Book Cover Illustrations

Yet another book illustration from my newly illustrated version of Edgar Allan Poe’s Masque of the Red Death — which can be downloaded for free from Datafilehost (in PDF format).

This illustration is actually a composite of several other illustrations I created some time ago. It never really fit into any project, so I pressed it into service here in the section of the story dealing with the massive black clock that chimes ominously.

For those interested, I have several other free ebooks I’ve illustrated and done the graphic design work for: Poe’s “Eleonora” and “The Raven.”

Please feel free to share all three books with your friends, post the titles for download, link to them, etc., etc. I enjoy being able to offer these for free — and they serve as a sort of advertisement for my book cover illustration and book artwork business.

Often word-of-mouth advertising brings book cover artwork projects to me, so the more these free ebooks are shared, the more it helps my business (and encourages me to create more free ebooks). So your help in spreading these to friends and acquaintances is always appreciated.

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When not creating his own editions of Poe’s stories and poems, Duncan Long works as a freelance magazine and book illustrator for HarperCollins, PS Publishing, Pocket Books, Solomon Press, Fort Ross, ISFiC Press, and many other publishers and self-publishing authors. See his book illustrations at: http://DuncanLong.com/art.html
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Another book illustration from my newly illustrated version of Edgar Allan Poe’s Masque of the Red Death — which can be downloaded for free from Datafilehost (in PDF format).

I also did the book illustrations and graphic design/layout for two other free ebook downloads: Poe’s “Eleonora” and “The Raven.”

Please feel free to share all three books with your friends, post the titles for download, link to them, etc., etc. I enjoy being able to offer these for free — and they serve as a sort of advertisement for my book cover illustration and book artwork business.

Often word-of-mouth advertising brings book cover artwork projects to me, so the more these free ebooks are shared, the more it helps my business (and encourages me to create more free ebooks). So don’t be shy about spreading these three books around to friends and acquaintances.

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When not creating his own editions of Poe’s stories and poems, Duncan Long works as a freelance magazine and book illustrator for HarperCollins, PS Publishing, Pocket Books, Solomon Press, Fort Ross, ISFiC Press, and many other publishers and self-publishing authors. See his book illustrations at: http://DuncanLong.com/art.html

Another book illustration from my newly illustrated version of Edgar Allan Poe’s Masque of the Red Death — which can be downloaded for free from Datafilehost (in PDF format).

And, if you missed them, I also have created the book illustrations for two other free ebooks: Poe’s “Eleonora” and “The Raven.”

Please feel free to share all three books with your friends, post the titles for download, link to them, etc., etc. I enjoy being able to offer these for free — and they serve as a sort of advertisement for my book cover illustration and book artwork business.

Often word-of-mouth advertising brings book cover artwork projects to me, so the more these free ebooks are shared, the more it helps my business (and encourages me to create more free ebooks). So your help in spreading these to friends and acquaintances is always appreciated.

=====================
When not creating his own editions of Poe’s stories and poems, Duncan Long works as a freelance magazine and book illustrator for HarperCollins, PS Publishing, Pocket Books, Solomon Press, Fort Ross, ISFiC Press, and many other publishers and self-publishing authors. See his book illustrations at: http://DuncanLong.com/art.html
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I love the unexpected that is part of freelancing. I never know what the next illustration job might entail. Science fiction, religion, fantasy, mystery… The subject matter varies and keeps things from ever being boring.

This weekend, I received the print copy of the Jan/Feb. 2011 issue of the Lamp Lighter magazine (published by Lion and Lamb Ministries). It’s always interesting to see how magazine illustrations turn out in print. These days my monitor is more closely aligned to what the presses will produce, so it’s not quite as surprising as it once was.

Not being too surprised is always good when it comes to the printing process.

Editor Dr. David R. Reagan was quite generous in his praise of the picture on the cover of his magazine as well. In the “Observations by the Editor” column, he wrote,

For a long time I have wanted to write a feature article for this magazine about Satan, but I was unable to find appropriate art for the cover. It was very frustrating… hours searching the Internet — all to no avail…. Then, early this year I tried once more, and to my delight, I discovered the amazing painting that appears on our cover…. The artist who produced this phenomenal image is Duncan Long.

His column goes on to detail my books in print, and where all my illustrations have appeared.

Yes, my head is swollen with pride now.

But my ability to stick my foot in my mouth will undoubtedly aid in rapidly deflating it.

Looking back at the year (as one is prone to do in Dec. and January), it has been an amazing ride. Interestingly enough, this cover is the second bit of artwork that dealt with one of the stories in Genesis (the other being Birth and Rebirth Through Genesis by Rabbi Michael L. Samuel). Two illustrations are likely more coincidence than trend, but it’s something to consider.

This year, more than any other, there’s been an amazing variety of jobs, running from CD covers to magazine work to my first graphic novel. And, of course, about umpteen book cover illustrations.

I’ve enjoyed the work every step of the way.

As far as trends, I saw a huge explosion of illustration work done for self-publishing authors. I’ve created such illustrations in the past, but never in the number I did this year. I suspect this trend of self-publishing by authors will continue this coming year, and it perhaps suggests a sea change within the publishing industry.

I’m betting the coming year will be just as interesting, and hopefully just as busy. There are bills to pay, after all.

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When not contemplating the past and speculating on the future, Duncan Long smiles a lot and labors as a freelance magazine and book illustrator. He’s done work for HarperCollins, PS Publishing, Pocket Books, Solomon Press, Fort Ross, ISFiC Press, and many other publishers and self-publishing authors. See his book illustrations at: http://DuncanLong.com/art.html
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Today’s authors are expected to promote their own titles. Often the best way of doing that is to get interviewed and quoted at blogs, in magazines and newspapers, and on the airwaves.

Easier said than done.

Back in the good old days, reporters beat the bushes for experts to interview. If an author had written about the subject the reporter needed information about, the reporter would quite literally beat a path to the author’s door.

Not so much any more.

Today news agencies, bloggers, and researchers often post notices asking for information. A savvy writer wanting publicity discovers these requests and follows up with an email — hopefully gaining a little coverage for both the author and the book in the process. Sometimes there may even be a radio or TV interview waiting for the author who knows where to look.

Rather than spend time Goggling for these requests for requests, it’s easier to let a couple of companies do the work. These groups collect the various requests for information/authorities from across the various media, and then list them in daily email newsletters. Authors subscribing to these lists search for subjects they can handle and, bingo, another way to get some good publicity for the author’s book. These lists have everyone from small bloggers to The New York Times, to ABC News, and the HuffingtonPost asking for experts. The opportunities for extra coverage can be immense.

Currently there are two good lists to use. One is HARO; the other is Reporter Connection.

If you’re an author with a book to promote, signing onto one or both of these lists is a good idea.

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Duncan Long has worked for several decades in the publishing industry. Currently he works as a freelance magazine and book illustrator for HarperCollins, PS Publishing, Pocket Books, Solomon Press, Fort Ross, ISFiC Press, and many other publishers and self-publishing authors. See his book illustrations at: http://DuncanLong.com/art.html
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I’m sending out this year’s Christmas gift a bit early – to be sure it arrives before folks start leaving work for vacation. The gift is my newly illustrated version of Edgar Allan Poe’s Masque of the Red Death (in PDF format).

As noted in a previous post, a Poe story may seem an odd choice for Christmas, but in fact it’s in keeping with English tradition of telling ghost stories around the fireplace on Christmas (yes, an arguably odd tradition – as are most).

So please enjoy the story, and do keep me in mind with your publishing projects.

In the meantime, here’s (a little early perhaps) wishing you a great holiday season with the hope that 2011 will be a great year for you and yours.

PS: If you missed them, I also have my illustrated versions of Poe’s “Eleonora” and “The Raven.” And please feel free to share all three books with your friends, post the titles for download, link to them, etc., etc.

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When not creating his own editions of Poe’s stories and poems, Duncan Long works as a freelance magazine and book illustrator for HarperCollins, PS Publishing, Pocket Books, Solomon Press, Fort Ross, ISFiC Press, and many other publishers and self-publishing authors. See his book illustrations at: http://DuncanLong.com/art.html
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Things are changing rapidly in the publishing field, especially when it comes to ebooks. Unexpected Ebook Events of the Past 18 Months.

A PR release from Arbor Books that undoubtedly is a bit slanted, but nevertheless has some interesting information in it: Six Reasons the Anti-Self-Publishing Movement Is Dead

How will the title of your book compare to those of past best sellers? This little tool will give you a chance of finding out: Lulu Title Scorer

Facts and figures can be misleading. Here’s a look at how statistics can give a false picture of what’s happening in the publishing industry: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics

(Please note that I don’t necessarily agree with all that appears in these posts, but believe they have some interesting thoughts and therefore are worth reading by those in the publishing industry.)

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Duncan Long is a freelance magazine and book illustrator for HarperCollins, PS Publishing, Pocket Books, Solomon Press, Fort Ross, ISFiC Press, and many other publishers and self-publishing authors. See his book illustrations at: http://DuncanLong.com/art.html
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A couple of articles for those wanting to build their own books…

A nice how-to article that gives the basics of eBook publishing: Publishing an Ebook.

Everything You Need to Know to Design a Book’s Interior in 5 Simple Rules is a concise look at what the essentials for creating an excellent text layout for a book.

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Duncan Long is a freelance magazine and book illustrator who has done work for many self-publishing authors and small presses as well as HarperCollins, PS Publishing, Pocket Books, Solomon Press, Fort Ross, ISFiC Press, and many others. See his book illustrations at: http://DuncanLong.com/art.html
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A sneak peek at one of the book illulstrations for the up-coming edition of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death” that I’m currently working on.

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Duncan Long is a freelance magazine and book illustrator for HarperCollins, PS Publishing, Pocket Books, Solomon Press, Fort Ross, ISFiC Press, and many other publishers and self-publishing authors. See his book illustrations at: http://DuncanLong.com/art.html
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As most clients know, I don’t get much work done over the weekend unless we’re really pushing a deadline.

That’s not to say I don’t spend most of my free time creating illustrations. It’s rather to say that I’m creating illustrations to please myself rather than for profit. Yes, sometimes (often in fact) these pictures become money makers. But initially it’s a matter of personal enjoyment rather than creation with an eye toward the cash register.

With Christmas coming up, I decided to work on another Edgar Allan Poe story to illustrate and put together as a mini-ebook (in PDF format). Perhaps a Poe story seems like an odd choice for Christmas, but in fact it’s much in keeping with English tradition that often had family members telling ghost stories around the fireplace on Christmas. An arguably odd tradition, however one that brought us Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, a small treasure and arguably one of the author’s better works (and one that captures his thoughts about the need for generosity and care of the poor to temper capitalism).

So, that said, I’ve spent much of the weekend shuffling through typefaces, considering stories, and sketching pictures (as well as pressing old pictures into service). The result — not quite finished — is a good start on Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death.

Above is the current version of the cover. Hopefully the entire book will be ready for downloading before Christmas. The cover illustration is an earlier “for fun” picture, that has been labeled off and on as “The Red Death” so it fits right into the somewhat grand scheme of things with this project.

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When not telling ghost stories to get into the Christmas mood, Duncan Long works as a freelance magazine and book illustrator for HarperCollins, PS Publishing, Pocket Books, Ilex, Solomon Press, Moonstone Books, Fort Ross, ISFiC Press, and many other publishers and self-publishing authors. See his book illustrations at: http://DuncanLong.com/art.html
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