More on the cover redesign

Last week I asked for your help in figuring out whether to put a new cover on my latest book, ‘Forge A New Blade‘.  Feedback was generally in favor of the new cover image I proposed.

I’ll be working with my buddy Oleg this weekend to produce the new cover, and I’ll take the opportunity to fix a couple of minor typos and other issues with the text.  (That week of illness prior to publication cut into my proof-reading time, and taught me a lesson.  In future I’m going to allow a clear ten days for proof-reading, cover to cover every single day, to catch those problems.  If I don’t, I’ll miss some of them, and that’s just not acceptable.)

Several of you asked how I’d be able to use the new image when it didn’t offer enough space top and bottom to put the title or the author’s name without covering up elements of the picture.  That’s where Oleg works his magic.  He can extend margins on all sides, using elements of the existing picture and Photoshopping them into place, so that it looks seamless.  That’ll produce extra clear space to accommodate the text.  One can also buy the image (as I’ve done) in the ‘lossless’ TIFF format, which makes it easier to do that than the ‘lossy compression‘ JPEG format.  It costs more to buy it like that, but I think the results are worth it – and it’s easier to manipulate the image without causing distortion or losing detail.

I’ll be finalizing the print edition, too;  all it’s waiting for is the right cover.  (I didn’t see any sense in producing it with the ‘wrong’ cover, then changing it a week later.)  By Monday I’ll be able to show you the new version.  Meanwhile, if you’ve read it and liked it, I’d be very grateful if you’d please leave a review of ‘Forge A New Blade’ at Amazon.com.  That helps potential readers decide whether they’d like to try it.

Thanks for your help, and your patience while I worked to get it right.  I hope you’ll like the finished product.

Peter