Spike The Dog

Spike the dog, is on the book cover, (see blog 1) She is really Hattie a girl, A remarkable animal who jumps around all over the place. There is great freedom for a dog like her at the farm where she lives. Hattie has a job to do, looking after Enzo, an old Weimaraner who is completely blind. Where Hattie goes, Enzo follows. As you can see, Hattie is very much alive. Not like poor Spike in the book. Every book needs an animal, at least mine do.

If you would like to create a discussion the place to do it is on the forum page on Amazon where the book is.

Can’t wait to finish the cover for my paperback book, but we are in Sri Lanka now and it has to wait. The photo I want is on the…

View original post 109 more words

The Cover of the Book

I’ve been told the cover design can sell the book. Yesterday I stood back in Smiths and looked at the top 20 books and tried to decide which book I would buy because of its cover. My answer was none.

So why would I take a second look? I decided first the title, and then the genre, before the writer. The blurb on the back cover became the next step.

Some covers I found decidedly uninspiring, but I have bought books on the recommendation of friends. In fact, most books I buy because a friend enjoyed reading it or I heard about it on radio.

A seriously good cover, with raised gold wording and beautifully designed can make me wonder if the cover is better than the content.

Tomorrow I am going to see a publishing company and I will discuss my cover. I think I can design it, but might come stuck on the technical side.

What would happen to sales if inside the cover was a note saying, ‘designed by the author.’ The variety of covers might be fun and make them interesting to look at. I guess, if money is no object you might as well hand it over and let other people do it and if you are a well known writer it will sell anyway.

Book covers are not like old record covers and only if it is a first edition cover, in excellent condition is it worth anything and not necessarily considered a work of art.

Is there a place for more creativity?

………………………………………………………………………

Jan 2015. I’ve handed my book over to the professionals and that included the cover. I’m waiting to see their suggestions. I am told that if your book stands out in a genre, it could be wrong as customers looking for a genre look for similarities. I am learning. When my new cover comes I’ll let everyone see it.

The Travel Bug

This blog is intended to be about the travels and life of Natalie aged 40 in, Marriage A Journey and a Dog. The people who are following are from self-help backgrounds and fellow travelers.

So this is a blog about the travel side of my life.

My husband is a retired clinical neurophysiologist. He is now Honorary Professor of Physiology in the Medical Faculty of the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Sorry, that’s a bit of a mouthful. He is researching the effects of snake bites and organophosphate poisoning.

I have been teaching in a school in Kandy. We have 2000 girl pupils. It has been a great experience. We have the privilege of sharing in the lives of people in a poor village. We have been coming here for 5 years, staying several months each time. There is so much about the communities spread out across the country to learn. The old and the new, rich and poor live side by side, so do the religions for now.

With the vegetation and climate comes birds, butterflies monkeys, pigs, elephants, porcupine, squirrels etc. Every time a house is built, and forestation removed, the numbers go down and the human numbers go up.

Mike Sedgwick (husband) is writing a blog on the Chandler’s Ford Today site, if you would like to know more, look it up. I’ve added some pictures, but there are lots more on Chandler’s Ford Today. You will find Mike’s picture of him in a glider.