The Rundown
The Recommendation
The Rating
The Links
The Reviewer
Amy R. Biddle
Visit Amy R. Biddle‘s website.Our goal at Underground Book Reviews is to provide a service for indie authors, not just reviews, but also networking and finding quality services to use on their books. So when we heard that one of our highly rated authors had teamed up with one of our graphic designers, we thought it was a success story that needed to be told.
If you're an author or industry professor, don't hesitate to utilize our forum to network and create a success story of your own!
If you're an author, a great way to find good services is to browse our Pitch Perfect Picks to find well-done books, and utilize the "connections" that authors have added (which show up to the right of every cover). In this way, you can find quality editors, cover designers and other service providers to fit your needs.
We hope to continue to grow Underground Book Reviews as a community that serves both authors and industry professionals. If you're a professional yourself, you can create an industry page in order to gain more attention from authors.
Richard Hacker's Story
As I moved toward the publication of my novel, ALL HAT AND NO CATTLE, I stared into the abyss all authors must face—creating a good cover that will capture attention online as a thumbnail, look good on a variety of ebook readers, and crossover successfully to paperback. Something eye-catching that draws a potential reader into the story. I pondered making my own cover (dismissed the idea within a few minutes) and googled for book cover designers (there are many and the fees vary from under a hundred dollars to thousands). Then I recalled Underground Book Reviews has a listing of vendors who support the book creation and marketing process. And that’s where I found Adam Galek.
After an initial email, I sent him the specs of novel, some image ideas, and a synopsis and a couple of chapters just to give him a sense of the story. The novel is a contemporary crime novel with a humorous bent. Think Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty) or Carl Hiaasen (Sick Puppy). And so the cover needed communicate that humor without going too far. Adam and I connected first through email, then set up a phone conversation to talk through the project. He keyed off the material I sent him, asked great questions, talked about fees, and gave me clear deadline for his first draft (he always met his deadlines). We went through three iterations, each time taking my feedback in a constructive mindset. His approach felt like co-creation, rather than me throwing my book over a wall and hoping something good might get tossed back to me.
Beyond the visual creativity, Adam also pays attention to the details, which when you’re publishing in paperback, are important. As I stand at the end of the process, I have great covers in the appropriate dimensions and format for Kindle and CreateSpace.
Would I use Adam’s services again? Absolutely. In fact, he’s working on the cover to the third Nick Sibelius novel, BUZZARD BAIT.
Richard Hacker
www.richardhacker.com
Get ALL HAT AND NO CATTLE on Amazon for 99 cents!
Adam Galek's Story
Underground Book Reviews has always been a pleasure to work with and I'm especially fond of the many outlets they offer to connect people in the world of books. I have utilized their website, community forum board, and weekly newsletters in order to connect with authors looking for graphic design work.
Thanks to the UBR network, I most recently had the opportunity to design the book cover for All Hat & No Cattle by author R.W. Hacker. He was the ideal client. He was clear on his message and what he wanted his cover to portray, while being inviting and receptive to my ideas as a designer. He was easy to communicate with and we really bounced ideas and thoughts off of each other well. We are now getting started on the design of his next novel Buzzard Bait!
I reminded myself several times throughout this project how great it was that we connected through Underground Books and how I'd love to continue to find work and offer my services this way. I hope their community and network continue to grow and strengthen and continue to be a wonderful place for people to showcase their work and offer their services.
