Monday, May 18, 2015

James R. Callan, Guest Author



This week my guest is James R. Callan, an author whose books I read and enjoy. He's going to talk to us about book covers and just how important they can be, and he offers some great advice. Welcome, Jim!

 
New Wisdom

The old wisdom is, “You can’t tell a book by its cover.”  It’s still true.  

Today’s indie writer needs to put that aside and remember the new wisdom: “You can SELL a book by its cover.”

What does that mean? If the potential reader does not know the author, or has not been referred to this book by someone, then the first thing that will catch the prospect’s eye is the cover. If the cover does not elicit some response, the reader moves on to another book. So, the cover’s main job is to get the reader to pick the book up and check it out.

Here, we are talking about the entire cover. The title is part of the cover, an important part. Once the picture has stopped the customer, the title must interest her.  It must raise a question, intrigue the client, convince her to investigate further. That means read the back cover blurb (again, part of the cover), or open the book and read a few paragraphs.

But, the cover picture and title must stop the roving eye of the customer, and get her to take the next step toward buying.

How do you make a striking cover? First, let’s play fair; it should reflect some part of the book. Scatter some books on a table top and see which cover jumps out at you. Which one says, “Pick me up. I promise to be interesting.”Do this several times with different groups of books. Do you see a trend in the books you select?

Usually, the cover should be a single, clear image. Except in unusual cases, which will require a superior cover designer, stick with a single idea. 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_15?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=james+r.+callan&sprefix=james+r.+callan%2Cstripbooks%2C238&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Ajames+r.+callan 
 
Avoid the common fonts, like the one you will use for the interior of the book. Unless there is a compelling reason to do otherwise, select a clean type, easy to read, even from a distance. Don’t give the reader a reason to move on to another book. The same applies to the author’s name, although it can certainly be a different font. 

For the first Father Frank mystery, Cleansed by Fire, I used a cover filled by a raging fire. The title is clear and easy to read. The author’s name should have been a tad larger. But the white on black stands out.

The cover for Murder a Cappella has drops of blood dripping from a crown on to a sheet of music. Eye catching. And it reflects the theme of the book.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_15?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=james+r.+callan&sprefix=james+r.+callan%2Cstripbooks%2C238&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Ajames+r.+callan 

For the second Father Frank mystery, after many attempts, we arrived at a cover which shows the defiance of a man, and brings in the idea of private property, a key component of the book. Also, a ghost-like set of buildings alludes to an impending shopping center swallowing up a man’s land. I felt both of these elements created a sense of conflict and danger.  (I actually put two candidates for the cover up on FB and ask people to vote on which one appealed to them – without reading the book. They selected the one that is on the final book.)  We also used a slight 3-D type face to enhance the feeling of “over.”

Another point to consider is that on Amazon and other on-line retailers, the image of your cover will likely be very small.  How will your cover hold up when reduced? Look at the author’s name on the two covers above. For Cleansed by Fire, the name is almost too small to read. And that image is probably larger than many on-line images. But, on Over My Dead Body, I had learned the lesson. The author’s name is large enough to be read even when the image is reduced. And remember, your name is your brand.

So, here are some key points. Strive for a striking cover. Use only two fonts, one for the title and one for the author’s name. Avoid standard fonts in favor of a font that reinforces the feeling of your book. Your name is your brand.

You’ve spent months on the book. But the thing that the prospect makes her first decision on is not the book.  It’s the cover.

Back Cover Blurb for Over My Dead Body

A large corporation is taking land by eminent domain.  Syd Cranzler stands in its way, threatening a court battle. After a heated meeting with the corporation representative, Syd is found dead from an overdose of heart medication.  The police call it suicide. Case closed.

But Father Frank, Syd’s pastor, and Georgia Peitz, another member of the church, don’t believe Syd committed suicide and begin to look for clues of what really happened. Will this affect Georgia’s romantic interest in the lead detective?

When the priest is almost poisoned, they convince the police to investigate further. Immediately, Father Frank becomes the target of rumors and speculation he might have had something to do with Syd’s death.

The more clues Father Frank and Georgia uncover, the more danger they find themselves in. Can they find the real killer before they become victims?  

Amazon Author Page:    http://amzn.to/1eeykvG
Over My Dead Body, is available at:   http://amzn.to/1BmYQ0Q
Twitter:   @jamesrcallan
FB:  James Callan 

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw's website (recently updated)
CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

24 comments:

  1. Thanks for such an interesting and informative post...! :-) I recently wrote on this topic in my own blog. It is true that an attractive cover, an appealing title or an intriguing plot description can tempt me to pick up the book and try to find out more about it. Just like violent and indecent images, and vulgar language might put me off. However, I have to admit that with so many talented authors frequently providing wonderful books and the various responsibilities of life making reading time limited, I have become quite selective about which books to read. If the book is by an author whose work I have previously experienced then the cover and title won't make any difference at all. If the book is by a new-to-me author, then I would usually do an internet research on the author's writing style etc and ask my friends who share similar taste in books for opinions, before buying and reading the book. If I enjoy the book then I will be sure to read more books by that author and will also recommend them to other readers :-)

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    1. An excellent approach to choosing books to read. However, I believe you are more thoughtful and thorough than most. Thanks for the comment.

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  2. Dear Marja, my thoughts and sincere prayers are with you during your difficult time.

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    1. Thank you, Ramla! I hope things will improve with each passing day.

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  3. Excellent post about covers--and I certainly agree.
    Love you, Marja--glad to see you doing some of your regular things.

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    1. Love you, too, Marilyn. Not much writing going on right now. Too many things to take care of.

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    2. Thanks for stopping by, Marilyn.

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  4. I also am glad to see you back to your old routine no matter how difficult it may be. As for covers, this is an excellent essay. When I'm looking at covers, the only thing I need to see is the author's name if the author is an old favorite. If a new author, the subject/title, cover illustration and blurb all contribute to my decision of whether to buy the book or not.

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    1. Thank you, Pat! Not quite back yet, but I'll work on it.

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    2. Thanks for the comment. Of course, a familiar name is a tremendous plus. As I said, your name is your brand. But, if your name is not well known, better have a great title and eye-catching cover, and follow it up with a great blurb.

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  5. Covers are important, good post!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, and leaving a comment.

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  6. I have to say, James, that you certainly practice what you preach. LOL
    Your book covers, including the latest, are fantastic! And that includes the titles!
    BTW, readers, James is also on my blog this week. I hope you'll stop by.
    http://pat-writersforum.blogspot.com/

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    1. Thanks, Pat, for your kind words. I'll see you later this week on your blog.

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  7. Hi James, I'm enjoying your new book. Getting the right cover can be a challenge. For my second book, the artist's first design was totally wrong (did she even read a blurb of the story?). The finally cover didn't end up the way I wanted. I went with a different artist for my third book and she did a better job of interpreting my idea. But your book covers are great.

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    1. Glad you stopped by, Sally, and I'm really happy you are enjoying OVER MY DEAD BODY. We went through many sketches before coming up with the final cover. I was just happy I had the chance to reject earlier versions.

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  8. Well written and so true. Finding the right cover picture and title font isn't easy. You've done well with your books.

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    1. Thank you, Joyce, for your comment. I'm sure non-writers don't know that getting the right cover is often difficult.

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  9. Marja, Thank you for taking time you didn't have to make my post look good. I am honored to be on your site.

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    1. Thank you for being here, Jim. I've read your latest books and loved it. It's my honor.

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  10. Great take on covers, Jim; I'll hold onto this. Both Father Frank mysteries are fortunate to have riveting covers. I'm so glad to see you on Marja's blog.

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    1. I'm glad you liked the covers, Eileen. The first Father Frank cover turned out to be easy. But the second one - oh my. We went through many sketches before we hit on this one. And the minute I saw it, I knew we were on the right track. Thanks for stopping by.

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  11. I think the hardest part of the publishing process is designing a great book cover, but you've done a wonderful job with yours. After all, no one knows your story the way you do.

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    1. Hi Evelyn. First, let me emphasize, I had great help on the covers. Needless to say, I had some ideas on the covers. But, I'm no artist and an idea is a good start. You need an artist to turn it into a good cover. I am grateful to the artists. And thank you for stopping by and commenting.

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