I’ve wanted to be an author all my life. I got sidetracked for awhile, but I finally embraced the self-publishing, and then ebooks. But what to do for my covers? So my bestie, Anya, started playing around with Microsoft Word and created covers for three of my first books. She’s a very creative person and always has been. When it looked like I was in this author thing for the long haul, she purchased a program called CorelDraw so she could make more professional covers. The first ones she produced with this program were pretty good, but we both agree we might change them when she has the time. She’s asked me if I want to change the covers of Club Blood and See Me that she made with Word, but I still really love those covers.
So now, her career has really taken off better than mine. She’s been contacted by several authors to do covers, business cards, bookmarks, posters, FB banners, etc. This just shows what happens sometimes when you’re a genuinely NICE person. She started all this to help me. I had to MAKE her start charging me for covers. So now, because of something really nice she did, the good karma is coming around. Am I jealous? Heck, yeah! LOL, no, not really. I wish for my bestie all the blessings in the world. She deserves to have this career. Her day job is driving her crazy (at least I LIKE mine), and she needs out of there so she can let loose her creativity. Right now, she works well into the night sometimes, just to get everything done. And she puts up with me wanting to change this and change that until my cover is the way I want it. I’m probably her pickiest author.
Anya, you are the best. I’m so happy that you’ve put yourself out there and got some awesome authors to put their covers in your hands. And if any of you are looking for a cover artist, Anya’s prices are very reasonable. Check it out! PRICING
Pssst! Anya didn’t know I was going to do this post. Don’t tell her, okay?
OK now I’m blushing. š Thank you very much, dear.
I do love creating covers but I do have to say I have met some very wonderful people now because of this journey. Yes, I would love to do this full time one day. Who knows, it could happen!
Thank you so much for this. What a wonderful way to start my day! Love you muches!!!!!
And all my authors are picky because I make them that way. *wink* ā¤
I just thought you deserved some recognition. All the hard work you do for the authors, and I know you do some stuff sometimes for free that you SHOULD be charging for. I would LOVE to see you be able to create covers and other graphic projects full-time.
We are a picky bunch. You wouldn’t have us any other way. LOL
So happy to share this! š
Thanks, Tiffany. Anya is a sweetie.
Thanks for sharing, Tiffany! š I really appreciate it!
I really appreciate Anya’s hard work and talent too. She did an awesome job on the covers of a couple of my books. š
She did do a good job, didn’t she?
Thanks, Michelle. Yours were fun to do!
YES! And I am grateful for both of you. My books would probably be covered in dust and languishing in the back of a desk drawer if it wasn’t for the assistance that you both gave me. I’m passing that on by helping my father-in-law self-pub an editorial book on energy production and national security this coming weekend.
I was just glad I could help. I believe in “paying it forward”. People helped me. I like helping others. And now you are helping your father-in-law. It makes for a better world. š
So glad your books are not languishing because they were awesome!
Ha! Does you father-in-law need a cover? *wink*
That’s so sweet! š She does do good covers. If I’m right she did Rose Gordon’s western romance covers and those look great, too. I’ve talked to a couple of cover artists, and they have to put up with a lot. It’s sounds like most authors are cool to work with, but there are a few that try to get away with not paying or pulling some other underhanded thing. I think it takes a lot patience and excellent people skills to work with the hard customers. My deepest admiration for Anya!
And she’s one of the sweetest people I know. š I don’t think (I could be wrong, I’ll have to ask) she did any of Rose’s covers, but I know she’s done some swag and stuff like that for Rose. She did her FB banner.
So far, all of the authors Anya has worked with have been very nice. Some are really picky like me, but we’re nice about it. LOL. I think the funniest thing I was ever picky about was on Search for the Vampires’ Curse when I made her keep covering up Jimmy Thomas’ butt with mist until it looked decent enough for me. Hee hee.
Okay. I do remember hearing about the swag she did for Rose. I think Rose mentioned it on her blog.
LOL on covering up Jimmy Thomas’ butt. I would have done the same thing. š
Thanks, Ruth! Lauralynn is right. I haven’t done any covers for Rose but I have done her banners, business cards and several swag item designs for her. She is the sweetest to work with too.
LOL on covering up Jimmy’s butt. I kept wanting to show more and Lauralynn would blush too much and say “more mist! more mist!” *grins*
:p
*giggle*
LOL I love how you two were battling over the amount of mist to use. š
I stand corrected on the stuff you did for Rose. Those look awesome. I got a chance to pick up some swag at the RT Convention. š
LOL, Ruth. If I wrote erotica, it would be okay to see more of Jimmy. But I don’t want my covers to be “indecent”. š
I love Anya’s work. You’ve got some beautiful covers, Lauralynn.
She really does a great job.
Thanks, Emma! So glad you like the covers.
Yeah, share the love! Anya does some great work, and since I’m working on my own cover now, I now know what hard work it is.
It is hard work. In your case, you have to be picky with yourself. So do you send yourself emails? Or do you talk to yourself in the mirror? Do you say, Chris, I don’t really like that color? Hahahahahahaha.
It’s a labor of love that’s for sure, Chris! You either love it or hate it! Cover art is my way to de-stress after dealing with my day job. I love to create things so it’s a good outlet. š
I went to comment on this yesterday and it didn’t post!
Anya did a FABULOUS job on multiple things for me. She’s done five different post cards for me, one generic author card and four double-sided series cards, she’s done 12 yes 12 different bookmarks which everyone loves, a blog and website banner AND she’s done I think three ads for me!
I am not a personal (as in IN PERSON) friend of Anya’s like you are Lauralynn, but we’ve become friends (I think, lol) and I love working with her on my swag!
Always, always, always a good job.
Oh, and I might rival you for being the pickiest. And if I don’t, I know I’m pretty difficult in general. I’ll give her a very vague idea and she has to go from there. It can’t be easy, but unfortunately, I am so visually uncreative that I can’t help it. But even when I do this, she comes up with something fabulous!
Thanks so much, Rose! I have to say that your swag designs have been so far my most favorite to design. Historical romance has always been my favorite genre so being able to design some historical things was near and dear to my heart! Thank you so much for allowing me to do that!
I will say that truthfully no one author I have dealt with so far is really any pickier than the others. That includes you Lauralynn. *grins*
This is something I love to do and trust me it’s what you guys don’t see from my first drafts and what I kick out because I’m the picky one that would have you shaking your heads. š
Rose, Anya is just as sweet in real life as she is online. She’s genuine, and she’s always wanting to help someone, sometimes when I think she should be thinking more of herself. And I can tell you that, yes, she is your friend and thinks the world of you. š
I think part of my problem is that I AM visually creative (I just can’t bring it from my eyes to my hands), and I’m especially picky about color. Also, if I’m in a room where things are “off”, like not symmetrical, it drives me crazy, so I’m picky about balance, too. The thing about Anya is, she gets it. She can tell what I’m talking about if something isn’t exactly to my liking. And she works on it until it IS to my liking. Without complaining. Unless she’s just teasing me. LOL
And believe me….tease her I do. Every chance I get! š