Hey everyone! I'm here today to welcome S.R. Johannes back to Paper Cuts! Everyone give her a warm welcome!! :)
How hard is it to make the cover for a book?
I think it depends on what you want and what skills you have. If you know Photoshop then it’s not as hard. If you don’t, pay someone. I personally think covers should be original. Unless you want to risk seeing your cover on tampon commercial. J
What is the process like for self-publishing authors?
Hard! I had no idea. There are so many roles to play that I’ve started calling myself an Entrepreneurial Author with over 30 roles from legal to designer to writer. It’s exhausting but liberating. Nothing worth it is easy. But this is DEFINITELY NOT the easy way out. It’s the road less traveled and an uphill bumpy climb.
Who do you contact to start making your cover?
I used Vania at VLCphoto.net. I pay for original photos and the overall design of the front cover. My hubby and I do the back and typography inside.*I personally follow Vania on twitter and I love her!*
Do you have any advice for making your own covers?
I personally think a cover is too important to do it yourself unless you are an amazing designer and photoshopper. I have seen some bad covers. And especially as a self-pubber, you don’t want it to scream self-pub. So put the money into the cover and copyediting. It will be worth it. If you don’t want to go that route - there is some great original art on DeviantArt.com that you can purchase.
Are there any specific software editing tools you use?
Photoshop. If you know that, you are golden with a lot of design.
What drove you towards this design for your cover?
Look wise - my character, Gabby is an angel who wears funny socks and pink converse. She also has red hair. So this model was perfect.
I did not want the typical photo of angel in sky and my angels (called Brights) don’t get their wings under they pass their levels of training so I could not use wings. So we had to think of a way to get across an angel without wings and without being in the clouds.
Vania wanted to play with levitation photography so this is what she came up with. I love it and Vania rocks! J
On the Bright Side is a hilarious road to guardian angeldom paved with so much drama and due-paying that it makes middle school look painless.
As if the devil’s food cake at her wake and the white fat pants she’s stuck wearing for eternity weren’t bad enough, fourteen year-old Gabby is quick to discover that Cirrus, the main rung of Heaven, is a far cry from the Pearly Gates. Here, Skyphones and InnerNets are all the rage. Until Gabby finds out she has to protect Angela, her school nemesis, in order to move up through the training levels of heaven. Problem is, Angela is now hitting on Gabby's should-have-been boyfriend. (awkward!)
Instead of protecting Angela, Gabby pranks her (like tripping is a sin?) at the hopes of cooling off the new couple. At first, they seem harmless until the school dance sabotage gets completely out of control. Then, her Celestial Sky Agent, who happens to have anger management issues of his own, puts Gabby on probation, threatening her eternal future.
Determined to right her wrongs, Gabby steals an ancient artifact that allows her to return to Earth for just one day. Without knowing, she kicks off a series of events and learns what can happen when you hate someone to death.
Paperback will be available in Feb.
To buy the Kindle ebook - The ebook is .99 for the first month and can be purchased at amazon or B&N for now.
Author Bio
S.R. Johannes is the author of Untraceable (a teen wilderness thriller) and On The Bright Side ( a tween paranormal).
She started out writing for her local school paper, winning a state Nutrition essay contest for “Be a Smart Cookie”, and singing in a local Jazz band. Somewhere along the way, she earned an MBA in Marketing and embarked on an 18-year marketing career in Corporate America working as a marketing and communications consultant.
In 2000, S.R. traded in her expensive suits, way-too high heels, and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, and her love of writing. She started her own marketing & communications business, www.bilaninc.com, and continues creating materials for a variety of large profit and nonprofit clients, including Spanx, Goody Hair Products, Chick Filet, Delta, CARE, and the Boys & Girls Club of America.
S.R.’s dream is to publish children’s books and magically imprint the imaginations of kids. In addition to juggling nap schedules while attending client meetings, Shelli focuses on her writing. She is a frequent marketing speaker at SCBWI conferences across the U.S and runs a popular marketing blog, Market My Words (www.faeriality.blogspot.com) where she provides marketing advice for authors in the hopes of helping them better market their words.
In her spare time (yeah right!) and if the kids allow (yeah right!), Shelli obsesses over movies, reads children’s books (over and over), wishes she could squeeze in Bikram Yoga sessions, and dreams of sleeping in on the weekends.
She currently lives in Atlanta with her dog, British-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little prince and princess that someday will change the world.
If you would like to get periodic author news on my upcoming special edition in Jan or on the release of my future books, please register your email address here. I do not expect to send more than one email a month.
Contact information:
Social Media
Blog | Twitter | Author Facebook | Author Goodreads | Untracable Goodreads | On The Bright Side Goodreads:
Thank you for having me :)
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