Reflections

Self Publishing a book is made much easier these days, especially with the help of sites such as Lulu and Completely Novel. They both offer affordable Print on Demand solutions which allows you to create your book as you see fit. Having chosen the stories I want to include (making sure that I don't breach any copyright with published pieces), chosen the title - 'Refelections' -  I now have to think about the design and format.
I'm very strongly influenced by the 'look' of a book, even with authors who are familiar to me.

On the front of the Time Travellers Wife for instance, we are 'shown' the main plot visually by the shot of the bottom half of a young girl standing by a pile of clothes. Not that you know this is the plot at the beginning, unless you've read the blurb on the back. That's my second influence - if it tells me that the story has a beginning, middle and end and a couple of interesting characters who are going to share their story then I'm almost reaching for my purse. I don't take note of any critiques or adulation's from newspapers or other authors. The joy of a good read is a very personal, subjective one and I'm not influenced by what someone else thinks (or has been paid to think).

I've been scouring some of my own images as a source of inspiration and I have come across a couple of photo's which may just fit the bill but it doesn't end there. A good book cover will draw the reader in through the colour scheme, its title, the author's name, all which have to be set in a design which is pleasing to the eye. It's this kind of detail I like about the self publishing process at the same time as feeling a little nervous. I don't have a 'team' I can discuss ideas with or be told that something doesn't work. So I may well just use this blog as my 'testing plate' and hope that if I really do make a dogs dinner of things, someone will shout out before I press 'publish'.

Until Later...