IWSG: DIY Book Cover Designs or Not by J.Q.Rose, #bookcovers #IWSGbloghop

 

Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop

#IWSGbloghop

Happy IWSG Day!!

Happy February!

Hello and Welcome to the IWSG Blog Hop!!

What is the Insecure Writer's Support Group?

Founded by author Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database, articles and tips, a monthly blog posting, a Facebook and Instagram group, Twitter, and a monthly newsletter. To find out more, click this link:  Insecure Writer’s Support Group

The purpose of the group is 

* to share and encourage. 

* Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. 

* Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. 

*It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! 

You're invited to become a member of this supportive group. 

Click here to sign-up and/or to visit the bloggers this week.

The awesome co-hosts for the February 1 posting of the IWSG are 

Jacqui Murray, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, and Gwen Gardner!

💛💛💛💛

February 1 Question 

If you are an Indie author, do you make your own covers or purchase them? If you publish trad, how much input do you have about what goes on your cover?

My Non-fiction Books
Covers Designed by J.Q. Rose

When I self-published my first e-book, I decided to splurge and hire a professional cover designer. I asked a cover artist who was in an online group with me to create a cover for my book. I interviewed 15 amazing women about their successful careers. They generously shared their stories to inspire girls to dream big. 

I waited and waited and waited for the book cover to be completed. I waited some more. Finally, the file arrived in my email. I was so excited to see what the woman created for this, my very first eBook.

When I opened the file, the excitement turned to disappointment. My sparkly eyes turned into teary eyes. A plain, tan background with a small dream catcher in the upper right corner and the title of the book, Girls Succeed!, in the center of the cover was nothing like I had mentioned when we were brainstorming for the cover design. I was dumbfounded! Being new to the business, I accepted the cover. She knew I was not happy, so she never charged me for the book cover.

After that, I turned to Fiverrr and commissioned a young man to create something that would be cute for the book for girls and eye-catching to draw in readers. I received a cover with a boy standing to the side of the text with some doodles on it. I told him that was nothing like I wanted. I tried to explain better what the book was about. There must have been a language barrier. He said he could not do the project. Have you ever had an artist on Fiverr turn you down??? 

I gave up on buying book covers when I discovered Canva. I have not hired anyone else for my self-published books. I have a great time creating the covers and then letting friends pick what they like. And yes, they are honest if the covers need more work on them!

My traditional publisher is pretty easygoing. She subscribes to a photo site. I think it's 123photos. The author picks out an image or two that fits the story. The designer can use one of those or come up with something different. I have requested changes in the font so it is easier to read and to place the title in a different place on the cover. One cover had the main character with brown eyes. I requested blue eyes, so somehow the designer changed the color, and it was perfect. 

I can spend hours looking perusing amazon's bookstore and studying the book cover designs, backgrounds, font size, placement and colors in the genre I am writing. I look at the top 100 sellers to see what is getting the readers' attention. 

My present WIP is to the point where I will be designing the cover. I took a lot of photos on trips this summer thinking I could use one of them for the background. I'm anxious to see how that will work out.

How about you? Have you tried designing with canva? Hired Fiverr artists? Engaged a cover artist?

Please leave your thoughts below in the comment section.

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Tips and Topics for Writers
Image by Mwaka Suza from Pixabay 

EVERYTHING CHANGES.

New year. New beginnings.

 

After twelve years of sharing blog posts on Focused on Story, I will not be posting every week. I will be connecting with you on the first Wednesday of the month for IWSG and on the third Wednesday of the month with a new series, Tips and Topics for Writers. 

I have a WIP, so this cutback will free up more time to work on this special writing. When I get further into the project, I will share it with you. Ooh--keeping you in suspense?

Be sure to click on the link below to follow this blog so you will be notified that I'm "in the house" on those days, and you may pick up some new tips. I'd appreciate your contributions of helpful writing tips and insights on the topics discussed in the series, Tips and Topics for Writers. Looking forward to seeing you here!

February's topic is adding A+ Content to your amazon book pages. I'll be letting you in on my experience when creating the content and submitting it to amazon for approval. Come back on Wednesday, February 15 to get the whole story!!

The first posting in the series was in January and covered converting your photos to 300 dpi--the requirement for images in print books and for A+ Content.  Click here to discover how I did it.

💛💛💛💛

If you want to stay up-to-date with JQ, the Rose Courier is delivered quarterly to your inbox. Filled with articles, freebies, photos and fun! 

Click here to get your copy of the Spring edition in April!

Click here to be notified when a new article is posted on this blog.

To visit more bloggers during this month's IWSG blog hop,

Click this link:  Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Happy IWSG Day!!

I

 

Produce Images Accepted by Amazon for Your Print Books and A+ Content, FREE eBook, #convertimages, #A+Content, #createprintbooks

 

Hello and welcome to the first post in the new series, 

Tips and Topics for Writers, 

presented every 3rd Wednesday of the month! 

Tips and Topics for Writers

Tips and Topics for Writers--#selfpublishing
Photo by geralt at Pixabay

This month's topic will help you produce images that are accepted by amazon for your print books and A+ Content. (Next month I'll share my experience with creating A+ Content for my Girls Succeed! book.)

 Why did I choose to share tips with writers?  

• Because I am a writer always looking to learn something new to improve my writing and find new ways to make the job easier. I'm sure you feel the same way.
• I also love teaching. My mom and grandmother were teachers, so I think I have the gene for teaching. 
• Plus, I love the camaraderie among fellow writers. When I first entered the writerly world, I was surprised at how authors helped each other. They were, and they are, generous with their support of each other. I have not met one who believes another writer's work is competing with theirs. One little tidbit shared on this blog may bring on a "light bulb" moment for another writer! 

You are invited to share a topic or writing tip. Please email me and I will schedule a guest post. Thank you.

Creating Images for Print Books

If you want to publish your eBook as a print book with images in it, you must have high-quality images for print. Photos are made up of little dots called pixels. The higher the dot count, known as dpi or dots per inch, the higher the quality of the photo. Amazon prefers a clear image on the printed page. I'm sure you want the best photo possible for your print book, so here is a free way of converting photos to get the 300 dpi required by Amazon.

Find the photo's dpi by right-clicking, then click File Information on the menu that pops up

The images in my Girls Succeed book was no problem for the eBook format. But for print, the images had to be 300 dpi. The dpi for the pictures of the women in my book were not 300 dpi. But, thanks to Keith Wheeler, I knew exactly how to make the pictures 300 dpi by creating the images with canva.com. 

Upload a picture from your file or create an image in canva. Click "custom size" at the top of the Canva home page to select the size image you want for your book. 600 px is about 2 inches. 

If you uploaded the photo to the uploads section in Canva, drag the picture into the blank box. Save the picture as a PDF...yes, a PDF for print. Save your canva creation as a PDF.

Upload the picture to the image converter free with online-convert.com to convert the PDF to a jpg image and to 300 dpi. You will be amazed at all the possible conversions this site can do for you e.g. a document converter, image converter, eBook converter and audio converter. 

Scroll down the section below the submit button. Enter 300 for the dpi. Click submit. The photo will be downloaded to your computer as a jpg with a dpi count of 300. Now you are ready to add the image to your manuscript!

Thank you to Keith Wheeler for sharing this idea in his video--Canva Tips/Image Conversion. Click here for Keith's demonstration of how to do the conversion.

Click here to visit his Youtube channel packed full of helpful tips for self-publishers!

Tips for Writers FREE Gift

A gift for you to celebrate the beginning of the new year and a new series for writers on Focused on Story!!!

You never know what can happen when we writers get together. Several years ago, fifteen romance and mystery authors shared writing tips they gleaned from their experiences as “on-the-job” writers. I collected their tips and created an eBook packed with wisdom about writing, publishing and marketing!!!

To receive this gift, please send me your email address so I can send you the PDF of the book. My email address is jqrose02@gmail.com. Please put GIFT in the Subject box so I won't miss you.

Click here to take you to amazon if you would like to check out the eBook.

Where Did the Time Go? Happy New Year 2023! #time #newyear

Image of a clock welcoming in the New Year.

Hello and welcome to the Focus on Story Blog!

Where did the time go? How did it get to be Wednesday morning already? I apologize for missing my usual blog posting time on Tuesday evening. I have been creating my Winter edition of the Rose Courier this week and should have been focusing on my blog post. 

Odd that my topic for this second week in the new year is about "time" and I lost track of time!

January 1 is a wake-up call for me. Another year gone so quickly. Now a new beginning. I wish I could capture time and say, wait a minute, I want to enjoy more time with my children growing up or I want to enjoy this wonderful day with my grandkids longer than this. But that is impossible. We all get 24 hours and that's it!

I think that's why we are so obsessed with time. We are helpless to change the rules of time. Look at these phrases or cliches we use all the time. Note--there's one at the beginning of my post! LOL

• Time is of the essence.
• Time of my life
• Time in a bottle
• Time is money
• Time and tide wait for no man--Tip of the hat to Mr. Chaucer for this. According to dictionary.com, "this proverbial phrase, alluding to the fact that human events or concerns cannot stop the passage of time or the movement of the tides, first appeared about 1395 in Chaucer's Prologue to the Clerk's Tale."

These are just a sampling of phrases and quotes about time. Please leave one for us below in the comment or just say hello. Thank you.

I discovered this poem written to Father Time by Lucy Larcom. There are only twelve months in a year and we need to appreciate and celebrate each one.

I wish you joy in 2023 with celebrations aplenty!

Happy New Year 2023!

“In Time’s Swing” by Lucy Larcom

A girl swinging
Image by Anja from Pixabay 

Father Time, your footsteps go

Lightly as the falling snow.

In your swing I’m sitting, see!

Push me softly; one, two; three,

Twelve times only. Like a sheet,

Spread the snow beneath my feet.

Singing merrily, let me swing

Out of winter into spring.

Swing me out, and swing me in!

Trees are bare, but birds begin

Twittering to the peeping leaves,

On the bough beneath the eaves.

Wait,—one lilac bud I saw.

Icy hillsides feel the thaw.

April chased off March to-day;

Now I catch a glimpse of May.

Oh, the smell of sprouting grass!

In a blur the violets pass.

Whispering from the wildwood come

Mayflower’s breath and insect’s hum.

Roses carpeting the ground;

Thrushes, orioles, warbling sound:—

Swing me low, and swing me high,

To the warm clouds of July.

Slower now, for at my side

White pond lilies open wide.

Underneath the pine’s tall spire

Cardinal blossoms burn like fire.

They are gone; the golden-rod

Flashes from the dark green sod.

Crickets in the grass I hear;

Asters light the fading year.

Slower still! October weaves

Rainbows of the forest leaves.

Gentians fringed, like eyes of blue,

Glimmer out of sleety dew.

Meadow green I sadly miss:

Winds through withered sedges hiss.

Oh, ‘t is snowing, swing me fast,

While December shivers past!

Frosty-bearded Father Time,

Stop your footfall on the rime!

Hard you push, your hand is rough;

You have swung me long enough.

“Nay, no stopping,” say you? Well,

Some of your best stories tell,

While you swing me—gently, do!—

From the Old Year to the New.

Thank you to mindessential.net for this poem and more poems on Time 

Thank you for visiting. 

If you would like to read more of my thoughts on time, it's not too late to subscribe to the Winter edition of my newsletter.

If you want to stay up-to-date with JQ, the Rose Courier is delivered quarterly to your inbox. Filled with articles, freebies, photos and fun! 

Click here to get your copy of the Winter edition this Friday!

Click here to be notified when a new article is posted on this blog.

 

IWSG Blog Hop: What's Your Word for 2023? #IWSGbloghop #newyear

 

Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop

#IWSGbloghop

Happy New Year 2023!

Video by Yashwant Bairwa from Pixabay 

Happy IWSG Day!!

Hello and Welcome to the IWSG Blog Hop!!

What is the Insecure Writer's Support Group?

Founded by author Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database, articles and tips, a monthly blog posting, a Facebook and Instagram group, Twitter, and a monthly newsletter. To find out more, click this link:  Insecure Writer’s Support Group

The purpose of the group is 

* to share and encourage. 

* Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. 

* Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. 

*It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! 

You're invited to become a member of this supportive group. 

Click here to sign-up and/or to visit the bloggers this week.

THANK YOU to our awesome co-hosts for the January 4 posting of the IWSG--Jemima Pett, Debs Carey, Kim Lajevardi, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and T. Powell Coltrin!

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January 4 question 

Do you have a word of the year? Is there one word that sums up what you need to work on or change in the coming year? 

For instance, in 2021 my word of the year was Finish. I was determined to finish my first draft by the end of the year. In 2022, my word of the year is Ease. I want to get my process, systems, finances, and routines where life flows with ease and less chaos. What is your word for 2023? Why?

JOY!
Image by Paul Stachowiak from Pixabay

Joy is my word of the year for 2023. I don't usually pick a word of the year, but this is one I discovered during the holiday season. Since you asked the question, I will claim joy.

Joy and happiness are not the same feelings. People can see happiness in you through your expressions and body language. But joy is inside you, the core of your being. According to compassion.com," joy endures hardship and trials and connects with meaning and purpose."

I want to carry joy in my heart and in my writing this year even when the book project seems unmanageable or overwhelming. I read through the pages and shake my head. I can only sit back and ask " why did I ever think I could create this book?" Have you experienced the feeling of absolute frustration and helplessness with your writing?

This year, I will happily put the ms away for a while! Then I will joyfully attack it and figure out the solution with meaning and purpose.

Wishing you a successful year in your writing journey 

and in finding joy within your pages!

The Rose Courier

If you want to stay up-to-date with JQ, the Rose Courier is delivered quarterly to your inbox. Filled with articles, freebies, photos and fun! 

Click here to get your copy of the Winter edition in January.

Click here to be notified when a new article is posted on this blog.

I am interested in discovering the words chosen by the IWSG bloggers.

Click here to visit the participants in the IWSG Blog Hop this week 

so you can find them too.

If you have a word for 2023, please share it with us in the comment section. 

Thank you!

Happy New Year from J.Q. Rose

When Do You Take Down Your Christmas Tree? #christmastree #christmasdecorations

Hello and welcome to the last Focused on Story Blog Post in 2022. Doesn't that seem impossible? 2023 is just days away. I remember when everyone was in a tizzy about 1999 transitioning into the 21st century. The media predicted disaster ahead with the banks shutting down and computers going awry unable to make the change from the 20th to 21st century. Another example of the media hyping the news, eh? 

I hope you had a very merry Christmas and a happy Hanukkah!

Me by the Christmas tree

This week, my question is--when do you take down your tree? My mother always left ours up until my brother's birthday, Jan 5. And that was before artificial trees were invented, so it was pretty dry, but we didn't put it up early in the season. Dad usually picked up the last tree in the lot on Christmas Eve. It was usually crooked with a bad side, but Mom would turn the sparse side to the wall and prop the tree up to look straight. Sometimes when straightened, it did not fit in the space allocated for it. Too wide, too tall. Time for the sawing to commence.

My parents were not in a good mood while getting that tree up and in place. Do you remember that? It was a chore, especially when everyone was tired from working all day, and the tree did not want to stand indoors in our living room. Sad to take it away from its beautiful outdoor home in the woods with a view of the skies.

I miss the fragrance of fresh evergreen trees in the house during Christmas. Do you? I do not miss sweeping up the dried needles on the carpet. Impossible to get each one. Be assured, it will show up when it pierces the bottom of your bare foot at Easter time or late summer. Ouch!

Hmmm, nowadays, many homes have hardwood or laminated plank floors. So it would be a breeze to run your iRobot Vacuum cleaner to pick up all those remnants of the tree. How things have changed.

Remember stringing lights on those prickly trees? Little red spots would appear on my hands and arms from either the sharp needles or perhaps an allergic reaction to the tree. And, oh why, oh why, did ALL of the lights work when we plugged them in to check before installing them on the tree? However, after winding them around the tree branches, they did not twinkle at all but lay dark and dead on the evergreen. Those were the days when one light didn't work, the entire string of lights went out!

With artificial trees, many folks keep them up all year changing the decorations for every season of the year. Clever people.

That brings me back to the original question. When do you take down your Christmas tree?

I hope you have memories of Christmases past, good and bad. Please leave a comment below about your experiences with Christmas trees. Thank you.

I hope you enjoyed walking down the path of Christmas memories with me.

Perhaps this blog post will stir you to write about your experience with Christmas trees or Christmas traditions. Then you will have one life story to put in a folder where you can add more of these little vignettes to share with your family and friends.

* * * *

PLEASE NOTE!

Finally! All of my eBooks are on the same page at Smashwords.
Click here to visit my SmashWords J.Q. Rose Author Page

UPDATES:

All of my eBooks are enrolled in the Half-Off Year-End Sale at Smashwords! Load up your new reading device with great bargains in fiction and non-fiction.

Click here to visit my SmashWords J.Q. Rose Author Page

Remember, I have a gift for you--a collection of short stories from 350 words in the story to about 1000 words. The perfect story length for you to take a break and relax anytime during the year.

This is not a gimmick. Your email will not be added to my newsletter when you claim the book. This is a gift for you, my blog followers and friends.

 Click here to download the eBook. My heart is happy when I share my stories with you and you giggle or groan when you read them. 

Time Out from the Holidays! A Collection of Short Stories

 The eBook is not available to buy online so you can't leave a review. If you have a minute, I would appreciate feedback about the collection or specific story. 

Please leave a comment below or email me at jqrose02@gmail dot com. 

Thank you!

The Rose Courier

If you want to stay up-to-date with JQ, the Rose Courier is delivered quarterly to your inbox. Filled with articles, freebies, photos and fun! 

Click here to get your copy of the Winter edition in January.

Click here to be notified when a new article is posted on this blog.