Be Sure To Catch The Writer’s Workout!
[Update: I really, really, really want to hear what you think, even if you DON’T love it. I know my readers are intelligent and thoughtful and your input helps me deliver a better book (even though I know you guys KNOW that we would NEVER give you anything but the very best-quality book possible). So pretty-please with sugar on top, I want your honest feedback! So much so, that I’ve delayed the contest for a day.]
Coming November 2011…
Book details coming soon! (But not quite yet.)
For now, I’d love to know what you think of the cover and the concept:
Would you pluck it off the shelf at the bookstore?
Would it catch your eye on Amazon?
How about if you saw it on the Writer’s Digest site?
What do you think it’s about?
What do you think the tone is?
What do you think??? All comments welcome. Be honest.
Here’s how I feel = 😀
And here’s the extra-credit question: Did anyone spot the title in the bio of my recent article in the March/April Writer’s Digest? (If so, thanks for keeping it quiet!)
Thanks to Terri Woesner for the great cover design!
Comments on this entry are closed.
I’d pick it up b/c your name is on it — Writer Mama helped convince me to pursue a career as a freelance writer. So I’d add “author of….” to the cover to remind readers of your great work!
Would you pluck it off the shelf at the bookstore? Yes
Would it catch your eye on Amazon? Yes — love that it is green, which — to me — is the color of creation, growth, and money. Can you say TRIFECTA?!
How about if you saw it on the Writer’s Digest site? Sure, same reaction.
What do you think it’s about? I think it contains exercises to help me flex my writing muscles, based on color, texture (basketball!) and the graphic. I think it gives me a “routine” to follow that will make me a stronger writer.
What do you think the tone is? I think the tone is coachy. That means the author knows more than I do, wants me to get better, but doesn’t condescend to me like I’m a no-good slob. Coachy in a helpful and respectful way, not the Jillian Michaels screamfest kind of way. Motivational, but not pie in the sky.
In short, LOVE IT.
Oh, and I would have bought it just because your name is on it, too! 😉
Would you pluck it off the shelf at the bookstore? Probably, the colors are eye-catching
Would it catch your eye on Amazon? Maybe
How about if you saw it on the Writer’s Digest site? Yes, it’s more exciting looking than a lot of other WD titles.
What do you think it’s about? I’m thinking exercises for every day of the year? I think it would be clearer if you stated what the reader will get out of it – you may be able to drop “from your writing career coach” without losing it. The coaching comes through clearly in the image.
What do you think the tone is? No-nonsense, coachy, tough.
The design is bright and attractive…but aren’t you getting to the stage where your name should be in bigger type on the cover? The “Christina Katz” brand would be the biggest selling point for me.
So excited about this! I agree with Kelly – I would buy it because it has your name on it.
I am so excited. I can hardly wait. Is it really going to take until November? Any contests or opportunities to buy an early copy? What a wonderful topic and idea; another valuable tool for every writer’s toolbox. Thanks Christina.
I think the colors pop and they would get my attention whether on a bookstore shelf or on a website like Amazon or Writer’s Digest.
It looks like it contains small daily tips that will help you be productive and successful as a writer. I love the image of the writer holding up a pencil and get the analogy between daily practice, strong writing career to daily exercise, strong body. I can’t wait to hold a copy in my hands!
I think it’s an appealing cover: bright colors, eye-catching title, clear statement of purpose in sub-title. The little guy hoisting the pencil is adorable.
From the tone of the cover, I’d expect the tone of the book to be perky and enthusiastic, yet also encouraging toward serious & hard work.
I appreciate the numeral 366 instead of 365 — makes me think there’s a top for each day, plus a little extra treat. Readers like treats. 😉
*tip, not top. *sigh*
Christina,
Not only did it catch my eye, but I loved the whole idea of a ‘coach’ theme and what appears to be a sport’s ball. I love the color orange; it’s my favorite, so that caught my attention right away. I think the tone will be assertive but not beating over the head. It will get you somewhere if you follow the instructions.
Thanks for sharing! Excited for you. Oh, and my daughter Hannah also likes it. 🙂
Be refreshed,
Dawn
PS I do agree with another commenter that your name should be bigger. 🙂
I love it, too. I agree with the other comments that the cover is catchy and the premise is enticing. It looks like a book that is helpful without being preachy written by someone who’s willing to work with you from where you are, not where you should be. Every writer’s dream!
It would definitely catch my eye. But I would probably flip through it and be a wee bit disappointed if there weren’t any actual physical exercises like, say, some “how to do yoga while writing a blog post” or photos of you doing pushups or crunches while typing your latest book.
It wasn’t clear to me what kind of writing the exercises are for. Nonfiction? Marketing? Freelance articles? Fiction? This would be useful to know before buying.
I love it!!
Would I pluck it off the shelf? Probably. I think the colors are bold and a nice complement to each other. My one thought was that it looks a bit sporty, like an athletic logo from a school or something from a cheerleading camp. With that said, it does have a bit of a youthful feel too it: the title font looks a bit like bubble letters, primary colors, simplified graphic, high school-like figure. Not that that’s bad…just an observation.
Would it catch my eye on amazon? Yes, the contrast of colors makes it stand out from the regularly muted colors of most writing books–neutrals, pastels, etc. I do think it has a slightly less gendered look compared to your other books (especially Writer Mama). Perhaps that’s good. Broader audience?
Writer’s Digest website? Again, it looks more bold in color and design. However, the design doesn’t feel as academic / sophisticated as some nor as self-published / amateur as a few others–it seems to split the difference. Approachable? Maybe that’s the word.
Tone? As someone else said, I expect it to take on the feel of a sports coach: tough love, discipline (especially with “tasks & techniques” in the sub-title), and training.
Saw the title in WD. This cover is not quite what I expected given the more neutral colors and slightly feminine design of your other covers. But again, this one design is both feminine (cheerleading logo) and masculine (bold primary-ish colors).
Like others, I think the green background is nice. Not as personally in love with the figure holding the pencil or the main font–I’m more of a san serif, sans outlining kind of gal. 🙂 Still, as someone else noted, our name on the cover will probably sell the books more than anything else.
Hope this helps!
*your name on the cover
Thanks so much for all of the input, everyone! Your insights are incredibly helpful to me. It’s absolutely impossible for me to be unbiased about the book, since I’m the author. And hearing what you think off the cuff is eye-opening and inspiring. Especially since we’ve still got a little ways to go, editorially speaking. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
My first hit from the title was that it is an exercise book (physical exercise, not writing exercises). The subtitle makes it clear that it is a collection of daily writing exercises.
I’m hoping for more marketing elements in the upper section of the book–such as, by the author of Writer Mama and Get Known… or a quote from a respected writer about how awesome the book is.
Would you pluck it off the shelf at the bookstore? In the reference section, yes. I look at any book there. If it were out on one of the middle tables, as long as my eye hit “Writers” I would.
Would it catch your eye on Amazon? Maybe.
How about if you saw it on the Writer’s Digest site? Yes. I really will look at any book regardless of the cover if it’s for writers.
What do you think it’s about? 366 tips, one for each day? Awesome, I like a quick read that will inspire me each day.
What do you think the tone is? No-nonsense. If it’s a tip a day, it’s going to get right to the point, no fluffy filler.
What do you think??? All comments welcome. Be honest.
It’s your name, that is a huge selling point right there. I have read your other books, marked them up and shared with other writers. I know I’m getting good honest advice when I buy your books. I like the bold colors, but something is missing. I don’t know what for some reason my eye is drawn to the top of the book and expecting something there. That’s just me, I guess.
Would you pluck it off the shelf at the bookstore? Yes, because you wrote it.
Would it catch your eye on Amazon? Sure, but unless I knew you wrote it, I may not click.
How about if you saw it on the Writer’s Digest site? Again, I would pursue it because it was written by you and I trust your work.
What do you think it’s about? It seems to be a daily reader with short tips to get a writer motivated about her career
What do you think the tone is? Agree with the others: coachy, tough, to-the-point
What do you think??? All comments welcome. Be honest. I love the idea! Personally, I love short, daily tips to prompt or motivate or to inspire my day. One thing that nags me about the cover is the title font. It seems very masculine to me. I think you can be coachy, but feminine still. I get that it’s supposed to mimic team letters, but I think a softer look would be better. But even if you keep it, I’ll still buy it! 🙂
I like the design idea. It uses clean classic shapes, and circles aren’t overused in cover design. That’s good, though I didn’t identify the background texture as “basketball” until Heidi mentioned it. That’s a good idea, but I think it needs more cues to connect graphically with “workout” for a casual browser. How? Can the figure with pencil be a bit larger? More contrasted? Bent knees? Try the color of a basketball in the design, maybe in the circle border, maybe in the background, maybe in the ball background, maybe in the block letters, which are in the ball circle and fat enough to show the texture, maybe a combination. I’d keep the texture somewhere, no matter. Honestly, the yellow, orange, and green grate to me, and I wouldn’t be attracted to pick it up based on colors. The promise of useful content is clear, though.
I tried out a mock-up of a basketball color circle on light hardwood flooring– with added borders and texture assumed and colors in white, black, and a bright. Maybe that takes the metaphor too far; I don’t know. Would a more literal metaphor transfer the idea that you’re writing not just for mamas, but expanding your market reach?
Before I saw the basketball reference, I made a version using a blue background matching the letters; I did a simple fill but would assume the same texture. (I’ll e-mail the images, Christina, to show you the effects.) For maximum contrast on the spine (what forces my eye to read the title when I scan at a distance), you could use the blue on white and narrowly stripe the other colors at the ends.
A simplification of the block letters to keep them the same size would probably look better when transferred to the spine.
Would you pluck it off the shelf at the bookstore?
“Christina Katz” alone is reason enough. But then my bookstore is closing, so I couldn’t get that far 🙂
Would it catch your eye on Amazon?
The bright primary colors is what I love about it.
How about if you saw it on the Writer’s Digest site?
It wouldn’t surprise me.
What do you think it’s about?
If it weren’t for the small print subtitle and knowing you, I’d think it’s an body exercise-related book rather than a writing exercise-related book. That’s my only recommendation — less emphasis on exercise and more on writing otherwise it may be confused as physical exercise book. I like the clever title and see where you’re going with it as I believe it’s about coaching and tips to exercise your writing muscles.
What do you think the tone is?
Friendly, casual, personable. Just like what we got from your other books and that fits you while captivating us readers.
I love the new cover- it is bold, clear and uncluttered looking, and looks “athletic”, which reinforces the the Workout title…
Christina,
I think both the topic of your new book AND the cover are fantastic! What I especially like is the originality behind the idea. A book of “exercises” that any writer can benefit from is a wonderful new angle in books on writing.
Paul Vachon
The first thing I noticed about your new book cover was the unattractive green/orange color combination. This put me off from even reading the title. The sub-title barely shows up (lack of contrast). I think you should take it back to the drawing board.
The cover impresses me as generating a military/school insignia-type feel. And of course the textured green backdrop hints at football/basketball. Colors are very attractive. I think I’d like to see a person, or part of a person (arm/hand of writer working out?). However, the cover is eye-catching for sure!
I agree with Kelly that you should put your past titles on there for author identification. I love the cover. My only quibble is that I’m not quite sure what this book is about by looking at the cover. Do the tips apply to your actual writing or the promotion of your writing or to getting writing jobs. In short, I’m not sure what you mean by career. I like to buy specific books at specific stages (ex. query books at the query stage, self-editing books at the editing stage). But b/c it is you, I, myself, would buy this book. But if I had no history with your books, I would want you to say specifically why I should buy this book: 366 Tips for getting your writing the attention is deserves by Writing Coach, Christina Katz — that title still doesn’t quite do the heavy lifting I’m talking about, but I’d buy that book. M/b think about it as an Amazon search. I found your book, “Getting Known Before the Deal” by searching for “how to promote your novels” — think about it that way. What will authors be searching for that your book will provide? Right now, I feel like I’d have to spend too much time figuring out what a Writer’s Workout actually entailed.
Looks great! I enjoy your books and your emails. I hope you join one of your classes in the future. Have a wonderful day!