From Cover to Cover

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This month, I'm happy to share a special writer with you. His name is Tom Turner, and he's the author of the Charlie Crawford mystery series set in Palm Beach, Florida.

I first met Tom back in March, when he inquired about being a guest here. We agreed on May. When he sent me his post a couple of weeks ago, I almost fell off my chair--in a very good way.

So I'm pasting the whole thing I received from him below. I snagged his photo and bio from his website.

Once again, Tom. Thank you. And thank you for sharing blogging space with me.

www.tomturnerbooks.com

Hi Carol,

Hope you like it.

Best,

Tom

All-time lamest cliche— You can’t judge a book by its cover. Oh, yeah? Newsflash! Everyone does.

My first book was traditionally published—boy, was it ever a bad experience. And the cover they foisted off on me… awful. So I decided to go down the self-publishing road. What immediately became apparent to me was that there were a million hacks out there—literally— whose books had five typo’s per page and covers that a kid in fifth grade art class could do. So to be taken seriously and not just sell a total of seventeen copies to families and friends, I needed to be scrupulous in my editing and bite the bullet for good covers. My first cover cost me $575, but it was worth every penny. My third one—by the same cover designer—just won an award. Just like typos, a bad cover screams amateur. Or worse— clueless, incompetent amateur. (Caution: A good cover can land you a reader but you then need to deliver with the rest of the package.)

Okay, the reason I came up with this subject in the first place, after racking my brain for a few days, was looking at Carol’s website. (No, she did not slip me a few buck to say any nice things, but fact is, her stuff is fabulous!) From the mysterious-looking, sexy babes on her covers—hey, how come there isn’t one on Never Say My Name?—to what’s got to be the best website header, she obviously works hard really to make it all great. So, bottom line, to stand out from the crowd—no easy trick—save you money and get a really good cover designer and edit, edit, edit… oh, yeah, and while you’re at it, it helps to write a good book. 

If you need a couple of good designers, email me: tomturner1221@gmail.com

Best,

Tom Turner

www.tomturnerbooks.com

A native New Englander, Tom Turner ran a bar in Vermont after college, then moved to New York and spent time as an award-winning copywriter at several Manhattan advertising agencies.

After years of post-Mad Men life, he made a radical change and got a job in commercial real estate. A few years later he ended up in Palm Beach, buying, renovating and selling houses. On the side, he wrote Palm Beach Nasty, its sequel, Palm Beach Poison, and a screenplay, Underwater.

While at a wedding, he fell for the charm of Charleston, South Carolina, and moved there. He recently completed his third novel entitled, Killing Time in Charleston.

Tom asked why there isn't a sexy babe on Never Say My Name. 

The answer is because "Never Say My Name" is a short story that acts as a prequel to In Name Only. I wanted it to look different so readers wouldn't think--even though it actually says in the description it is a short story--that they were getting a full novel.

The lead characters in my books all smiled when I told them Tom thinks they're sexy babes. Gabe, Jake, and Dave, however. . . .

I'll be back here on Monday, June 5, with a big surprise. Don't miss it!