What About…
I’m sure all y’all are asking that question. After all, I finished the book back in December, and here it is March. Well, I haven’t forgotten it. It’s just been slow going. Why don’t I update y’all on what’s going on (in case you care)?
First, I’ve got a couple people reading it. They’re busy folks, though, so it’s going slowly. But I’ve gotten some useful feedback so far, so that’s good.
Second, I’ve been playing around with ideas for cover art. I haven’t decided if I want to do it myself or hire it out. Obviously it would be less pricey to do it myself, but I want the cover to be good, for obvious reasons, so if I can’t get the design right on my own I’ll hire it out. So far this is what I’ve come up with, after a few iterations.
Thoughts?
Third, I’m talking with a guy about making a map for the interior. Since the setting is made up and it figures heavily in the story, I figure a map will be helpful. Also, it’s just cool to have maps in fantasy books. I did a hand-drawn concept sketch of what I’m looking for, which I passed on to the artist for a quote.
Thoughts?
So that’s what’s going on with Glimmer Vale. It’s not likely to be released before the end of this quarter (which would be the end of this month), but I still foresee it being ready before summer. So sit tight. It’s coming.
The cover is a little too reminiscent of the Michael R. Hicks series “In Her Name”, all of which feature a sword hilt shown on the same orientation prominently on the cover and a sci-fi background motif (planets, etc).
You might also look at Barry Eisler’s open letter to his French publisher on How Not to Pick a Cover and comments on what design elements a cover should concentrate on to draw readers in.
Dang, had a link in there to the letter, but it failed to appear. Let’s try dearauthor.com/wordpress/2010/01/26/lets-give-them-something-to-talk-about/
Hmm…good point. Well it’s still a work in progress. 🙂 Thanks!