handsome father of four is the recently retired super villain Doctor Charm and that's just the way he likes it.

With minions in place so he can take over the world in November 2012 Evan is blindsided by his beautiful wife's decision to return to work. The bombshell in his bed is none other than his arch-nemesis, superhero Zephyr Girl. He's kept her at home, and in his arms, with more than just charm. In the basement Doctor Charm keeps a mind control device meant just for her tuned to Sex Kitten.

When Zephyr Girl returns to the skies, and a lab accident breaks his morality machine, what will become of his happy home life?


---

EVEN VILLAINS FALL IN LOVE is coming out April 4th from Breathless Press.

This is my first longer-than-a-short-story fiction piece to hit the shelves. Thank you to all the brigade members who gave me help and encouragement getting it out there!
- Liana

Scruffy Lookin' Nerf-Herders

Click on the link and pop on over to eHarliquin.  Try to find a hero who does NOT have brown hair.  I double-dog dare you.  Go ahead, go ahead, I'll wait.

http://www.eharlequin.com/store.html;jsessionid=999AF5FEF1362B2602BA97005C523E34?cid=244

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Back?  Okay.  Good. 

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This post, my first at the SFR Brigade, is about Heroes.  Somewhere out there is a Hero Cloning Facility and it must be destroyed.  A couple of photon torpedoes oughtta do it, I think.

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Now, I get the reasoning behind the cover art for major publishers, like Harliquin.  They want to appeal to as many readers as possible.  Unfortunately, this can also confuse readers and drive them away.  To wit-

SUREBLOOD by Susan Grant.  The dude's supposed to be a space pirate and a dad.  The novel is supposed to be Science Fiction Romance.  Now, we all love Susan here and so we know the truth about this story, but what about the poor mommy rushing home from work with three screaming toddlers and a carton of frozen chicken, desperate for a little out-of-this-world romance?  What is she gonna think when she sees that cover while racing through the book aisle at her local grocery story?
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This is Science Fiction Romance we're supposed to be writing and loving here, gang.  Readers are after it BECAUSE of the diversity.  We wouldn't have Spock if his Mama hadn't gotten the hots for a Vulcan, you know.  So, mix it up a little.  Especially if you're in ePublishing, I would imagine you could get away with a blond or an African American once in a while.  And, seriously, if your starship is spiraling out of control in a D-Class atmosphere, do you want Conan the Barbarian at the helm?
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Mix it up a little! 
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A girl likes a little variety.
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An SFR girl likes to explore the endless possibility of existence.
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While I'm at it, I'm creating an SFR short story right now in which several female characters complain about over-done Hero types in their Romance genre holo-novel.  Got any inspiration for me?
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Who are your favorite SFR Heroes?  And why?  Mine are the ones from DOWN HOME ZOMBIE BLUES and GAMES OF COMMAND, both by Linnea Sinclair.