Day 2: Panel Discussion: Book Cover Design & Interior Layout

Day 2: Panel Discussion: Book Cover Design & Interior Layout

Book Cover Design & Interior Layout 

Description: Alexa talks with Tamara Dever, Michelle Argyle, and Margaret Cogswell, about book covers and layouts.

Format: Panel

Level: This presentation is for all levels. 

 

Alexa Bigwarfe

Alexa Bigwarfe

Author, Publisher and Summit Producer

Alexa Bigwarfe is a wife, mother, author, publisher, speaker, and author coach. She has published numerous books of her own and for many other writers and entrepreneurs through her author coaching and hybrid-publishing company Kat Biggie Press (katbiggiepress.com). Kat Biggie Press is dedicated to sharing women’s works of inspiration, self-help, and books that make the world a better place. Her children's book imprint, Purple Butterfly Press, publishes books of encouragement, inspiration, self-love, and healing for children and parents. She is also the founder and producer of the Women in Publishing Summit. Follow her everywhere on instagram @katbiggiepress and on youtube for publishing tips at https://www.youtube.com/writepublishsell.

Tamara Dever

Tamara Dever

Founder, TLC Book Design

Tamara Dever is founder and CEO of TLC Book Design, an Austin, Texas-based book design and author services company. Tamara is passionate about creating beautiful-yet-functional designs for dedicated publishers of all sizes and has been presenting at conferences, in person and online, since the mid-1990s. Her dedicated team has been bringing books to fruition for over 25 years and shares more than 200 awards with their clients. She’s co-author of the award-winning guide and journal for authors, My Publishing Journey. The words used most often when describing her and her work include “encouraging,” “integrity,” and “exceeded expectations.” Tamara holds a BFA in Graphic Communications from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh where she designed her very first published book cover in 1990. She was art director for Magna Publications, Comstocks Magazine, and Sacramento Bride & Groom Magazine prior to taking TLC full time. In her spare time, Tamara is often found cheering for the Packers, donating design to church-related causes, or jamming to ’70s and ’80s music.

Michelle Argyle

Michelle Argyle

Designer

Hi! My name is Michelle Argyle. I’ve been designing for 20 years and have created hundreds of covers and other design materials. I originally created Melissa Williams Design for a small publisher back in 2010. Since then, I have branched out to many other clients. MW Design is owned by MDA Books, which is the business name I use to publish my fiction on the side. As for design, I get crazy excited about supposedly mundane things like white space and fonts, and find no greater joy than transforming someone’s idea into a piece of art. Details are everything. I live in the Rocky Mountains, where I find every excuse possible to go hiking and be outdoors. I also enjoy writing and have 10 publications to my name.

Margaret Cogswell

Margaret Cogswell

Owner-Lead Designer MCD

My goal at MCD is to design and develop a plan to sell your book. More than 8 years as a graphic designer, book designer and website developer has given me insight into what it takes to produce a “successful” book and bring your vision to life. We combine great design with current business & digital marketing techniques that work and continue to sell books year after year.

Mentioned in this video:

  • General graphic designers don’t know the specific details of what is required / common / and even know the pieces and purposes of a books cover
  • A well trained cover designer is trained in the different elements that should be on a book can coach you as a self-published author
  • How often covers that were designed by friends or non book-cover trained graphic designers have to be redesigned
  • Why hiring a professional designer can save you so much heartache and headache in the long run 
  • The range in pricing with working with designers
  • Why it’s important to interview a couple of different designers before choosing one
  • Caution on premade covers and really cheap designer sites
  • Tips for finding the right cover designer
  • Research!!!
  • What it’s like to work with a designer
  • The Mockup process

 

Resources

[bctt tweet=”Join us as we talk about #bookcover design and #layouts with @TLCBookDesign, @mwbookdesign and Margaret Cogswell today @womeninpublish1. #womeninpublishingsummit #amwriting #ampublishing” username=”writepubsell”]

There is ONE way to still access the full 2020 experience... you can get your Full Conference Pass upgrade now!

The Full Conference Pass/ Community Access is lifetime access to all of the presentations, in video and audio form. Additionally, you get access to a private support community where we are helping each other through our writing, publishing, and selling journeys. And bonus materials! Thousands of dollars of gifts, products, discounts, training, and more have been provided by our speakers and sponsors. You can learn more about the Full Conference Pass here or you can go ahead and grab it now!

Day 2: Kate Frank: Why Most Authors Fail and How to Avoid it

Day 2: Kate Frank: Why Most Authors Fail and How to Avoid it

Why Most Authors Fail and How to Avoid it

Description: Kate Frank, Business Coach & Ghostwriter, talks with Alexa about how to avoid failure as an author. 

Format: Video Q&A 

Level: This presentation is for the beginning level author.

 

Kate Frank

Kate Frank

Business Coach & Ghostwriter

Authors who want to maximize the impact of their expertise hire Kate Frank as their business coach. While most business coaches focus on motivating their clients to implement best practices to grow their business, Kate helps authors expand the scope of their expertise using the most powerful, time-proven method of being seen as an authority. Everyone believes the person who “wrote the book” on any given topic is the undisputed expert. Being an author separates you from all your competition and leads to massive profit potential. 

Mentioned in this video:

  • Mistakes authors are making
  • How to set yourself up for success
  • The steps to take to do that
  • Working with a ghostwriter
  • How to seek help 
  • Her gift for All Access Pass Holders – “How to be a Rich Author”

Kate's website: http://authorityredefined.com/

[bctt tweet=”We're talking about why most authors fail and how to avoid it with Kate Frank today @womeninpublish1. #representationmatters #authorpreneur #womeninpublishingsummit #amwriting #ampublishing” username=”writepublishsell”]

There is ONE way to still access the full 2020 experience... you can get your Full Conference Pass upgrade now!

The Full Conference Pass/ Community Access is lifetime access to all of the presentations, in video and audio form. Additionally, you get access to a private support community where we are helping each other through our writing, publishing, and selling journeys. And bonus materials! Thousands of dollars of gifts, products, discounts, training, and more have been provided by our speakers and sponsors. You can learn more about the Full Conference Pass here or you can go ahead and grab it now!

Day 2: Panel Discussion: Writing Tips & Resources

Day 2: Panel Discussion: Writing Tips & Resources

Writing Tips & Resources

Description: Alexa talks with Autumn Birt, Dawn Mena, Ruth Snyder, and Jamie Beth Cohen, about writing tips.

Format: Panel

Level: This presentation is for all levels. 

 

Alexa Bigwarfe

Alexa Bigwarfe

Author, Publisher and Summit Producer

Alexa Bigwarfe is a wife, mother, author, publisher, speaker, and author coach. She has published numerous books of her own and for many other writers and entrepreneurs through her author coaching and hybrid-publishing company Kat Biggie Press (katbiggiepress.com). Kat Biggie Press is dedicated to sharing women’s works of inspiration, self-help, and books that make the world a better place. Her children's book imprint, Purple Butterfly Press, publishes books of encouragement, inspiration, self-love, and healing for children and parents. She is also the founder and producer of the Women in Publishing Summit. Follow her everywhere on instagram @katbiggiepress and on youtube for publishing tips at https://www.youtube.com/writepublishsell.

Autumn Birt

Autumn Birt

Author and Co-Creater of Am Writing Fantasy

Autumn is an author, educator, adventurer, and conservationist. She has written and published 17 books in genres from epic fantasy to adventure travel. She is an Amazon bestselling author in fantasy, epic fantasy, and war. Her second epic fantasy trilogy, Games of Fire, has received tremendous critical reviews and book 2, Gates of Fire & Earth, is also a Fantasia Reviews 2017 Book of Year nominee and winner of Best Worldbuilding. Along the way to her becoming a full-time author, she started helping new writers overcome the hurdles she faced. Teaming up with fellow fantasy writer Jesper Schmidt, together they founded the Am Writing Fantasy website, facebook group, podcast, and YouTube channels where they help authors with tips, courses, and newsletters. With an undergraduate degree in studio art as well as English, Autumn is also a skilled graphic designer and a bit of a website builder. She loves to create covers and maps for other authors, knowing these are another piece to helping writers fulfill their publishing dreams.

Ruth Snyder

Ruth Snyder

Book & Creativity Coach

Beautiful You Book & Creativity Coach and Best-selling Author, Ruth L. Snyder, is known for her captivating and engaging workshops for authors. As a Creativity Coach, Ruth enjoys helping multi-talented entrepreneurs write, publish, and market their books. She believes God takes our weakest moments and deepest hurts and transforms them into a powerful, life-changing story only we can share. Ruth’s Inspired Message Mastermind includes a virtual VIP day, monthly 1:1 coaching sessions, weekly group coaching, access to a private Facebook group, done-for-you book formatting, lifelong access to Successful Author University, and over $3,000 worth of bonuses that change the dream of publishing and selling a book into reality. You can download Ruth's 5 Steps to Outlining Your Book at https://mastermind.ruthlsnyder.com/optin. Ruth enjoys writing articles, devotionals, short stories, and Christian fiction. Her publication credits include three novelettes, several anthologies including Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Mothers: 101 Daily Devotions to Comfort, Encourage, and Inspire Mothers, Uplifting Devotionals for Parents, Equipped: Ephesians 6 Devotionals to Empower and Make You Victorious in Everyday Life, and Twitter Decoded: Tips & Tools for Authors. Check out Ruth’s author page at amazon.com/author/ruth_l_snyder Ruth's children have taught her many things about living with special needs. She is a strong advocate and spent several years serving on the local public school board. Ruth loves her job teaching Music for Young Children. She is fascinated by children's imaginations and enjoys helping young children learn the basics of music through play. In her spare time, Ruth enjoys reading, painting, singing, volunteering in her local community, photography, and travel. Several years ago, Ruth and her family traveled through 28 States in 30 days! As an expert in social media marketing and self-publishing, she has even been endorsed by Murray Pura and Jeff Goins. Find out more about Ruth at ruthlsnyder.com.

Dawn Mena

Dawn Mena

Book editor & Self-publishing Specialist

Dawn Mena is a book editor, self-publishing specialist, and former Los Angeles Times editor who turned in her high heels and corporate suit in favor of break-the-rules fun and author empowerment services. She works with CEO’s, industry influencers, and dream-driven entrepreneurs to help them write, polish and publish books and booklets that expand their influence, achieve their goals, and delight their readers with honest, helpful, and positive books that truly make a difference.

Jamie Beth Cohen

Jamie Beth Cohen

Author and Storyteller

Jamie Beth Cohen is a writer and storyteller who works in higher education. She writes about difficult things, but her friends think she's funny. Her writing has appeared in TeenVogue.com, The Washington Post/On Parenting, Salon, and several other outlets. Her coming-of-age novel, WASTED PRETTY, was released by Black Rose Writing in 2019.

Mentioned in this video:

Audience: Fiction and nonfiction beginner writers

A lot was covered in this video, and our panelists have kindly provided downloadable tip sheets, which can be found HERE

Dawn – Nonfiction, more business related books. Bite Sized Books – Often choose topics that are just too big. Pick a goal and transform change. Start with small projects; narrowing your focus so you aren’t all over the place.

Jamie Beth Cohen – long and short form; essays and fiction; works in different modality in different locations (long form when she has more time) but in her shorter windows is when she tackles the essays, not the novel.

Ruth – Master of time management so that she could find time to write even with 5 young kids. Ruth likes to remind people they can’t tackle all ideas at once, so she does a 20 minute brain dump session. After the time is up, she picks her favorite idea from the list and spends time honing in on that.

Autumn – fantasy author – why she recommends using an outline and plotting after her experience with just diving in

 

Two camps – fiction and nonfiction – writing concepts and ideas, basic terms and skills and how to start for both major genres

  • Plotter vs. pantser
  • Why it’s so important to study the genre you want to write in and know and understand the conventions of the genre and age category.
  • Understanding the nuances of the genre that make the readers happy
  • How fantasy as a genre as changed; new trends in different genres
  • The trend in nonfiction on shorter books
  • The importance of building your brand as a nonfiction author – choose topics that are aligned with your brand
  • Choose topics that you are able to talk about with authority (nonfiction)
  • Organizing with an outline (nonfiction)
  • Include a call to action (nonfiction)
  • Tips for the very beginning writer – Ruth suggests to just start where you are; even if it’s small, short, not a lot of time each day
  • How Ruth started her writing by using Twitter as a mini-blogger
  • Block off time to write at the best time for you
  • The importance of good storytelling in nonfiction as well as fiction

 

Resources:

[bctt tweet=”Join us as we talk about #writingtips and #resources with @Weifarer, @Jamie_Beth_S, @wwjdr, and Dawn Mena today @womeninpublish1. #womeninpublishingsummit #amwriting #ampublishing” username=”writepubsell”]

There is ONE way to still access the full 2020 experience... you can get your Full Conference Pass upgrade now!

The Full Conference Pass/ Community Access is lifetime access to all of the presentations, in video and audio form. Additionally, you get access to a private support community where we are helping each other through our writing, publishing, and selling journeys. And bonus materials! Thousands of dollars of gifts, products, discounts, training, and more have been provided by our speakers and sponsors. You can learn more about the Full Conference Pass here or you can go ahead and grab it now!

Day 2: Kris Kennedy: Keys to Writing Romance: Learn 4 Keys to Writing Powerful Romance Fiction

Day 2: Kris Kennedy: Keys to Writing Romance: Learn 4 Keys to Writing Powerful Romance Fiction

Keys to Writing Romance: Learn 4 Keys to Writing Powerful Romance Fiction

Description:  Kris Kennedy, Author & Founder of Romance Writing Lab & Romance Writers Summit, talks with Alexa about writing romance. 

Format: Video Q&A 

Level: This presentation is for the beginning level author.

 

Kris Kennedy

Kris Kennedy

Author & Founder of Romance Writing Lab & Romance Writers Summit

Kris Kennedy is a USA Today bestselling author & founder of Romance Writing Lab & Romance Writers Summit. She teaches writing craft and practices it too, writing historical & contemporary romance. 

Mentioned in this video:

  • The importance of norms in the Romance genre
  • Understanding what makes a romance a good romance
  • What readers expect
  • 4 Tips for writing a good romance – included in her workshop (available in the All Access Pass)

More about Romance Writing Lab: https://romancewritinglab.com/ 

[bctt tweet=”We're talking about 4 keys to writing #romance with @romwritelab today @womeninpublish1. #romance #fiction #authorpreneur #womeninpublishingsummit #amwriting #ampublishing” username=”writepublishsell”]   

There is ONE way to still access the full 2020 experience... you can get your Full Conference Pass upgrade now!

The Full Conference Pass/ Community Access is lifetime access to all of the presentations, in video and audio form. Additionally, you get access to a private support community where we are helping each other through our writing, publishing, and selling journeys. And bonus materials! Thousands of dollars of gifts, products, discounts, training, and more have been provided by our speakers and sponsors. You can learn more about the Full Conference Pass here or you can go ahead and grab it now!