Editing and Writing Services
An important part of your editor identity is what you choose to edit whether you are freelancer or traditionally employed. An editing niche will help focus your client list, build expertise, and guide your career. Some editors fear being limited by an editing niche. I …
Branding is important for three reasons 1) consistency in online presence 2) getting clients 3) keeping clients. Clients will know what to expect from you because of your branding. You’ll be able to advertise yourself to new clients using consistent and unique elements to make …
In this blog post, we’ll be looking at the design process that any project should go through. The design process is effective to find the best concept. This includes book covers, logos, marketing posters, interior formatting, etc. In this example, we’ll be looking at book covers since they are a key marketing and branding piece when it comes to your writing.
This answer is quite broad. First, you must consider the genre that your book fits in. Think about the scope of your design project. The scope of your design project makes your job as a designer very clear. Design is functional art. It needs to serve a purpose otherwise it is directionless and has no value.
All right, now, what do you do with this information? We start the design process.
We have drilled this one. We do know that the scope for this post is a book cover. Okay, where do we go from there?
If we are designing a book cover, then we know the scope of the project. Now, to ask the question again, what is your book’s genre? Once you know this, you can research into the target market. Take a look at what other book covers are doing for that genre. Jump onto Amazon, for example, and start filtering through the search engine to find your genre. Some questions to keep in mind are:
These are just some of the questions that you can ask yourself. Keep notes as you research into your genre and see what the top-selling books are doing. It also helps to take a look at some of the worst selling – or rated – books. It is just as helpful to know what doesn’t work as what works.
Your notes are going to be incredibly helpful as you go through the design process. It is very easy to get sidetracked from your scope, so keep those notes nearby.
Once you have done your research take a piece of paper and begin drawing. Oh no! Writers having to draw, this is scary. Do not fear though, take a look at the example of thumb sketches below, they do not need to be anything fantastic. The purpose of thumb sketches is to get the visual side of your brain thinking in abstract senses. These thumb sketches are more so visual roadmaps of where you can go.
Try sketching out 10-15 of them. Thumbnails are small and do not need to take up a full page. Do not get hung up on the details of the thumb. Use boxes and squiggly lines to represent photos, text and other design elements. Once you have done around 15, pick your best three that can be brought into the next stage.
Your roughs are where you can be picky about what the details look like. Here you can start exploring form to elaborate on where the vision in your mind is going. Look at the example below, this is no masterpiece or final product, but they tell you the primary direction that you want to go in.
Take the three thumbnails that you decided to work with and flush them out more. Try doing three variations for each thumbnail concept. Once you have done this, think about which one is the strongest, this will be the book cover direction you will go with.
Now that you have done your rough sketches, time to jump into the digital world. Where do you go from here? Well, it will vary depending on the graphics software you have. It will also depend on the book size. Is it a trade paperback? Is it ebook only? Take a look at some of the specs for your cover type.
As we had discussed before in the Tools and Technicalities blog post, you will want to be aware of your colour mode, DPI and dimensions for your book. Explore the Tools and Resources section that shows where you can find photos and graphical elements. Reference the Colour Theory post to know how to create pleasant colour schemes. Look back at the Typefaces post to understand how to treat your text. The Layout post will expand on some layout theory on how to create a hierarchy of importance for the elements on your cover (book title, author name, etc.).
Apply the knowledge you have learned from the Author DIY Graphic Design series to your next design project! Step up your branding and marketing by creating engaging visual messaging that has an impact on your reader. Unfortunately, the cliché is true; people do judge books by its cover. If you have to make your cover, it is essential that you invest into creating an eye-catching design.
This post is an adjusted version version found within my Author DIY Graphic Design series where we have been looking at the design fundamentals and theories that can help you improve your designs for your author brand and novels. Below are all of the blog posts to date:
A Writer, Graphic Designer and Web Developer.Konn Lavery is a Canadian author whose work has been recognized by Edmonton’s top five bestseller charts and by reviewers such as Readers’ Favorite, and Literary Titan.
He started writing stories at a young age while being homeschooled. After graduating from graphic design college, he began professionally pursuing his writing with his first release, Reality. He continues to write in the thriller, horror, and fantasy genres.
He balances his literary work (https://konnlavery.com) along with his own graphic design and website development business, titled Reveal Design (www.revealdesign.ca). His visual communication skills have been transcribed into the formatting and artwork found within his publications supporting his fascination of transmedia storytelling.
Do you love books, nature, and magic? How about science and children’s stories? Check out this Kickstarter for a really great children’s book series. The Magical Tales of Two Brothers – Book 1: The Peatlands “A book series of wonder and ecological accuracy to promote …
Editing is much more than looking at punctuation, spelling, and grammar, and even those aspects are complex. Editors have to prepare to edit a work in a number of ways including education, consultation, and making careful decisions about what and how to edit. Below are …
In short, they’re all acceptable.
I was taught to spell out OK or ok or O.K. as its full word ‘okay’. But I wanted to question that.
My favourite style guide Chicago Manual of Style (US- used in publishing, academics, and more across countries), and The Greenslade Free Australian Style Guide (AUS), New Oxford Style Manual (UK), and The Canadian Press Stylebook (CAD) all do not indicate which to use.
Correction: The Canadian Press CAPS and SPELLING 20th ed. does indicate that OK is preferred. Thank you to the commenter who wrote in to correct this error.
When a style manual or guide doesn’t tell me what to use, I then rely on the dictionary for the type of English I am editing.
For US editing I predominantly use Merriam-Webster, for UK editing I use Oxford English Dictionary and Cambridge Dictionary, and for CAD editing I use Oxford Canadian English Dictionary (paperback) and the Canadian Press’s spelling guide.
Here is what I discovered:
So, if you’re wondering which is right… well, all of them, but OK is the most commonly used.
As an editor, a style manual is my most important tool. As a writer, a style manual helps improve my writing and ensure consistency in content. Editors use style manuals to ensure writing and publications are consistent. Manuals or books are generalized standards for design …
It is a lot of work to write a book, and authors and editor’s everywhere can never, no matter how hard they try, be perfect. It is a fool’s errand to consider perfection the goal. What ultimately matters is the story shines through in clear …
I’ve been getting a lot of questions about faltering and stuttering in dialogue and dash usage.
It can get pretty confusing which to use when. It all comes down to what industry you’re writing in, but you should be checking a style guide right for the type of work you’re doing. One of the most common guides are indicated below and is used for fiction, some non-fiction, some online formatting, and some academic work. Other guides may have decided on a different course, so make sure you know which one is right for you. Don’t know? Email me (agent@catherinemilos.com), or check with your communications department, publisher, editor, or organization you’re writing for.
Some things you should know:
Here’s a great resource for you that summarizes what the Chicago Manual of Style says. (Note: she uses 16th edition, I use the most recent 17th edition right now, but the usage is the same in both editions.)
The most important aspect of your writing is your story. Get your plot, characters, subplots, data, conclusions, and heart of your writing down on the page first. If you’re stuck or face writers block, check out author Adam Dreece’s Get Unstuck video. The next important …