Independent Authors attracting attention

I have been spending some time trying to promote my current book, Pirates Vs Fairies while busily writing my next one, currently called Sea of Ribbons. It has struck me how difficult this whole process is; I mean, they say that the writing bit is the easy bit and I'm beginning to agree with them.

I decided to go it alone after reading some blogs from independent authors and I have to say that the decision I made is the correct one; though I obviously don't have the contract and financial backing of a publisher, I do have control over my creative output. This is something worth considering if you are thinking about going solo.

I designed the front cover for the book myself and felt very comfortable doing that. It is quite tricky to get right and I am very happy with the results. During the design process I made five cover and published them on Facebook, asking my FB friends for their opinions. The response I had was amazing and most of those people went on to buy the book. By making the process inclusive I achieved a few fans who could then help to promote the book.

This is something I will definitely do for the next book when it is finished as it also gave weight to the decision that was finally made. There is nothing worse than a bad cover, you seem a lot of them in bookshops anyway but self-published books can be notoriously cheap looking. My instinct was to look at it like a film, the cover is the sell and it had to lure you in but I also wanted something that was timeless and recognisable.

When I took a copy of it to Boots to print some promotional cards the guy behind the counter gave me a glowing opinion.

And it has proved to be working, people know what it is. Bear in mind when you are at that stage and take time over it, offer it to trusted friends for their opinions. Design something that you like, and don't compromise, there is always a way of doing something.

cover designed at picnik.com