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New covers? Yes, and more

1 May

You may have noticed new covers for the earlier books in the series starting to appear in the blog’s sidebar and on Amazon. That’s not all that’s new …

The House in the Old WoodThe House in the Old Wood

The House in the Old Wood has been completely proofread again.

I’ve also added mentions of all the other books in the back, which are links in the Kindle edition.

But the biggest change is in the typeface for the paperback. I switched from Garamond to Palatino Linotype. I used Palatino Linotype in Book 3, The Hall of the Prophetess, and found it much more legible. It was especially helpful in the italics. With all of Karia’s thoughts in italics, it was important that they be clear. And Garamond wasn’t cutting it.

Part of the reason Palatino Linotype is more legible is that it is larger. (I don’t really understand how one typeface can be so much larger than another at the same size, but …) And that means the book has more pages now. And that led me to abandon the convention of having all the chapters start on the right-hand page. I’ve taken out all the blank pages within the book.

Karia's Path coverKaria’s Path

Karia’s Path has also been completely proofread again. As with The House in the Old Wood, this resulted in very few changes.

This new version also has the other books listed in the back, and linked in the Kindle version.

And like The House in the Old Wood, the paperback version makes the switch from Garamond to Palatino Linotype, for better legibility, especially in the italics. And I took out all the blank pages caused by trying to start each paragraph on the right page.

The Hall of the Prophetess coverThe Hall of the Prophetess

I’m a little embarassed to admit this, but I apparently rushed a bit too much to try to get The Hall of the Prophetess out last November. Another round of proofreading revealed more typos and issues than the previous two books.

Perhaps that can be excused by the fact that most of the issues had to do with the way one of the characters, Ni’ika, spoke. We found — and corrected — several inconsistencies in her use of pronouns — or lack thereof.

Since this was already in Palatino Linotype, the only other substantive change was adding the listing of the other books in the back.

Speaking of fonts

Since I brought up the subject of the font for the interior, some font junkies may want to know more about the cover fonts.

The back cover text is primarily Palatino Linotype — hey, when you find something good and legible, you stick with it!

And speaking of good and legible, the secondary font all over the cover is DIN, a legible classic that’s made quite a comeback.

The title font is Fairydust by Marcel de Jong. I think it works fairly well in the titles, but it does tend to look a little busy. It seems to work better as a drop-cap, which is how I used it on the back covers, both the originals and the new ones.

 

We should talk …

28 Apr

The Day Magic DiedDo you have questions about the books? Things you want to talk about? Want to get your copy signed, or buy a signed copy?

You have three opportunities coming up.

May 2: Meet the author, Fairburn, Georgia (Atlanta area). Location to be determined. Don’t be shy; even if it’s just one or two, I’d be glad to get together with you. Get more information, or let me know you’re coming.

May 9: Meet the author, Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Same deal: Location to be determined. Don’t be shy; even if it’s just one or two, I’d be glad to get together with you. Get more information, or let me know you’re coming.

May 18: Summer Book Fair, Bookmark It, Orlando, Florida. I’ll have a table there, and I expect to have copies of Book 4, The Dwarf’s Legacy, along with the other three books in the series that are out. Find out more.

I hope to see you at one of these events. Or contact me, and perhaps we can schedule something.

Book 4 due out May 12

26 Apr
The Dwarf's Legacy

“The Dwarf’s Legacy” is due out May 12.

I anticipate The Dwarf’s Legacy – the fourth of five books in the series The Day Magic Died – will be available in paperback and Kindle format on May 12.

Really!

Let’s start with the cover, since that’s right here on this blog.

I should not have offered you five cover mockups to vote on. My mistake. None received a majority of the votes. The plainest one received the most votes – six – but the two with the series logo, name and number at the top received a total of seven votes. That’s not clear direction. If I had offered you two or three choices, you would have been equipped to provide solid feedback. I apologize.

So I talked with a marketing consultant. I chatted with my designer. I conferred with my wife.

What I wanted to do was get the logo, series name and book number on the cover. I want to at least hint that this is not so much five stories in one series, as one story in five books.

But the primary purpose of the cover is to grab attention and get people to read the title. (The only exception is for a famous author, whose name is the biggest thing on the cover. I’m not there yet. Let’s not dwell on how far away from that I am, OK?)

In the mockups, the number and logo were so large they distracted from the title. So I made them much smaller. I tried putting them above the title, below the title, and below my name. Each time, the design looked unbalanced, and the series bar seemed to distract from the title.

But a funny thing happened as I moved the series bar. I stopped in the middle. And I smiled.

I think this placement – which I have been able to replicate with each of the titles – draws the reader’s attention to the title first and foremost. So I am happy with the cover, and with the new covers for the other books. I hope you like them too.

Now then, what about the insides? The book itself?

Last Sunday I finished correcting all the mistakes found in proofreading. Monday I sent the manuscript to an avid follower of the series who has not been involved in editing until this point.

Friday she sent me a list of about a dozen areas that needed more attention. None were major, but each was enough to “throw” a reader, so it’s good to have those brought to my attention.

First thing this morning, I went through the book and addressed all those issues. Now my wife will proofread those sections again. I anticipate making the final corrections today.

Then what?

1. Format for paperback: I have to copy and paste the book into a template, then adjust it. This should not be very difficult or take long.

2. Format for Kindle: This is a bit more complex. It’s easy to make an ebook. It takes some effort to make a properly formatted ebook. I write in Word, and if I go straight from Word to Kindle … yuck! I have to convert the Word file to HTML, edit the HTML, convert the HTML file to Mobipocket .prc format, then upload that.

3. Checking and proofing: Amazon’s Createspace division has to check and approve the paperback. Amazon’s Kindle division has to check and approve the ebook. And I need to order a paperback proof, go through it, and approve it for sale.

How long will all that take? I anticipate two weeks, and thus, I expect The Dwarf’s Legacy to be available May 12.

Permit me to again apologize for the delay. I have endeavored to make this a book worth your wait.

In the meantime, watch for updates … and a promotion or two!

What’s Book 4 about?

24 Apr

Here’s what the back cover says about The Dwarf’s Legacy:

Destroying magic never seemed easy. But is it even possible?

Love seemed relatively simple to Karia, but now that’s a complicated mess too.

She needs someone to trust – but who? The man who seems to no longer love her? The woman who professes her love? The girl who is keeping secrets? The old man who claims to be her grandfather? Or the sorcerer who deceived her and now wants a second chance?

With her future cloudy, Karia grabs hold of the only thing she can find: the best next step.

Get The Dwarf’s Legacy (The Day Magic Died, Book 4)

Want to help with Book 4?

22 Apr

It’s not just writing that has been holding up The Dwarf’s Legacy. I have a new logo for the series The Day Magic Died, and I want to get it on the cover … but how? At the very least, I want to get the series name on the cover.

So I’ve mocked up some options, and I’d love to know what you think …

cover-sample5

Cover A

cover-sample4

Cover B

cover-sample3

Cover C

cover-sample2

Cover D

cover-sample1

Cover E