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.
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.
Here’s a short list of books that I’ve enjoyed and have recommended to a number of people. Books that I recommend to only one or two people don’t make the list. (Books are in no particular order.)
In the category of wasting time and money, we have a not-surprising DNA study conducted on Thoroughbreds. It concluded that all Thoroughbreds were descended from three stallions and about twenty-five mares. The study also concluded that one of the stallions was the most influential.
Okay, perhaps if you’re not a horse-person, this is news. It doesn’t take much research on Thoroughbreds to discover that the breed was indeed founded by the breeding of the Byerley Turk, the Godolphin Barb and the Darley Arabian to a select group of mares. It also doesn’t take much research to discover that although he had a book written about him, the Godolphin Barb isn’t considered as influential as the other two. Almost all children interested in horses find out these facts with just a little bit of reading since these foundation stallions are repeated in nearly every equine reference book. Add the fact that every purebred horse’s bloodlines are carefully recorded at birth, and you understand why I consider this research a waste of time and money.
Fortunately, it was funded by a private foundation and not public grant money. Still, it was an awful lot of effort to tell the world something that was already quite well known. Next up: a study to discover why horses like grain.
I was born the middle child in my family. I’ve been stuck in the middle ever since.