Yes, they say this is a big no-no in the indie author world - you mustn't do anything for yourself if you're not a "professional" at it. It's a train of thought that's come from indie authors getting stones thrown at them for badly produced work - hey, it happens. But as a self-employed person responsible for your business, YOU have to decide where you want your time, energy and investments to go - not anyone else.
So I thought I'd explain briefly why I make my own covers and trailers, and this only applies to me - I don't know about other authors: I find it both beneficial and therapeutic. It's that simple. Even though I have to think about marketability on some level, at the very core of it, creating covers and trailers is not about marketing for me.
When I started creating covers for my books in the very beginning, three years ago now, they were shit. Really, really shit. There is still evidence of this because Amazon doesn't delete books from their system - once you're on there, you're on there! And then I changed the genre I was writing in and I began to look at other people's covers - I picked out the ones I liked and the ones I didn't, and I strived to create things more like the ones I admired. I researched and invested in a basic design software that I could use and I started experimenting. I put stuff out there and got other people's opinions with which to weigh my own.
I had always designed my own website headers previously, so I took the principles I knew and built on them. Yes, of course I made mistakes - who doesn't when they're learning? But for me, it was time well spent and an investment that has paid off. You CANNOT be afraid to make mistakes if you're self-employed in whatever job. You just have to know how to pick up the pieces, learn from them, and become better at what you do.
When I create book covers, the characters and story solidify a little in my mind, and I strongly believe in bringing to my readers an experience that is "indie" in its truest sense of the word, after all, my work IS indie - my types of stories are not really mainstream ... yet ;)
It also keeps the prices of my books lower for readers.
With book trailers, I literally go on a journey when I create them. Again, the story and characters solidify in my mind, and I love them a little more. It's NOT a marketing exercise for me - if it was you'd see my trailers laden with my book covers and buy links - I don't do that; I don't like it.
No, it's not about marketing - it's a part of the story and a part of creation. It's part of my writing. If I thought my trailers were total crap, I would still create them, but I would keep them private just for my viewing. Since I don't think they're utter crap, I share them :)
So I thought I'd explain briefly why I make my own covers and trailers, and this only applies to me - I don't know about other authors: I find it both beneficial and therapeutic. It's that simple. Even though I have to think about marketability on some level, at the very core of it, creating covers and trailers is not about marketing for me.
When I started creating covers for my books in the very beginning, three years ago now, they were shit. Really, really shit. There is still evidence of this because Amazon doesn't delete books from their system - once you're on there, you're on there! And then I changed the genre I was writing in and I began to look at other people's covers - I picked out the ones I liked and the ones I didn't, and I strived to create things more like the ones I admired. I researched and invested in a basic design software that I could use and I started experimenting. I put stuff out there and got other people's opinions with which to weigh my own.
I had always designed my own website headers previously, so I took the principles I knew and built on them. Yes, of course I made mistakes - who doesn't when they're learning? But for me, it was time well spent and an investment that has paid off. You CANNOT be afraid to make mistakes if you're self-employed in whatever job. You just have to know how to pick up the pieces, learn from them, and become better at what you do.
When I create book covers, the characters and story solidify a little in my mind, and I strongly believe in bringing to my readers an experience that is "indie" in its truest sense of the word, after all, my work IS indie - my types of stories are not really mainstream ... yet ;)
It also keeps the prices of my books lower for readers.
With book trailers, I literally go on a journey when I create them. Again, the story and characters solidify in my mind, and I love them a little more. It's NOT a marketing exercise for me - if it was you'd see my trailers laden with my book covers and buy links - I don't do that; I don't like it.
No, it's not about marketing - it's a part of the story and a part of creation. It's part of my writing. If I thought my trailers were total crap, I would still create them, but I would keep them private just for my viewing. Since I don't think they're utter crap, I share them :)
So here they are - my three book trailers for The Witching Pen series, The Last Dragon, and the Eye Of The Storm series. They are here for your enjoyment and my productivity; not to sell you anything. They are a journey in their own right, like any book is. Enjoy :)
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