Category : Tips and Tricks

Color is a tricky thing, especially when it comes to how we view color on monitors versus viewing it on a printed page in a book store. I’ve discussed it before, but it bears repeating. There are very basic differences between not just CMYK (printed work) and RGB (monitor-viewed work) but also in how your [...]

Sometimes what makes the difference between an average cover and a good cover is the most subtle of effects. A good drop shadow is one of them. See the drop shadow in the header of this post? Okay, maybe it’s a little difficult to see. That’s the whole point. But to make it easier, let’s [...]

I’ve often thought that Kern would be the perfect name for an epic fantasy hero. “Kern straightened wearily and looked at the scaled head at his feet. The eyes were glazing now, scales already beginning to dull from iridescent cobalt to a dull, flat blue. He sighed and lifted his two handed wang sword, giving [...]

This is a list of 10 typeface/font mistakes often made by amateurs. Some are the fonts themselves, some are the type of font or how they are applied. With no further ado, let’s get going. Do I even need to type this. No Comic Sans. Ever. Not on your cover, not on your website, not [...]

Book covers artists and authors have a problem. On the one hand, they want the cover of their book to be compelling and unique. On the other hand, most authors are writing to genre. And if you’re writing to genre and don’t target your cover to that genre, you will not get sales. Catch 22. [...]

Authors just starting out as independents are often on a shoestring budget. They’ve written something they think is great (valuable, funny, sexy, moving, powerful, emotional, dark, imaginative) and they want to share that with the world. Going indie is a way to get that book out the door and into the market without having to [...]

Want a typeface for your cover and don’t know what you want, or where to get it, or which will work best? Welcome to my world. Well, part of my world anyway. I know where to get typefaces, both free and purchased. And that I am going to share with you. But as for searching [...]

Stock art. It’s ubiquitous these days. There are a ton of different sources, some specifically targeted to authors for book covers. Historical romance authors would be pretty much SOL without stock art, and Jimmy Thomas is so common on covers it almost becomes surprising to see a cover without him. There’s free stock art, pricey [...]