Our client is an authority on project management software. We needed to convey the practical nature of this particular book and make it extremely clear that it was based on the latest version of Microsoft Project. Fresh, bright colours were combined with images of contemporary architecture.
A Boxful of Broken Things
Writer and teacher Rhys Tate has put together a very clean and attractive website to promote/explain his writing life. Has a friendly feel and plenty of free material to get a feeling for his prose.
Using Videos to Promote Your Book
Author John Hickman has produced a video to accompany his book "Reluctant Hero". Well composed, with layering of audio effects and use of historical footage, this kind of promotional project is well worth considering. Video links are easily emailed and shared and give potential readers a quick and accessible summary.
John is also the author of "Tripping Over", discussed here.
Digital Book Marketing
An interesting piece dissecting the digital marketing challenges facing contemporary book publishers.
Bookiness of the Book
Readers are still coming to terms with what they are losing in the move from paper based to electronic reading:
When I read a physical book, I remember the text and the
book—its shape, jacket, heft and typography. When I read an e-book, I
remember the text alone. The bookness of the book simply disappears, or
rather it never really existed.
Verlyn Klinkenborg, New York Times
Bookstores Going Away?
Our local bookstore won Australian Bookseller of the Year in 2012. It's a fantastic space, well curated, livened by an ongoing series of displays and literary events. It is clear that the proprietors view it as a passion as much as a business. Yet they have been in the news suggesting business is bad and closure possible. If a bookstore that good is in trouble, then pity the rest. Another local bookstore (children's specialist) shut down a couple of weeks ago. As the outlets shrink in number and shelf space, the economics of book distribution stop working. Deep discounting Internet sellers such as Amazon and the Book Depository have a massive advantage. Mike Shatzkin has done a sterling job of discussing this transition and the change in perspective required in the new digital age. Maybe bookstores will survive in some form, but it is difficult to feel very confident about that at the moment. It is depressing to contemplate entire towns bereft of a place where the life of the mind is given its due.
Lions and Lilies
Catherine A Wilson and Catherine T Wilson (head to their website for an explanation of that unlikely pairing of names) write entertaining and well researched historical sagas set in medieval times. They have built up a dedicated readership for their "Lions and Lillies" series, and are excellent at building up reader expectations and involvement. We wanted their covers to convey a cinematic sense of excitement and immediacy.
D is for Dragon
Dragonfall Press is bravely dipping a toe into the turbulent waters of modern publishing, showcasing fantasy and science fiction by Australian authors. We were commissioned to craft a logo suitable for use on book spines and readable at quite small sizes. With the famous Slovenian dragon bridge as source material, we melded a wing, a head and an elegant 'D' (Filosofia Grand by Zuzana Licko) to create a logo that will hopefully help give Dragonfall a distinctive brand.