Thanks guys, bringing my book to market is proving to be a bit of a learning curve,but the challenge it presents is an opportunity to be a writer. Something I've always wanted to be.
Currently I'm working on the cover typography, up to version three so far. Lots to think about and, the choices between flashy crowd pleasing typography versus a solid sense of craft that makes each book look like part of a series.
You've probably come across arguments for both. There are some readers who think "oh, this is book 2 of a series, I won't buy it, book 1 isn't here on the shelf, I'll buy something else instead". There are others who like the covers to look uniform or spot the new one in the series because it looks like the last one.
But I don't know any of these people. I don't know people who buy new books in shops, or based on the cover, at all any more. I don't know how many of them are left, or how they think.
I'm guessing one of the cover design tasks is to make the thing look reasonable at 100 pixels wide…
Looking at the books I've read recently, the last one that wasn't a personal recommendation, a continuation of a series, or part of the Hugo-Nebula Reread, was David Hambling's The Elder Ice - and I think that was an algorithmic recommendation on Goodreads.
(The usual warning applies: people who market to appeal to me are not marketing for bulk sales, to the point that "doesn't appeal to Roger" may actually be correlated with higher sales to everyone else.)
Not A Good Week
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Nothing much is going right this week. Car stuff mainly. Still that's good
news for the painting queue. This is a good chunk of the Fallout Wasteland
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Back to the Bayonet
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With the drafting and re-drafting of "From Pike to Bayonet" in full swing
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I was ex...
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This last month has been busy, work picked up, yardwork, taxes, family
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ANZAC Day
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*Ode to the Fallen *
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Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow,
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A Driving Charge Scenario 1: Probe at Chaglun
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This is the first game in 'A Driving Charge' a campaign for Chain of
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The Miller's Tale - Episode 14
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Episode 14, in which Mike gets to have a guest back again! Yes, it's James
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Shrove Tuesday I was at Tokamak Energy. All bundled up because it was
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"Big Boy Rules" 2 Plays
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With several playtests in a small setting, it was time to take BBR to the
ultimate test - a large group of gamers with various levels of experience.
No p...
Presenting ... Bob Moss
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When I saw this Classic Treant from the Nolzur's Marvelous Unpainted
Miniatures line by WizKids, I couldn't resist buying it. It looks like it
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Sharp Practice: The Dojjibotti Run
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Salute 2025
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OK, it's two days late but here is my photo round-up of Salute 2025. You
can also take it as proof of life, given that I haven't posted here since
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Warp Speed into 2025
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The last year has been quite challenging. I suffered a stroke in November
2023 and have spent the last year or so in recovery. I'm not there yet, but
do...
I've made the decision that I'm too old to waste any more of my life waiting for replies from traditional publishing houses abo...
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Looks good.
ReplyDeleteThat looks great. Makes me look forward to the book even more.
ReplyDeleteVery cool!
ReplyDeleteNice !!!
ReplyDeleteCertainly piques my curiosity.
Thanks guys, bringing my book to market is proving to be a bit of a learning curve,but the challenge it presents is an opportunity to be a writer. Something I've always wanted to be.
ReplyDeleteThat looks cool!
ReplyDeleteCurrently I'm working on the cover typography, up to version three so far. Lots to think about and, the choices between flashy crowd pleasing typography versus a solid sense of craft that makes each book look like part of a series.
ReplyDeleteYou've probably come across arguments for both. There are some readers who think "oh, this is book 2 of a series, I won't buy it, book 1 isn't here on the shelf, I'll buy something else instead". There are others who like the covers to look uniform or spot the new one in the series because it looks like the last one.
DeleteBut I don't know any of these people. I don't know people who buy new books in shops, or based on the cover, at all any more. I don't know how many of them are left, or how they think.
I'm guessing one of the cover design tasks is to make the thing look reasonable at 100 pixels wide…
You know me, and I still buy books in shops, and often a book cover will attract me to read the blurb.
DeleteFair enough!
DeleteLooking at the books I've read recently, the last one that wasn't a personal recommendation, a continuation of a series, or part of the Hugo-Nebula Reread, was David Hambling's The Elder Ice - and I think that was an algorithmic recommendation on Goodreads.
(The usual warning applies: people who market to appeal to me are not marketing for bulk sales, to the point that "doesn't appeal to Roger" may actually be correlated with higher sales to everyone else.)
I bought and read The Elder Ice after reading your review, and I suspect it's not the sort of book one would find in Forbidden Planet.
Delete