Wooffer's Woods Stories, the cover

I had not read all of your posts before I made this version. I would have put a woodsy edge around it but I do not know the first thing about all that.



Thank you all for your input.

Love.

Betty

I like that one best.

If the whole cover is Woofer and no call-out to the field mice, what about the other covers?

I would like to have done the lettering in woodsy green, but the words did not show up against the black, and the choices for green in my program were a little too apple green.

What I wanted to do was have a universal background cover and just change the name of the story. Lazy, I know. I wish I were more learned in Photoshop. The program scares me silly.

The other thing is that I do not have pictures of each of the animals in the stories that I have taken myself. Some, but not all.

How would I put a frame around this cover?

Hi to Tory Lynn. It has been a while. It is nice to see you post. I hope all is well with you.

Love,

Betty

At my favorite stock photo site, www.sxc.hu, there are all kinds of free photos and drawings. I've used lots for my own books.

Here's a drawing of a mouse:

http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1183938

With some Photoshop skills you could easily incorporate such drawings into fun covers for each story. Photoshop is a bit intimidating, but well worth the effort to learn. The two classes I took in it were the best thing I did for myself writing-wise, because it has enabled me to improve so many figures for my own books.
The text we used was this:

http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Photoshop-CS5-Classroom-Book/dp/0321701763/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1320613678&sr=8-5

and I can't recommend it highly enough. Tutorial, step-by-step, easy to read. You'll be good to go after five chapters or so.

WOW! Thank you so much, LC. That was just what I was looking for. The learning of Photoshop will be the first thing I do. I really would like a different cover for each little book. I have been looking at the drawings I did for the PA Wooffer book and they just would not work. I felt that I need real photographs for each cover. I cannot wait to see the pictures of the pot bellied pig. hahaha.

All of you have been just fabulous to me and all the time and efforts on Wooffer's behalf and mine have gone straight to my heart.

That last effort of mine was pretty much like the cover I originally sent to PA.

Perhaps I will not use that picture of Wooffer until the Wooffer's birthday story. I feel inspired!

Thank you all so very, very, very much.

Love,

Betty

What if I do not put Wooffer front and center like he was in the PA book, but put each animal on the cover of the story that they 'star' in and then put a little cameo of Wooffer at the top of the first page just above the story title.

For instance, if I re-title the story about the field mice to Old Agnes, Mother of Thousands, and put a picture of a field mouse in the woods on the cover and then put " A Wooffer's Woods Story" under that.

The Armadillo story could have a nine banded armadillo on the cover......

and so forth, with the little cameo of Wooffer on the first page above the title of each story.

It would involve making 27 different covers, but with the sites that LC posted, I will try.

All along, I felt like I was kind of second handing the PA presentation. I will work on this.

Love,

Betty

Funny, I thought of that earlier -putting a cameo of Woofer in a top corner to give continuity to the series, but putting each animal the book is about front and center. I think that's a great idea.

11/6/2011


This is the cover I'm thinking of using for Dusty's
sequel ? What is your opinion ?


Cheers..Joe

Dear Joe,

Your original cover for Dusty is just perfect! You also have some other lovely photos of her to choose from.

Are you planning to write more of her adventures? How nice that would be!

Love,

Betty

I don't know why authors would not want to make their names clearer on the covers. The mainline authors with major publishers have their name huge.

Joe -the cover is way too artsy for a kid's book, imo.

11/6/2011


Betty..

Yes I'm working on a new book on Dusty,
it takes place in Cape Cod, I need to do a cover
with Dusty, a girl, a golden Labrador, a Westie, a
bob tailed cat and a tiger stripe cat.Plus Timmy
the main character.


Cheers..Joe

Betty and LC are right, Joe. It's a beautiful photograph but it needs to be similar to the first book (same theme, different colour).

Meet Old Agnes, Mother of Thousands.



This is the only image I will have to buy. The US government's Fish and Wildlife site has beautiful public domain pictures of most of the other characters.

I have found my instruction manual for Photoshop so off I go to learn something new this day.

Love,

Betty

11/7/2011


Betty..

I love the photo....
It'll make a great cover..


Cheers..Joe

Go to it, Betty!

The first Wooffer's Woods story cover: This used to be called Wooffer and the Field Mice. Old Agnes says it looks just like her!

Nice.

Thanks DK.

Love, Betty:D

It's getting there! I would put the title on top, though, the mouse in the middle and the rest of the text on the bottom. I'd also change the gray color and I'm not sure I like that particular font.

Dear LC,

I am not sure what grey color you are talking about. The mouse is that color.

There is a mouse who wears 'furs of other colors' in the Mothers of Thousands Club. hahah

Thanks for the input and the help.

By the time I have done the 27th cover it might be easier. My eyes are about to pop out of my head! Done for the day.

Love,

Betty

https://2img.net/h/i42.photobucket.com/albums/e337/Kage68/AGNESFORBETTY.png

I got the image to post once, but lost it when I decided to resize it. Sorry.

Dear Don,

I absolutely love that cover. Could you put two f's in Wooffer? How can you send it to me. Do I need it in jpeg?

I thought so. Thanks for thinking on me and Old Agnes. It is much appreciated.

Love,

Betty