Try some; it's good.
Wherein I ramble about books, movies,
music, TV shows, my life, and occasionally, hot emo boys.
My Books
Current WiP
My ValentineGuide sequel = DONE
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Monday, January 08, 2007
SBD: Ebooks
There are a lot of things I love about ebooks. I love that if I want one at 3am, I can whip out my credit card and get it, right then. Don't have to wait for the postman. Don't have to drive all the way across the city to the one English language bookstore (and hope they have what I want). I can get it RIGHT NOW. Since I'm not big on delayed gratification that's a huge selling point for me.
Love that publishers will take a risk with ebooks and you get amazing stories that would never in a million years have a shot in NY because they're edgy (see FINDING HOME) and because NY publishing doesn't push the envelope until epub proves that people will buy it. Just look at Ellora's Cave and the sudden number of erotic imprints. "Huh," they said in NY. "Looks like sex sells. Let's get some of that."
Here's what I don't love about ebooks. You can't hug 'em. Maybe that sounds dumb, but when I finish a really tremendous book, and I have that starry-eyed feeling like I've just been rewarded richly for my $6.95, I clutch that paperback beauty to my chest, sigh dreamily and make a mental note to buy this author again. There's no comparable ebook consummation, per se. You finish it, glowing and-- what? Hug your laptop? Your PDA? Now I like technology as much as the next person, but... c'mon. It's just not the same.
Next peeve...covers. Sweet Jesus, I've seen some that make my kittens cry. Seriously. They often perch on my shoulders while I'm reading and I'll pull some up on screen that literally make them mew in terror. Now some are just hot as hell; April Martinez does unbelievable work. Mostly I'm talking about bad Poser covers. Don't get me wrong; it's possible to do a really good one, but many of them are anatomically improbable, plastic looking, whatever. Sometimes less is more. Maybe the artists are asked by the authors for unreasonably difficult images? I don't know what the problem is, really, but why don't they KISS?
I'm not a cover artist by any means; I don't claim to have mad Photoshop or Poser skills. I can't generate my own art, but I made these "covers" for my serial stories in less than an hour, using a Click Art collection (that's about 20 CDs full of generic art) and Photoshop.
So maybe I'm not a pro, but I can cobble together something that doesn't scare my cats. I happen to think the one for Mercy is pretty damn good, myself, and the one for Loser's Waltz (which was updated today) isn't bad.
Maybe those who scoff at ebooks would take them seriously if the covers weren't so skeevy. So what's the solution?
Love that publishers will take a risk with ebooks and you get amazing stories that would never in a million years have a shot in NY because they're edgy (see FINDING HOME) and because NY publishing doesn't push the envelope until epub proves that people will buy it. Just look at Ellora's Cave and the sudden number of erotic imprints. "Huh," they said in NY. "Looks like sex sells. Let's get some of that."
Here's what I don't love about ebooks. You can't hug 'em. Maybe that sounds dumb, but when I finish a really tremendous book, and I have that starry-eyed feeling like I've just been rewarded richly for my $6.95, I clutch that paperback beauty to my chest, sigh dreamily and make a mental note to buy this author again. There's no comparable ebook consummation, per se. You finish it, glowing and-- what? Hug your laptop? Your PDA? Now I like technology as much as the next person, but... c'mon. It's just not the same.
Next peeve...covers. Sweet Jesus, I've seen some that make my kittens cry. Seriously. They often perch on my shoulders while I'm reading and I'll pull some up on screen that literally make them mew in terror. Now some are just hot as hell; April Martinez does unbelievable work. Mostly I'm talking about bad Poser covers. Don't get me wrong; it's possible to do a really good one, but many of them are anatomically improbable, plastic looking, whatever. Sometimes less is more. Maybe the artists are asked by the authors for unreasonably difficult images? I don't know what the problem is, really, but why don't they KISS?
I'm not a cover artist by any means; I don't claim to have mad Photoshop or Poser skills. I can't generate my own art, but I made these "covers" for my serial stories in less than an hour, using a Click Art collection (that's about 20 CDs full of generic art) and Photoshop.
So maybe I'm not a pro, but I can cobble together something that doesn't scare my cats. I happen to think the one for Mercy is pretty damn good, myself, and the one for Loser's Waltz (which was updated today) isn't bad.
Maybe those who scoff at ebooks would take them seriously if the covers weren't so skeevy. So what's the solution?
Labels: SBD
My Prince of Death cover is beautiful. The Black Dragon? I sobbed when I saw it. Serious, gut-wrenching tears, because not only is it horrible, not only was it exactly what I had specifically asked they NOT do...every request I had was disregarded with no comment except, and I quote, "This kind of cover sells more books." A one-line note in an email with that ugly naked guy attached.
I don't believe that kind of cover sells more books (especially non-erotic romances), and I offer as proof the way that cover was picked on all over the internet. But if the book doesn't sell, it will be blamed on me.
Don't forget, you're the customer. Your opinion counts. If you liked a book, don't just let the author know, let the publisher know. If you hated a cover let the publisher know.
JMO.
Now you see why I was so upset!
I deliberately asked for no people on the cover because they never look right anyway...sigh...if they had to put man-meat there, souldn't they have cut off his dumb Lou Ferrign0-looking face?