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Girls*Heart* Books: Marcy Rachel's Colorful Indie Blog Tour: Guest Post

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Marcy Rachel's Colorful Indie Blog Tour: Guest Post





How Music Inspires and Affects My Work

I want to start my post by thanking Girls *Heart* Books for hosting the third day of my blog tour and letting me write a guest post for it!

The topic for this guest blog post is how music inspires and affects my work. I will begin by letting you guys know that when I design, I usually don’t listen to music. It might be odd to some, but I really don’t. If anything, I might have the TV on, but that would be about it.

When I am doing my designs, I get so focused that nothing really affects it, I even tune out the TV. I totally lose myself in what I’m doing. I could be there for hours and sometimes skips some meals. Time flies by.

Most of the times I design in total silence, but sometimes I get actually bored of the silence and put on a movie or something. But definitely not a Johnny Depp one cause that’s when I get seriously distracted, lol.

I like to listen to instrumental music, like Yanni, but I get distracted by the music because I think it’s so powerful. For some reason I can tune out the TV but not the music. Maybe that’s why I don’t do it. But I do want to give it a “conscious” try next time and see what happens.

So, in the end, I don’t think music actually affects my work or inspires me. I believe my inspiration comes from within, which I think it’s the purest of them all.





We want to thank Marcy for including us in her tour & now we'd like to share with you some of the beautiful work she has done and tell you a little about her services.  













How Marcy Got Started-
In 2011, for NaNoWriMo, Marcy Rachel didn't finish what she was writing. Instead, she decided to make MOCK covers for other authors that were writing, to inspire them to finish. After that, people loved what she was doing and they told her that she should sell her covers. Marcy took up on their word and now has her page, Marcy Rachel Designs. ♥ Every November is a reminder of why she started doing this -- indie authors. Marcy keep her prices very low by keeping indies in mind. Not only does she make book covers, but also design other things.

About Marcy-
Marcy takes pride in her work and will work with you until you are satisfied with the art. It's always been said "Don't judge a book by its cover" and, although this is very true, a nice book cover can catch the eye of more readers. Marcy will always use her skills to her highest to provide you with the best cover she can possibly give you so you can be satisfied.

About Marcy, From Marcy-

“Since my teenage years, I always liked to look at paintings and sculptures. I loved visiting museums. When I went to college, I enrolled as a Chemistry major due to lack of knowledge about degrees and programs offered. I failed Chemistry and moved to Business Administration, where I finished my degree as an Administrative Assistant. While in college, I found out that I could’ve pursue a degree in arts but it was already too late. When I was doing my internship, I discovered a TV show that I loved. I met other fans and learned about fan fiction and graphic design. This was my first encounter with graphic design and video editing and I loved it. I started doing it and taught myself some Photoshop and Movie Maker and I’ve been doing it ever since. Supporting the amazing indie community, whether it be a book cover design, a banner, a logo or even a bookmark is my constant ambition. They are the reason that I now I have my “indie business”, Marcy Rachel Designs.

So this is me, Marcy Rachel, providing just a little insight into how I was inspired and why I design.”

Pricing-
The going rate for a freelance designer to create book cover art is anywhere from $300 to $1,000 or more. This price is for a physical dust jacket and the art is usually done with traditional media, paints and brushes, pen and ink, etc. What Marcy does is obtain a few royalty free images and combine them in an artful way to convey the concept of the book. This method can be just as compelling as the traditional method. Of course, she adds the title, subtitle and author’s name to the cover as well. This is the reason why her prices are always as low as possible.

For ebook covers and print book covers Marcy Rachel Designs offer different packages for all different needs. For specifics, don’t hesitate to contact her! 



The General Price List:

E-books -- $50.00
Paperbacks (includes e-book design) -- $80
Facebook Cover Images + Matching Profile Pic -- $12.00
Avatars (100x100) -- $8.00
Banners/Headers -- $15.00
Wallpapers/Backgrounds -- $10.00
Social Network buttons (package of 4) -- $10 (or $2.50 each)
Post Signature (for blogs) -- $12.00
Favicon -- $8.00
Business Cards -- $12.00
Bookmarks -- One side: $10.00, Two-sided: $12.00
Logos -- $100 + images' cost

If you need any artwork that is NOT listed, just ask- She can design for almost anything, as long as you know the size of what you need.

Note: Prices are subject to change. Please check for prices before making your order. These designs do not include the cost of images. It depends on what images you choose and from where. To waive this cost, you can provide your own images or find images for free.

Payments-
A 30% non-refundable deposit is required from the labor price before any work is started for BOOK COVERS and LOGOS. All other works are to be paid IN FULL before any work is done.
 

All payments are to be made through PayPal ONLY.

How She Does It-
Marcy Rachel Designs obtains most of her resources from stock photo web sites. She first looks on websites that have been researched and that have images that are completely free. Unfortunately, most of these websites do not offer good quality pictures worthy of being in a book cover or any design. This is when she turns to paid images, though royalty free, trying always to find a website where the cost of the graphics is low compared to others. The cost of these images depends on which, and how many images she ultimately uses in the creation of your cover and/or design. The cost of the images is paid by the client and it's not included in the labor of creating the cover. You will always have the option of choosing a less expensive (or more expensive) image. Marcy must have your approval on all the images before finalizing the cover.

Revisions-
Most cover designers only allow a few revisions. Marcy Rachel Designs has been allowing unlimited revisions, but this takes a lot of time and it's not fair to other people she am working with simultaneously; it slows down her turn-around time for everyone. SO, now she is offering 10 free revisions. Additional revisions will incur in a $5.00 fee per revision.

She will be sending you drafts of the cover as you guys go along and make changes; feel free to suggest any changes you think might make the design better and she will try them!!

What Is Needed From the Client-
Most authors send a synopsis of their book and/or the first two chapters so that Marcy can get an idea of the concept to portray. Sometimes an author will send her the whole book and allow her to scan it for exciting scenes to get her imagination going. That’s totally up to you! Some pitch in some ideas they already have so she can work with those as well.

*A note about content: Marcy does not read pornographic material in preparation for designing a cover. (Romance novels are ok, even if it has sex scenes, but not actual pornography.) She can use images that depict artistic nudity, but none that portray hate or cruelty towards animals or people.

When the Design is Created-
Marcy Rachel works as quickly as possible, often working nights and weekends to complete a commission. If you have a deadline coming up and need a cover as soon as possible, let Marcy help you out!
 

What Will The Client Get-
Marcy Rachel Designs will supply you with two cover files for the web; one for Amazon Kindle's with the new size requirement (2500px on the long side) and a smaller size to use as thumbnail. If you need a custom size, please let her know before work begins. She will include this file size on your package at NO cost. When the design is final, Marcy Rachel Designs owns the rights of the final design and will use it to promote her work. If you want full ownership of the rights, it will require an additional fee.

Questions or Comments?
If you have any questions or comments for Marcy, don’t hesitate to contact her at any of the links below or e-mail her.



Connect With Marcy!





*We receive NO payment of any kind for our reviews-we review books we've bought, or books that are provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review*

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