So you found a new book?
Or maybe you just published one?
Did you find a new webcomic that you like?
Or a song you think everyone should hear?
No need for explanation…Just Share it.
You find a good deal that you think we should all see? Just share!
Or hey even a joke you think too fun not to share, Just share it.
Post links in the comments.
Occasionally I will too.
Today I want to discuss book covers.
This is in some ways a very commercial art. And it is regulated by genre. People expect each book in a genre to have similar covers. To the point that unique covers in the industry are the stand out instead of the standard.
When I started my journey with publishing, I was sure that I had to follow those rules. My original covers were very bland. As most poetry volumes have…
Then someone I respected quite a bit told me that the only thing wrong with my books was the covers didn’t match me. (next week on publishing demystified I will be talking about the covers and the tools I use to deal with them).
I think my covers have become more unique and I really enjoy the making of them. Here’s some of the ones I have made.
Today I am going to be on the Owl Light network on their Unprinted pages reading Pip and Friends.
Being on shows like that makes me feel like such a celebrity. The show starts at 9pm est. Come cheer me on.
spooky
chasing ghosts teaser
Lyrics –
Now he’s thinkin’ ’bout me every night, oh
Is it that sweet? I guess so
Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know
That’s that me, espresso
Move it up, down, left, right, oh
Switch it up like Nintendo
Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know
That’s that me, espresso
I can’t relate to desperation
My ‘give a fucks’ are on vacation
And I got this one boy
And he won’t stop calling
When they act this way
I know I got ’em
Too bad your ex don’t do it for ya
Walked in and dream came trued it for ya
Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya
I know I Mountain Dew it for ya
That morning coffee, brewed it for ya
One touch and I brand newed it for ya
Now he’s thinkin’ ’bout me every night, oh
Is it that sweet? I guess so
Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know
That’s that me, espresso
Move it up, down, left, right, oh
Switch it up like Nintendo
Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know
That’s that me, espresso
Is it that sweet? I guess so
I’m working late ’cause I’m a singer
Oh, he looks so cute wrapped around my finger
My twisted humor, make him laugh so often
My honey bee, come and get this pollen
Too bad your ex don’t do it for ya
Walked in and dream came trued it for ya
Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya
I know I Mountain Dew it for ya
That morning coffee, brewed it for ya
One touch and I brand newed it for ya
Now he’s thinkin’ ’bout me every night, oh
Is it that sweet? I guess so
Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know
That’s that me, espresso
Move it up, down, left, right, oh
Switch it up like Nintendo
Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know
That’s that me, espresso
He’s thinkin’ ’bout me every night, oh
Is it that sweet? I guess so
Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know
That’s that me, espresso
Move it up, down, left, right, oh
Switch it up like Nintendo
Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know
That’s that me, espresso
Is it that sweet? I guess so
That’s that me, espresso
My 2 cents –
The beat of this is contagious. I have been an insomniac for so long that I tend to be drawn to songs and art that feels like I am being seen.
The purpose of this one is simple. Most likely everyone here knows I run Fae Corps Publishing and I have been doing this in the background for a while now. I plan on talking clearly about the tools I use for publishing, and the way that each one works. Demystifying what I do. Is that to say that I will be making my own self unnecessary? No, because my experience is valuable. I just feel like so much of the process is made out to be harder than it needs to be.
Last time I said I would be discussing covers. I decided that will be next week. I realized that I was not as in depth about the epub as I should have been.
When you first open the epub with Sigil it will ask you if you want to add the doctype html to the document. For some reason open office forgets to add this and it is necessary.
In the stylesheet section there is a line that says something about direction. I don’t remember the exact line but it is the only line that says direction. That has to be removed.
You need to go through and check your pages for the way you want it to be laid out. Merge pages and cut pages as needed. Adjust the toc.
When you go through if you notice your text is not colored properly you can take the color information out of the stylesheet.
The last thing I recommend is taking out the <title><title> at the top of each page. I don’t know why but it causes error messages if you leave it in.
Don’t forget to save your work.
I will leave on the bottom of the post the upcoming calendar. I feel like that will help.
May –
29th – (not a release date but I will be on the Owl Light Network reading Pip and Friends Live)
June –
4th – Anthology The Owl Light Menagerie (a special venture with the owl light network)
14th – Hope Splashes by Patricia Harris
21st – Chasing Ghosts by Serena Mossgraves
July –
1st – The Life Collection by Ashira Datya
5th – The Lightning War: Grounding Unit by Parker LaVitte
19th – Falling in Flames by Ashira Datya
August –
23rd – Beneath the Deep Wave by Andrew McDowell
September –
6th – The Fall by Amima Raziel
20th – The Magick Saga Collection by Ashira Datya
October –
18th – My Gothic Angel by Laj & Khoury Hawkins
25th – Anthology Nightmare Whiskers
December –
1st – unknown by Raz T Slasher (middle grade) (*though I don’t normally have an unknown in my list of release dates… from a couple of authors I will take the chance for “kids week” and save the spot. If I don’t get the book from them I will just have an empty spot for the day. But I think that they are worth it.)
2nd – where’s my Sugar by Patricia Harris
3rd – Pip 4: Pip that is not Yours! By Patricia Harris
4th – Anthology Fae Recipes
5th – Unknown by CM Snow
6th – kids week open
7th – kids week open
8th – Hood of Sedna by Mina Skye
13th – Anthology Honesty in Verse
2025
I will get those listed closer. I feel like if I were to put them on the blog it would put too much pressure. I have “penciled” in dates for several authors for 2025 already.
Bitch with me
By Patricia Harris
The urge to just complain,
Not that you want to
Really anything change,
Just venting steam to release
And start again.
This is in the nature of the game,
Instead of fixing the problem
Whine and complain,
To feel better again.
So you found a new book?
Or maybe you just published one?
Did you find a new webcomic that you like?
Or a song you think everyone should hear?
No need for explanation…Just Share it.
You find a good deal that you think we should all see? Just share!
Or hey even a joke you think too fun not to share, Just share it.
Post links in the comments.
Occasionally I will too.
So I spent a lot of time refusing to call myself an artist, mostly because I saw it as a station I could not reach. I struggled to find value in my creations when words were not involved. I feel like most artists feel like this.
I once told a therapist that my brother was the artist in the family because he got all the talent. I remember the smile she had. She said perhaps he did get the talent, but I had skills. Skills are developed by the constant use of the ability. I had never thought of it that way before.
I am at a point in my life now where I realize that labels matter, both the ones that we give each other and the ones we give ourselves. We will hear that we should not call ourselves artist and we take it to heart. We will call ourselves worthless and we will take it to heart.
Perhaps the best way to handle the problem is to ignore the label and follow your heart. If you want to create… Create.
I feel like I have been doing a lot of the I am overwhelmed posts for the Wednesday post. And I don’t want to do it for the third week.
So I decided that I will do a news drop instead.
Serena is writing again. The Sea Wytch is actually moving forward and I have hope that it will be done this year.
Fae corps publishing is in current negotiations with a narrator to be able to offer audio books.
We are also in negotiations for the possibility of offering another imprint under our team.
I am posting my poetry images on patreon. Any paid amount will allow you to see them. They will not be available anywhere else. I am trying to not post the same poem anywhere else as well. So unless you are a patron the only way to see those poems are to buy the books.
Not sure if I announced it here but I have a new intern for Fae corps who is running the fae corps publishing blog. They are taking a huge amount of work off my plate each week. That should help me with my overwhelmed life.
I have signed up for the half marathon on the poetry marathon. 12 poems in 12 hours. It’s June 15th.
I am sure there’s more news but I don’t know what else to say…. So I will try to remember it by next week.
Pattimouse 