"Life is Very Short" Poem

Life is very short

And we have far to go,

So don't go and dumb up yourself,

Knowledge is ours to know

Life is very short

And there is love that we must share

So do not go close off your heart

Give tender love and care

Life is very short

There are places we must go

So don't sit around on the couch,

Live for something to show.

Life is very short,

So toss it your best throw

'if you didn't go a good one

Why did you even go?

Life is very short,

How short we'll never know

So make the best of what you have,

Before it's time to go.

Copyright Brandon Grant 2013.  All Rights Reserved.

How to Design an E-Book Cover (For Self Published Authors)

If you're like me, a broke ass-kid with a love for writing and Kindle, then you have probably chosen to self-publish your book through Amazon's KDP program.  One of the few disadvantages of self-publishing is the responsibility for having your own cover designed, so I'm posting this article today on how to have a professional looking cover made for free.

The two most important things when it comes to selling your ebook are 1. Getting people to your book and 2. Using an attractive cover to turn browsers into readers.  If you're like me and have no talent whatsoever in drawing or design, than you probably have the initial thought of going on deviantART, making a forum post that you are an author in need of a well-designed cover, and spending a few hundred dollars commissioning one.  What's that, you also share the striking similarity to me that you are cheap and/or broke?  If that's the case, than you are going to have to put together your own cover.

I can not tell you how many times I've been searching for a good read and I find a book with a cover that I, a thirteen year-old non-professional, could throw together in Photoshop in about three minutes.  I will often click on these just to check their sales ranks, and they are always horribly low.  Moral of the story: If you are not a Photoshop natural, realize that and don't try to convince yourself that you are.  It will hurt you in the long run.

The secret to a professional looking cover is using creative commons or public domain photos already on the internet.  I am a category bestseller, and I didn't pay a cent on any of my book covers.  The cover for "Edward" I found in Wikimedia commons.  The covers used for the Black Lord's Trilogy were based off of a picture called "glory" that I found on flickr and then later tweaked with in Photoshop.

You can find some really great CC pictures out there and are legally allowed to use them commercially provided that you give credit to the original creator of the picture. (snake3yes in the case of my image)  You can usually find even more proffessional looking pictures on websites like ShutterStock which are available for five dollars or less.  So before you go out and dump your money on a cover, consider these alternatives.

Authorgraph; Now You Can Sign an Ebook!

I signed up for a service yesterday called Authorgraph (which I am told was originally called "kindlegraph") Which allows self-published authors as well as those traditionally published by an independent publisher to conduct electronic signings of their books to their fans.

Unlike the old days of book signings where if you wanted the author's autograph where you would have to wait for years for them to come to your city and if you lived in a small town you were out of luck, Authorgraph works entirely through the internet, so you could recieve an autograph from your favorite author without either of you ever leaving your homes!

I have already tested the service myself and I really like the way that it works. You start by signing up and entering the ASIN for your Kindle books.  After that, the website recognizes the ASIN with the book that it's connected to, and your book is added to their system.

When a fan goes on authorgraph.com to look for your book, they hit the green button below to order an Authorgraph of the book.  You get a personal message with the request, where you can type a personal message to the person.  You sign your name via your computer's trackpad or touchscreen, and your signature is saved into the system so you don't have to sign your name again next time.

Reader's set up their accounts with their kindle document adresses, so a PDF with a picture of your cover, your message and your signature is automatically zapped to their kindle over the internet.

Here's an example of an Authorgraph I recieved from Joseph Lallo, author of The Book of Deacon.

Unfortunately, the Authorgraph doesn't appear in the front of the book.  It is saved as a seperate file, so if the reader wants to see your autograph, they will have to go in the "docs" section of their kindle instead of going to the front of the book like a normal signed book.

With that said, could Authorgraph be the future of book signings? I hope so, it's pretty darn cool, and a hell of a lot more efficient than the old way.

Anyone want a signed copy of "The Runaways?" How about "Creeper; a Short Horror Story?" "Edward; a Fantasy Short?"  All three of my books are now on authorgraph, so if anyone wants a copy signed, you know how easy it is.