Insecure Writer's Support Group
A database resource site and support group for writers and authors. Featuring weekly guests and tips, a monthly blogfest gathering, a Facebook group, a book club, and thousands of links – all to benefit writers! #IWSG
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TIPS FROM A BOOK COVER DESIGNER
By James from Go On Write
Firstly, let me talk about designers. We're an odd breed. I've been into freelance design all my working career, for 25 years, and 5 specifically as a book cover designer. We're a persnickety, fickle, and fly-by-night bunch. Like any trades people, there’re lots of cowboys about. A lot of people that will say one thing and deliver another. Whether this is giving realistic deadlines, presenting a portfolio that doesn't match what they provide, or horror among horrors, just doing the dreaded disappearing act.
So my first piece of advice to anyone looking for a cover designer: look for how long they've been around. Do a Google search to see what other authors say about them. Or even find a designer that another author you know has found to give great service. Asking on forums in a good start. Thankfully my website has so many pre-made covers that I'm trusted. Designing more than 15,000 over the last five years means that I’m hardly fly-by-night. I've also perfected my skills and service on all that work.
Secondly, and this is especially true with Fivrr, if you're hiring a designer, you need to know where the images come from. That they're royalty free images the designer has paid for. Many cheap dodgy designers will just grab images off Google Images and think it's legal to do that. It’s not. Someone owns that image. The only way you're legally covered is if you know the provenance of the images used to make the design. So always ask. As my dad taught me from an early age, if an offer is too good to be true, it usually is.
And then the final piece of advice I could give is: listen to the designer. Not what other authors are saying on forums about design. There is so much bad advice that goes around it drives me mad!
Here is one myth-busting piece of advice I would give: Words are not as important as you think. Yep, this is an odd one for an author to hear. They love words. And this is something authors tell each other on forums all the time. BIG TEXT. But a cover shouldn't be a big title and author name because of the small thumbnail version. What you're doing is taking up valuable real-estate. And you're repeating yourself because the title and author name is right there on the search results on Amazon. No potential reader looks at a cover and tries to read the title. Ever. A cover will be scanned in a split second to see what the book is about: the mood, the feeling, the story, does it look professional. Nothing more. So you should let the picture tell a thousand words and not just six or seven words which make up an author’s name and title. Harmony and balance are more important. Not readability.
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James is book cover designer based in Barcelona and has designed over 15,000 covers for authors. In his spare time, he writes irrelevant short stories and makes music with his little brother under the monikor of Arth & Arth.
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The next IWSG Day will be January 3rd, 2018.
Sign up here.
OPTIONAL IWSG Day Question: What steps have you taken to put a schedule in place for your writing and publishing?
RULES: This group posts EVERY month. If you sign up and miss one first Wednesday, that's all right! Those who sign up just to advertise or miss two postings in a row will be removed so as not to waste group member's time. Please refrain from posting non-writing related tangents under the IWSG badge. We believe in freedom of speech, but please relate your post to the life of a writer in some fashion. Those who don’t will be given a warning. If done a second time, you will be removed from the blog hop list. Guest posts for IWSG Day are acceptable, but the post should address writing insecurities in some way. Thanks for respecting the purpose of this group!
Visit members. Return comments. Be respectful. And have FUN!
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Our first #IWSGPit was amazing!
We had about 2300 Tweets and became a trending topic on Twitter.
The next #IWSGPit will be Thursday, January 18, 2018!
8:00 am - 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time
Create a Twitter-length pitch for your completed and polished manuscript and leave room for genre, age, and the hashtag. On January 18, Tweet your pitch. If your pitch receives a favorite/heart from a publisher/agent check their submission guidelines and send your requested query.
Many writers have seen their books published from a Twitter pitch - it’s a quick and easy way to put your manuscript in front of publishers and agents.
Click HERE for the rules.
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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Juneta Key is a faithful IWSG bloghop member, always honest and encouraging. She's extremely supportive of the community with her author spotlights on her blog and being a frequent IWSG co-host.
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WRITING RESOLUTIONS VS. WRITING GOALS
By Michelle Wallace
We are fast approaching the end of 2017. A new year invites renewed writing hopes and dreams, which leads to the traditional ‘New Year Resolution.'
Resolutions are mere vows, often forgotten by February. The very word ‘resolute’ means single-minded, fixed. Replace the word resolution with the word goal, and it’s a different story.
Resolutions are inflexible, goals are dynamic, fluid, and flexible.
Resolutions are behaviours or actions you do or don’t do, goals represent a series of actions that lead to accomplishment.
A resolution like “write more,” for example, could mean anything. It’s fuzzy and open to interpretation; and it invites failure.
But a goal like “write at least 1000 words each day” is specific.
Still more specific is “write at least 1000 words each day that are related to my blog/work-in-progress."
So when you sit down to plan for next year, instead of making writing resolutions, why not create a few specific, attainable, and measurable goals?
Good luck with your 2018 writing goals!
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BOOK CLUB
For December/January, the IWSG Book Club on Goodreads is reading:
The Weekend Novelist by Robert Ray
Writing too slow was the second biggest insecurity voted on by our members. And worrying they won't ever finish their WIP was voted #4, so we hope this book will provide some insight to our members who struggle with these.
The discussion will be on January 24th, 2018.
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Member News:
Congratulations to Diane Burton on the release of her Christmas story, Romance Rekindled.
Cheers to Allison Gammons who has a new tale in Campfire Stories.
Beth Overmyer's new book, Lady Catherine Says, has been released. Hooray!
If you want your news shared in our next issue, email a short tidbit with one link to Christine at christinerains.writer@gmail.com
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