If you bought a batch of ISBNs some years ago, and didn't allocate all of them, you may have noticed they are somewhat shorter than the current 13 digit ISBN formulation. Fortunately, new life can be breathed into your old truncated numbers. They can then go on to parent handsome barcodes to assist in the tracking of your magnum opus across the web and bookstores worldwide...
Integrating Work and Life — Book Cover
John Drury wanted a bold, simple design that reflected his theme of integrating life and work, and we represented that via overlapping letters, the colours for which were drawn from his web presence. The whole project was turned around in only a few days, including the print run.
Lexie London — Book Cover
Our client already had the artwork they wanted for this children's title, but needed to liven up the type treatment. The nature and proportions of the image precluded the use of the middle two thirds of the page, so we utilised overlapping text and text on a path to fit in the rather long title. Typefaces used from the top of the cover: Another Shabby, Seaside Resort and Tommaso. Published by Brolga Publishing.
If You Liked Author A You Will Like Author B
Amazon and other online booksellers are very good at picking up on your searches and purchases to anticipate other items you may be interested in. Of course, the selections are made by algorithms rather than Amazon staff members. Awesome Author Recommender goes in the other direction, using human beings to point the way from one author to the next. Judging from my searches, the site does not go very deep at present, but the authors it did highlight from the searches I made were definitely top drawer.
Cut to the Chase — Book Cover Design
Writer of mystery and crime fiction, Ray Scott has an impressive website showcasing his work. Unusually, his news page is up to date, with accounts of recent talks and pointers to upcoming events. Cut to the Chase (cover design by WorkingType Design) is available on Amazon.
Book Reviewed by Local Bookstore
Not only did my book Goldenscale find a congenial home at the lovely Eltham Bookstore, it has now been the subject of a kind staff review:
“Golden Scale by Luke Harris
Beth Ormonde lives with her small family, goes to school and has the usual pesky brother, caring friends and bullying foes. She is, however, afraid of the darkness beneath her house. Lurking below, unknown to all but Beth, a disembodied voice calls to her, pulling her near. As the ancient and rumbling creature begins to slowly awaken, Beth discovers within herself a courage she had not known. This a story filled with hair raising twists and turns, chuckling humour and small town characters, reaches back into the ancient history of the land on which we live. This book will linger in your memory for a long tome after you finish the last page.”
Legal Deposit Wants You
Self-published authors may be unaware that they are obligated to supply one copy of their book to the National Library of Australia. One imagines a vast warehouse somewhere in Canberra containing the literary effusions of an entire nation. Besides an author's Federal obligations, each state usually has its own Legal Deposit scheme. Public-spirited authors will therefore need to save for two lots of postage stamps.
Consider a Publicist
Self-published authors typically operate on a very tight budget. Short run digital printing, print on demand and ebooks have made the economics of self-publishing more viable, but rarely do authors have much left over for the promotion of their work. Some authors have a natural talent for self-promotion and the confidence and energy to implement an effective campaign. Many, however, do not, and either avoid confronting the issue or cultivate the vague idea that their book will somehow be 'discovered' and 'go viral'.
In truth, the vast majority of books instantly sink almost without trace. They are very visible to the author, and to the author's friends and family, but beyond that, a great void. The book is invisible to everyone else. In a crowded marketplace of ideas and creative 'product' a book needs a champion, someone to present it to potential audiences, to tell a story about it and make it into a viable commercial entity. If you as an author have a lot of faith in your latest work and believe it will have a sizeable potential audience, perhaps consider the services of a publicist.
In recent times we have had several authors mention the quality of publicity work carried out by Scott Eathorne of Quikmark Media. If we hear positive things about other writer and small-publisher oriented publicists, we will post it on this blog. Those interested in a purely ebook promotional tactics, please see our post here for some useful tips.