Lessons in Publishing, Part 2

There are some things you just are not prepared for. All the work that goes into publishing a book is one of them. Like how to make a non-pixilated cover for your paperback, for example.

I received a proof copy back of When Words Collide on Monday.  As a whole, it actually looks decent.  I was kind of surprised, this being the first time I’ve formatted a book for publication and the first time I’ve designed a book cover.  Of course, Charyba was Amy’s first attempt at either of those, and Charybda came out amazingly.  But I didn’t watch over Amy’s shoulder while she worked on that one, so I’ve been trying to relearn it all for myself.

One thing I learned about creating book covers is that pixel density is actually important!  Who knew?  (Answer:  Every graphic designer ever…)  I didn’t realize that when I designed the cover the first time, so the 300-pixel-density front cover image wound up all pixilated in the 96-pixel-density paperback cover.  And that’s not even mentioning the 600-something-pixel-density back cover text copied in from Microsoft Word (again, who knew Microsoft Word was so dense?).  Once I figured out that pixel density was the key to solving the pixilation (again, who knew???), it was just a matter of figuring out the correct pixel density and how to make everything mesh up.

Now I just have to wait for proof copy #2 to arrive and hope that the cover looks as crisp as I think it does on my computer!  And the countdown to publication continues…


Do you love poetry but not know the first thing about writing it? Is the idea of writing poetry so overwhelming you just want to curl up in a corner? Are you a competent poet who wants to become extraordinary? When Words Collide will have you writing your own poems by the last page.

In this unique little book, A. L. S. Vossler explains all of the confusing parts of poetry writing in an easy-to-understand manner. You will learn all about structure, rhythm, meter, word choice, and a lot of the most common poetic devices. Finally, A. L. S. Vossler walks through her five-step process for writing poetry, using her own poem as an example.

If you want to learn more about poetry, then open up this little book and find out what can happen When Words Collide!

When Words Collide comes out on July 3 in print and ebook. You can find the ebook for preorder at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

What are your thoughts?