Welcome to Biting-Edge, a blog shared by authors and vampire experts, Mario Acevedo and Jeanne Stein. We’ll cover urban fantasy, vampires, pop culture, and all things Joss Whedon. Unlike other fantasy blogs, we don’t insist on body cavity searches (unless you ask politely). Snarkiness is most welcome...though we won't promise not to bite back!
Sunday, April 08, 2012
Go ahead and judge.
Mario here:
We writers have a lot to do besides slogging through the word count. Editing. Rewriting. Queries. Rejections. More rewriting. Blogging. Facebook. Twitter. Conventions. Maybe teach some classes. Rewriting. And with the advent of self-publishing our ebooks, there's the huge task of book covers. Though we can contract an artist to create the actual cover, it is we writers who must wear yet another hat as artistic director.
Remember that adage? Don't judge a book by its cover.
What a crock.
A good cover can juice sales. A bad cover can sink a book, no matter how well written. A poorly conceived cover can project to the reader that the book was sloppily penned and edited.
Here are the top reasons people buy books, specifically novels:
1) Recommended by a friend.
2) You're already a fan of the author.
3) The cover.
4) The back cover copy.
5) Media coverage.
6) Reviews.
I can't verify who put this list together or how they did it, but as I've seen the list referred to many times as gospel, then it must be true.
When I was first published, I didn't think much about covers, other than did it look good and capture the essence of the book. Since then, I've learned that much about the story is conveyed in the style and artwork, and that each genre has its artistic "rules."
For example, in the cover of Jeanne's next book, we have a hot babe toting an Ak47. This of course means the protagonist is a fierce sexy woman and the gun implies that there will be much violence. The smoky background projects the noir ambience of the narrative. Nothing overtly says supernatural or vampire except for the full moon, a common artistic theme in all the Anna Strong books. The strong primary colors of each book help define shelf presence.
Dakota Cassidy also writes supernatural novels. But with the example of this cover, we can obviously tell it's not a hard-boiled story because rather than a photo-realistic image, the artwork is cartoony. Meaning the story is light and humorous. (Duh!) The character is definitely a saucy demon, and one up to no-good naughty fun.
Terry Odell did a marvelous job stepping us through the cover design of her latest novel, Saving Scott. Her perceptive work paid off because the book is selling well on the Nook. It's not yet available through Amazon.
In a TED talk, book designer Chip Kidd describes his methods and experience designing covers for mega sellers such as Jurassic Park.
Personally, I can't remember if I've ever bought a book because of its cover. Maybe I'm the exception to the rule. I have bought books because of reviews, most notably Charlaine Harris' Dead Until Dark, which made me realize I could put my own snarky spin on writing the supernatural. And I also liked the original quirky cover.
We writers have a lot to do besides slogging through the word count. Editing. Rewriting. Queries. Rejections. More rewriting. Blogging. Facebook. Twitter. Conventions. Maybe teach some classes. Rewriting. And with the advent of self-publishing our ebooks, there's the huge task of book covers. Though we can contract an artist to create the actual cover, it is we writers who must wear yet another hat as artistic director.
Remember that adage? Don't judge a book by its cover.
What a crock.
A good cover can juice sales. A bad cover can sink a book, no matter how well written. A poorly conceived cover can project to the reader that the book was sloppily penned and edited.
Here are the top reasons people buy books, specifically novels:
1) Recommended by a friend.
2) You're already a fan of the author.
3) The cover.
4) The back cover copy.
5) Media coverage.
6) Reviews.
I can't verify who put this list together or how they did it, but as I've seen the list referred to many times as gospel, then it must be true.
When I was first published, I didn't think much about covers, other than did it look good and capture the essence of the book. Since then, I've learned that much about the story is conveyed in the style and artwork, and that each genre has its artistic "rules."
For example, in the cover of Jeanne's next book, we have a hot babe toting an Ak47. This of course means the protagonist is a fierce sexy woman and the gun implies that there will be much violence. The smoky background projects the noir ambience of the narrative. Nothing overtly says supernatural or vampire except for the full moon, a common artistic theme in all the Anna Strong books. The strong primary colors of each book help define shelf presence.
Dakota Cassidy also writes supernatural novels. But with the example of this cover, we can obviously tell it's not a hard-boiled story because rather than a photo-realistic image, the artwork is cartoony. Meaning the story is light and humorous. (Duh!) The character is definitely a saucy demon, and one up to no-good naughty fun.
Terry Odell did a marvelous job stepping us through the cover design of her latest novel, Saving Scott. Her perceptive work paid off because the book is selling well on the Nook. It's not yet available through Amazon.In a TED talk, book designer Chip Kidd describes his methods and experience designing covers for mega sellers such as Jurassic Park.
Personally, I can't remember if I've ever bought a book because of its cover. Maybe I'm the exception to the rule. I have bought books because of reviews, most notably Charlaine Harris' Dead Until Dark, which made me realize I could put my own snarky spin on writing the supernatural. And I also liked the original quirky cover.Labels: Anna Strong, covers, Dakota Cassidy, sexy babes
¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 10:01 AM 9 comments
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Happy Birthday Elmore Leonard!
Two milestones..Not only is Elmore Leonard's 44th novel, Djibouti (jih-BOOT-ee) scheduled to be released October 12th, but that just happens to be his 85th birthday. Morrow has created a birthday card for fans to send him here .
85 and still publishing...I'm in awe.
Two books out this week from our League pals:
Two milestones..Not only is Elmore Leonard's 44th novel, Djibouti (jih-BOOT-ee) scheduled to be released October 12th, but that just happens to be his 85th birthday. Morrow has created a birthday card for fans to send him here .
85 and still publishing...I'm in awe.
# # # #
Two books out this week from our League pals:
Double Cross by pal Carolyn Crane
And the mass market paperback of J. F. Lewis: Revamped
(Which reminds me, Carolyn has her very own line of greeting cards for writers. Check them out here )
And the mass market paperback of J. F. Lewis: Revamped
(If you didn't catch this one in Trade, look for it now. You gotta love a man-eating Mustang.)
# # # #
Speaking of pals, two other Leaguers are nominated for best cover on an October release...
Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler
and
Something Wicked by Michelle Rowen
Contest is running now over at BittenByBooks and since you get two votes, you don't have to feel conflicted!! Go here
# # # #
Want to see the coolest wedding video ever? Dakota Cassidy married this week in Vegas. Sorry I can't download the video itself, but I'll give you two links to check out. If you know Dakota, you know she couldn't have chosen a more perfect venue for her wedding. Congratulations to you and Rob.
One link here
Mp4 link here
Want to see the coolest wedding video ever? Dakota Cassidy married this week in Vegas. Sorry I can't download the video itself, but I'll give you two links to check out. If you know Dakota, you know she couldn't have chosen a more perfect venue for her wedding. Congratulations to you and Rob.
One link here
Mp4 link here
# # # #
This from WSJ Sept 27 --
WSJ by Clare Ansberry 9/27/10
Like many of the original zombies, now in their 70s and 80s, Mrs. Streiner never imagined that a few minutes on a grainy black-and-white film would, decades later, bring her requests for autographs and other trappings of near-celebrity. But that's show business.
To mark the film's 40th anniversary in 2008, she and the other zombies were invited to a Living Dead Festival in Evans City, Pa., where the movie was filmed, and met with fans from all over the country. It went so well, they gathered again last year. One loyal movie fan came from France.
FORTY years!!! No way...
The full article here (I hope--some of these long links seem to get broken)
Elderly Zombies Win the Undying Loyalty of Their Fans
Cast of 'Night of the Living Dead' Recall the Gory Days
Cast of 'Night of the Living Dead' Recall the Gory Days
WSJ by Clare Ansberry 9/27/10
Like many of the original zombies, now in their 70s and 80s, Mrs. Streiner never imagined that a few minutes on a grainy black-and-white film would, decades later, bring her requests for autographs and other trappings of near-celebrity. But that's show business.
To mark the film's 40th anniversary in 2008, she and the other zombies were invited to a Living Dead Festival in Evans City, Pa., where the movie was filmed, and met with fans from all over the country. It went so well, they gathered again last year. One loyal movie fan came from France.
FORTY years!!! No way...
The full article here (I hope--some of these long links seem to get broken)
# # # #
Okay...think that's it for this week. I've been working diligently to finish a novella, averaging 2-3000 words a day. You writers know, that's a lot of words!!!
What's with this freaky weather...120 in LA!! You know the apocalypse is near when it's hotter there than in Phoenix. Susi, (and anyone else trapped in hell at the moment) how are you doing?
And caught Hawaii-Five-0 finally. Saw the first two episodes and since they haven't found James' body, we have hope don't we all you Whedonistas?
And should probably add I'm teaching an online class at Writers Online next month. I've taught this class two years now and basically, the info is the same but I've tweaked the lessons, included new stuff, etc. Here's the breakdown if you're interested:
1. What is Urban Fantasy? Description, Author List, Examples
2. Where do you start? Setting and World Building
3. How do you write for the UF audience? Some “rules”
4. Character development – inserting paranormal characters
5. Story Structure – Inciting Incident
6. Conflict – What is it? Why is it important?
7. How do you create and maintain suspense?
8. How do you keep a reader engaged?
9. How much Sex? How much romance?
10. Common Mistakes
11. The Market – Big Press, Small Press, Self-pub’d
Full info at the link above
Let me know what's going on in your world.
What's with this freaky weather...120 in LA!! You know the apocalypse is near when it's hotter there than in Phoenix. Susi, (and anyone else trapped in hell at the moment) how are you doing?
And caught Hawaii-Five-0 finally. Saw the first two episodes and since they haven't found James' body, we have hope don't we all you Whedonistas?
And should probably add I'm teaching an online class at Writers Online next month. I've taught this class two years now and basically, the info is the same but I've tweaked the lessons, included new stuff, etc. Here's the breakdown if you're interested:
1. What is Urban Fantasy? Description, Author List, Examples
2. Where do you start? Setting and World Building
3. How do you write for the UF audience? Some “rules”
4. Character development – inserting paranormal characters
5. Story Structure – Inciting Incident
6. Conflict – What is it? Why is it important?
7. How do you create and maintain suspense?
8. How do you keep a reader engaged?
9. How much Sex? How much romance?
10. Common Mistakes
11. The Market – Big Press, Small Press, Self-pub’d
Full info at the link above
Let me know what's going on in your world.
Labels: Carolyn Crane, Dakota Cassidy, Elmore Leonard, J.F. Lewis, Jackie Kessler, Michelle Rowen
¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 4:22 PM 6 comments
