So the anthology is off to a friend for formatting. A virtual friend in California whom I met through an online writers' group. Da Webz: she is amazing. VF has since become a well established author in the sci-fi genre while raising four daughters under the age of 7. And helps out fellow authors with her expertise.
I like the cover which features my office and an old fashioned lamp and a photo of my parents which seemed to fit. I wanted to show modern technology in conjunction with the old fashioned timbre of some of the stories/memoirs/poems within it. The photo is meant to be blurry with clear text. Not sure whether it works or not even though I am enamoured of it.
I've never taken on such a humungous, soul destroying, exhausting task in my life. It ripped about a year out of my life between rewrites and revisions and formatting, repaginations, four levels of editing and banging my head off my own keyboard. I would never do it again. Sympathy and compassion (except from other writers) was in short supply along with the challenge of the writers' impatience to see the book in print.
I think it will sell well locally as it truly is a type of compendium I'd see in the old days. Bits of everything.
A few of my own and Daughter's pieces are in it. One writer pulled a piece that was her best: afraid of relatives' judgements. A lovely piece, sadly never to see the light of day. Her substitute piece never made the final cut as it was so inferior.
It's done now and I can move on to my languishing 3 novels and the CBC Short Story Contest.
Freedom.
The blue lettering is hard to read against that background; there will be better ways to incorporate it with your photograph, and maybe your friend in California will have some good suggestions. I'd use a different font too. Not that you asked! So forgive me please if the design feedback isn't welcome. Congratulations on being so near completion of this project! -Kate
ReplyDeleteKate - feedback is great, thank you. I tried red and it was awful, black got lost, maybe white/grey, not sure..... feedback is truly welcome on this. I'll see what VF says too.
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There will be all kinds of options, fear not! A few ideas here: https://designschool.canva.com/how-to-design-book-covers/ and los more online. -Kate
DeleteThanks Kate and also for your email, I am mulling....
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Oh go ahead: do a bodice ripper.
Deletesince you are getting advise, I will not give you any, but if it were up to me, I would wash out the sepia a bit more, give it the faded look.
ReplyDeletekeep up the fine work.
Great advice, thanks Fred, feel free to comment, all suggestions are so welcome!
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Yes, I do like the photo. Not so sure about the writing. I think a plainer font would be too stark. So would plain black writing. Hmm. A dilemma.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I tried a plainer font and it looked clumsy, something's bound to jell with all the good suggestions coming in.
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you are smart
ReplyDeleteand figure out the best way
trust your judgement....
Thanks Ernestine, smart has nothing to do with, I feel very stuck with moving towards the best.
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I'm happy for you that this is almost done and that you'll move on to other projects. I hope you'll keep us posted on publication.
ReplyDeleteLet me know when and how I can buy a copy. All the best with the 3 novels and the CBC Short Story Contest.
ReplyDeleteI like the photo. But I agree, the writing is hard to read against the background. Maybe you could just have the text on the monitor, and forget the over-writing altogether? Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteI hope it enjoys excellent sales after all the hard work you've put into it. A labour of love indeed!