HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
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My tagline,
or motto, or whatever you want to call it is, “a little humor, a little
romance, A Little Murder!” Someone once asked me what they’d find in my books
and that was my reply. It made them laugh and become my motto. It’s worked well
for me.
Okay, there’s
nothing funny about murder, but you
can find humor and maybe a little romance surrounding the characters in the
story. In my books I concentrate more on the mystery and the characters more
than the physical crime.
Sometimes
when we’re trying to figure out what to do to be unique we forget things like a
motto.
The Bogey Man
book covers all have one thing in common; branding. A friend of mine, Andy
Kohut, created a silhouette of the Bogey Man for me and it appears on each and
every cover, effectively branding them for me.
I came up
with something for Old Murders Never Die, too. The book is about being stranded
in a ghost town. I had some cloth shopping bags made up, and they have a
picture of the book cover and a tagline on them. The tagline? “What Happens in
Ghost Towns, Stays in Ghost Towns.” This is reminiscent of Las Vegas, but it
sure serves my purpose.
I create all
of my own book covers. Once in a while I want a person on the cover, but I
still want the reader to use their imagination when visualizing characters so I
use silhouettes. Let the reader see the character the way they want to, not the
way I want them to see people. I’ve
used photos of animals when I include one or more of the characters’ pets. In
my books the pets are dogs, and who needs a silhouette of a dog? The real deal
works quite well.
Another
aspect of the covers is that I make sure to depict something from the story. I’ve
bought books with covers that have absolutely nothing to do with the story and
it didn’t set well with me – a personal problem for me. I want to look at the
cover and have at least some idea of what I’m in for if I read the story.
Honestly, I’m
not all that artistic, but I know what I like and what I hope readers will
like. (No, I’m not fishing for compliments. Trust me.)
What about
book trailers? That’s something newish and different. I’ve made a few and they
were fun to work on. I’m not that much of a techie, but at least I can say I
enjoyed what I put together and in the process hope that they’ll be eye-catching.
Sometimes the music can make the whole book trailer. Picking the right
background music can be tricky.
I would
imagine many authors wish they could write a good (or great) book, and then sit
back and wait for readers to flock to them. If wishes were dollars we’d all be
wealthy. There’s still a lot of work after the author has typed The End.
Figure out
what works for you. I do most of my own work and I’ve learned a lot in the
process. Trial and error has played a large part in what I do. If something doesn’t
work, move on and try something else.
Authors: What
are some of the unique things you do with your books? Readers: What have you
seen an author do that stuck in your mind and made you remember him/her?
Imaginative
minds want to know.
Until next
time, pay attention to mottos on products and books, and think about why it
makes you want that product or book. Homework? No, just fun.
CLICK HERE to
visit Marja McGraw’s website (You can find the book trailers on The Books page)
CLICK HERE
for a quick trip to Amazon.com
Take a break
from the daily drudgery and read “Having a Great Crime – Wish You Were Here.”
It might just help you escape the day for a while.
