There are many decisions one must face when traveling down the road to ePubbing.
Boy, that sounds really highfalutin, hoity-toity, doesn't it?
Yeah, so here are some decisions you have to make:
1. Will you have your book professionally edited? The answer: you'd better have somebody other than yourself do it, because you won't catch all the errors and plot hole etc. yourself.
2. Will you format it yourself? Well, I'm not going to. I want a sophisticated browsing experience with chapter links and the like. So I'll pay a few bills to have someone more talented than I am lay it out and prepare it for me.
3. What will you do for professional cover art?
This last one currently has me in the research quandary. I've researched at least a hundred artists now, many of them quite talented. I've been in touch with nearly a dozen, and they have all been quite talented as well. I'm seriously considering an experienced artist with credits and samples galore to demonstrate the ability to make marvelous images that really sell. But artists of any level do not come cheap. The price is something to consider.
I have yet to see an ebook that was self published that didn't have a computer generated simple design. Don't get me wrong--many of these are elegant and polished, and some not so much. And my research is not all encompassing. Still, these covers only cost in the ball park of $200 to $400, much cheaper than an artist or illustrator.
The ultimate questions are this:
Does an ePublished book for middle grade fantasy need artwork? If so, is it worth the investment for a top-billed client? Will 5-10 internal color illustrations help an ebook sell?
My current thinking is yes. There's an expression (I'm sure I'm going to garble this) in marketing that you ride the right horse, meaning you connect with the most talented, connected, and successful people you can and ride the horses along with them. Under this scenario, it makes sense to get the best art you can. Joe Konrath is always stating that cover art is essential for successful ebooks.
So, readers, what do you think? What's the best kind of cover for a middle grade fantasy ebook? What investment here is necessary to make that little thumbnail image of your book on Amazon.com stand out? What price or investment would you be willing to make? Drop me a comment and let me know. I'm really curious if my thoughts agree with yours.
4 comments:
Do not spend more money than you can afford to lose. I do not say this to disparage your project in any way. It sounds wonderful. However, the financial success of your project is dependent upon consumers and they are notoriously difficult to acquire. Every time we spend money to produce another Schlock book, I do the math and make plans for what we will do if the book tanks. There is always the possibility that the consumers will decided to spend their money elsewhere. Good luck to you!
Whew, that's a lot to think about! My wife and you think alike. our plan is to figure out how much we feel we can afford to lose, then set it aside and let it do its work. If things work out, then we'll be very happy! If not, I'm very grateful for a wonderful day job. But I have a feeling we'll have moderate success.
I absolutely agree that you need cover art. I know when I'm looking to buy a book, the cover has to catch my eye. Then I read the blurb, and if it sounds good I'll buy it.
As for what to put on your cover? I usually see pictures of the main-characters on my middle-grade novel collection. Nice colors, nothing too busy or crazy. Take the Percy Jackson series, or Fablehaven. I loved the Fablehaven covers. They were all so interesting and nice to look at. Percy Jackson's were nice as well. Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Plain, but a nice, fun cover.
There I go, rambling... Sorry about that! I've never e-published, so I have no idea. Ha ha! :) Good luck with self-publishing! I wish you all the success in the world!
Thanks, Chantele. Good feedback!
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