Friday Rewind: Ask AJ Issue 3

Today on All Authors Friday Rewind we bring you a reminder of Ask AJ from "All Authors Magazine Issue 3: Winds of Change" published March of 2014.

Question:

My cover designer did a fantastic job on the cover of my book. I want to give him the recognition he deserves, but I don't see a title for "book cover designer", only "illustrator". If I list him as an illustrator, I fear the reader may think my book is full of illustrations, but if I don't have him as part of my listing, I think he will feel slighted. Should I proceed with listing him as an illustrator, and if I don't, how can I give him proper recognition?

AJ Replies:

I particularly like this issue’s question. I am a big fan of book covers, cover art, and everything that goes into them–from the idea, the concept, and the final product. The old saying, one that everyone knows, is ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’ Unfortunately, that does happen, and your cover will be the first thing a potential reader/buyer will see. 

There are so many layers (no pun intended…well maybe) that go into a book cover, and leaving even one out can change the entire look and feel of the cover art. And unless you draw it from scratch and design it from that point on, you will probably need the help of others to create the vision you have for your cover. There is nothing wrong with that.

Services

Depending on how you get your cover done, if you collaborate, you should (in my opinion) give credit to anyone involved, especially an illustrator or cover designer. If you pay someone to do your cover from start to finish, the designer or cover artist will usually work out details on them receiving acknowledgment of their work in the negotiation of the fee they will charge. Some cover designers will take payment for their work and mention anything about receiving credit. But, those may be few and far between.

Crediting

Most of us give credit where credit is due, so it’s not out of the way for us to give props to someone who does us a service - one that we consider a job well done. One that will help us promote our products. With all that out of the way, I’ll get back to the actual question above, which is really a two-part question. 

1. The question posed is about giving credit to the cover designer. 
2. The technical part of the question is whether the designer is listed as an illustrator or not.

I feel that you should give credit to the cover artist for the work they have done. The terms illustrator and cover designer can be the same thing, depending on what they choose to go by. Technically an illustrator can be a person who draws art for books, magazines etc. - more of an artist. 

I would credit them under the title they have chosen for the work that they do. If that is their professional title then there should not be a problem.

The question of naming them as an illustrator possibly confusing the potential reader/buyer can easily be handled in the blurb or description of the book. I think it can be made clear enough that there should not be any confusion as to what your book is about and or what it displays inside the cover. 

If there is no objection by the cover artist, and to avoid any problems then give credit by saying: Cover art and design done by…

So, in short, establish what the designer’s true title is and what they will expect as far as crediting their work–be it cover artist, cover designer, or illustrator. 

Don’t sweat it, and if all else fails . . . just ask!

Do YOU have a question you'd like to ask AJ? Send it to admin@allauthorspp.net and wait to see if it is featured in our next issue.

Rewind Friday: International Corner Issue 1

Hello Again my Dear Reader, Writers and Precious Patrons.

Today on the All Authors Friday Rewind we bring you the very first installation of International Corner on All Authors Magazine.

Title: Vivo, Pienso, Amo

Author: H.A. Oritz

Available: Amazon

Language: Spanish

Blurb:

Esta primera publicación es una colección de diferentes composiciones poéticas basadas, algunas, en diferentes etapas de mi vida las cuales deseaba compartir con ustedes porque sé que hay muchas personas que se identificarán con mi forma desnuda de exponer mis sentimientos, situaciones y vivencias.

Title: Collezione Deserto Rosso

Author: Rita Carla Freancesca Monticelli

Available: Amazon

Language: Italian

Blurb:

Sono passati trent'anni dalla missione di esplorazione di Marte "Hera", il cui equipaggio è morto in circostanze misteriose. 

Questo fallimento e le problematiche politiche da esso generate hanno rallentato la NASA nella sua corsa alla conquista dello spazio, ma adesso i tempi sono maturi per una nuova missione chiamata "Isis". Questa volta i cinque membri dell'equipaggio non viaggeranno per oltre 400 milioni di chilometri solo per una breve visita, ma saranno destinati a diventare i primi colonizzatori del pianeta rosso.

La storia di "Deserto rosso", ambientata in un prossimo futuro, è costituita da quattro puntate, ciascuna della lunghezza minima di una novella (circa 20.000 parole).

Questa prima puntata, "Punto di non ritorno", si concentra su di un membro dell'equipaggio, l'esobiologa svedese Anna Persson.

Friday Rewind: All Authors Magazine Issue Recommended Reads

Drear Readers, Writers and Precious Patrons, Hello and Welcome!

Today, on All Authors Blog Friday Rewind, we bring you some Recommended Reads Featured in Issue 1 of All Authors Magazine.

Enjoy!

“Indian Summer” by William Dean Howells

One of the most charming and memorable romantic comedies in American literature, William Dean Howells's Indian Summer tells of a season in the life of Theodore Colville. Colville, just turned forty, has spent years as a successful mid-western newspaper publisher. Now he sells his business and heads for Italy, where as a young man he had dreamed of a career as an architect and fallen hopelessly in love. In Florence, Colville runs into Lina Bowen, sometime best friend of the woman who jilted him and the vivacious survivor of an unhappy marriage. He also meets her young visitor, twenty-year-old Imogene Graham—lovely, earnest to a fault, and brimming with the excitement of her first encounter with the great world.

The drama that plays out among these three gifted and well-meaning people against the backdrop of Florence, the brilliance of their repartee, and the accumulating burden of their mutual misunderstandings make for a comedy of errors that is as winning as it is wise.

"The Bagman" by Rachael Rippon

In the midst of the Second World War, Abigail is deposited at St Winifred's Orphanage for Willful, Wayward and Wicked Children. As soon as she arrives, Abigail is warned of the Bagman and what will happen if she misbehaves. But Abigail is too busy trying to escape to listen. Her estranged twin, Tabitha, is close by and Abigail has to find her before their 16th birthdays. Besides, she doesn't believe in the Bagman.

He believes in her though. Appearing when she least expects it; he asks her to play his Game. He will give her seven wishes to be used in seven days. But the Game is not as easy as Abigail supposes, and the wishes not as nice…

Soon, Abigail is getting exactly what she wished for. And the effects are catastrophic.

If you loved 'Coraline' or 'Alice in Wonderland', then you're sure to love 'The Bagman'.

“Being Richard” by Toni Allen

Being immortal has its downfalls. The recurrence of loss, the memories, and the continual need for a new identity before everyone questions why he looks so young. From the start he knew that Richard Ridley didn’t feel safe; dying in infancy, and apparently unloved. He has no intention of being Richard. But then a man turns up claiming to be from the Special Investigation Department; and he’s forced to take on Richard’s identity, or be locked up…forever. All the department wants is for him to help them find other immortals. 

He is terrified at having his life controlled by others, but cannot rest until he’s discovered why Richard’s short life upsets him so much. Defying the department’s instructions he sets about investigating his history. Uncovering Richard’s past proves dangerous, even for an immortal.

“Floor Four” by A. Lopez Jr.

‘A loud bang was heard from above, scaring the boys. They shined their lights up the stairwell. The sounds of chains rattling on the floor stirred the dust above. Something or someone was up there. Doug, hiding his fear, took a couple of more steps up. Brandon and Kyle looked at him, their feet locked in place. They had no intention of going any further.’ The old, abandoned Saint Vincent Hospital is said to be haunted by the ghost of David Henry Coleman, the notorious serial killer, known as The Mangler. Coleman died on the fourth floor after being shot by police. For the three Jr. High boys, their curiosity gets the best of them as they explore the old hospital, despite ‘Old Man’ Jake’s warning. No one knew of Jake’s dark connection to the killer and the hospital. And now, on the anniversary of The Mangler’s death, a group of high school kids are planning a private party on the haunted fourth floor. Jake must keep everyone out and protect them from the true evil that lurks on Floor Four.