Ghost Song Covers - by Susan Price

A very happy Christmas Day to all our readers!

And a Prosperous New Year to come! 

Here's what I've been working on, in the run-up to Christmas...

This is what I've been slaving over a graphics programme to produce. A new cover for Ghost Song.
          The blurb on the back reads:

At white midnight, in the endless midsummer of the far North, Kuzma the bear-shaman demands a new-born baby boy from his father, the slave and hunter, Malyuta.
     Steadfastly, throughout the long summer night, Malyuta refuses.
     The powerful shaman, thwarted, leaves at last.
     Malyuta names his adored son 'Ambrosi' or 'Immortal.' But, as Ambrosi grows, the villagers begin to fear him.
     The bear-shaman still walks in Ambrosi's dreams and still calls him...

           The old cover looked like this:-

          I've changed the font, and the text colour. I've added a text-box to contain the blurb, and 'screamer lines' for the back.
          I uploaded it to CreateSpace for testing, and then altered it several times before CreateSpace would accept it.
          I had to mess about with the the measurements quite a bit. (I find that information on-line about how to calculate spine-width and bleed vary. The information about formats can be misleading too. I read that the cover had to be a PDF - but a PDF wouldn't upload.
          I found it best to follow what it says beside your book, in Cover Creator. It gives you the measurements and asks for a jpeg. For my 6" x 9" book it asked for a jpeg cover 13" inches wide and 9-50 inches high.
         Then the text was too close to the edge - the C/S price code overlapped the lower line of text on the back, and so on. But I fiddled and finessed and finally C/S accepted a cover I was happy with.

     I've given the interior a new look, too, by adding a symbol from 'the magic drum.'

         I've been working on a cover for Ghost Dance, though it isn't finished yet:-

        This is almost right. The C/S code box is too close to the lower line on the back, but I have enough room to move everything up slightly. As this book is thick enough to have spine lettering, C/S will add my name and the title to the spine.
        I intend to update the first book in the series, Ghost Drum, as well.

     I should certainly add that, in all of this, I've been guided, educated and helped by my brother, Andrew, who has just designed a new cover for Yvonne Coppard's e-book reissue of her 'Room For One More.' (It was formerly published under the name 'Beth Miller.')

Late-breaking news: CreateSpace has accepted Ghost Dance, so that should be available soon too. Then there will be only Ghost Drum to redo.

Find my website here.