Behind the Cover of Greater Treasures

I think this will probably always be one of my favorite covers (and I've had many wonderful covers), and the funny part is I stumbled upon it by accident.  Sarah Jane Lehoux and I are in some writing groups on Facebook.  A few months ago, she posted that she was trying something new by pre-making covers  and putting them on her website at half her usual price.  I'm not sure if she did them with books in mind or was just playing with images and thought, "This is too good to waste," but regardless, she has some lovely work on her site: http://www.sarah-janelehoux.com/premade.jpg.

Out of curiosity more than anything, I went to her site.  When I saw this cover, I fell in love.  It perfectly fits the mood for my story Greater Treasures:  it has a kind of noir feel, and of course it has a dragon, butin a style that can hint at Vern without anyone really thinking that is Vern.  The style also makes me think of the 40s, official heraldry, all the things that harken to the plot and feel of the story.

It's great as a cover in and of itself.  The title and name show well when shrunk, it has great contrast, and it stands out in a crowd.  Those are the top three things you need to think about when creating or selecting a cover.

I had not planned on self-publishing, though I toyed with the idea for my shorter works.  However, this cover pushed me over the edge.

I recommend Sarah-Jane.  She does great work.  We're already talking about doing covers for some of my other stories, all following the same style.

What about you?  Would a cool cover convince you to self-publish? What do you look for in a cover?

Get Greater Treasures on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/greatertreasureskindle

Book Promotion: Fun with banners

It's been going around that social media posts with pictures are twice or more times as likely to get read and re-posted than those that are just text.  (Are we becoming and online picturebook people?)  I've been seeing this work effectively with Cheryl Tardif and her book, Submerged, and Beth Barany recommends a book tour banner, so I thought I'd give it a try for Greater Treasures.

I made this in Photoshop Elements 11, using the title graphics and the background my cover artist was kind enough to give me.  Thanks Sarah (http://www.sarah-janelehoux.com/coverart.htm) I was so tickled with it, I decided I'd make some others to hold reviews, one-liners, etc.  Here's an example:

Once I finished that, I thought, I should do this for some other books, too.  So I started on Live and Let Fly, which is also a DragonEye novel.  This background is actually a marble scheme I pulled from http://gimp-savvy.com.  I used filters to change the colors.  (It's the Enhance menu in PSE11.)  I'm still playing with the color scheme:

The nice thing is, I can make a template banner and easily change the captions.  I think they'll spruce up my facebook page, and I can use them on my websites and for other people's blogs.  Maybe if I get ambitious, I'll make some with just Vern and use it for some of his stock sayings. 

What do you think?  Is this something that gets your attention?  Would you want to do it for your books?  How would you use them?  Let's share some ideas.

Back Cover Blurb Test--Please Vote

As some of you know, I'm looking to self-publish a DragonEye novella, "Greater Treasures."  This will be my first foray into the self-publishing world, and I think folks are going to love the story. While it's with an editor, I'm working on the rest of the materials.  I have an awesome cover, and now I'm asking your help on the back-cover blurb.

Coming April 2013.

After some discussion with FB friends and my buddies in The Writers Chatroom, I have come up with these.  (Actually, Ann Lewis wrote #3.) Please vote on a blurb below.  I'll select someone at random to receive a free copy when it comes out.  Also, if you get a friend to vote and mention your name, I'll put your name in the pot a second time.

Which one would most make you buy the book?  

Vote in the comments section.

1.  In the spirit of The Maltese Falcon comes a DragonEye story like never before.

Hitler believed the Lance of Longinus would help him conquer the world, but could never activate its power.  Now, a modern-day Nazi with access to the Faerie would become the New Fuehrer—and destroy any race—Mundane or Faerie—that does not match the Aryan ideal.

Vern, a Faerie dragon of diminished power, can stop him—but will he do it if it means sacrificing the life of his dearest friend?

2.  Being a private detective in the border town of the Faerie and Mundane worlds isn’t easy, even for a dragon like Vern.

A simple stake-out goes horribly wrong when Vern's partner, Sister Grace, gets shot with a poison dart--a dart, police say, meant to take down a dragon.   A beautiful damsel in distress leads Vern on a path of lies and false hope.  Meanwhile, evil men tempt Vern with a cure for Grace--in return for an artifact with the power to rule men.  Can Vern find the artifact? Which will he sacrifice: the fate of two worlds or the life of his best friend?

3. Being a private detective in the border town of the Faerie and Mundane worlds ain’t easy, even for a dragon like Vern.  Nonetheless, when Vern’s partner Sister Grace gets hit by a poison dart meant for him, all bets are off! He takes the offer of a cure in return for finding an artifact with the power to rule mankind, while a beautiful damsel in distress leads him down a rosy path of false hope. Can Vern find the artifact, and will he sacrifice the fate of two worlds for the life of his best friend?