Liz Gavin and The Upside Down Blog Tour

Today, I’m turning the reigns over to Liz Gavin as she continues her blog tour promoting her latest work, Upside Down.

MARKETING INDIE BOOKS (Part 1 of 4)

Today I want to share with you my ideas on – CREATING COVERS.

You know that old saying ‘you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover’, right? Well, the thing is – most people do that. Some people do that all the time.

In my defense, let me just make it clear that I know covers can be misleading. I know a beautiful cover image does not always means the content is to our liking. On the other hand, a plain-looking picture on the cover of a book may hide a treasure inside its pages.

I know all that. However, I often wonder – why not combine an excellent story and a compelling cover. Does it seem easy enough for you? Well… it’s not that simple, actually. One must have a picture they can use. I mean, the author must have taken a useful picture himself/herself to avoid facing copyright issues. If they don’t have it, they need to find an image, with good quality resolution, and appropriate dimensions, at one of the many royalty-free stock image websites available in the Internet.

Does it still sound simple? If you’re an author, you know it isn’t. If you’re a reader, let me propose an exercise. Think about a book you’ve read. Any book. Think about it’s storyline and main characters. Forget its actual cover and go online searching for an image you think portraits that storyline and those characters. How long did it take you to find it?

Great. You have your image. But, is the picture royalty-free? Is it ready to be used on the cover of your book? Do you need to edit it? Do you need to include a title and the author’s name? How do you do that? How long will it take you to finish your cover?

Phew! I’m tired already. Aren’t you? I told you it wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Now, if you’re a reader, you may now have a slight idea of what we have to go through to offer you a decent-looking cover. If you’re am author and want to know more about it, I’ll tell you about my personal experience.

Editing pictures can be tricky. I’ve tried using Photoshop many times without results that satisfied me. Don’t get me wrong – it is a great program. I can’t seem to master it, though. I found an excellent website for editing images which offers user-friendly features. Mainly for those users who, like me, are leaning towards the ‘Photoshop-dumb-users’ kind. If you want to check it out, it’s called Pickmonkey. My favorite source for royalty-free stock images is Big Stock Photo because they have variety, high-resolution quality, and fair prices.

That’s all for today, folks. Tune in tomorrow, at the next stop on UPSIDE DOWN BLOG TOUR, for my musings on formatting your eBook.

Please, leave your thoughts below before you go!!

Author Bio

When Liz Gavin was in Second Grade – just a couple of years ago, really – her teacher told her mother the little girl should start a diary because she needed an outlet for her active and vivid imagination. She was a talkative child who would disrupt the class by engaging her colleagues in endless conversations. She loved telling them the stories her grandfather used to tell her.

Apparently, the teacher wasn’t a big fan of those stories, and Liz’s mother bought her a diary. She happily wrote on it for a couple of months. Unable to see the appeal of writing for her own enjoyment only, she gave up on it. She missed the audience her friends provided her in class. She went back to disturbing her dear teacher’s class.

Since then, she has become a hungry reader. She will read anything and everything she can get her hands on – from the classics to erotica. That’s how she has become a writer of erotica and romance, as well.

As a young adult, she participated in a student exchange program and lived in New Orleans for six months. She fell in love with the city and its wonderful inhabitants. NOLA will always hold a special spot in Liz Gavin’s heart. Nowadays, living in Brazil, Liz’s creativity has improved many times because it’s such a vibrant, gorgeous and sexy country.

Welcome to her world of hot Alpha males and naughty, independent women. Add a touch of the paranormal in the presence of some wicked souls and you’ll get the picture.

Contact Information

My blog =  https://lizgavin.wordpress.com

Twitter handle =  @LizGavin_author

Facebook = www.facebook.com/liz.gavin.54

Email = [email protected]

Book Blurb

Carol Anne Sullivan is a tough New York stock broker. She’s suffered enough in order to learn a hard lesson – never let love spoil her relationships. Her boyfriends know that rule from the start. She’s domineering and assertive but also faithful and fair while the relationship lasts.

Mark Aikens is Carol’s boyfriend. He’s been in love with her for a while but his submissive side hasn’t allowed him to rebel against her golden rule and to tell her how he feels. Fear of losing her forever might spur him into action.

Cindy O’Rourke has admired Carol from afar. So, she jumps at the opportunity to work for her idol. Little does she know, things will never be the same for her after that job interview

Carol has been going through a rough patch: world economical crisis, dysfunctional parents, demanding clients, faulty equipment. Without much time for herself, her love life is suffering. So what is the big deal if she fantasizes about a new employee when her boyfriend, Mark, can’t give her what she needs? The big deal is – the new receptionist, Cindy, is a woman who threatens to turn her world upside down

This is the steamy tale of an unconventional love triangle which should be read with an open mind and an open heart. Sometimes, love comes to our lives in unexpected ways but with such overwhelming power that the best course of action might be to surrender to it.

Book link on Amazon US = http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IFMMJY0

Book link on Amazon UK = http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IFMMJY0

Did you miss any stops on the UPSIDE DOWN BLOG TOUR? Check the lineup at 4WillsPublishing site.