Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Sweet to Heat Book Covers by Rogenna Brewer.

I'm so pleased to bring you Rogenna Brewer, whom I've known since my early days at Colorado Romance Writers and other writing groups.  She writes the most amazing books...but she's so much more than "just an author" :)

Please welcome Rogenna.
 
Leslie, thanks so much for inviting me to talk about Sweet to Heat Covers by Rogenna. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m both traditionally published and indie published.  Like many indie authors, I started self-publishing on a limited budget—as in ZERO—zilch, nada, nothing!  But I had 8 credits at Bigstock.  I’m a real DIY kind of gal.  So I thought, hey, why not make my own ebook covers and the business just sort of grew from there.

A few days ago on another blog, a commenter expressed concerns over the use of stock images for ebooks.  Like most authors, he was concerned about having a cover that looked like another cover.

While it’s true we all have access to the same stock sites and certain images tend to get used over and over again, that doesn’t necessarily mean all covers using the same image have to look identical.  Even for single image covers, I try to alter the photo in some way and get creative with fonts in order to make them unique.
 

That gentleman has since become my latest client.

 
 
 
 


A good example of a single image custom cover is The Rosetti Curse. The author came to me with a specific image in mind.  Here’s the before and after. 




 



Customization is even easier with two, three or more images. Arlene Hittle’s Home for the Holidays uses five images.  

And that guy in the corner?Same image. 

I used him in his natural background for my own cover One Silent Night.

One altered by cutting out the background and the other by making it snow.

I never reuse a main image, the exception being a trilogy where the image is used to provide continuity and in the case of the above, a secondary image that’s not obvious except when pointed out.  Like most designers, custom covers are just that—the cover is designed specifically for that author and title.  I also retire both image and design on all premade covers after the sale.  But check your designer’s policy if you have concerns.



Using stock images or premade covers doesn’t have to mean settling for ordinary.  
  
For a list of stock image sites and cover designers you can visit my site Covers by Rogenna at http://www.sweettoheat.blogspot.com. 
  
Most of my premade covers are $29 and I feature a premade cover of the week for $9.  Sorry there’s only one and I honor emails in the order received.  This is something new and may be for a limited time.



 BLURB:

One Night In Reno
 
Life is full of unexpected turns…
 
Jenny Albright’s gas tank runs as dry as her luck in the Nevada desert. Then Navy SEAL Garrett “Itch” Erickson swoops in to rescue her, her young son and their beagle pup.
 
Although the stranded single mom is reluctant to accept help from a stranger, befriending the Good Samaritan SEAL might be the best decision Jenny’s made in the past seventy-two hours.
 
Whether Jenny is a victim of circumstance or a woman on the run, Garrett sees his past in her son’s future and it doesn’t look good. But does his offer to marry Jenny—until she lands on her feet—come from a sense of duty or the need to be rescued himself?


READ THE EXCERPT THIS SATURDAY!!

BUY LINK:
One Night in Reno  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CZG8S6K





BIO:

 When an aptitude test labeled her suited for librarian or clergy, Rogenna Brewer joined the Navy.

 Ever the rebel, she landed in the chaplain's office where duties included operating the base library. She's served Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps personnel in such exotic locales as Midway Island and the Pentagon.
 
 Navy SEALs are among her favorite heroes, but not the only military and civilian heroes and heroines this romance author chooses to write about.

"From Navy Vet to Romance Novelist. Not just a job, thirteen years of Navy SEAL research."

 


30 comments:

  1. Morning, All. I'll be popping in and out during the day.

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  2. Good morning Ro. It's very generous of you to give each person who comments a book.

    Your covers are wonderful!!

    ~LA

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  3. Nice profile pic, LA. Haven't see that one before :)

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  4. Hi, Rogenna! I love your covers. They are very eyecatching. I recently listened to a seminar on book covers and they were very insistent on being able to have a good thumbnail.

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  5. Interesting idea on changing up stock photos enough that they don't look like other covers. I might like you to do a cover for my next endeavor...please E-Mail me and put "COVER INFORMATION" in the subject line: gog6692@msn.com

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  6. Leslie -- Thanks so much for introducing us to Rogenna. It's so much fun to learn a bit more about such talented people.

    Rogenna -- Your before and after pictures are terrific -- it's amazing to see how small changes in lighting make such a difference. I'm impressed!

    And you've intrigued me with your novella series. Do they all feature dogs?

    (amandajoycabot at gmail dot com)

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  7. Lovely short and sweet post on the creation of stock book covers...

    I envy you, Rogenna, as an author with an artistic eye. I can't draw a stick figure to save my life in Pictionary--LOL!!! You certainly are talented, and your stories sound wonderful. Can't wait to read your "One Night in Reno"--thanks for the freebie! My email is: lisapotocar@gmail.com.

    May your writing and cover art business thrive!

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  8. ROGENNA,

    Fabulous covers... great visuals, the story in a look!

    Keep soaring!
    Neringa

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  9. Hi Rogenna,

    Awesome covers. You've got a real knack for setting a series theme. Very interesting article. It's amazing how small tweaks change everything! Thanks for sharing, and for your generosity. Can't wait to read your story!

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  10. This is great to know. If I ever write another book I will definitely give you a call. I will also pass your info along to my author friends. God bless your business--I'm sure it's a boon to authors.

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  11. I am very happy to have you on file as a cover artist. Self-publishing seems like a ever-better choice for a writer now, and the cover is all-important. Thanks in advance for your good work. Now I need some winter down time to finish my WIP.

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  12. Disappeared for a bit of writing time and come back to all these wonderful comments :)

    Sounds like you're headed back to your own writing cave, Ana, so thank you for stopping by and keeping me in mind for future covers.

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  13. Looking forward to hearing from you Veronica :)

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  14. Thanks, Gemma :)

    I will need email addresses to get everyone a copy of One Night in Reno. Here's mine for future reference anyone who is interested in contacting me about a cover or is reluctant to leave their email on an open forum

    rogenna <@> aol.com

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  15. Thank you, Neringa. I love unusual names As you can see my mother gifted me with one :)

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  16. Thank you, Lisa :)

    Covers come easier than the writing so I have to be careful to balance the two :)

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  17. Ro, that's my curly look :) Humidity does that to my hair.

    ~LA

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  18. Amanda;

    Thank you. Dogs play an important role in 2 of my first 3 novellas.

    In One Silent Night (coming in November) the heroine was an embedded journalist who lost partial hearing in an explosion. She's reluctantly dog sitting for a man she's never met while he's off serving his country.

    The hero is a bomb disposal expert and Shadow is his retired bomb dog. I love watching our service members and dogs reunite. But this reunion is bitter sweet for the hero and heroine because it means one of them has to give up the dog...

    Except it's a romance so maybe not--lol There are some nice little twists and turns to the story though.

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  19. Vicki;

    You're so right. A thumbnail is so important because it is most likely the fist image to be seen either in promo or on amazon.

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  20. I'm not noticing a lot of of email addresses. And I really want to give every a FREE book for stopping by today--that includes all you lurkers out there :)

    ***FREE SMASHWORDS PROMO CODE***

    For a FREE copy of ONE NIGHT IN RENO Go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/350524and enter XH67M

    You can download your format of choice.

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  21. I should mention the promo is valid through the end of the month and I have no problem with anyone passing it on to a friend or two.

    Thank you all!! And thank you, Leslie, for having me here today :)

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  22. Hi, Ro! Glad Leslie hosted you today! Your talent is amazing and I can't wait to show off the cover you designed for ME!!

    Ro is such a patience person. She worked with me through hem and haw, until we came up with the perfect cover for my contemporary romance due out in early 2014.

    AND, your books are amazing, too. You can't beat Navy SEAL books, especially the heart you put into your stories.

    I already have One Night In Reno. All downloaded and ready to go : )

    I can't wait to see you here again on Saturday : )

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  23. Hi Audra;

    Picture me waving. Your cover is one of my favorites. Can't wait until you show it off with your first indie release :)

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  24. I really like your covers Rogenna. They're some of the nicest I've seen.

    I'd love to read one of your books!

    jana dot Richards at Hotmail dot com

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  25. Hello, Rogenna and everyone! I have to second Leslie's comment. Rogenna's covers are fabulous. She has designed 2 of my covers. I'm writing like mad to finish another book and can't wait to see what Rogenna comes up with for this book.

    http://www.amazon.com/Laura-Haley-McNeil/e/B00E234UA2/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1380765345&sr=8-2

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  26. Apologies for being late. I have out of town guests. So good to finally get to this party.

    Ro does an amazing job on covers as I can verify. My aka Tina Russo loves her!!!

    Hi to Laura Haley!! Miss you!!!

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  27. Wow! It's like having the old critique group back together with Laura and Tina here :)

    Jana, I will email you that coupon code. Hope you enjoy One Night in Reno.

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  28. hi Rogenna
    i love your book covers and, as a graphics artist myself, would love to get into book cover creation as well.

    i already bought One Night in Reno on Amazon because I saw it on your website. I'm probably off to go purchase the Frogman, Prince because I'm a diver and THAT cover is awesome.

    i really appreciate how much you shared on that other blog and here. thanks for sharing and allowing others to learn from you.

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