Showing posts with label book covers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book covers. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Cover Reveal for The Town Santa Forgot

It is with glad tidings that Undawnted's DL Mullan reveals the cover art for The Town Santa Forgot: 

I had a fun time creating this book cover, and I had even more fun teasing my readers about it. I create my own covers. Digital art is one of my passions. I began producing my own line of digital art called: Spacescapes, circa 2000, and winning awards at Science Fiction Conventions as well as the Arizona State Fair.  

Over time, this art form went from art shows to the cover of many publications, not just my own. One of my first pieces of art won the best Western cover during an online book event. That was thrilling.

Today, I want to reveal to the general audience my creation for The Town Santa Forgot. I hope you find the art compelling, intriguing, and purchase-able! 

The Town Santa Forgot has its publication release party on my Undawntable Newsletter on December 18th. Please join us! It's free. It's fun. You could win your own copy of the novelette, The Town Santa Forgot

Cheers!

Have a great rest of your holiday season.

_____

A writer at heart, Undawnted's own creative spark, DL Mullan, began writing short stories and poetry before adolescence. Ms. Mullan showcases her literary talents by publishing her creative writing. She has short stories and poems published in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. In addition, she writes novels, designs apparel, and creates digital art. Ms. Mullan produces her own book cover designs for herself and others. She is an award-winning digital artist and poet.

Currently, she has embarked on writing her multi-book Legacy Universe, Supernatural Superhero Series.

Join her Undawntable Newsletter for news and updates.


Friday, January 27, 2023

I Guess Rejection Means: More for Me... in 2023!

From time to time, I help other authors and publishers with ideas. Some of those brainstorming sessions yield a visual creative piece for application. As Undawnted grows, the missed opportunities of others become integrated in-house. 

For instance: Bent out of Love was a cover design that I formulated to help a struggling writer put his thoughts into a cohesive vision. After waiting a year, I made Bent Love into an upcoming Long Form poem.
Bent Love is the opposite of the Black Hearts Club. The Long Form poem is about a man down on his luck, but desperate to save his relationship with the woman he loves.

What would you do for love? 

After writing the Black Hearts Club poem, I wanted to have a counterbalance to the "gave up on love" mantra. People change, and so do their feelings. One year, Valentine's Day is the worst day of their life. The next year, it may be their happiest. It's best to be prepared. 

As well, to put a decade of Long Form Poetry into one publication, I am using the year-old Visions anthology cover design mockup I did. The artwork was not used for the anthology, and was sitting around on the computer gathering dust. So, now it will have a new purpose: Visionary.

I have two different collections of my poetry. Oracle will have the culmination of my Chapbook poetry; Visionary will house the compendium for the Long Form poems.

I will be adding and revising other poems to fit within these two forms as the year goes on. I wanted my poetry to be individualized. Readers can then take what they want: separate or encyclopedic. 

Other additions that have been made are: Samhain, and Shamiscient. I have a horror chapbook that is under reconstruction thanks to a Lulu technical mishap, but I wanted to delve into the spiritual side of the Hero's Journey into the Unknown, as well as just write spiritual/shamanistic poetry. The Long Form poem: Galactic Ride, touched on this subject with much critical acclaim from readers. Therefore, I want to expand on this intriguing subject. 

And, to the guy on Twitter a few months ago who made a spectacle out of himself because he hates my cover design work: stuff it. I don't like sexcapades on my book covers. My writing is good, and doesn't need hormones or fluff. If you don't like my covers, then you probably won't like my writing... so, you've saved both of us a trial by fire by walking down another isle in the bookstore.

However, I think my cover designs are innovative, fresh, and have motif-driven visual arts components that enhance my website as well as my writing. I have spent years honing my digital arts craft and until the world ends, I am going to do as much in-house creating as possible. 

That is what a gifted polymath does. 

2023 looks like a buffet of visual, symbolic, and rhyming delights. I hope you will join me this year as I bring more of my imagination into the realm of the unpredictable, insatiable, and undeniably... unleashed.

Thank you for visiting Undawnted.


Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Book Cover Design: The Expectations of Readers and How You Are Perceived

We have all heard the idiom: don't judge a book by its cover.  

Well, most of us have. Some authors and editors take this idiom to mean that their poor cover design won't be held against them by readers. 

WRONG. 

I could use other people's design mistakes to make my point, but that would be unfair. Instead, I will give a lesson with only my own designs as examples. 

So independent authors, here is your design workshop. 

If you have refrained from becoming astute in the ways of publication design and insist on creating your own book covers, yeah, I can spot them. Actually, readers in general can spot bad designs. When that happens, your book undersells, if the publication sells at all. 

Readers will not purchase covers that look and feel unprofessional. So, as the idiom goes: it does not apply to you. People do judge books by their covers.

Independent authors often use or pay for what someone else has created, as long as the background illustration is free or cheap. Some even try to create their own designs, but end up with a less than stellar dismount. What does a poor indie do?

If you are going the route of doing your own book cover designs, then avail yourself to a course in design theory. I had the opportunity to take courses and other avenues of study from creative industry experts when I went to community college. I was lucky. I learned from the best. 

When I first began doing my own designs, I remember how awful they were. My brain does not function well under constant inflammation, and I have to compensate for that ongoing disability. With time, however, I was able to recover my knowledge of publication design. If you have noticed, my book covers and website images look more professional by the year.  

I also have the advantage of being an award-winning digital artist. I understand composition, color, and creativity. Most people are not like me, some of them need a little help. I have offered to assist. Sometimes it works out great, and sometimes it is a disaster. 

I have placed an example of poor cover design above in Flying High. What draws you to the cover? What repels you? Would you read this book? 

This illustration of poor design fundamentals is why most independent or self-published authors under perform in their market. A bad cover means you are handing over your book sales to someone else. Your competition either has a publishing house creating their designs, or the authors have spent $250+ per cover.

What is the solution? Spend money you don't have? Or, learn good cover design?

First, compare and contrast. Go online to any retailer who sells books and look at professional book covers. What do you see that is on all of those covers? How would you modify those designs to make your own style but still be attractive to readers? 

I find that many independent authors just slap a design together without putting much thought in using their covers as a net positive marketing tool. Covers take time. The right design takes time. 

Here are a few cover designs I created: 

Now take notes on what you like and dislike about these designs. What attracts you? What repels you? In comparison with bad design elements in the Flying High example, what are good design elements that you can pick out from these three covers?

This article is your first step in creating a good book cover.

Use it wisely. 

Have a great and wonderful day.

_____

UPDATE: Book Cover Design will be offered via our Premium Content coming in 2023 as a part of Undawnted's Design Elements and Digital Artistry courses. 

Learn. Grow. Master... with Undawnted.



Friday, November 26, 2021

Added More Shirt Designs to Undawnted's Apparel and More Store

The resident novelist, DL Mullan, is also a creative designer. Besides the book covers she does for herself and others, she also designs apparel, essentials, and more.

If you would like to see the latest additions to Undawnted's Zazzle Collection, then pop on over!

We have added from our exclusive Legacy Universe:

During the holiday season, more creations will be added. Be sure to visit all of Sonoran Dawn's Collections. There is art, mugs, and anything that will help you brighten your day.

If you just want designer apparel, then here is the nearly 200 shirts to choose from: Sonoran Dawn Apparel.

Keep a design for yourself, or gift some. 
 
Have a wonderful gift buying day! 


Friday, April 15, 2016

Menu Updates

Well I have been at it again with updates. 

Today, I am stuck inside because of the windy conditions outside with some blowing dust and haze. So to make sure Undawnted compliments my repository site: Sonoan Dawn Studios, I am making upgrades, updates, and links. 

The other sister sites are next! 

Soon all the sites will be uniform and I can go back to my repository building.  I hope all will be done by the end of this summer. I have paperwork to go through and make sure I have my data and dates correctly done.

So have fun mulling around the new features. More creativity to come. I have loads of neat ideas planned. 

Have a great and wonderful day!

Thank you!

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