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It always baffles and angers me when people say – You’re not a real author because you self published, meaning you’re only a real author if you traditionally published. This is a load of horseshit. All authors work hard at writing and editing their books. I read a statistic one time, and I forget where, that said 97 to 99 percent of people that want to write a book don’t even write down the first word. Of the 1 to 3 percent that actually do start writing their books, 99 percent of those guys don’t finish it. Of the 1 percent that finish their books, 99 percent of those guys do not publish their books. So, if you start your book, finish it and publish it in any form, you are doing better than 99.999999999 percent of all the people that want to write a book. I wouldn’t call that being a raging joke or a loser.
Read more: Are You a Loser or a Raging Joke Because You Self-Published?
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Have you found yourself browsing your Twitter or Facebook feed when some random person pops up with a comment – I’m a professional cover art designer. I do your cover for $25, and they usually put a Fvvr link in there? My first thought is usually – Ooohhhhh Reaalllly. $25? Professional only means that at some point, the individual was paid to do a cover or some graphic for someone. It doesn’t mean that they have a degree in graphic design, nor does it mean that they have any advanced imaging software better than GIMP. They may have splurged and purchased a couple of advanced font packages, but at no point does that make them a good cover designer, and you could probably do what they’re going to do for free, which is slap an image in a 6 by 9 digital canvas and add some text. That takes five minutes to create. In fact, you’ll spend more time looking for the perfect background image than actually putting it together, so just go ahead and take your $25 and order a pizza or put a frozen pizza in the oven. By the time your pizza arrives or your timer dings, you’ll be done with your cover.
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Once an author finishes a manuscript, they have many publishing options available to them, and one of those options is a vanity press, which is a publishing house that charges for their services. In fact, you’ve probably seen some of their commercials. They usually say something like: “Are you an author? We can get your book published today!” Exciting! Right? Well, maybe not. It depends on your goals and your wallet.
Read more: What Writers Need to Know About Using a Vanity Press
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By: Merry Monteleone
In today’s day and age you might wonder why any author would choose to write under a pseudonym. It’s easy enough to figure out who the author really is, so it can’t be to hide their identity. There’s relatively little that the voracious sleuths of the interwebz can’t discover.
Look at JK Rowling, for example. Her effort to publish under the pen name Robert Galbraith was uncovered by use of software to analyze the writing style. (1)
Of course, not every author will elicit the kind of scrutiny that Rowling does. The fact remains that anonymity is not guaranteed by the use of a pen name.
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When creating your own book cover, it’s unlikely that you are going to find a single image that works. Instead, you’re going to have to source multiple images, cut out bits and pieces and stick them all together. While that may sound complicated, it’s really not.
1. Find Your Images
I like to use a combination of Pexels and Pixabay, but if you want alternative sources, you can search “Royalty Free Images” in your search engine. If you’ve got a few dollars to spend, Adobe actually has a good stock of images, and both Pezels and Pixabay allow you to donate to the photographer. However, it’s important to note that regardless of where you get your images, you are still going to manipulate the hell out of them because they will not be exactly what you need.