Fonts, fonts, and more fonts

By Michelle Lee

BWL Art Director

Hi, it's me again - the resident cover art geek.  I'm back with my latest in cover art related posts (after a fairly long hiatus due to graduate school).  I bet you can't guess what this post is about.  Come on ... give it a try ...

I'll give you a hint.  It's not images and it's not color schemes.  So what's left?  FONTS of course!

I touched on this a little bit in a past post, but it is well worth revisiting (at least in my mind).

Now I know what you are thinking, why would this be something worth talking about - twice now?  Well ... because the font typefaces used can be just as iconic as the images.

Let's look at a few examples shall we?

With the sharply pointed edges of this typeface, the artist brings to mind fangs.  Which is appropriate - anyone who doesn't know what Blade is about, it involves vampires.

 Another font that springs to mind right off is the one used for the Highlander TV series with Adrian Paul. Since she show is about sword-welding immortals, the font fits - because it has an almost blade edge like to it.

Ready for one that everyone should know?

Look at the elongated S's.  They almost see to be moving further away from the nearby letters. 

Another blast from the past - TRON.  Although the font was updated slightly for the new movie, it still have the same basic shape and feel.  The N especially is iconic.

Want a more modern example?  Then look no further than the Hogwarts school of magic.  It has a very wand like feel to it, and of course there is the lightening bolt end to the letter P.

 Now every author's dream is probably to be a household name.  Obviously the biggest part is creating a product you can be proud of.  However there are other things that go into the magic formula of success.  Part of that is branding, part of it is the wrapping, and of course a good deal of it is plain old fashion luck.  Since you can't control luck, an author needs to focus on what they can control - the product, branding themselves, and the wrapping of their product (namely the cover and blurb).

While the images are going to be what catches a reader first, they will notice the font.  And if it doesn't fit the overall feel of the product, then it can turn them off of the book.

Imagine a romance with a very stark, bleeding font.  Unless you are looking at a post-apocalyptic or paranormal genre, it probably wouldn't fit.

How about a fancy, script font on a horror.  Or a blocky, unattractive, bland font on a very visually stunning and provocative image.

The font selected for a cover can really say a lot about the contents.  So I strongly suggest authors take a little bit of time and scan through some of the options.  Including a few suggestions with the cover art form can help a cover artist to create the wrapping that will help to see your book.  At the very least, it will let you be able to explain to the artist what style you are looking for.

If you are not sure on what kind of font you are wanting, ie don't know the terminology, check out this quick resource - Basic Typography Terminology

If you are looking for something a bit more in depth - check out this article.

Some of the websites I personally use are:

DaFont     *     1001 Free Fonts     *     Urban Fonts

What I like about DaFont over some of the others out there is the option to see what specialized words - like a book's title - would look like, and the way they have the categories organized.  It makes it super easy to find something to fit.

To stress how important a choice picking the right font can be I leave you with one last iconic font.

Can you guess what uses this particular font?

...

...

...

...

...

If you guessed

 then give yourself a hand.

Now being realistic, your font typeface choice isn't likely to make you a household name.  BUT it is something important to consider when looking at a cover's creation.

99 Cent Sale--HAND-ME-DOWN BRIDE

 

If you are a fan of traditional love-stories with a genuine, old-time, rural setting, check out Hand-me-Down Bride. Meet the Wildbach's, both the schemers and the dreamers, and take a cool evening walk alongside the mill pond...

 

Judge Markham sat at his desk.  George Wildbach faced him across the mahogany surface.  A bottle stood between them.  It was the finest Kentucky bourbon, meant for sipping.

The Judge poured.  Then, ceremoniously, the two men raised their glasses.

"A good day's work, son." It was not just a figure of speech.  George's wife had been born Sally Markham.  The union had made kin of the two sharpest dealers in the county.

"I don't know how I can thank you, sir." 

"Just doing the right thing, m'boy."  The Judge's spectacles were misty with emotion.  "You've been a fine husband to my little Sally, and now there's Teddy and the girls.  They come first."

"To think! Just because Papa died so suddenly, Ilga Bullmaster and her niece would have waltzed off with $2,000 next week, skimmed right off the top."

"Well, with both wills in my file and the witnesses in my pocket, it was easy enough."

"A damned handsome girl," George took a meditative sip.  Oddly, he felt a little sorry for Sophie.  She seemed quite innocent, although Heaven knew that conniving Ilga was not.

"Forgive me for being candid, George, but nothing less than handsome would have suited your father.  He was a man of the most informed taste.  Ilga had the good sense to offer him a rose as perfect as any in his garden."

The Judge paused to splash more whiskey into George's glass.  "It's just good business," he declared, "not to let money get away from the family. Real family, that is."

George drank the second shot neat and then shook his head in an attempt to clear it.  He wasn't accustomed to drinking so early in the day, nor was he accustomed to downright larceny. Theft which could be performed under cover of law, like foreclosing on that shiftless Washington McNally a few years back, well, that was one thing!  To "lose" a signed and witnessed codicil was something else...

 

  

http://amzn.com/B00G80YHFG

 

http://www.bookswelove.net/julietwaldron.php

DISCOVERY by Ginger Simpson

Where else can you get a compilation of stories that have a connection?  I've been told that short story collections don't sell, but the history of Reader's Digest condensed books proves that theory was once wrong.

 In Discovery, someone learns something they didn't previously know, and I'm hoping readers might realize the "Discovery" of a love of shorts again. *lol*

 Please forgive me if I toot my own horn, but the stories are entertaining, hopefully well-written, and are great for passing time in a waiting room if you have a Kindle.  The "book" is available in both download and print if you don't have an e-reader, and I absolutely LOVE the cover.  The eye is on you!  *smile*

Here's a little teaser to grab your interest:  (hint, hint)

A Wing and a Prayer - A flight attendant discovers that her judgement in people might be flawed.

Joy's Revelation - While waiting for her wedding, Joy makes plans to get a passport for her honeymoon.  Why is her mother dragging her heels when it comes to finding Joy's birth certificate?  Is there a secret to discover?

Just the Right Fit - An older heroine discovers more than shoes at a sale she visits.

Masked Love - Divorced, overweight, and trying to find love.  Will my heroine discover the health problem she has might be her doom?  Betcha think you know what she has.  *lol*

Hurricane Warning - When my heroine moves to Florida to be next to the water, she discovers help comes in the strangest and most handsome of ways.

The Forget-Me-Nots - When a mother passes away and her daughters clean out her belongings for donation, one discovers three strange objects in her jewelry box and sets off to find what they mean and where they came from.

Paging Dr. Jones - A woman injured in a domestic violence incident discovers a doctor that doesn't just care for her injuries, he treats her soul.  Will she discover a connection?

***

So, there you have it.  My seven stories and I hope you'll try them and let me know what you think.  You can always email me at mizging @ gmail dot com or leave a "non-snarky" review on Amazon.  Really, most authors pay attention to what their readers have to say, if the comments are given as positive feedback.  Thanks for visiting today.

Meet Cindy from Shortcomings by Ginger Simpson #YA

My name is Cindy Johnson, and I’m a freak…at least I feel like one.  Although Momma says I’m beautiful, other people look at me like I’m uglier than sin.  You see, I was born with one leg shorter than the other and I have a very bad limp.   I go to high school, but if I had a choice, I’d just stay home and read romance books all day.  At least, through novels, I can escape to a world where people don’t stare and say unkind things.

Funny thing is, I have a crush on the HS Quarterback despite knowing I don't stand a chance with him.  His name is Cory Neil and he’s polite, but probably only because he feels sorry for me. Knowing Math is my strong subject, he called and asked me to tutor him. I was so blinded by his attention, I agreed because he was so sure he’d lose his place on the team if he failed the class.  I couldn't let that happen.  He's awesome.

 Anyhow, I arranged to meet him in the library because our house…well, let’s just say, it isn’t a mansion and I decided I’d be much more comfortable without him seeing how I live.  Oh, don’t get me wrong, my dad does his very best, but we’ve not had the best of luck which is how we ended up with me at a new school and people less forgiving than those I grew up with.  Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if people thought before they spoke?  

Anyhow, Cory asked me to Homecoming and that made me so mad.  Why would he ask someone who obviously can’t dance unless he was dared by his friends?  I’m not stupid, and I immediately knew I was the butt of someone’s joke.  I absolutely refused to go and he pretends he doesn’t understand why I won't.  Yeah, right!

  I don’t think I’ve ever wished for anything as much as to be normal and go to the ball with Cory, but no matter how much I want things to be different, I’m who I am.  Yes, maybe I let my “Shortcomings” define me, but I just can’t afford to open myself up to more ridicule and hurt.  He doesn’t seem to want to accept my answer, but I’ve already made up my mind.  He can take the pep squad captain.  She takes  great delight in reminding me I’m nothing but a gimp whenever I run across her.  I'll get even...somehow, someday, someway, just you wait and see.

RED MAGIC ~ CHRISTOPH ~ A Character Blog

 

My days of intemperance--of gambling, womanizing, and drinking--are done. Whether my sins ended when the cannon burst , nearly taking my leg, or whether they ended last month, when my affianced, an endlessly forgiving lady whom I’d at last agreed to wed, fell from her horse and broke her neck, matters little. My dear lost Wili, fool that I am, I took you for granted, thought you would always be there, arms open, ready to love and forgive!

That part of my life, full of deception and lies, those days of selfish pleasure—are over.  As my confessor says, God has granted me wealth, position, strength and grace of form, but I have taken His gifts for granted, have evaded the duties and tasks which are required of a gentleman.

 I am to marry my lost bride’s little sister and take up the duties of lordship, tending to neglected family property and assisting my father with diligence and honesty. My young cousin Caterina will not make an easy wife, for she justly blames me for her beloved sister’s years of unhappiness.   Caterina is, to all intents and purposes, a child, with little knowledge of the world or of the duties required of a gentleman’s wife. There is almost nothing about her—beyond her lanky promise of beauty—which interests me, except for her surprising knowledge of horseflesh, which rivals that of any man I've ever known.   

 If I am to fulfill the promises I’ve made to my family and to God, I must be patient with my young cousin, be at first far more a stern and loving father than a husband.  This will not be easy for me, as I have hitherto been accustomed to always have my way with the ladies...

 

~~ Christoph von Hagen

 

 

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~Juliette Waldron

Historical Novels with Passion and Magic 

http://www.julietwaldron.com