RESEARCH: I DID IT.
First off, I was very productive at work yesterday afternoon and last night's dress rehearsal went suspiciously well, so I feel like I'm waiting for two other shoes to drop. I still have lots to finish up today and must get down to PL for a 5:30 call, so I've very little room for error, plus, people may be careless whilst singing tonight's new Requiem mass, so here's hoping for good things while also tempering my own expectations. And also that nobody passes out from not being able to eat dinner between 5:30 pm and what may be as late as 9 pm when the likely-to-be-very-long service ends.
In nice news, I had lunch with KV (knee-deep in thesis-ing) and solarwind (knee-deep in teaching), which was delightful and involved lots of laughing and a stop by the bookstore for back cover research in autobiography/memoir/personal essay and poetry books. This was exceedingly helpful, since most of the back-copy writing guides I found were either dated or better suited to other genres. So here's what I found!
I included this because it's quirky and fun and very much in the spirit of what I'd like to have. Plus, Wil Wheaton did the blurb, and I hadn't really considered having someone not-literary provide the blurb, but this is perfect.
Funny, contemporary, and outspoken, and I like the use of bright colors. Also, oooh, I hadn't considered listing social media accounts...
This guy is definitely more interesting than I am, but I love the simplicity and elegance of this back cover. So if I write enough text and double-space it, I don't have to include an author bio! *takes notes*
I don't find the overall design to be attractive, but I dig the cover copy describing Gibson's poetry, and I LOLed at the blurb. I went to school with a comedian who I'm certain would give me an equally ridiculous blurb. How to ask her, though...
Effing charming cover, great use of fonts. Might send this one to my designer. Also v. useful short version of author bio.
Example of what I DON'T want my cover to look like. BUT super-useful descriptions of poetry for *ahem* appropriating, plus a potentially useful short author bio.
Kinda emo back text (WTF is an "internationally toured" anything?), but I like the overall layout and the way it sets off that beautiful head shot. I know centered is considered kind of amateurish by designers, and yet I think it works really well here.
Patti Smith's words will sell themselves, but this is one of a number of poetry books that has bits of poetry on the back, which I like. Plus, elegant layout.
Both of her poetry collections have very simple but effective quotes on the back, but that's her Instagram style. I think one needs bigger balls than I possess to do this, though I do have a piece with 14 penis jokes in it so...
The one is the only novelty/comedy verse book I found (it's called "Poetry From Scratch"). The overall look doesn't really interest me, but given that at least two of my own works purport to be written by my dogs, I will bear (or cat) this one in mind. Plus, I love this author's other book "The Joy of Leaving Your Sh*t All Over the Place."
This is not the first book that has Poetry/Literature or Poetry in the upper left corner, though I think I will skip that convention, for all that it looks rawther learned. Another "all poetry" back cover. The twee sass belongs to the imprint, though. Commune Editions: Purveyor of Poetry & Other Antagonisms.
Ohhh, you wrote 40 whole sonnets, eh? *scoffs* But seriously, this person won awards and shit. I plan to plunder the blurbiage for verbiage. Also, fairly nice fonts and overall design.
Also, I found this, which I will not be using, but oh man it made me laugh, especially when taken in context of the display.
Bless the bookstore.
Fun fun fun! Let me know if there are any in particular that strike your fancy, or any that make you say "OK, that is precious/fugly/twee/awful." I generally hate writing about myself, but I can pretend I'm writing about someone else because I have to write in third person, anyway.
OK, I have a PITA transaciton to get down to and must put on make-up at some point and send a delicate e-mail or three.
Smooches to All!
Mun42
In nice news, I had lunch with KV (knee-deep in thesis-ing) and solarwind (knee-deep in teaching), which was delightful and involved lots of laughing and a stop by the bookstore for back cover research in autobiography/memoir/personal essay and poetry books. This was exceedingly helpful, since most of the back-copy writing guides I found were either dated or better suited to other genres. So here's what I found!
I included this because it's quirky and fun and very much in the spirit of what I'd like to have. Plus, Wil Wheaton did the blurb, and I hadn't really considered having someone not-literary provide the blurb, but this is perfect.
Funny, contemporary, and outspoken, and I like the use of bright colors. Also, oooh, I hadn't considered listing social media accounts...
This guy is definitely more interesting than I am, but I love the simplicity and elegance of this back cover. So if I write enough text and double-space it, I don't have to include an author bio! *takes notes*
I don't find the overall design to be attractive, but I dig the cover copy describing Gibson's poetry, and I LOLed at the blurb. I went to school with a comedian who I'm certain would give me an equally ridiculous blurb. How to ask her, though...
Effing charming cover, great use of fonts. Might send this one to my designer. Also v. useful short version of author bio.
Example of what I DON'T want my cover to look like. BUT super-useful descriptions of poetry for *ahem* appropriating, plus a potentially useful short author bio.
Kinda emo back text (WTF is an "internationally toured" anything?), but I like the overall layout and the way it sets off that beautiful head shot. I know centered is considered kind of amateurish by designers, and yet I think it works really well here.
Patti Smith's words will sell themselves, but this is one of a number of poetry books that has bits of poetry on the back, which I like. Plus, elegant layout.
Both of her poetry collections have very simple but effective quotes on the back, but that's her Instagram style. I think one needs bigger balls than I possess to do this, though I do have a piece with 14 penis jokes in it so...
The one is the only novelty/comedy verse book I found (it's called "Poetry From Scratch"). The overall look doesn't really interest me, but given that at least two of my own works purport to be written by my dogs, I will bear (or cat) this one in mind. Plus, I love this author's other book "The Joy of Leaving Your Sh*t All Over the Place."
This is not the first book that has Poetry/Literature or Poetry in the upper left corner, though I think I will skip that convention, for all that it looks rawther learned. Another "all poetry" back cover. The twee sass belongs to the imprint, though. Commune Editions: Purveyor of Poetry & Other Antagonisms.
Ohhh, you wrote 40 whole sonnets, eh? *scoffs* But seriously, this person won awards and shit. I plan to plunder the blurbiage for verbiage. Also, fairly nice fonts and overall design.
Also, I found this, which I will not be using, but oh man it made me laugh, especially when taken in context of the display.
Bless the bookstore.
Fun fun fun! Let me know if there are any in particular that strike your fancy, or any that make you say "OK, that is precious/fugly/twee/awful." I generally hate writing about myself, but I can pretend I'm writing about someone else because I have to write in third person, anyway.
OK, I have a PITA transaciton to get down to and must put on make-up at some point and send a delicate e-mail or three.
Smooches to All!
Mun42