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Cirashala
Valinor
Dec 7 2017, 12:27am
Post #1 of 4
(226 views)
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Are there any graphic designers on here?
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I am working on my second novel, and am having a bit of trouble figuring out a cover for it. Turns out there aren't all that many historical fiction-type covers out there, especially those where a girl isn't in an ornate ballgown that the average girl of the time period could NEVER have afforded 
I don't have a huge budget for it, but the novel is about a 15 year old Irish Immigrant girl who comes to America during the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s (specifically she emigrates in 1849). She ends up alone on the docks of New York City, and discovers a much darker side to America than she thought she would.
After spending literally days browsing through all the stock photo sites, I have yet to find more than one or two pictures of a solitary female in something other than a freaking ball gown. And of those, one is way too old (has to be in her 50s at least), one I would have to cut out the frontier-ish background (and I did, and put her overlaid onto the picture of a ship, but you can barely see any of the ship on the front of the cover and honestly? I was meticulous but it still looks photoshopped :( And all Irish Immigrant results showed overly crowded docks and ships- accurate, and in my story, but you can't tell one person from the other, so there is no place for my main character to be presented (not to mention they're way too busy for a book cover with a title, etc on it).
Is there anyone out there with good graphic design skills that would be willing to help me design a 9"x6" dimension book cover (and e-book cover- I plan on having my novel available in both print and e-book formats)? I would be willing to pay (I don't have a huge budget, but if a good cover means good sales, and a bad cover means no sales, then I am willing to make the investment).
Anyway, I don't know if anyone has any historical photos they own, up their sleeves, or know where to get ones that won't violate a copyright (I don't want to get sued for unintentionally stealing a photo), or who has the graphic design or artistic skills to help me put together an awesome cover, I would GREATLY appreciate it!!!!
Note- A photo would be preferred, but I am fine with artwork. I can paint some things (can paint flowers on china and ceramics quite well), but I'm truly hopeless with people. I haven't had an art class since elementary school so considering that I'm not half bad, but painting people is out of my repertoire for sure.
But in a nutshell, I'm looking for either a photo that would require little more editing than maybe changing the color tones, or artwork, but either one would have a thin girl in the attire a poor immigrant girl would have worn in 1849 era (remember Ireland was in famine, so logically she would be pretty thin from starvation) from a back view, holding a carpetbag (the title is The Girl with the Carpetbag, being book one in a series) standing alone on the streets or docks of New York City, or maybe with her facing a closed door in a brick building or something. It would also be a bit darker, as the subject matter of the novel is more solemn.
Anyone willing to help a fellow tornsib out??? 
My first novel, Amazing Grace, is available through Amazon.com and my Createspace estore :)
https://www.createspace.com/7505902
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=amazing+grace+amanda
(This post was edited by Cirashala on Dec 7 2017, 12:31am)
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Kilidoescartwheels
Valinor
Dec 8 2017, 8:30pm
Post #3 of 4
(158 views)
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That's where I found someone to do my book cover, and I'm about to put a Kindle Single out on Amazon. Like you, I don't have a big budget, but I can afford $20 or so, and there are loads of people on Fiverr that do book covers. Maps, now that's harder to find, but I did find a lady to draw the map for my 1st book on Fiverr as well. Good luck!
Check out my new book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1521753377
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Cirashala
Valinor
Dec 8 2017, 8:54pm
Post #4 of 4
(156 views)
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but that is good to know!
Regarding book covers, my husband knows a graphic artist/VFX artist through one of the other forums he frequents, and said artist told him he would help me  The biggest thing now is that turns out I will end up having to pose for my main character (who is from famine Ireland, so I am not able to pass for starving by any means but he said he can make me skinny lol). Luckily, despite being 31, I can still pass for 15 for her and it will be a slight profile shot only. I also sew, and have a dress and shawl that needs darning that will work well too.
The only thing I don't have is a carpetbag, and since that word is in the title, that could be problematic. I may wind up having to just hold a bag of some kind and have him edit a carpetbag over it (I can hold it toward the bottom, so that only the top part where the handle is shows, so he won't have to edit much). But given that I live in north Idaho, which wasn't settled until the 1880s, finding a site reminiscent of New York City 1849 will be impossible. He will have to formulate the background for me, so I will have to pose in several different lighting setups and send them all to him and hope that one works.
If it doesn't work out, I will definitely check out Fiverr!!! I am hoping that he has access to loads more photos for backgrounds than I do. I finally found a photographer whose background works very well for it, so I will send him a screencap of that saying that's about the look and orientation I want for a guide. Fingers crossed, it will work
My first novel, Amazing Grace, is available through Amazon.com and my Createspace estore :)
https://www.createspace.com/7505902
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=amazing+grace+amanda
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