Development of a Historical Book Cover

By Heather Day Gilbert

Ask any historical indie author, and you'll soon find that putting together a convincing historical cover (without paying for an individual model shoot) can be difficult. Stock art photos are very limited in terms of finding characters that a) represent your characters accurately, and b) are costumed authentically to the time period you're writing about.

For my first Viking historical novel, God's Daughter, my talented brother Jon was my cover artist. We found a stock art photo of a Viking woman, authentically dressed, who looked very similar to my main character, Gudrid. We altered her eye color, lightened her hair, toned down her makeup as much as possible, manipulated the background, and basically built a cover around that stock photo. The only problem is that many other Viking-era authors (mostly romance authors) used the same stock photo, so my cover was not as unique as I had hoped it would be (although it does stand out, both in Christian book circles and on the Amazon Norse bestseller list, where it's remained for three years).

For my second-in-series novel, Forest Child, I had a strong idea of how I wanted the cover character to look. Freydis is a deadly Viking warrior, and I hoped to show her facing the reader directly, a challenging look in her eyes.

My brother Jon and I set about finding a stock photo we could work with, this time hoping to add costuming and background to make the model look different. I found a photo that drew me in, and here's Jon's initial mockup of it:

Obviously, this wasn't the finished product (we would fix the leaves on her head, add more clothing, etc.), but I did love this girl's dead-on glare and her blue eyes and freckles. However, when I showed this one to a couple of author friends, they felt it looked more like a fantasy cover than a historical cover. Also, this girl seemed too young. She wasn't quite right.

We moved on to stock art woman number two—a woman with wild red hair like Freydis. I liked her serious, yet wistful vibe:

Jon took this photo and designed an amazing arrow for her, then integrated a photo of his wife's hand so she could hold said arrow. He added the cloak, toned down the makeup and added freckles and more hair, as well as a leafy forest background. I felt we were getting really close...

But something still wasn't quite right about her. She looked a bit too vulnerable and soft for my heroine.

THEN I found this stock art photo when I was trolling around, looking for just the right redhead:

Now, this woman HAD something—a glare, a haughty look, a challenge in her blue eyes. I loved how she was facing the reader, completely fearless.

But my brother was busy and didn't have time to work on all the elements we'd need to alter to go in this totally new direction. So I contacted my mystery cover designer, Jenny at Seedlings Design. Jenny felt she could integrate all the changes I needed. We proceeded to tone down the makeup, add freckles, make her hair redder, add a cloak and arrows, add curling hair tendrils, and tweak an amazing leaf-strewn background...

When the final changes were integrated, I KNEW I was looking right at the Viking warrior-woman I'd pictured for years in my head:

I'm a firm believer that with my cover art, I'll know it when I see it, and I knew this was the right cover for Forest Child because it was unique and represented my main character so perfectly.

Hope you've enjoyed this behind-the-curtains peek at the development of cover art for a Viking historical cover! I'd love input from other indie authors (especially historical) as to your cover design process!

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HEATHER DAY GILBERT, a Grace Award winner and bestselling author, writes novels that capture life in all its messy, bittersweet, hope-filled glory. Born and raised in the West Virginia mountains, generational story-telling runs in her blood. Heather is a graduate of Bob Jones University, and she and her husband are raising their children in the same home in which Heather grew up. Heather is represented by Rebeca Seitz and Jonathan Clements of SON Studios in FL. Heather's Viking historical novel, God's Daughter, is an Amazon Norse Bestseller. She is also the author of the bestselling A Murder in the Mountains mystery series and the Hemlock Creek Suspense series. Heather also authored the Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher. Find out more at heatherdaygilbert.com.

Should I Join a Boxed Set?

By Heather Day Gilbert

Most authors I know are constantly seeking new ways of getting their books into readers' hands. One method of extending reach is to join with other authors to produce a boxed set collection.

Boxed sets might include novels or novellas that are previously published, or they might be all-new offerings published for the first time with the collection. A boxed set can be a collection by a single author, but for the purposes of this post, I'll be referring to multi-author sets.

Sets began trending a couple of years ago. Some benefits of boxed sets are:

-increased exposure to new readers (in particular, readers of other authors in the set)

-group marketing (which can be far more powerful than individual marketing)

-long-term connections made with other authors in the set

-an influx of personal author newsletter signups

But before you jump on-board a boxed set, you need to consider what will be required of you. 

Although sets vary, most sets require:

-participation from the ground-up, including input on cover art, set title/theme, release date, and marketing plans

-active participation in marketing (which includes contributing to any ads that are taken out and being involved with any online events or social media pushes)

-an determination to keep deadlines

-a willingness to share ideas and come to a consensus

-a willingness to promote the set instead of your individual book for the duration of the set

It is easy to nod your head to all the above, but when it comes down to putting these steps into practice; it can get tough, especially since sets are typically planned months in advance. Keep in mind that although other writing opportunities might arise during that time, maintaining your commitment to the set is important to its success.

The only way everyone can expect to have good royalties from the set is for each author to participate in marketing, especially since most boxed sets are priced around $0.99-$2.99 to extend their reach, and that is often split between 5-10 authors.

To avoid conflicts, many boxed set authors agree to a contract for the set. You can find a boxed set contract template here in my post on Novel Rocket.

I've been involved in two boxed sets, and I have enjoyed both of them. Yes, they required a lot of marketing, but my readership increased, as did my closeness with authors in the sets.

I would encourage you to keep boxed sets in mind as an effective marketing tool, but also be aware of the obligations that saying "yes" to a boxed set will entail.

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HEATHER DAY GILBERT, a Grace Award winning author, is currently part of the Smoke and Mirrors romantic suspense 8-novella collection. You can find this highly rated set on Amazon for only 99 cents! Heather's Viking historical novel, God's Daughter, is an Amazon Norse bestseller. She is also the author of the bestselling A Murder in the Mountains mystery series. Heather also wrote the Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher. You can find Heather on her Website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Thinking of Indie (Independent) Publishing? A New Resource for Authors

By Heather Day Gilbert

When I decided to indie (independently) publish my first historical novel, God's Daughter, in 2013, I knew there was a steep learning curve ahead of me. I can't tell you how much information I crammed into my head in the space of the half-year I spent gearing up for my debut release. I followed blogs like The Creative Penn, worked on platform building, and searched for endorsers for my book.

But the learning wasn't complete when I successfully published—not by a long shot. After publication, I had to reconfigure my blog to highlight my product. I had to find reviewers for my book. Most importantly, I had to market.

2014 was a busy year for me as an indie author. I published three more books (one of those my great aunt’s memoir). I worked with my narrator, Becky Doughty, to produce an audiobook version of God's Daughter (more here in my earlier Suite T guest post).

In the meantime, so many authors approached me with questions on indie publishing: traditionally published authors, new authors, and various levels in-between. I enjoyed sharing with them, but my time was increasingly taxed as I wrote, edited, and produced my own books. I am also very active in a 650+-member Christian indie author group on Facebook.

At the suggestion of several author friends, I decided to publish an easy-to-understand guidebook that would walk authors through the four key elements of indie book production: (1) editing, (2) creating cover art and blurbs, (3) formatting and uploading books, and (4) marketing. This handbook is titled Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher.

I was thrilled when many author friends agreed to share quotes for a special last chapter that would bring added value to readers—tips from seasoned indie authors. I know I have learned so much from those who have gone before and hope to bring some of those tips to just-starting-out indie publishers.

I'm so pleased with reviews that are coming in, such as these:

"You won’t be disappointed with Indie Publishing Handbook, and will refer to it time and again as you begin your writing and publishing venture.” Review by Author Robin E. Mason

"This little handbook is packed with information and won't go out-of-date. “ Review by author Valerie Comer.

"If you're a writer debating between pursuing traditional publishing or going indie, this little handbook tells you what you need to know about being your own publisher. You won't be overwhelmed, because Heather sticks to the basics and keeps it simple and concise." Review by Barbara Hartzler

I have always wanted to mentor others, just as other authors have mentored me in this writing journey. I sometimes think God allowed me to indie publish "at such a time as this" so I could encourage other authors that independent publishing is a wonderful option authors have now. It is a way to get stories that don't quite fit the mold out to hungry readers.

Today, I'm happy to offer a Kindle gift of the Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher to one commenter. I will choose a winner next week and post in the comments. Please leave your email address and tell me why you are interested in indie publishing below! Thank you so much.

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HEATHER DAY GILBERT has independently published four books. Her debut novel, God's Daughter, has remained on the Amazon Norse Bestseller list and Amazon Norse Top-Ranked list for over one year. Her contemporary mystery, Miranda Warning, is the successful start to the Murder in the Mountains series. Her Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher is available on Amazon. You can find Heather at her author website, heatherdaygilbert.com, or on Facebook here. She is also active on twitter here.