All of the writing newsletters I subscribe to have been addressing the issue of ebooks. Self publishing is a new phenomenon that many writers, including myself, are taking to publish books that don’t fit into the genres and niches of a main publisher.
Book stores sort books out into categories such as romance, thriller or biography. If your book doesn’t fit onto one of these shelves, then it is considered a niche market, a market that is too small to be profitable in the eyes of a publisher. Niche market books are the ones that are most often self published. Most self published books sell about 100 copies.
But to compete for the buyer’s attention, a self published book has to look like it was published by a large publisher. Writer’s Digest has published several articles that link the cover’s design to an increase or decrease in sales. People judge a book by its cover. It needs to look like a quality publication inside and out.
This year, I decided to publish a niche market title as a Kindle and Nook. It is a collection of activities, games and crafts that I wrote when I was leading Cub Scout Summer Day Camp for the Esca-Rosa District of Boy Scouts. We had a Hawaiian theme that year. It was difficult to find materials to use in that program, so I ended up writing my own original songs and craft projects. I did a lot of research on the state of Hawaii, too. It took a full year to complete.
Later, I worked as an after school care provider for the YMCA. Their summer program uses a theme as well. Their activities also include games, crafts and skits. It occurred to me then that there might be other applications for this manuscript. If a book would make someone’s job a little easier, then maybe it would be worth the effort to publish it myself.
I made the first cover by printing out the words and then drawing a picture around them. I wasn’t satisfied. It didn’t look polished at all. But what else could I do? Where could I find a photo to use without having to go to Hawaii myself?
Isn’t it great when you have a problem and the answer appears at just the right moment?
A writing blog identified StockXChange as a source for royalty free photos. It is a sister company of Getty Images that supplies the stock photos used in The Examiner. The site is set up in a similar fashion to Getty Images, so I found it easy to use. I found just the right photo for Day Camp in Hawaii and decided to give the cover another try.
The third time was the charm.
Designing a cover this way was much easier than I anticipated. It only took a few tries and only one click on the Help button to get a cover that I’m satisfied with. This is what I did.
- Click Start and go to My Photos. Make a new folder and title it “StockXChange.” This keeps the pictures separate from the photos download from Getty Images, and helps with writing the photo credits.
- Open an account with StockXChange for free. When your account is activated, browse the photos by typing in a key word. When you find something you like, click the button that will put it in a folder. When you’re done browsing, go to that folder, and download the photo into My Pictures/StockXChange.
- Change the name of the file to the name of the photographer so that you will be able to give them credit. This is the only thing I don’t like about StockXChange; the photographers are using screen names instead of their real names. It’s not going to look as professional if the credit reads “Cover photo by Hotmama01” as it would to say “Cover photo by Sara Smith”. The credit will just have to read “Cover photo by StockXChange” instead.
- Resize the photo so that the first number is 1000. I use HP Photo and Imaging, a program that came with my HP printer. If you don’t make the photo smaller, you won’t be able to see the entire layout when you work with it in Paintbrush. Only one fourth of the photo will appear on the monitor. 1000 is the size the cover has to be to be uploaded to Amazon and B&N anyway. If you do this step first, it will be easier to work with.
- In the start up menu, choose all programs, then accessories. Open Paintbrush. Click on file and open the photo you downloaded. Decide where you want each text block to be before you get started, because Paintbrush won’t let you erase your mistakes. If you put the text box in the wrong spot, you’ll have to close the file without saving it, and then start all over again. Look at other books in your genre for ideas.
- Click on the symbol A for text and make a text box. Make one box for each type size. Paintbrush will not make large and small words in the same box. The title should be near the top in large letters, and your name should be under it in smaller letters.
- Choose the background symbol that allows you to have the text box become invisible instead of being a white square. This symbol looks like a window with a can hanging over the side.
- Change the color of the text by highlighting it and then choosing one of the colored squares located at the bottom of the screen. The words should have contrast, or a noticeable difference, from the background. There should be a difference between warm and cool colors. Black type on a blue background is hard to read.
- When you are satisfied with all of your choices; font, type size, placement, background and color, click outside of the text box. Once you do this, the change is permanent and can’t be erased.
- Choose file, save as, and save the file under a different name. This will let you use the photo again if you want to.
StockXChange provides photographs free of charge, with a few limitations. Some of the selections have a fee.
They also invite photographers, real or amateur, to upload photos for others to use. One good turn deserves another. If you’re looking for a way to show off your work, check out the submission policy and terms at www.stockxchange.com .
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