Julia Fellner

Storyteller, Authorpreneur & Consultant

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Writing a Copyright Page

Self-publishing HandbookIf you look at any book, whether it is a printed one or e-Book, you will notice that one of the first pages is the page with all the copyright information. Take the copyright page from my self-published novel To be a Hero as an example. Continue reading

Writing an Author Bio

Self-publishing Handbook: Author bioWhen people have finished reading your story, they might want to learn more about you. Depending on whether you are using a penname and how much you want to share about yourself your author bio could contain the following: Continue reading

What is a book jacket and why does it bleed?

Self-publishing Handbook: What is a book jacketWhen you want to produce a printed book you will need more than just a cover, you need an entire book jacket. A book jacket consists of the cover, the spine and the back cover. Apart from having to design the spine and back cover, don’t forget they should include information on them as well. Continue reading

The Evolution of a Cover

Self-publishing HandbookReaching the final version of a book cover takes time. There are many steps of trying things out and finding out what works and what doesn’t. Continue reading

Hiring a Cover Artist II

When you have found a cover artist to hire, you need to make sure you communicate clearly what you want your cover to look like.

You can look for book covers of the same genre or similar stories as reference points. If you prefer a photography-based cover, you could look through online stock image databases for images you would like. Depending on your drawing/photoshop skills you can even do a sketch of what you have in mind.

Additional information you should give the cover artist

  • Format requirements (especially with print books)
  • Deadline (well before the publication date, since you will need to insert the cover as part of the production stage)

To make sure the cover artist catches the book’s atmosphere accurately, it is also very reasonable to provide them with a copy of the book. If they do not have the time to read the book, you should at least send them a blurb and synopsis.

Make sure the cover artists knows

  • The genre
  • The setting (contemporary, historical, urban etc.)
  • Specific locations featured in your novel (architecture, atmosphere etc.)
  • The book’s tone (brooding, humorous, adventurous etc.)
  • If you have any particular colour or font preferences or aversions
  • The protagonist if you wish them to featured on the cover (age, gender, hair colour/length, eye colour, tattoos, piercings, clothing style and period etc.)

Hiring a cover artist I

Self-publishing HandbookConsidering you probably want to sell your book online, consider how the cover is going to look as small icon. The cover should also be still clearly discernable in black and white, since some e-Book devices do not support colour. Continue reading

Whether to hire a professional

Self-publishing HandbookNaturally, hiring a professional costs money, which may stretch your budget but if you want to have a qualitative book in the end, it might be more reasonable to invest the money. Because if the cover does not live up to the quality you promise, you will sell less books and your other investments will go to waste.

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Introduction to the Production Department

Self-publishing Handbook: The Production DepartmentIn this section of the series the production of a book will be covered. Therefore, I will talk about the various tasks, which would usually be done by the production department of a publishing house. Some of the blogs will apply to e-books and printed ones, while there will also be articles focusing on each of these two options separately.
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