A Visit from Nona King

Today my guest is Nona King, and she'd like to talk to you about one of my favorite issues. A great cover.  Nona take it away.  

Book Covers are one of the most important aspects of a novel’s presentation.

For years I have tinkered with designing the covers of my novels, researching designs, taking note of successful book covers in order to improve upon what I already created. The dabbling has afforded me the opportunity to learn how to use Photo Shop as well as introducing me to the intricacies of Corel PaintShop Pro.

But this year I began investing money into an actual cover designer/graphic artist.

“You Get What You Pay For.”

With the onset of the self-publishing revolution, there are a growing number of graphic artists willing to work at affordable prices – and accept payments at that. With that being the case, I could no longer make the excuse of not being able to afford a custom cover. After all, as the English proverb says: “You get what you pay for.”

Take, for example, the two covers below. If given your choice, which would motivate you to pay $14.95 for a paperback? Which, do you suppose, is by a professional cover designer?

Yes, the cover on the right is from a professional. To your surprise – or maybe not – the cover was a “pre-made” selection from RomanceNovelCovers.com. For the cost of $45, I simply sent the necessary information to the artist and then they created a non-custom, professional cover for my eBook. Yes, I will need to pay an additional cost for a print acceptable version, but even that will likely fall well below the expected $350+ of custom covers.

“Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.”

You say you love your story, and are devoted to your characters. Well, put your money where your mouth is! What is the wise old proverb? “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” Luke 12:34.

I have said I love Sara Little from my new romance, Searching for Sara. Her story has been in process since 2004, and only this year did I finally become satisfied with the final product. Not only did I put this manuscript out for constant critique and editing, I consigned Taria A. Reed to create a custom cover. It cost less than $200 dollars after everything was said and done.

Which would you purchase?

"Dig until you hit rock. Then take out that jackhammer and go a little deeper." - Allison Brennan

When I first began tinkering with covers, I found it an excellent way of encouraging my creative juices about my story. It forced me to create the back cover copy and visualize the main characters. To think about the main conflicts of the story best incorporated into both. Encouraging the flow of our creative sides is the best way of keeping our interest in our own material. But these days I get that inspiration from setting up the title on my fiction site or on my publishing site.

I am an independent writing professional, which means the responsibility falls to me to present as professional an image as possible for my story and characters. I can get the initial ball rolling, of course, because isn’t that what we do with our stories before sending them off for editing?

But the final of anything should not be a solo project. Otherwise, you keep valuable perceptions and opinions out of the final, finished product.

Again thank you, Nona for dropping by, great advise for the Indie Author.   Nona has also said that the first person to comment on the blog today, will get a free Smashwords copy of her novel, or a print version.  
Searching for Sara. 

Samantha

About Nona King

Nona King is an independent writing professional for Angel Breath Books. She has dedicated herself to writing true-to-life characters, be they villain or hero, so her readers can experience life and its many passions. All her stories focus on faith, honor, and the importance of communication and trust in our relationships with others.

About Searching for Sara

Sara Little has ached to live in America. But being born of a single mother in London’s working class, she could only dream. Drawn to the possibility of a new beginning, she follows God’s whisper into the unknown. But more awaits than the realization of her dreams. Caught in the whirlwind of debuts and dinner parties, she has fallen in love with the one man she believes doesn’t deserve.

Searching for Sara: nonaking.com/searching-for-sara/
Fiction: www.NonaKing.com
Blog: www.WordObsession.net
Amazon: amazon.com/author/nonaking
Barnes & Noble: barnesandnoble.com/c/nona-king
Smashwords: smashwords.com/profile/view/nonaking