C. M. Skiera's Blog

Below you'll find the 'new and improved' cover for Crimson & Cream, which I'll be (re)releasing tomorrow , July 1 on Amazon and Smashwords . I re-worked the cover based on input from readers of the 1st edition, as well as my wife and sister, who both have much more graphic design experience than I do. The bloody sword and hand were carried over from the original cover, along with the font and general text layout. The hand and sword has a double meaning in the context of the story and the shield's coat of arms represents the Mirrored Peaks (of the Oxbow Mountain Range) flanking the Wizard's Tower in Dwim-Halloe's Citadel, with the Serpentine Pass snaking into the city from below.  I added a crescent moon, just because.  And if you think it slightly resembles a dragon, well, that's just a coincidence. Maybe. And as a reward for reading through my self-indulgent intro, below I share some tips for making your own e-book cover, for the DIY-inclined a...

Technically, this is more of an article on what I failed to do, as opposed to what I did wrong, upon self-publishing my first e-book, but that's splitting hairs. Basically, this is a list of the main initiatives I would have, could have, should have undertaken before self-publishing Crimson & Cream back in 2012, and the things I'm doing now in preparation for the second edition release of Crimson & Cream and its follow-up, Mirrors & Mist. Mind you, there are a lot more things I failed to do than what I've listed below, although these are the ones I feel are most important. Ask for feedback on your work in progress. I'm quite independent by nature, and it was very hard for me to clear this hurdle. Even now, it's one of my most procrastinated activities. But it's been a difference maker thus far. Reach out to communities on Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter and any other social network you're involved in. Ask for beta readers. Beg for beta read...