After posting the umpteenth tiny tweak to my cover on Createspace for the upcoming / potential Stealth Books edition of A Sword Into Darkness (assuming Baen does not buy it), I checked in at Lousy Book Covers for my daily dose of schadenfreude.
I was unprepared for the magnificence I would behold.
Gird yourself for the boldest artistic and authorial vision that has ever been put in print.
http://lousybookcovers.com/?p=6224
I salute you, K. R. Columbus!
“Faceoff”
Been playing around with Cinema 4D. From the climactic scene of my soon-to-be-launched novel, A Sword Into Darkness. Here, the ships of CRUDESGRU One face off against the alien Control Ship as it orbits around the all-powerful Drive Star.
Well, my previous post unfortunately dropped into the internets without much of a splash and barely a ripple. That’s what I get for announcing a new feature on Labor Day weekend while WorldCon was going on. Everyone had better places to be.
But now you’re all back at work and hating life, so you’ll be searching desperately for diversions. And what a diversion I’m proposing to you!
PLUG YOUR BOOK HERE.
Indie and self-published SF / Fantasy / Horror / and Adventure authors, I’m about to join your ranks, so I’m proposing a quid-pro-quo arrangement for the benefit of all. Sort of like John Scalzi’s Big Idea guest columns, I’m proposing you dear authors without marketing teams behind you include The Improbable Author in your marketing plan. I get more viewership for my impending launch, and you get more sales out there as well.
If you’d like to guest-post 5-10 paragraphs about your book, yourself, and the your journey from concept to execution, just leave your contact info in the comments below, use the contact form, or email me at amaysingstories@gmail.com and we’ll work out the details. Posting schedule depends on inputs, but there should be little to no delay once we get in contact.
So, authors and readers, let’s get the word out there about the amazing books now populating the indie realm!
I look forward to hearing from you.
Happy Friday and hoping you’re all going in to a wonderful weekend.
That being said, you’ve got some work to do first, so no shirking your responsibilities, Mister/Miss! I’m proceeding on the depressed assumption that my standing queries with Baen and Ace are not going anywhere fast, so it behooves me to move forward with the Stealth Books e-publishing option. This is much more of a do-it-yourself affair, so I have done the cover myself, but I can’t decide on exactly which one to choose. This is where y’all come in!
Please peruse the following covers and pick which one you like best (i.e. which one is most enticing/professional and would instantly make you WANT this book). I eagerly await the judgement of the internets.
Cover 1, centered title. This one is standard, but the title might be more difficult to read in a thumbnail on Amazon.
Cover 2, the “Z” layout. This one makes more effective use of open space and pushes the Sword of Liberty further back. Oh, and if you noted it’s not as bright as the other pic, that’s easily fixable. Specifically, which layout is best?
Cover 3, the “S” layout. This one uses the pic from the first post, but maximizes title size for thumbnails.
And that’s it. If none of these appeal, or one appeals particularly, or you think a particular tweak is needed, please leave a comment below. Otherwise, absolutely please vote in the following poll. Multiple visits and votes are allowed. May the best cover win!
SORRY, TAKEN DOWN FOR SUBMISSIONS. THANKS FOR ALL THE COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS!!
Thank you, again, to all the folks who contributed to “ILYAMY”. My hope is to fix it up and get it started on the magazine rejection cycle as soon as possible. I’ll keep you, dear reader, updated as things unfold.
And now for something completely different. Where “ILYAMY” was straight-up SF drama and somewhat dark-ish, this new tale is a bit of frothy fun (at least my definition of it). “Bumped” is an old-school adventure yarn. Were I forced to pigeon-hole it, I’d classify it as a mad-scientist romance / gadget caper. If that’s your thing (and how could it NOT be?), I think you’ll get a kick out of it. It had a little-seen previous version on Baen’s Bar, but I excised about 2000 words and punched it up quite a bit. It’s now a good bit funner.
As with the last short story in progress, this’ll be up for a couple of weeks and then it will vanish from the internets in order to find its way to a paying market.
Let me know what you think! Happy Reading!!
At ease, at ease. Everyone please sit down.
Welcome to the Improbable Author, my own blog about writing, life, entertainment, books, movies, and family. If you know me, it’s good to see you again — visit often and tell all your friends. If you are new, then please stay a while, read the short stories and chapters I’ve posted here, try out the Radio Play, browse the posts — and then visit often and tell all your friends.
I know writing blogs are a dime a dozen, but I hope you find something special in mine that brings you back. When I’m not working my day-and-night career in the Navy (henceforth known as The Job) or doing whatever She Who Must Be Obeyed tells me (I love you, sweetie!), then I try to be writing.
I’ve had some success with my short stories, chiefly due to the mentoring found on the Baen’s Bar forum. My main focus now is on novel publication, for either my completed military science fiction manuscript A Sword Into Darkness or my in-progress young adult urban fantasy Echomancer. I’ll have more about all of them in future posts.
So, browse around, follow the blog, and most of all — Happy Reading!!
The Improbable Author 