Writers in the Storm

by Penny C. Sansevieri

Practically speaking, a book cover is just a tool to bind and protect the pages of a book. But every writer – and every consumer – knows that a book cover is so much more. Your cover is a visual ambassador for your book: it’s a marketing tool, a billboard for your brand, and sometimes even a small piece of art available to the reading public.

Having a great book cover is an essential for a successful author, so here are ten key book cover design tips that will ensure you’re getting the most out of yours.

10 Design Tips for a "Buy Now" Book Cover

1. Don’t use too many typefaces. Limit yourself to two. Some book covers may require a third typeface; others can shine with just one. Too many fonts cheapen your overall look and make you seem less professional.

2. Don’t overload your cover with ideas. A book cover is a visual elevator pitch—you’ve got literally milliseconds to convince a potential reader. And if you can’t boil your book down to one central concept, you’re in trouble. As a writer, you know about main ideas and supporting details. The front cover gets your main idea. A few supporting details go on the back in your book blurb.

3. Don’t skimp on an illustrator. Seek out a talented professional if your book requires a custom image – and be prepared to pay them for their services. Custom illustration isn’t cheap, but nothing kills a cover like a bad illustration.

4. Don’t rely on Photoshop for imagery. Our eyes are extremely savvy when it comes to inconsistencies in lighting and scale and will pick up details like a man who is too big for the path on which he’s walking or who is lit in a different way than the forest in which you’ve placed him. Similar images are probably available at a stock agency. If not, hire a photographer and a few models for a couple hours.

5. Use caution when depicting a character. More than any other art form, reading inspires and requires imagination. If you’re writing nonfiction, depicting a specific person on your cover curtails this possibility for any reader who isn’t that person. Some genres, like Romance, rely heavily on cover character depictions, which is all the more reason to think carefully about who you place on yours.

6. Don’t rely on trends. I heartily encourage authors to look for trends, to be fans of their own genre, and to reference the bestseller pages for inspiration on what piques buyer interest, but there’s a fine line between ensuring you’re competitive and becoming lost in the sea of options. Just because everyone else is using handwritten font or a particular color of blue doesn’t mean you need to follow suit. This is particularly important when considering the first book in a potential series because trends fade; you don’t want to be stuck with something that’s out of date when they do.

7. Don’t be afraid to break a few rules. Sometimes I’ll see a great cover that breaks one of the cardinal rules of cover design and is bolder and more intriguing for doing so. If your designer has some great out of the box ideas and you’re willing to take a risk, I’d encourage you to get feedback from your network. If you have a super fan group, give them early voting access to ideas you’re floating around. A radical cover may actually be just the ticket, but don’t make the decision to go in that direction without doing a market test.

8. Don’t get overly clever. Remember the visual elevator pitch rule: you’ve got milliseconds in front of a potential buyer If your designer resorts to “clever” font play that ultimately confuses rather than intrigues that buyer, forget about making a sale.

9. Don’t overdo it with the copy. Your front cover should not replace your book description, your reviews section on Amazon, and your resume. Non-fiction does carry the burden of proving legitimacy, but you need to decide what’s most important for making the best first impression; the rest can go on your retail page.

10. Don’t use a template. A cover template may seem like a reasonable (and affordable) solution to the difficult task of creating an effective book cover. But remember, book covers aren’t created – they’re designed. What happens when someone else publishes their book using that same cover template?

Final Thoughts

You can create the book cover of your dreams while also designing an effective marketing tool for your work – but it will take bringing others into the process. Your book is worth the investment, especially now that so many of us are shopping online, where we make judgments based on a cover the size of a thumbnail. In the long run, it’s worth it to do all you can to create a visual image that compels those shoppers to happily click "Buy Now."

About Penny

Penny C. Sansevieri, Founder and CEO of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a bestselling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. She is an Adjunct Professor teaching Self-Publishing for NYU. She was named one of the top influencers of 2019 by New York Metropolitan Magazine. 

Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most innovative Amazon Optimization programs as well as Social Media/Internet book marketing campaigns. She is the author of 18 books, including How to Sell Books by the Truckload on Amazon: 2021 Amazon Ads Powerhouse Edition, Revise and Re-Release Your Book, 5-Minute Book Marketing, and Red Hot Internet Publicity, which has been called the "leading guide to everything Internet." Her next book, From Book to Bestseller, is due out in Spring 2021.

AME has had dozens of books on top bestseller lists, including those of The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal. 

To learn more about Penny’s books or her promotional services, visit www.amarketingexpert.com.  

by James Preston

When I read a great novel, I often find myself thinking, “How on earth did the author do it?” followed by, “Where did he start?” Every published author has had to get past the blank page.

Let’s talk about Plato, the Athenian philosopher. You remember him, right? He told “The Parable of the Cave,” which went like this:

There once was a group of prisoners who had been chained to the wall in a cave their entire lives. They had never seen the outer world, only shadows cast on the wall in front of them. For them, the shadows were reality.

Then one of the prisoners was set free and moved into the outer world. She was amazed — there were three dimensions! Color! Reality was far more complex than she had imagined.

I recently reread James Clavell’s magnificent novel, Noble House. This thing is huge; the hardback is over a thousand pages, so it is not a book to be undertaken lightly. On top of that there are probably a hundred characters, all of them with lives of their own, backgrounds and a part to play in the story.

I had the usual questions: “How on earth did the author do it?” followed by, “Where did he start?”

Then I read a brief article that included the parable of the cave and the two things — my feeling of inadequacy when I looked at Noble House and was awestruck and Plato’s shadows on the wall — came together. Sometimes things do that.

I realized that, like the prisoners, I saw the shadow. I saw the product, not the object that produced it. When we read a novel we don’t see the effort, the false starts, the rewrites, the edits that went into it.

This realization led me to a question I get asked every now and then by people who want to write . . .

How Do I Start?

We’ve all heard the stories about the writer who rolls a sheet of paper into her typewriter (see below) and stares at the blank page.

You know you want to write a book. In fact, maybe you’ve already tried and quit, and now you want to do it again and “get it right” this time. You read articles and see advice like, “Start with a character,” or “Start with a problem,” and on and on. And then there is the blank page.

The Blank Page has defeated lots of writers.

I’ll describe several ways of getting going and some of the advantages and disadvantages of each. Plus, I’ll talk about how I wrote my first mystery.

Note: For younger readers, click here for more about typewriters. Trivia fact: You can find apps that will make “typewriter noises” as you keyboard. Tom Hanks even invented one that works with the iPad.

Let’s begin with some basics.

Setting

You might know that you want to write about a small town in west Texas. Clavell wrote about Hong Kong. I write about Southern California, specifically Huntington Beach, Surf City, USA.

Character

This one’s obvious, right? In Noble House, it’s Ian Dunross.

Plot

Can you start a story without a character? Sure. Think of a situation, for example the protagonist is given control of the family business, because it’s failing.

Denouement

And in the end . . . One way to create a novel is to start with the end and figure out how it happened.

There are many ways of getting to The End. In my case I was writing scripts for a medical training company (thrilling shows about surgical instruments and how to give injections). One of the directors was an avid sailor. He mentioned how shallow parts of the channel between Orange County and Catalina Island are, and how supertankers had to stay in northbound and southbound lanes. I thought, “That’s interesting,” but there wasn’t a story there. (More on this in the next section.)

So these are the parts you need to work with. We’re still left with that question . . . What do you do first?

4 Ways To Start

1. Begin with an outline

An outline can be on the back of an envelope or it can be a hundred pages or anything in between. A traditional outline would look like this:

Chapter One

A private jet lands in Hong Kong and the police discover guns being smuggled. Introduce Linc Bartlett, Inspector Armstrong, K. C. Tcholok.

Notice it’s linear; one thing happens, then another.

Another type of outline is more free-form and might look like a group of circles connected by lines. In this case it would have a circle for airport connected to “Linc Bartlett,” “guns,” and “smuggling.” 

Advantage: An outline forces you to think about the story. Whether it’s linear or free-form, you have to answer the dreaded question: What happens next?

Disadvantage: I think there are several, but one that can sneak up on you is that you might actually like your outline. If and when your characters come to life and start to speak to you (and, BTW, that is one of the greatest moments in what we do), they may not care about your Roman numerals and numbers. There will be a temptation to make them toe the line. Sometimes you have to make characters follow orders and sometimes you have to let them run wild and free. But that’s the subject of another post.

Yet another way is 3” x 5” cards. Years ago I read an essay by the famous science fiction writer Larry Niven, author of the Ringworld series, who said he used index cards and on each card something had to happen. Side note: I have lost that reference. Sorry, Mr. Niven.

Advantage: Obviously, you know where you’re going. You can spread cards out on the floor and see the whole story at once — allowing you to identify sections that are slow, or places where too much happens at once.

Disadvantage:  This is a big one. We live to tell stories. Once it’s outlined it’s possible to lose interest. After all, the story is told. (This same pitfall applies to telling too many people about the story before you write it.)

A more practical disadvantage is space. I laid out cards for my first mystery, covering the living room floor. (I have a very understanding spouse.) Then my cats came and rearranged all my work. Pro tip: if you do cards, number them so you can put them back in order.

2. Begin with characters

You can start by listing the people in your book. There are many sample character development forms, but most involve physical characteristics, occupation, education, and so on.

Back to my story for a moment. Sometime after I heard about the shipping lane and supertankers, I found myself thinking about a stockbroker living in Manhattan “happily moving around electronic piles of money,” who returns to California when his wife is hospitalized.

To this day I have no idea where he came from, but there he was and he just wouldn’t go away. I thought, “That’s interesting,” but once again it’s not a story.

3. Start with the ending

Another way to start is to write the end. It won’t spoil Noble House to say there’s a typhoon. In my case I saw a supertanker, unable to either turn or stop, bearing down on a disabled small boat. And the bow of the tanker is on fire.

4. Assemble your pieces

I had the shipping lanes, I had my broker, now back in California, who is sailing back from Catalina at night, hits fog, and then hears – feels – a supertanker approaching. Close, so close to a story. Obviously, he doesn’t get run down and killed. The end is another encounter with a tanker, only he can see this one because the bow is on fire, and he’s right in front of it.

Final Thoughts

Here’s the answer: it matters less how you start than that you start. Let’s say that again: it matters less how you start than that you start.

If you have an idea for a character, or a situation or an ending, write it down and go from there. The blank page is waiting for you to fill it.

Oh, what happened to my broker and the supertanker? Why, I went from one idea to another to a third and then to 3” x 5” cards (the cat playground), and he came to life and told me his story. Don’t worry, he didn’t get run over. After a lot of work the novel got me an award, an agent, and a contract.

Note about references…

The problem with references is that there is such a huge amount of writing about writing that it’s not only hard to choose who to read, it’s possible to only study and never write. Plus, nowadays you’ll find different opinions on just about everything.

My suggestion is to follow your instincts and listen to those teachers who seem to be speaking directly to you. They are out there and the simple act of finding them will be worthwhile for your writing.

Now it’s your turn. If you’ve done it, how did you beat the blank page? What did you do first? If you are standing at the edge of this pool, thinking about sticking a toe in, what does your gut tell you to do first? C’mon, we’ve given you some ideas here — what looks good?

Come with me. The water’s fine.

About James

James R. Preston is the author of the multiple-award-winning Surf City Mysteries. He is currently at work on the sixth, called Remains To Be Seen. His most recent works are Crashpad and Buzzkill, two historical novellas set in the 1960’s at Cal State Long Beach. Kirkus Reviews called Buzzkill “A historical thriller enriched by characters who sparkle and refuse to be forgotten.”

His webpage is www.jamesrpreston.com. He can be reached at james@jamesrpreston.com.

by John Peragine

Last month, I shared seven plot strategies, and received many responses that people had not heard of a number of them. With the beginning of the year fast approaching, many of you will be ready to start your new book for 2021. Here are seven more structures to choose from. There are many more out there, but these seven are a good place to start.

1. Dan Harmon’s Story Circle

Dan Harmon the creator of the television show Community. He has developed a method that is sometimes known as  ‘The Embryo,’ ‘The Dan Harmon Story Circle,’ or just ‘The Story Circle.’  For more information check out this link. It is a variation of the hero’s journey.

1. A character is in a zone of comfort,
2. But they want something.
3. They enter an unfamiliar situation,
4. Adapt to it,
5. Get what they wanted,
6. Pay a heavy price for it,
7. Then return to their familiar situation,
8. Having changed.

2. Gwen Hayes Romancing the Beat

This is a great structure for romance novels. If you want a head start, here is a link to a free template for Scrivener that is detailed.

1. Introduce H1
2. Introduce H2
3. Meet Cute
4. No Way 1
5. Adhesion
6. No Way 2
7. Inkling of Desire
8. Deepening Desire
9. Maybe This Could Work
10. Midpoint of Love
11. Inkling of Doubt
12. Deepening Doubt
13. Retreat Beat
14. Shields Up
15. Break Up
16. Dark Night
17. Wake Up
18. Grand gesture
19. What Whole Hearted Looks Like
20. Epilogue

Plotlines

1. Phase 1: Set Up
2. Phase 2: Falling in Love
3. Phase 3: Retreating From Love
4. Phase 4: Fighting for Love

3. Shonen Battle Manga Formula

Manga is very popular these days and here is a formula to help you write most any plot within this genre. Here is a link to explanations and variations to the Shonen Battle plot.

1. Getting motivated
2. It's easy!
3. Maybe it's not so easy
4. A whole new world
5. A new path
6. The long road
7. Rising competition
8. Social advancement
9. Eye of the tiger
10. Towards the future
11. Story Arcs

4. Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake Method

This is a great method when you are started with a kernel of an idea and want to build a plot from it. It works with most genres. Here is a good explanation of the Snowflake method.

1. First Disaster
2. Second Disaster
3. Third Disaster

5. Libbie Hawkers’ Take off Your Pants Method

This can be found in Libby’s book of the same name. It begins with a character flaw and adds to it to make the core of your story. Here is a great outline you can use to begin.

1. Opening Scene
2. Inciting Event
3. Character realizes goal
4. Display of flaw
5. Drive for goal
6. Antagonist revealed
7. Goal thwarted
8. Revisiting flaw
9. Repeat the cycle
10. Ally aids
11. Girding the loins
12. Battle
13. Death (of character flaw)
14. Outcome (new world)

6. Victor Piñeiro Screenplay Structure

Victor Piñeiro uses a three-act structure to create screenplays. Here is a Slideshare that explains the structure and elements of his structure.

1. A Day In the Life
2. The Spark
3. Do I Stay or Do I Go?
4. Into the New World
5. What is Love?
6. Melt Their Faces Off
7. Crossing the Rubicon
8. False Victory
9. Long Journey Into Night
10. Rock Bottom
11. From the Ashes
12. Time to Kick Ass

7. W Plot by Kenneth Atchity

This is another three-act structure that is made up of five points. When plotted on a graph, they look like the letter ‘W’. Check it out here.

1. Trigger Event
2. 1st Turning Point
3. 2nd Triggering Event
4. 2nd Turning Point
5. Resolution

Final Thoughts

The great thing about these plot structures is that they are tried and true but, at the same, flexible. You can use these structures to get your story started and then add your own twists and turns as your narrative calls for. These structures are supposed to be supportive rather than confining, so use them any way they make sense to you.

What is your favorite plot structure? Which ones, of the seven that I mentioned, have you tried?

About John

John Peragine has published 14 books and ghostwritten more than 100 others. He is a contributor for HuffPost, Reuters, and The Today Show. He covered the John Edwards trial exclusively for Bloomberg News and The New York Times. He has written for Wine Enthusiast, Grapevine Magazine, Realtor.com, WineMaker magazine, and Writer's Digest.

John began writing professionally in 2007, after working 13 years in social work and as the piccolo player for the Western Piedmont Symphony for over 25 years. Peragine is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. You can learn more about his books at JohnPeragineBooks.com. 

His newest book, Max and the Spice Thieves, will be released on April 20, 2021. Click here for a free first chapter. (The new cover is below!)