In the previous post, I forgot to add that book Forewords are treated much the same way as blurbs. Very often the Foreword is written by the author and the guest “writer” simply puts their stamp of approval on it.

Nice work if you can get it.

PS: And with the controversy over Kaavya Viswanathan, it’s becoming obvious one no longer even needs to actually write their own book. Image is far more important.

PPS: And don’t forget J. T. LeRoy, who proved that the idea of a biography (along with the image of the author), is far more important than reality.

Most authors like to have “blurbs” on their book covers. This is where other authors or people prominent in the subject field endorse the book. Although I don’t know that a blurb has ever influenced my decision to buy a book, it certainly makes me look favorably on the author if So-and-so said that they enjoyed reading it. And that’s the whole point of getting blurbs.

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Although I promised myself I’d stop blogging about obstacles in getting my books out, I really can’t believe the reactions I’m getting.

I collected a very thick file of stupid/crazy/nasty e-mails from my escort work. Sometimes amusing but completely predictable. Now I’ve started collecting the e-mails I’m getting from people in the publishing industry. The response has caught me completely off guard. I never guessed that freedom of the press is not a literal concept.

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I did indeed find a cover designer to work with. Surprisingly enough, she’s local. I found her by accident while surfing around, checking out a local web designer. Her site was in his portfolio.

She took me on after checking out my site (this one). I guess she wanted to answer some of her own doubts about me. Although I understand fears about the sleaze factor, I realized another reason why it’s hard to find a professional to work with me: they’re worried I’m not professional.

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I had to post this. I really can’t believe it.

I’m at the point where I can start seriously looking for a cover designer for my book(s). I want a simple design, mostly type, with a magazine-style illustration. Nothing outrageous or overtly sexual, in fact, I’d like to stay away from that. So I’m querying freelance cover designers, much like I queried freelance editors. The response is the same too, that is, when they bother to even write back.

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