My intention was to stay in, today, and work on the synopsis/blurb for the cover of OT, only going out to eat. Instead, my mind went into not-gonna-think mode and I wound up going to a Barnes & Noble to research what professional publishers do with the mystery books they put out. I checked paperbacks and hardcovers, including sizes and found that while I did pretty much the same stuff as them when I worked up my previous books, there were some differences.
The main one was, they all put the Library of Congress designation on their copyright page, something I haven't done once. And at the top of each page is not only the page number, as opposed to the bottom, like I did; they also put the authors name alternating with the title. For example, all even pages have the name; all odd pages have the title. I had seen it both ways, before, and always liked the number at the bottom...but I didn't find one book that did it that way, now.
So I took photos of them and will use these as my template. I also bought a copy of Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler. The only one I've read of his is The Big Sleep, and that was years ago. He and Dashiell Hammett pretty much founded the hard-boiled detective genre, almost as a counterpoint to Agatha Christie's genteel sleuths.
That's not to say Jake's a tougher-than-thou detective. However...he does get in the face of a few people and is willing to do what he must to put an end to any situation. And he does have a temper. Sometimes he comes across as more New York than Texas...but considering how international his makeup is, that's not a bad thing.
So with that done, I took a trip to Half Moon Bay, which is not a pretty town...but the beach is fabulous. I took off my shoes and walked in the sand. Got myself splashed by the sea. Sat and thought for a while. And it helped to clear my brain of a few things. I've started up the blurb and decided to do whatever I must for the cover to make it appear more professional. I want this to kick butt, and to be honest many of the ones I read in B&N did not. So the only standards I have to meet are my own high ones.
Ah...I have neighbors to my motel room...and they are loud and obnoxious...what fun...
The main one was, they all put the Library of Congress designation on their copyright page, something I haven't done once. And at the top of each page is not only the page number, as opposed to the bottom, like I did; they also put the authors name alternating with the title. For example, all even pages have the name; all odd pages have the title. I had seen it both ways, before, and always liked the number at the bottom...but I didn't find one book that did it that way, now.
So I took photos of them and will use these as my template. I also bought a copy of Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler. The only one I've read of his is The Big Sleep, and that was years ago. He and Dashiell Hammett pretty much founded the hard-boiled detective genre, almost as a counterpoint to Agatha Christie's genteel sleuths.
That's not to say Jake's a tougher-than-thou detective. However...he does get in the face of a few people and is willing to do what he must to put an end to any situation. And he does have a temper. Sometimes he comes across as more New York than Texas...but considering how international his makeup is, that's not a bad thing.
Ah...I have neighbors to my motel room...and they are loud and obnoxious...what fun...
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