Ask the Author: Jackson Dean Chase
Answered Questions (6)
Jackson Dean Chase
Thank you! I love sharing what worked for me by writing the kind of books I wish I'd had when I was starting out. It's my way of giving back to the author community. Best of luck to you and your books!
By the way, I have two new writing guides coming out soon:
1. Writing Dynamite Story Hooks Workbook
2. 35 Things Every Author Must Know (a mix of craft, mindset/motivation, and marketing)
By the way, I have two new writing guides coming out soon:
1. Writing Dynamite Story Hooks Workbook
2. 35 Things Every Author Must Know (a mix of craft, mindset/motivation, and marketing)
Jackson Dean Chase
REVISED ANSWER: As of March 20th, Book 4 is 35% written and on track for a late April/early May 2019 release.
Jackson Dean Chase
Book 3 was released August 29th, 2018.
NOTE: Book 4 is currently scheduled for late April/early May. As of today (March 20th, 2019), we are 35% done with the first draft and the cover art is finished.
PS: If you'd like regular progress reports and new release updates, join my mailing list on my website or my FB group (it's called Jackson Dean Chase Street Team, and I've been posting spoiler-free progress reports on Book 4 almost every day)
NOTE: Book 4 is currently scheduled for late April/early May. As of today (March 20th, 2019), we are 35% done with the first draft and the cover art is finished.
PS: If you'd like regular progress reports and new release updates, join my mailing list on my website or my FB group (it's called Jackson Dean Chase Street Team, and I've been posting spoiler-free progress reports on Book 4 almost every day)
Jackson Dean Chase
Revised Answer (March 20, 2019): Book 4 is currently scheduled for late April/early May. As of today, we are 35% done with the first draft and the cover art is finished.
PS: If you'd like regular progress reports and new release updates, join my mailing list on my website or my FB group (it's called Jackson Dean Chase Street Team, and I've been posting spoiler-free progress reports on Book 4 almost every day).
PS: If you'd like regular progress reports and new release updates, join my mailing list on my website or my FB group (it's called Jackson Dean Chase Street Team, and I've been posting spoiler-free progress reports on Book 4 almost every day).
Jackson Dean Chase
Ran into some unexpected issues that delayed Book 4. Started writing it, but not far enough in yet to know an exact release date. My best guess at the moment is sometime in mid-late April 2019. Sorry for the delay!
Jackson Dean Chase
Great question! I don't do my own cover art, but I do the cover design because it saves money. Quality eBook covers can be bought cheaply, but they try to upsell you on the print version, which can double or triple the cost. To avoid that, I learned GIMP (a free Photoshop clone) to design my eBook and print covers (the fonts, colors, blurbs, descriptions, etc.). It's worked out great for me, but I only recommend this route if you have an artistic eye and have made a study of what makes a good cover design by looking at a ton of traditionally published books in your genre.
Great art and bad design will kill sales, and vice versa, as will bad descriptions. They have to work in harmony. Picking the right fonts in the right size and colors is crucial. Many authors will be better off leaving the design work to the artist, but the problem is that not all artists are good at design. They tend to focus on the art, which may not leave enough room for the title, blurb, and your author name.
By the way, it's good to have a consistent look across all your books, and one way to do this is with an author logo that is simple and easy to read. At the very least, you want your last name big enough to be clearly read in thumbnail. Think of how big Stephen King and Dean Koontz make their names on their covers; a tiny author name that gets lost is not only bad branding, but gives the impression you lack confidence in your work. On the other hand, you don't want it so big it looks ridiculous. Striking that balance between confidence and egomaniac is a fine line. ;-)
The art must also stand out in thumbnail, because that's how most people will first see your cover. When choosing cover art, don't settle. Always pick a cover that looks like one you'd see on the shelf at your local bookstore. See what the best sellers in your genre and/or category are doing with their covers, then copy that... or go with your gut. While I keep my audience in mind, I only buy covers that I would personally want to pick up and that look like they belong with the rest of the books in my catalog. Note that some variation in the art and fonts is OK within different series/genres/categories to help distinguish them from each other. Just be sure your author logo remains consistent across the board. Hope this helps!
PS: If you're going to get GIMP, only download it from the official site; other sites often bundle it with adware or malware.
Great art and bad design will kill sales, and vice versa, as will bad descriptions. They have to work in harmony. Picking the right fonts in the right size and colors is crucial. Many authors will be better off leaving the design work to the artist, but the problem is that not all artists are good at design. They tend to focus on the art, which may not leave enough room for the title, blurb, and your author name.
By the way, it's good to have a consistent look across all your books, and one way to do this is with an author logo that is simple and easy to read. At the very least, you want your last name big enough to be clearly read in thumbnail. Think of how big Stephen King and Dean Koontz make their names on their covers; a tiny author name that gets lost is not only bad branding, but gives the impression you lack confidence in your work. On the other hand, you don't want it so big it looks ridiculous. Striking that balance between confidence and egomaniac is a fine line. ;-)
The art must also stand out in thumbnail, because that's how most people will first see your cover. When choosing cover art, don't settle. Always pick a cover that looks like one you'd see on the shelf at your local bookstore. See what the best sellers in your genre and/or category are doing with their covers, then copy that... or go with your gut. While I keep my audience in mind, I only buy covers that I would personally want to pick up and that look like they belong with the rest of the books in my catalog. Note that some variation in the art and fonts is OK within different series/genres/categories to help distinguish them from each other. Just be sure your author logo remains consistent across the board. Hope this helps!
PS: If you're going to get GIMP, only download it from the official site; other sites often bundle it with adware or malware.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more