Why we made bookspry.

Why we made bookspry.

Field Guides, Field Guides for Authors, For Readers

who is bookspry and how did bookspry start

An Origin Story

Long story short?

Bookspry is a book promotion and daily deal site that was started by a handful of self published authors (and their friends who actually understood how websites worked) after struggling to find high quality, consistent Romance book promotions with fair prices.

Now we offer some of the best romance, sci-fi, fantasy and erotica book promotions, as well as newsletters for readers looking for great deals on amazing books. With much more on the way!

Short story longer…

I got on the self publishing bandwagon early, but only started taking it seriously a few years ago, and it didn’t take long to realise how hard it is to find reliable promotion services for self published authors.

Too many promotion companies had wildly inconsistent results, extremely poor (or no) customer service, they made claims that were basically provably false, and there seemed to be almost no connection at all between price and performance. 

So, after a late night whine and cheese session, bookspry (or the idea behind it) was born. 

We would create a book promotion site that focuses on reliable performance, great value, and customer service (thanks Grace!). We know we can trust bookspry, because bookspry is us, and we hope that anyone who works with us learns they can trust us as well.

It took a little while, and the first versions of the site were…clunky, but from Day 1 those were our guiding principles and every decision we make is made with them in mind. 

Sometimes we make design changes, or launch new products (looking at you Author Platform, and Category Mapper!) but never without testing them first to make sure we aren’t harming the user and author experience. Sometimes we raise our prices, but never without increasing the quality of the product even more first. Our cost per click has gone down every year we’ve been in business. 

All this has led to us building up one of the most impactful and trustworthy romance book promotion services in the world. You don’t have to trust us, ask around, check out our testimonials, ask us questions!

At the end of the day, we’re still authors, we have author friends and we use this service ourselves. We’re pretty proud of it, and we hope it’s useful for you!

Love,

The bookspry team

P.S. oh, and it’s pronounced spry, rhymes with “high” 😉

 

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What the HEA? The Romance Glossary of Terms (Updated)

What the HEA? The Romance Glossary of Terms (Updated)

Field Guides for Authors, For Readers

DNF? HEA? OTT? OMG!!

I’m sorry, couldn’t help myself. I’ve been waiting for this blog post about romance terms and definitions for ages so that I could make it. (NOTE: This has been continually updated since we launched it and it became very popular! Let us know if we’re missing anything!)

Why do you need a glossary of romance book terms and definitions? Well, if you’re just starting out reading romance, you’ll find out soon enough. The romance reader and writer community is both huge and incredibly tight-knit. Which means that there are tons and tons of message boards, Facebook groups, etc, that are dedicated to discussing romance books. Once you have that many people together discussing a topic, “jargon” arrives shortly after. 

Jargon may be widely mocked, but, at its core, it lets groups of like-minded people communicate more quickly and concisely, and the romance community is no stranger to its own jargon.

Some romance terms are fairly straightforward, but others make no sense on their own, or are acronyms that would be impossible to figure out without some help. 

So, in order to help you, dear romance reader, we’ve created the definitive Glossary of Romance Terms and Definitions (in mostly alphabetical order).

Never be confused by romance slang again!

 

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The bookspry.com Romance Dictionary

Alpha Hero 

A strong, brooding man, he protects those he loves and makes the tough decisions. in

Alphaholes 

Ultra Alpha. This manly man takes what he wants, no questions asked. As you imagined, he can also be a bit of an….well you get it. 

ARC’s

ARC stands for Advanced Reader/Review Copy. It’s a free copy of a book (typically unreleased, or newly released) that an author will give you hoping you give them feedback or leave a review on the book (though you are under no obligation to do so). Sometimes these books are early in the editing process, or without a finished cover, but they’re generally complete. There are ARC services you can sign up for who will try to pair your reading tastes with authors looking for readers.

Beta Hero

A hero whose appeal isn’t overly physical. Maybe he’s really smart, or funny, but he’s definitely charming and he’ll melt your heart. He’s pretty much the opposite of an alphahole.

Beta Reader 

Is a person who reads a book even before an ARC reader. Sort of like high level editors, Beta Readers are a way for a writer to check there are no plot holes or typos, and to get feedback on story elements. Beta reading can be a lot of fun as you sometimes get to see some of your recommendations appear in the final version of a book, but it also means reading “unpolished” writing. If you’re interested in being a Beta Reader, there are groups on Goodreads and Facebook, or you can just reach out to your favourite authors and ask if they have a Beta Reader list (most of them do) and ask to get on it!

The Big Misunderstanding 

This is a situation that often arises in romance books (and movies). It’s when the big climax of the book is caused because the romantic leads don’t talk to each other. It’s bad for the characters, but great for us. Instead of a five minute conversation where the leads sit down and talk about things rationally, we get 50 pages of deliciously agonising angst. 

It’s also a good life lesson, always talk to your partner before you assume anything!

Book Boyfriend 

That one character that you love above all others! He’s gorgeous, charming and totally wasted on some fictional heroine. 

Character Arc 

Each character should change and grow over the course of the book (romance or otherwise).

Every superhero movie starts off with the shy young person who has to conquer their fears, learn to accept themselves and save the world. In romance the typical Character Arc starts off with the happy singleton who, over the course of the novel, learns that she/he wasn’t actually all that happy but has just been hiding from the problems in their life. By accepting their own flaws and working to overcome them, our hero and heroine are able to flourish into strong characters who know their own self-worth and find additional happiness within a loving relationship. 

The Character Arc is the path they take to growth.

DNF 

Did Not Finish. You’ll see “DNF” used a lot on message boards and particularly nasty book reviews. It means the person “did not finish” reading the book in question. Sometimes it’s for completely innocuous reasons (ie. DNF Jaws because I dropped my ereader in the pool and haven’t bought another one), but usually it’s used to mean the reader couldn’t finish the book because they didn’t enjoy it (ie. DNF Alpha Hero Superstar because there were too many typos).

DVP

When discussing steamy (or spicy) romance, DVP typically refers to double vaginal penetration. See also (if you can believe it) TVP.

F/F

This is a romance story featuring two female romantic leads. Books about women who love women!

FL

Female lead.

FMC 

Female Main Character. 

Gamma Hero 

A hero who has a mixture of Alpha Hero and Beta Hero characteristics. 

HEA 

Happily Ever After. Just like the fairy tales of your youth, this is how every romance story should end (in my opinion!). The H/h have battled to be together over the course of the novel and this is the emotional payoff. The sweet reward of unconditional love that makes all the struggles worthwhile.

H/h 

Hero/heroine, or Him/her, or Hero/hero, or Heroine/heroine. A shorthand way to refer to the main couple in a book.

Head-Hopping 

The switch between POV’s, so you’re swapping whose head you’re “inside”. One chapter from the FMC’s perspective, and then the next chapter will be from the perspective of the MMC.

Heat Level

Heat level is the amount of hanky panky you can expect. This ranges from clean to steamy. Essentially, is there on page sex (not just “fade to black”) and how much of it. 

For more information on Heat Levels (or Steam/Spicy Levels) check out our post: Romance Heat Levels Explained.

If you’re just looking for Steamy Romance examples (and deals!) check out our High Heat Romance books here.

HFN 

Happy For Now. The story ended and the H/h are in a relationship, but it’s not perfect. Perhaps the characters didn’t go through enough of an emotional journey for this to be a HEA, perhaps there are still issues to be worked through. However, the difference between an HEA and a HFN can be subtle, nuanced and often determined by whether the reader likes the main characters enough to want them to stay together. 

J/P

J/P stands for “jealous possessive”. See also: J/P/O.

Often combined with OTT. So you’d have an “over the top jealous possessive”.

J/P/O

J/P stands for “jealous possessive obsessive”.

KU

KU stands for Kindle Unlimited, a monthly Amazon subscription that gives you access to thousands of e-books for free. Sound interesting? Check out our article here!

M/M

Stories where there are two male romantic leads. Stories about men who love men! Can also be written as MM. 

M/F/M

One female lead and two (or more) male leads. 

MC 

Main Character. 

ML 

Male lead.

MMC 

Main Male Character.

Mary Sue 

A character that is too perfect, good at everything, beautiful etc. In fact, she is so perfect that she’s boring. It’s the flaws that make a good character and she has absolutely none. This is something that’s becoming more of a criticism in mainstream writing. Who wants to spend time with a goody-two-shoes? 

There is also the less common male version, called a Gary Sue

New Adult (NA)

Sometimes abbreviated to NA or called College Romance. Originally, it was a genre that lay in between YA and Adult romance, focusing on new adult experiences in various ways, first job, first time living on their own, college, first adult love, etc. The strict definitions have been stretched over time and a lot of people argue the term New Adult is so overused that it’s become meaningless, but it does technically mean something!

OMD

OMD in romance refers to “other man drama”. See also: OWD.

OMYW

OMYW means the book features an older man with a younger woman.

OWD

OWD in romance refers to “other woman drama”.

OTT 

Over the Top. Although this is an acronym that is used outside the romance world, you definitely need to know it if you’re a romance reader, because we have stories that are definitely…over the top. 

POV

Point of view. Which character you are viewing the story from.

PNR

What does PNR mean? Paranormal romance. Shifters, vampires, ghosts, etc. There can be a lot of overlap with Science Fiction Romance (SFR) categories, but PNR really stands on its own.

RTC 

Review To Come. Often used by ARC readers who are leaving a comment on Amazon but haven’t decided what they want to say yet.

RWA

Romance Writers of America association that gives out awards to Romance writers.

Sequel Bait 

You’re just getting to the end of a book. All the plot strands are coming together nicely and you can almost feel that glow of satisfaction that everything came together so nicely. Suddenly, out of nowhere, there’s a terrible twist of events. There’s no time to fix this massive problem now. The only way you’ll find out how everything is going to be sorted out is if you buy the sequel. UGH.

SFR

Science Fiction Romance! Similar to PNR (Paranormal Romance).

Shipping 

When you really want the couple to get together because you think the two of them will have a great relationSHIP. That’s when you ship it. 

Steam Levels 

See “Heat Levels” or our Romance Steam Levels Explained post.

Sub-Genre 

The genre we’re talking about here is Romance, but romance is a massive genre and we have to split it up into small sub-genres like Romantic Comedy, Western Romance, Dark Romance.

TBR

Book purgatory. A TBR book is on that seemingly endless list we all have, the list of books “To Be Read”.

Trope 

The type of plot that a novel uses. Common tropes are: second chance, friends to lovers, secret baby.

TSTL

Too Stupid To Live. Usually the female lead, and sometimes meant as a criticism of the character. This is a person incapable of making a sensible choice and without a modicum of common sense. Luckily the MMC is usually there to rescue her.

TVP

What is TVP in romance? Well, without putting too fine a point on it, when discussing steamy romance, TVP refers to triple vaginal penetration. See also: DVP.

TWSS

That’s What She Said, the perfect response to innuendo.

Wallbanger

Not as fun as it sounds. This is when a book is so terrible that you feel the need to throw it against the wall.

Women’s Fic 

Books that would likely otherwise be classified as a romance, except they don’t have a HEA/HFN.

Feel like we missed something, or disagree with some of these definitions? Have some new romance slang we haven’t defined? Drop us a line at admin@bookspry.com or find us on Twitter or Facebook.

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Every Successful Writer’s Secret Weapon – A Word Count Tracker

Author Tools, Field Guides for Authors

Writing is a lonely job. Everybody’s interested in what you’re doing, you may even have a great support system but, at the end of the day, writing is about sitting down (by yourself) and putting work in. 

This obviously has it pros and cons (no waiting on lazy co-workers!) but one of the hardest parts of working alone is tracking your work and holding yourself accountable. We’ll have a piece about how to set, and achieve, reasonable goals as a writer later, but for now, we’re going to talk about the tracking. 

Why Use a Word Count Tracker?

I’ve been using a writing tracker for years, but it wasn’t always that way. I used to wonder daily how much I had written. Did I hit my goals? Did I spend more time on Project A or Project B, and how close were they getting to being completed? 

Eventually, once I got sick of feeling that way, I committed to trying to track my writing properly. I made a simple spreadsheet and started writing down time and words written. I promised myself I’d try it for a week and see what happens. That was four years ago and I haven’t missed many days since then.

But it took me awhile to get used to using it. I realised very quickly that there were some very good reasons to spend those few seconds starting my writing tracker every day. 

It’s kind of annoying that I have to open up a spreadsheet and actually fill in what time it is before I start my writing session. I’m sitting there, bubbling with ideas and I want to get started now, so why waste time opening up a spreadsheet instead. Well…

“I can’t lie to myself anymore. I can’t pretend I had a productive day when I didn’t. It’s in my face, in black and white, how much I wrote.”

Accountability

When I use a word tracker, I’m making a conscious commitment to writing. It’s time to close other tabs, put my phone on silent and just get typing. It helps give me focus and structure. I know I’m “on the clock”. 

It also means I can’t lie to myself anymore. I can’t pretend I had a productive day when I didn’t. It’s in my face, in black and white, how much I wrote. 

Let’s be clear, this isn’t about punishment (always remember to be kind to yourself!), this is about me achieving my goals, and that means being honest with myself. 

Motivation

Seeing how many words I’ve written that day or week is massively motivating to me. When my word count is low, I’m motivated to write more to catch up. When it’s high, I want to keep that streak running! I want to run up the “high score”! I’m winning? OK, let’s see how much I can win by!

Fun! (Fun?!)

Call me a nerd, but I LOVE seeing my word counts add up. I love seeing little graphs that show how much I’m writing and how much I’m publishing. When I’m tired of writing and just want to zone out, I’ll take my numbers and start playing with them. Which days do I write the most? Which stories am I writing the fastest? Why is that? Etc. 

I legitimately have fun using a word count tracker.

Still not enough? Chris Fox’s 5000 Words per Hour book talks about the various techniques you can use to speed up your writing, but the first step, the thing you need to know before you can implement any of those things, is knowing how many words you’re writing per hour. 

How to Use a Word Count Tracker?

This depends a lot on how you want to work and what word tracker you choose. Some people like “gamified” word trackers like 4thewords, while some people prefer raw numbers in a spreadsheet they keep by themselves. All of these have different ways to “use them”, so the thing to remember is, “What do you want from a word count tracker?”.

Personally, I need something that will do something with my word count data. Something to show me graphs, progress, charts, etc. Something that will me modify it as my writing goals (and knowledge) change. I need a word count tracker that’s easy to use, but very flexible. That’s why I created my own!

Where Can I Find a Word Count Tracker?

How convenient! We happen to have one right here! 😉

All joking aside. A word tracker like the bookspry.com Writing Diary and Daily Word Count Tracker, hits all my goals. I mean, it should, I built it. But not only does it let me see my totals, it also keeps track of the amount of time I’m actually spending writing, and maybe more importantly, it shows me daily, monthly and annual totals. Which is incredibly motivating. 

Other than that, we will be coming out with a list of our favourite word counters soon. Stay tuned!

Interview with Indie Exchange Founder Oliver Ryan

Interview with Indie Exchange Founder Oliver Ryan

Author Tools, Field Guides for Authors, Interviews

It was my pleasure this week to chat with indie author, and founder of Indie Exchange (www.indiepubexchange.com), Oliver Ryan, about the self-publishing industry and how his new platform can help authors save time, and avoid some of the major pitfalls involved with the self publishing industry.

“Indie Exchange is for every author who has struggled to find editors, designers, and marketing that they can trust.”

What’s your background in the self-publishing world?

Well, I started in self publishing about five years ago. I was looking for a job I could do from home and when I stumbled upon self publishing I knew it’d be perfect for me and dove in head first.

It took probably a year for me to reach the income I desired but once I was doing this full-time, I immersed myself fully in the industry. And for five years, I’ve loved it!

Describe for our readers what exactly Indie Exchange is.

Indie Exchange is a platform for service providers in the indie publishing industry to offer their services and for authors to seek them out. Unlike other freelancing ad sites, Indie Exchange is a subscription based membership service where you can browse ads, look at sample galleries, leave comments and reviews. It’s more involved than your usual ad site and a lot more private!

I think on other freelancing websites, it’s very difficult for providers to get paid what their creative work is worth and it’s similarly difficult for authors to find quality work that they can market to their readers. Indie Exchange is a curated platform that aims to create a community of both quality providers and clients.

Who is the Indie Exchange platform for?

Indie Exchange is for every author who has struggled to find editors, designers, and marketing that they can trust. It’s for experienced authors who struggle to efficiently find new providers and promotional services and feel they waste a lot of time vetting new providers.

It’s also for providers who struggle to market their services to the indie authors who need them.

Basically, it’s for anyone who offers or needs a service and struggles to get connected!

“It’s hard to get started in this industry when you don’t know what to look for in an editor or a cover designer.”

Tell me about the day you decided to build Indie Exchange.

It actually was an idea I had back when I did ghostwriting. I was making some money on the side to supplement my self publishing and I realized I loved ghostwriting, it paid really well, and the clients were generally very good… But it was hard to find clients. I mostly had to do so by word of mouth from friends and acquaintances in the industry. And I just thought to myself… why should it be this hard?

This is a multi-million dollar industry and there are tons of people who want ghostwriters and new writers who would like to ghostwrite and yet there is not a central place for these people to connect.

As a writer, I couldn’t find well paying jobs on freelance websites because people were looking for dirt cheap pricing. And, likewise, authors can’t find quality work on these sites that are marketable in our industry…but they’re willing to pay top dollar to providers who are qualified.

And it’s really from that Idea that Indie Exchange was born! It’s years later and there still isn’t one central site to connect quality providers and professional clients. I hope Indie Exchange will eventually be the place that bridges that gap and providers and authors alike find it an effective way to find every service they need.

What are the main challenges facing indie authors today, and how does your site help?

Well, I think the number one challenge is that it’s more competitive than it’s ever been. So it’s extremely difficult to break through right now and become successful.

And I think Indie Exchange can help with the competition for both new authors and experienced authors alike. For those experienced, I hope to offer a wide range of the best service providers in the industry so that can efficiently find designers, editors, and writers at the touch of a button.

Likewise, with ads for marketing consulting and promotional opportunities, I hope we can help new authors break into the market. It’s hard to get started in this industry when you don’t know what to look for in an editor or a cover designer. Indie Exchange should make it easier than ever to get into this industry if you don’t already have connections to providers.

“On other freelancing websites, it’s very difficult for providers to get paid what their creative work is worth”

What were some of the biggest challenges you came across when putting this project together?

Honestly, to my surprise, the project came together very smoothly! I happened to find an amazing developer through a friend of mine and through his experience, I learned so much. I sketched out my vision for the site, hired a designer to make it all pretty, then hired a developer who really built on all my ideas. It was very much a collaborative effort and I’m so glad building the site went so well.

I think the real challenge comes now that the site is done! The hardest thing is bringing this idea forward into the community and getting the word out so we can get quality providers and members. But I’ve gotten a ton of great feedback and thus far it seems everyone who’s using the site really enjoys it.

So as long as word spreads, I see things going great for Indie Exchange!

What’s your favourite feature of the site?

Well, if I had to pick just one, I’d say our reviewing system is my favorite just because it allows clients to really discern one provider from another.

I don’t buy anything these days without reading the reviews online and I don’t know that I’d be able to work with someone without any knowledge of them beforehand. And I think it’s an awesome bonus that you’re able to anonymously review as well!

What’s next for you guys?

I’ve got a bunch of updates in the works with my developers and I’ve got my ears to the ground as I really try to figure out what members want to be next for Indie Exchange.

I have so many ideas for how to build upon Indie Exchange but it’ll really be the opinions of my members that help me decide what to move forward with first!

What’s your #1 tip for someone thinking about getting into self publishing?


Research, research, research!

The only reason I was able to pave a career in self publishing was because I researched it obsessively. It takes a while to learn the ropes and build an indie author career but it’s very rewarding when you do.

This also folds into Indie Exchange a little bit but long before Indie Exchange came to be, I told people to develop their side hustles. It may take a while to learn the ropes of self publishing but there are so many ways to make a living in this industry. If you’ve got a graphic design background, learn how to make marketable covers! You can edit, you can ghostwrite, there are so many people making money in this industry who aren’t self publishing. While you learn, find something that pays the bills.

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us. Where can people reach you if they have any questions?

Anyone who has any questions can email me at support@indiepubexchange.com

Indie Exchange is a subscription-based classifieds website curated specifically to the indie publishing community! Publishers and service providers can offer their services or seek out jobs they need, from editing to cover art to promotional services. Members can leave reviews and comments on their favorite services or their clients’ profiles so others can make informed purchasing decisions. You can also browse categories or use Indie Exchange’s advanced search option to find the exact service you’re looking for.

For more information on this new platform for self-published authors, head to www.indiepubexchange.com. 

Podcasts for Writers and Self Published Authors

Podcasts for Writers and Self Published Authors

Author Tools, Field Guides for Authors

Rule 89 of the Internet. If it exists, there’s a podcast of it.

If you think the indie author world is niche enough that finding podcast content would be difficult. Baby, you don’t know podcasting.

There are all kinds of books that swear they can teach you how to write. You just need to buy their book and spend hours reading it! One small problem though, you’re a writer and you’re already surrounded by books you need to read. Podcasts can be a great way to augment your writing, planning and organisational skills, while also keeping you up to date on the latest news in your industry.

Driving in your car and learning the finer points of character development. Cooking dinner and listening to tips on worldbuilding.

Sitting in front of your computer, writing about characters, or even worlds, that come entirely from your imagination, means locking yourself in your own head. Writing can get lonely. No matter if you’re writing at home by yourself, or surrounded by people in a cafe or library, once you start writing, you’re in a world by yourself. Sure the hope is that one day readers are going to venture into this world that you’ve created but, in the meantime, it can get pretty lonesome.

Podcasts also offer a sense of community. Here is a voice in your ear that totally understands the situation you’re in and is in the same boat. Week in week out, with each new episode, you get to know the hosts and listen to interviews with other authors, as they give invaluable advice.

Let’s get started…

Writing Excuses

These guys are the big guns. They’ve been around for a long time (right now they’re in season 13) which means that there’s a big back catalogue so you can really dive in and binge listen.

Their tagline claim is that each podcast is only 15 minutes, and although that isn’t always accurate they’re never longer than 25 minutes. They get to the point fairly quickly, covering topics that really get into the mechanics of writing, but broken up into manageable, easily digestible bites.

If you want to give them a try then I’d recommend starting from the beginning of season 10. The previous seasons kinda leap from one topic to another, but season 10 is arranged as a class, with each episode building off the last. The aim is that, by the end of the season, the listener will have written a complete story of their own.

Tl;dr – Popular, short, digestible pods, from experienced podcasters. Perfect for a short commute or while getting ready for work.

 

Death of 1000 cuts

This podcast is only in its second series but it’s already a classic. The presenter really sets this podcast apart from others because of his personality. Tim Clare is a funny guy, it’s obvious that he’s having a great time doing what he loves and he passes that enthusiasm on to you, the listener. It’s easy to start listening to a podcast when you know you’re going to be learning something and have a great time as you do.

So much of the advice offered to writers is about the architecture of writing. Those big things that we all have to think about; character arc, planning, pacing. And that’s great, don’t get me wrong, you need to be thinking about those things too. But there’s not much out there that actually discusses the actually nitty-gritty of writing. Sure, it’s great that you know how your characters are going to develop in the current scene that you’re writing, but it doesn’t help when you’re staring at your screen, agonising over what word to write next.

That’s where Tim steps in! He spends time talking about how to write prose, what you should be thinking about on a sentence by sentence basis.

Tl;dr – A fun (and funny) podcast for anyone who’s ever worried their prose might not be good enough and wants to learn how to make it better.

Helping Writers become Authors

Katie Weiland has been putting out great content for years. She’s a published author, with two books aimed at helping writers: Outlining Your Novel and Structuring Your Novel. Her website is massive, with blog posts stretching back years. It’s an amazing resource that I’d highly recommend everybody take a look through.

Katie’s podcasts cover all sorts of diverse topics; from characterisation to marketing. However her main focus is on story structure and she has a lot to say about it!

A lot of writers worry about relying too heavily on story structure. If every story uses the 3 act structure, then won’t it seem formulaic and dull to the reader? Katie is here to explain why you need to follow the rules of writing, and how to use them to make your story flow smoothly.

Tl;dr – Insightful, energetic and prolific. Her podcasts are 15-20 minutes long and, like with her blog posts, she has a back catalogue of podcasts that goes back years.

 

Sell More Books Show

With a title like “The Sell More Books Show” you know what to expect here. Bryan Cohen and Jim Kukral have been hosting this show for 5 years and have developed quite a following in that time. It’s a light, fun podcast that covers a lot of industry news and tips for self-published authors of all stripes. There is definitely more of a focus on the marketing and selling of books than you’ll find on other self-published and writing focused podcasts, and so it’s a great addition to your podcast list to fill that niche.

Tl;dr – Two friends with tons of industry experience dissect the news and give tips on how to be a successful indie author.

How to Choose (and buy) a Pre-Made Book Cover

Author Tools, Field Guides for Authors

Your book is in the editing phase and boy, is it a doozy

Your long days of writing and editing and rewriting (and worrying the book will never end) are finally behind you.

It’s time to get a cover.

Unless you are rich in design skills yourself (or have a lot of money to throw at a custom book cover design) chances are pre-made covers are the perfect fit for you.

 

How does it work?

The process itself is quite simple and is basically the same regardless of where you get your cover.

Step 1: You find a cover you like, contact the seller, request whatever alterations are allowed by the terms of the website (often this is only the author name and any credits included in the design)

Step 2: The seller confirms the cover is available and they can meet the request.

Step 3: You pay, and the artist sends you your cover in the form of an image file (usually by email and typically it’s a .jpg).

That’s it. Pretty easy stuff. Now…what should you look out for when picking a cover?

Cover Quality

 

This part of the process is very subjective, but look at the covers in your genre. Go to Amazon Best Seller lists, check out what’s currently selling.

Look at A LOT of them.

Not just the top ten. Remember that Stephen King is going to sell a million books no matter what’s on the cover. You want to look for themes that show up repeatedly in your genre. Preferably covers by indie authors like you. Make notes, save some of the images to use as a reference.

 

Have an idea for what will work in your genre.

 

Terms

Questions you should ask about the company you’re dealing with:

  • How flexible is the company or artist you’re buying your cover from?
  • Do they have a money back guarantee?
  • What’s their turnaround time (and does it really matter to you)?
  • Do they offer any alterations or revisions other than the author name?

Ultimately, some of these will matter to you and some won’t, but more flexibility is better.

 

Price

This one seems obvious, but actually deserves a bit more time. People are drawn to lower prices, but remember that this cover will likely be the face of your book (your book!!!) forever.

This isn’t the time to try to save $20. It’s the time to find the right cover for you. One that you really like and that suits your story. One that people will get excited about.

When you find that cover, buy it. You’ll thank yourself later.

Shopping for pre-made book covers right now? Check out the bookspry.com pre-made cover collection!