Tarbin’s True Heir Cover Reveal

My first novel complete and ready to be enjoyed by epic fantasy fans! It’s hard to wrap my mind around the reality of a physical manifestation of years of work. I can’t wait until you read it and tell me what you think!

We’ve all heard the old saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Unfortunately, that is NOT how this works. We ALL judge books by their covers. It has to introduce us to the story on the inside. It has to grab our attention so we impulsively pick it up. (Though for me, it just has to be a BOOK for me to impulsively buy it. Ask my strained bookshelves.) The cover is the best marketing tool you can buy.

Today, I want to share the cover with everyone who has been anxiously awaiting its arrival. My publisher is a small press who allowed me to find my own cover artist. That’s a rarity in this industry and I’m lucky to have found Inklings Publishing.

I asked around, mostly on Facebook groups dedicated to self publishing such as AAYAA and 20BooksTo50K, for recommendations. I received a few and explored their websites. Stefanie Saw’s covers thrilled me. I could see my name alongside her gorgeous artwork. She specializes in fantasy covers and has an incredible eye for the genre. And her prices were quite reasonable.

I sent her an email and she sent me a massive list of questions to answer about my book. No worries. I knew EXACTLY what I wanted. A crown with jewels on it and a mysterious hooded figure holding it. To each side of the central crown, a hand from two individuals, slashed, ready to touch the crown. Oh and the crown should be shining blue like the Holy Gemstones. Oh and there should be a dragon and a giant eagle flying in the background. Oh and…

Stefanie vetoed that mess. THIS is why you hire a professional. I’m a writer, not an artist. She talked me down, kindly I might add, from my original design. After all, in this modern day and age, the covers need to look clear in thumbnail form for ebook readers to get the benefits, which, in turn, benefits the sale of your work.

She also had the cover done on time and on schedule. There was a problem with bleed on the image when it was uploaded to CreateSpace. Stefanie jumped right on and fixed it for us. She is professional and friendly and talented. The perfect combination for a nervous first time author trying to get everything right. I can’t wait for her to work on the cover for book two: Tarbin’s False Prophet.

So, what do you think? It’s glorious, isn’t it? If you’re looking for a cover artist, I highly recommend contacting Stefanie.