Category Archives: Book covers

Honest Assessment of DYI Publishing

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“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” ~ Thomas Jefferson 

As a follow-up to yesterday’s blog Goals and Objectives in Publishing, there are more questions that you should ask yourself before embarking on an independent publishing project. Your response to the questions may very well help you control the financial outlay and  determine the costs, too. 

For some (such as for those wanting to publish for family and friends and not wishing to commercially sell their publications) an independent publishing project can be do it yourself. Researching the steps and deciding what parts you can do yourself and what parts you need to seek professional help with, is an important task in and of its self. 

  • Are you equipped with good computer skills to tackle DIY publishing?
  • Do you have time to engage in the process?
  • Are you a self-motivated person?
  • Do you finish what you start?
  • Would you find satisfaction in learning the process? 

If you can answer “yes” to most of these questions, perhaps DIY would be for you, thus reducing your need for professional help.          E-books are one of the best options for a Do It Yourselfer! Some of the process involves choosing and using templates, thus simplifying steps and reducing costs. 

Making decisions that are right for YOUR goals and objectives will reduce some of the frustration and will cut-down on an outlay of unnecessary financial resources. Research, compare and ask yourself those very necessary questions before you start down the path to independently publishing. Talking with others about their experience regarding the right and wrong decisions they made will give you information that may help you too.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

The Inside Story

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“In all things, preserve integrity.” ~ Barbara Paley 

A few days ago, I talked with author Marl Purl regarding the changes that were made to the cover of her book “What the Heart Knows” to better match what was inside. This morning, I gained a whole new perspective to this conversation while I was out taking my early morning walk. 

I walked by three beautiful little girls standing on the street corner waiting for the bus. I stopped just for a moment to chit-chat with the girls. They told me it was the first day of school. I asked the girls how old they were and what grades they were “rising to.” They were ages 8, 9 and lO – stair step sisters. 

Call me old fashioned! But, does anyone think that a 10 year old little girl standing on the street corner waiting for the bus on the first day of school really needs to be made up with lipstick, eyeliner, mascara and rouge?  

As I began to walk toward home, I began to think about the analogy between the publishing process and a 10 year old wearing make-up. In my opinion, she was wearing a cover far too soon. At 10, she doesn’t even know what her own inside story is all about. The tale of her life had hardly begun to unfold, and she already had decided that she needed to cover up her natural beauty with something that may or may not match her final  internal constitution.  And shame on me, I have drawn my own conclusions based on the girl’s surface appearance before her full biography has even evolved. That’s not right – she is only 10 years old! http://bit.ly/22ZvMo.

This correlation does however, support the importance of having a cover that preserves and accurately portrays the integrity of the book. As an independent publisher, you have the final say in making sure the cover reflects the inside works. As a ” non-traditional publisher”,  you will be fulfilling the role of boss of your own book!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.