This was a gift to my husband. He’d surprised me by dressing up all fancy-like and grabbing his sword (nice way to introduce the idea of an impromptu date), and I got a few pictures. A few days later I put this together, using some pictures I’d shot earlier of a hawk he spotted and some woodsy pictures. All the images are mine and this was completed in Photoshop CS6 and Lightroom 4.0. 🙂
Filed under Personal Work, Photo Illustration
So, as Isaac and I get closer to finishing Distant Horizon (and thus starting querying), I’ve been doing reading on how marketing of a book is done, both for trade and self-publishing. After all, both are looking for readership, right? I found a few interesting tidbits I thought I’d share.
One is the article at the link below. It talks about how marketing is done of a book in the trade publishing world, and points out some good tips that could probably also be used if you’re self-publishing, too. It talks about the importance of marketing as a way to gain publicity, but that marketing doesn’t always equate to publicity. It’s that word-of-mouth you want, when you get other people promoting your book without your asking. Needless to say, I thought it was an informative read:
http://editorialass.blogspot.com/2009/04/why-dont-we-throw-some-money-at-it-like.html
Another interesting idea I came upon was the idea of offering signed prints of your book cover (if it’s one that looks really good)Â for the first people who buy your book off Amazon and show you a receipt. Found this at Madame Guillotine’s blog, here:Â http://madameguillotine.org.uk/
Of course, ARC (advanced reader copies) are also a good idea, and it looks like Goodreads contests may be a good way to get publicity for them. The hope, of course, is that they’ll read your book and leave a review, and maybe, just maybe, recommend t to a friend. 🙂
Also, another neat blog (not so much on marketing, but on publishing) I found is called The Intern: http://internspills.blogspot.com/
Thought I’d share that, too. Anyways, that’s all I’ve got for you at the moment. 🙂
Filed under Book Covers, Business Ventures, Writing
The moment has arrived! I have new photographic illustrations to show off. This was done with Katherine modeling, and she did a great job doing and portraying what I asked. And the dress fit, two. Definitly helpful (especially when I find the dress I want to use, then find the model, afterward). The theme of this one started out with the idea of doing a Soda Pop Shop or sock hop look. Or really, it came from looking at old Coca Cola Ads and wanting to try to emulate those ads.
So I tried that on a couple of pictures. First one… well… it needed work. So I tried it again using a different pose, and I’m hoping that one captured more of the look and feel of the old ads. Also, thanks to my husband’s grandfather to letting us borrow a time period coke bottle to use. And thanks to McDonalds for having those cool Coca Cola glasses. And funny thing is, I’m not even that big of a soda fan. So there’s my note on the usefulness of finding props that aid in the appearance of time. So yeah, there was my fun experiment with commercial advertising.
Meanwhile, I also did a few images meant more in my usual style of sci-fi, dystopia, and fantasy. And reminder to self… don’t watch MirrorMask right before starting on a manip project. Great movie, awesome effects, but totally messes up how I usually do digital manipulations.
If you’re curious to see the images I’ve just mentioned, take a look at the Flickr Slideshow: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbibb/sets/72157630562937410/show/
Otherwise, enjoy a few samples here. 🙂
Filed under Book Covers, Personal Work, Photo Illustration
So it turns out you can’t have two pen names linked to a single Smashwords account. The result is that I’d either have to create a second account for Stephanie Flint, or change all the covers and copyright info on the previous books. Seeing as how I wanted to keep “SBibb” for the account link, I decided to change the covers.
Overall, it might’ve taken a couple hours. Luckily, most of the covers had layering where I was able to just change my last name with a couple modifications, and Photoshop CS6 (loving the new save function) is helpful with doing some easy adjustments. Afterwards, I adjusted all the front matter and bio info on the stories themselves (again, yay for having everything in nearly one place).
I also added tags to each short story that included “SBibb, Stephanie Bibb, Stephanie Flint” to make it easier to find. Search engine optimization (SEO) is important to having your websites and books and such found, so I also included a note about the name change in the long description. I didn’t put it in the short description since I’d rather reserve that space for info about the story itself.
I also linked the “Where to find this book in print” to the1000 Wordsanthology (print edition)Â on Amazon. Since I don’t want to change the inner covers of the ebook version on Smashwords, I’m unpublishing it there. Kindle allows me (as far as I understand) to keep the older editions of the book the same, while putting my new name on any new books I publish. Therefore, I decided that will not change.
However, one thing I did try to do was make it easier for people to find my work, whether they look it up under Stephanie Bibb or under Stephanie Flint. I imagine it’ll take a little while for my stuff to show up on search engines under the new name, but this way, it should be linked. Also, when I did the book covers, I was careful to make sure the font didn’t change when I switched out the names. That way the quality of the cover remained the same.
Then I went through and made sure that all the edits were in place, and finally changed my profile name on Smashwords itself. I also uploaded my profile picture, taken by my wonderful husband, Isaac. 🙂
Here’s the response I got from Smashwords about the name change, in case anyone else needs to know it:
You have two options:
1. Open a new account for the new name. I wouldn’t recommend this because the books won’t be linked either with us or with the retailers. It’s also a pain to manage two accounts.
2. Here’s a link to the FAQ’s section on changing the author name:
https://www.smashwords.com/about/supportfaq#Updating
Scroll down a bit until you see the section “I’ve decided to change my Pen Name. How to I change it without de-listing my book at retailers?”
Some additional recommendations: A. You should change your profile to the new name, and then update your front matter for all the books so it reads “Copyright New Name 2012” Originally written and published under the maiden name, Old Name
… this will help our vetting team and our retailers understand why the name on the cover doesn’t match the name in the metadata.
B. Also, update the tags, bio and long description so both names are mentioned. This will help make all the books more discoverable if someone’s searching on the old or new name.
So hopefully this is helpful. Meantime, I’ll see if everything transferred over smoothly. If it did, then maybe the premium distribution will start working again soon. 🙂
Filed under Book Covers, Business Ventures, Uncategorized, Writing
It’s my pleasure to announce the latest completed book cover, “30 Days to the End of the World” for Diana Bocco (http://www.dianabocco.com)
Of course, once the final wrap-around cover is completed, I’ll reveal that and let you know when she expects her book to be available. 🙂
Meantime, I thought I’d mention something about promo materials. I’ve decide to plan on including promo materials in all but the most basic cover packages. This included an 8.5×11 flyer, a signature and avatar for those who want (such as if you’re on an online forum like Absolute Write), a thumbnail image, blog image, bookmark, business card, and post card. It’s up to the author whether they want to use them and how, but the idea is to make it easier for potential readers to remember your book.
Say you’re at a convention. Or maybe a book signing, and someone is debating whether or not to buy the book or doesn’t have money on hand. By providing them with a business card or bookmark, especially something that is a teaser, they’ll have something tangible to look back to if they want to look on Amazon for it later. Granted, everyone uses these differently, but I like for the option to be available for those who do. And with something like a bookmark, you could make a point to sign it. Or make notes on the back of a business card, if there’s something you’d talked about. The possibilities are endless, really.
But these are the promo materials I made for this cover, and I thought I’d share. 🙂
 
Filed under Book Covers, Business Ventures, Writing
I’m a day late in posting this, but I thought some of you might be interested. Yesterday Nichole Severn (Also Natascha Jaffa, from my most recent post) hosted a guest blog from me. It’s titled “The Importance of Cover Design and Genre.” If you’re at all considering designing your own cover or looking into hiring someone to design your cover, it might be helpful. At least, I hope it is. 🙂
So take a peak: http://www.nicholesevern.blogspot.com/2012/05/importance-of-cover-design-and-genre.html
Filed under Book Covers, Writing
Great news! I’ve just started offering premade covers on my facebook page. 😀 Prices will vary, depending on the difficulty level of the cover. Please keep in mind that the font, color of font, and placement can be changed depending on your book. Also, minor adjustments can be made with regard to overall color cast of the image, blurring, etc. Feel free to ask if your interested in one of these covers. 🙂
Recognize it? (From banner above) This is one of the covers available to be purchased, and happens to be a wrap-around cover. (Can also be done as a front cover). Great for fantasy or sci-fi, and especially young adult. 🙂
Premades: http://www.facebook.com/sbibbphoto
Custom Designed Covers: https://sbibb.wordpress.com/book-cover-design-services/
Main Website: http://www.sbibbphoto.com
So, if there’s anything you’re looking to see, just ask. I’m going to continue uploading more covers over time, and hopefully get some new ones created soon. 🙂
Filed under Book Covers, Business Ventures, Writing
Just thought I’d share an intersting article on self-publishing. It relates to Smashwords and ebooks, and talks about the business and economy behind them. If you’re planning on self-publishing and/or e-publishing, it’s worth the read.
Filed under Business Ventures, Writing
Updated the blog’s header so it fits my photo illustration business better. I’m worried it might be a little dark, so let me know how it appears in your browser, especially if there’s any readability issues. Anyways, any thoughts on the change?
Meanwhile, I’m working on trying to promote my business. I’m starting to contact various small publishers and presses to see if anyone could use my services, but I suspect that could take a lot more e-mails and time. Of course, I’m trying to keep my Flickr, DeviantArt, and Facebook accounts up to date, though most of it is the same as what you see on the blog.
One method of promotion I’m trying to use is making the gallery folders of my DeviantArt account serve as miniature portfolios. One actually does contain all the spreads found in my print portfolio.
Book Cover Examples: http://sbibb.deviantart.com/gallery/33403924
Portfolio: http://sbibb.deviantart.com/gallery/36792724
Meantime, I’m trying to think of other ways to help promote my work. Have any of you found success in certain types of promotion?
Yesterday I read an article on authors and the swag they use to promote thier books. If you’re at all interested in promotion or self-promotion, it’s worth a read: http://limecello.wordpress.com/2011/01/15/on-author-promo-swag/
Filed under Book Covers, Business Ventures, Photo Illustration, Writing
These pictures are ones I did for Meg and Joe’s photoshoot, of which the theme was “masquerade.” I’d like to thank Meg for providing the dresses she wore during this photoshoot, and Cherise for providing Joe’s hat. I had the masks and created the cloak that Joe wore. (Thanks, Christina, for finding the buttons that give it the masquerade look). The cloak got sewn together about an hour and a half before the shoot, right after making a trip to the nearest antique store/thrift shop. Very handy for photoshoots. Anyways, this was a fun shoot, shot at Culp park and indoors. Unfortunately, the outdoors shoot didn’t come out as sharp, but it had some really neat images, especially since we ended up playing with a “Western meets Eastern” aspect to it. 🙂
Flickr Slideshow: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbibb/sets/72157629563875308/show/
 
Filed under Book Covers, Photo Illustration, Portrait
Stephanie Flint - Author and Artist 