Mixing business with pleasure

I probably shouldn't confess this, but I love making teasers. I'm the person in the front row with her hand up when it comes to teasers. "Ohhh, ohhh, Mr. Kottuh, Mr. Kottuh!" And when I offer to remake teasers (free!) for my makeover posts, other authors give me the side-eye. Here's how it goes: 

"What's the catch, Mel?" 

"No catch, I just like making teasers." 

And people who hate making teasers cannot believe that. One author didn't even reply to my dm.

So when I got a request (paid!) to work with Kelly Jamieson, whose books I love, it was a dream job. I would have paid her. (Shhh, don't tell Kelly that!) Kelly saw this blog and booked me for her latest book, Slap Shot. 

The Process

Okay, author-peeps, you know the drill. First of all, start with the cover. Take your visual cues from the cover (or use the cover itself.)

Here I looked at Kelly's cover for Slap Shot, and harvested the following:

• Fonts from the title and author name
• Teal colour from the title
• That guy. Kidding, I only wish I could harvest him.

Kelly supplied the quotes, and here's what I came up with:

Twitter size

Same teaser in facebook size

Instagram

Kelly also requested a couple of Instagram teasers. Instagram graphics are something that we haven't discussed on this blog yet. Personally, I don't have an author IG account, but I use it almost daily in my day job in visual arts.

Instagram is a great way to market products or services, but the key is to integrate the visual and quote. A direct sell that works on Twitter or Facebook, will look out of place in an Instagram feed. However IG is more effective because viewers are more focussed. Make sure your visual communicates the message, even without words. Also make sure that your images project your brand as a whole.

I love these teasers and loved a chance to work with Kelly. Do check out her tale of a sexy widower coming back to life and love. Personally, I've never met a widower who looks like this but I can live in hope.

Next Monday, we find out which teasers that Mel was so proud of needed a complete makeover in Revision Revisit. Kidding. About the title anyway.