Artistic Reflections

 MONICA F. BROWN-MARTINEZ 
Tells us the Story of

The Unintentional Tale of Two Covers

Starring:  Queen of Spades (me), Very cool cover designer,  and The cashed in favor
Also featuring:  Lulu and CreateSpace





It wasn't supposed to happen this way.  I had Eclectic on the brain.  Why did I stop that day in March 2013 to read that collection of poetry?  The decision altered my original plans yet a part of me really wanted to publish the work.

Confession: Great at brainstorming cover concepts, not so skilled at creating them on my own.

I decided to seek out a cover designer.  I pitched to her what I wanted but it was more in terms of what type of emotions I wanted the book to invoke than actual color schemes and what not.  A bit later, she presented the image to me, and I adored everything about it.



I had been on a bit of a hiatus from publishing for about seven years.  Back then, I had only heard of Lulu; I had no knowledge of CreateSpace.  Most of the people I knew from those days told me about Lulu and that's who I went with.  However, networking buddies said CreateSpace was easier to work with and it was a gateway to definitely get on Amazon.  Whereas with Lulu, in those times, I would have had to pay for that type of exposure.

With the cover finally completed, I started tidying up the manuscript of Reflections of Soul by getting the inside formatted to CreateSpace specifications.  It took a bit of trial and error.  At times I even got highly annoyed.  Lulu had never given me this much hassle!  Finally the formatting battle was won, and it was time to get the cover in place.  Yet the cover didn't want to cooperate.  The beautiful cover that had been created for me was providing all sorts of agitation.  CreateSpace was very particular—from pixel imaging to where text was placed.  I shared all of the information with my cover designer.  We tried the best we could to get the paperback to CreateSpace specifications but to no avail!

I began fussing to myself.  Why had I insisted on publishing this thing?  What was I to do?  I discussed my plight with an old friend that I kept in touch with over the years.  He had some experience with graphic designing.  After checking to see if the design could be manipulated to what CreateSpace wanted, he told me that the whole cover had to be redone.  Since time was of the essence, I decided to call in my favor.  With that favor, he did the best he could to create the similar ambiance and all was done in the nick of time.

Lessons to the story in regards to paperbacks:

· Get the full specifications of your cover in advance from where you are going to publish it prior to contacting the cover artist.
· It's best to wait until you have the finished product before contacting the cover artist.  It saves the trouble from the cover artist having to go back and do adjustments.

Blurb: Inspiration is all around but what happens when inspiration from one impacts facets of another’s self? Reflections of Soul takes one on this poetic journey–a voyage coated in bittersweet waves: paying homage to the inspiration while gaining necessary closure on the impact after the bond met its death.





His rendition is on the paperback version, which is $2.00 off for the entire month of May on CreateSpace.  Please enter code YAG4DN9T upon checkout.
https://www.createspace.com/4224777

The original cover can be shown on electronic renditions of Reflections of Soul, only $1.00 on Amazon and Smashwords!  If you purchase the title via Smashwords don't forget code QK82Q upon checkout.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Soul-Queen-Spades-ebook/dp/B00D49VYGS

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/318687

Thanks for allowing me to tell my tale!  Have a wonderful day and appreciate the support.

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