This is a call for assistance.
And writers aren't supposed to do this, but first, a little background:
For the past 3-4 years, published authors who have critiqued my work have told me they expected I would be 'discovered' within a year. Apparently, somebody forgot to tell any editors, because it hasn't happened yet.
Naturally, in my own home, in the safety of my family and closest friends, I have pondered this non-event, kibitzed about possible reasons, wailed about my rotten luck, foamed at the mouth… Okay, maybe not foamed.
One of these friends – who has served me well over the years as a sounding board and beta reader – has decided to DO something during retirement, and start a small press company. Yes, another small press starting up on a shoestring budget. Tommee has asked to use one of my stories – which I self-published several years ago – as the first experimental 'toe in the water', so to speak. It would start out as a free download through Smashwords.com.
So, we've been working together on website design, my bio, a basic contract … when it suddenly hit us – we need a cover!
If you've ever glanced through the offerings on Smashword.com, you would have noticed that even the free offerings have beautiful covers. If our books are going to compete, the covers have to look great.
That's where we need assistance.
At this point, our budget is minuscule. We are offering peanuts (and embarrassed to do it, but have no choice). As the company grows, payment for the artist would grow, possibly be tied as a royalty to sales, but even 100% of a thousand free readings is still … nothing, so we can't expect to start out that way.
If you are an artist who would like to try for this opportunity, or if you have any questions, please contact Tommee at MoonPhazePub@hotmail.com. Fair warning, having made her decision, Tommee can be a little impatient, and would like to get this first offering on the market by the end of March.
