I consider myself very fortunate to have met a client, mentor and now friend through one of those online job offering sites. In this case it was a great place called FiveUp. Through that client I have made new contacts, written some interesting material and more importantly for a working eWriter, been paid for it! I am a firm believer in paying things forward and having been passed around to others looking for what I do, I am pleased to be able to reciprocate.

Every book, whether eBook or tReebook needs a great cover. Covers sell the story, even when the first glimpse of the cover is via a one inch square image on a web site. The cover and the title are what grab the readers unless they already know the author and are looking for more of their writing. How they found the writer in the first place is either due to a friend referring them, a chance happening or…. the cover art and title!

I am no good with crayons, hence I write the stories. I do passable covers but they are obviously ‘home-made’, but then the investment in dollar terms is reflected in the result. I spend a lot of time on my covers but mostly because I suck at doing them and don’t have the real hot shot software that does the neat stuff. OK, I don’t really have the graphical creativity either. But there are those who do and they are rentable!

How much would you pay for the Art Director of  one of the big six publishers in New York? I’m talking someone who has over 20 years on the front line of major publishing like Bantam and its parent,  Random House. Someone who now teaches what they know at a prestigious arts and communications institution in the Bronx? If you said $1500 a cover you would be close. Because of the magic of our mutual friend who will remain nameless for now, this creativity and experience is available for just $250 a cover! But only through their listing on FiveUp and no doubt, only for a limited time as a favour to our mutual mentor.

I have several (all) of my covers that could do with the Glen Edelstein touch but I don’t have the budget. I do accept the cover will help sell more copies and so the budget will come, so I am putting in an order for one of my titles ASAP. I suggest anyone who has an eBook they are about ready to publish, or have published, should get onto Glen via FiveUp and book your cover. Once the summer is over I guess Glen will go back to teaching and his time will be limited, or the price will revert back to where someone of his ability should be. Be quick.