Stuart Aken: Book cover

Showing posts with label Book cover. Show all posts

Tuesday, 1 April 2014

The Full Reveal and 5 Stars

I’d always intended to reveal the full wraparound cover for the paperback today. And here it is. I love it

and pass on my thanks publicly to designer Heather Murphy.

By sheer coincidence, I also got my first review this morning, and it’s a 5 star affair. So, rather than me wax lyrical (as if!) I give you the words of a reader who bought the book. May many more be forthcoming like this!

Joinings is the first book in Stuart Aken’s Seared Sky trilogy. And that guarantee of more to come will be music to the ears of fantasy fans. It is hard to imagine anyone getting to the end of this and not thirsting for more. The opening scene is gripping. It hooked me in and then I was compelled to read the rest. Aken weaves a complex tale through a meticulously constructed fantasy world showing us fascinating glimpses of different ways of life, different beliefs. The dangers of a society in thrall to superstition and corrupt government are well drawn, as are the characters. There are no pantomime baddies here, no clichéd heroines, but well-rounded characters whose destinies we can’t help but follow. Tumalind and Okkyntalah; Dagla Kaz, Jodisa-Li, Aklon and the rest of the cast create a very real world with real problems and challenges. But it doesn’t get lost in big picture stuff. There are solid and compelling human stories at the core of this excellent book. The only real problem: it’s a big book and it’s hard to put down. But when it comes to books, that’s just the sort of problem I love to be faced with. I’m watching out for the next.

Review by Dr.P.Grubb

Friday, 28 March 2014

It's Here! The Promised Cover Reveal.

Okay, Fantastic Books Publishing and I have been teasing you with bits of the cover and hints about releasing it in full.

The book, in case you’ve not yet heard of it, is the first in the epic fantasy trilogy, A Seared Sky, and is titled, Joinings.

Well, with the publisher’s agreement, I’m revealing the fantastic cover of the ebook, which shows only the front, of course.

I love it! I'd be fascinated to learn your reactions. Stick a comment down there with your views.

To see the full wrap-around for the print version, you’ll have to wait until launch day, 30 March.

You can, of course, come along to that and perhaps pick up a giveaway, maybe grab a signed copy of the print book, join in the fun, ask me questions. It starts at 12:00 noon BST and I’ll be there until my eyelids refuse to stay up any longer.

You can pop along from anywhere in the world because we’re doing this online to give the maximum number of readers the chance to join in. And all you have to do, is click this link to get there.

Saturday, 16 June 2012

New Ebook Cover Requirements for High Quality Ereaders

Heads up. Effective on or about July 15, Smashwords will begin requiring higher pixel counts on ebook cover images.

Why the change? Starting in August, Apple will require that all new ebook cover images be at least 1,400 pixels wide. Their previous minimum was 600 pixels.

Since Smashwords requires vertical rectangle (height greater than width) images, a new recommended ebook cover might be around 1,600 pixels wide by 2,400 pixels tall. Why 2,400? 2,400 is 1.5 times 1,600. Pull out a ruler and measure just about any print book and you'll get a ratio close to that. Most good-looking covers have heights that range from approximately 1.3 to 1.6 times your width.  Amazon recommendsa 1.6 width/height ratio, and their recommended height is 2,500 pixels. As you can see, there's flexibility here for personal preference whether you prefer wide or long. The image above left shows what a 1.5 ratio looks like. The height is 50% greater than the width.

Why is Apple requiring higher pixel counts? Most likely, it's because they want to provide ebook customers better covers for their current and future higher resolution iPads, iPhones and MacBooks. Since we think the Apple and Amazon guidelines are reasonable (they help readers with next-generation screens enjoy your covers in all their glory), we'll adopt Apple's requirements as our new minimum standards for cover images.

What happens next?
Apple's new requirement applies to new ebooks, and new cover updates. If your book is already in the Apple iBookstore with a smaller cover image, you're grandfathered in, UNLESS you try to update your cover image in the future, in which case they'll reject it. To help you get ahead of this change, Smashwords will make the 1,400 pixel minimum a Premium Catalog requirement starting on or around July 15. Like Apple, we'll apply the standard to new titles and cover image updates.   If we previously shipped your smaller cover to retailers, we won't require the new cover image size unless you update your cover image or republish a previously unpublished book. The minimum dimensions do not apply to the images or cover image inside your .epub file.

The Smashwords FAQ is now updated to reflect the new recommendations and requirements. I'll update the Smashwords Style Guide in the next day or two so one month from now this won't come as a surprise to people.

How NOT to create a new cover image
Don't use a photo or image editing program to enlarge your current image. That will cause pixelation (blur).

How to create your cover image
You'll find some tips in the Smashwords FAQ, though my best recommendation is to hire a professional. Unless you're a professional graphic artist, it's best to hire a cover image designer. Send an email to list@smashwords.com to obtain my list of low cost cover designers and ebook formatters (they're all freelancers, we don't receive a commission or referral fee). Their rates range from about $40 to $100, a range I consider very reasonable. Most have online portfolios so you can see if their style matches what you're looking for. If they don't match what you want, post a note at the Smashwords Facebook page to ask your fellow authors for references. There are many great cover designers out there, and most are very affordable. See my free ebook, The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success, for comments on why a professional ebook cover image is so critical to a book's success.

Please share this post with your fellow authors and publishers so everyone has ample advance notice.

As above, I've posted this for my readers, so you can be aware of this coming change.