Category: Business

This is How it Works in Real Life: Working with an Illustrator

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

Here’s the fun post for the week: developing the art for chapter 1 of Ginger, the Ship Captain’s Cat, which is what Davina and I were doing earlier this week.

From the top, my original email to Davina with her responses and work. We’d had a series of informal intermittent conversations about Ginger; this is where we did the work.

# # #

Joel: Here’s a composite I slapped together.

What I’m hoping for is a simple line drawing: window, cat outline, Japanese buildings hinted through the window. Simple simple simple, not complicated. I’d love to see a 5-minute sketch to give you feedback before you spend much time on this. Is that possible?

Note regarding the ‘5 minutes’ request: I know how artists are ’cause I are one. Part of my madness is to nudge my collaborators out of their comfort zone, especially when I know the results will suit my needs better.

… more … “This is How it Works in Real Life: Working with an Illustrator”

Technical Issues to Consider When Working with an Illustrator

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: artist at work” width=”128″ height=”256″ class=”alignright size-full wp-image-3854]Yesterday’s post about finding and working with an illustrator focused on the soft stuff: art, personality, style.

Today, let’s chat about bits and formats and whatnot.

Once you’ve settled on a visual collaborator for your book, neither of you should assume the other knows all the technical stuff. Assume a blank slate. Talk about everything. Much of it is a collaborative artistic conversation, not simply a technical or printing issue.

For instance:

… more … “Technical Issues to Consider When Working with an Illustrator”

Questions to Consider When You’re Looking for an Illustrator

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: making the selection]When looking for an illustrator, you’ll need to think a bit like a visual artist. This doesn’t always come naturally to folks who create their art with words.

Here are the types of questions and concepts to consider and discuss with a potential illustrator.

… more … “Questions to Consider When You’re Looking for an Illustrator”

Working with an Illustrator: Meet Davina Kinney

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: Davina Kinney] Davina KinneyIt appears the lovely and talented Mrs. Kinney is home and dry in her new place in Utah. She and her all ’round good guy of a husband Vince even invited us to drop by on our next Wisconsin-to-California trip.

If you’re writing a children’s book, it’s hard to imagine it without illustrations. Drawings, the shapes and colors, capture a child’s imagination and help develop their love of reading.

I’ve written 30 stories about Ginger, the Ship Captain’s Cat. This year the first few stories will see print, meaning somebody other than me has to bring Ginger to life visually. You’ve already seen a few sketches, done by friend and illustrator Davina Kinney.

… more … “Working with an Illustrator: Meet Davina Kinney”

Use the Speed of Digital to Experiment

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: experiment!]Here’s one place where you might choose digital only: to experiment.

Because it’s so easy to publish your own digital book (or novella, or short story, or poetry chap book) why not put one together right now?

Yes, the words in it should be good stuff. Yes, it should be professional enough so your readers are enjoying the words, not stumbling over them.

But why not test the waters? Thomas Watson, Jr., the man who made IBM a household name, said … more … “Use the Speed of Digital to Experiment”

Launch Print and Digital Versions Simultaneously for Better Sales

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

Another reason to make both versions available at the same time is to avoid alienating your fans.

“What? No print version?”

“What? No digital version?”

[image: photo http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1115981 by meral akbulut http://www.sxc.hu/profile/merala]

Whichever you publish first, someone will feel left out. Don’t miss an opportunity for a sale because you weren’t ready when your fan was ready.

Multi-format sales are slowly bleeding into Amazon. … more … “Launch Print and Digital Versions Simultaneously for Better Sales”

Digital or Print? Both! Always Both!

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: chocolate or peanut butter?” width=”222″ height=”222″ class=”alignright size-full wp-image-3793]For some reason, one of the questions I’m asked most frequently is “Should I publish an ebook, or have it printed?”

Perhaps when I waded into self-publishing I was too ignorant to realize I needed to choose.

Turns out I was right: you don’t have to choose. In fact, doing both simultaneously is efficient and sensible. All the work of preparing your manuscript is the same, whether you’re preparing a digital or printed book. Writing, editing, proofreading: the words will be the same in any version of your book.

… more … “Digital or Print? Both! Always Both!”

Wanna Sell Books? Learn Marketing from the Master, Seth Godin

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

Most of you don’t know how marketing should be done.

It’s not your fault. You’ve seen it done wrong your whole life (especially if you’re my age and grew up in front of a television.)

We confused the possible correlation between Coke ads on TV and the Coke in our fridge with a causation: ad => purchase.

If you intend to sell books, you’re going to do marketing.

In order to succeed, you have to do marketing right.

Nobody knows marketing like Seth does. Nobody.

He’s doing his second online Skillshare marketing class soon. Read about it at his website or at Skillshare.

For $16 you can get a million dollars’ worth of knowledge. Learn at your own pace. Soak in it.

An Online Skillshare Class by Seth Godin

Success and Failure: 2 Ways of Doing Each

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

This was originally a post on my Business Heretics website.

[image: Business Heretics]There are two ways to succeed:

  1. things turn out the way we expected; or,
  2. they don’t, and we learn something from it

There are two ways to fail:

  1. we don’t learn the lesson from Success #2 above; or
  2. we quit before we have a chance to fail and achieve Success #2 above

Continuing the Theme of Two, here are two ways for Fail #1:

  1. we can’t find the lesson to be learned; we looked, honest, and we can’t find it; or
  2. we think Success #2 is actually failure, so we don’t even look for the lesson

If you’re doing it right, here’s how your business will look, from most frequent to least frequent:

  1. Success #2: it didn’t turn out, but we learned a lesson
  2. Success #1: it worked!
  3. Fail #1a: the lesson is impossible to discern

You’ll note that Fail #1b and Fail #2 aren’t even on the list. Eliminate Fail #2 by quitting after you’ve learned the lesson to be learned.

Eliminate Fail #1b by changing your perception of how the universe functions and realising that life is something you create, not something that happens to you.

Funds for Writers

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: Hope Clark]Tom Bentley mentioned Hope Clark in a recent post. I thought I’d share his comments. Her site and newsletter are intriguing.

Hope Clark has long sent out a writing newsletter that’s been chockablock filled with writing tips, grants and other publishing opportunities for writers. I’ve subscribed for years, and am always delighted, particularly with her thoughtful editorials. She’s also a mystery novelist of some acclaim.