{"id":701,"date":"2025-03-14T07:33:59","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T07:33:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cm-deer.com\/books\/?page_id=701"},"modified":"2025-03-14T07:45:28","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T07:45:28","slug":"resources","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cm-deer.com\/books\/resources\/","title":{"rendered":"Resources"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Resources<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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What I Use<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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I get asked a lot what and who I use, for everything from cover art to editing to the supplies for direct sales. I want to preface this by saying I’m a small time indie author, who does not have a huge backlist or a huge monthly income. This is meant to be an informational guide to others who want resources that are tried and true!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Cover Art<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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When it comes to cover art, I have a few artists I adore.<\/p>

Fakel Barros –\u00a0<\/strong>site<\/a> – Fakel designed The Ashes of the Brothel<\/a> and the Hexes From Exes<\/a> series for me.<\/p>

Atra Luna Design <\/strong>–\u00a0site<\/a> – Atra Luna designed the entire Protegre Brides series<\/a> – from the covers to the art that’s included when you buy from the site!
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Best Selling Covers by David<\/strong> – site<\/a> – Higher in price point, but David designed On Stolen Tides<\/a> cover!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Printed Swag<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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As part of buying from me direct, you get printed swag. This means postcards of art, stickers and so much more. For awhile I was using printing services like VistaPrint and MinutePress. Once I became high volume, the cost was too high to justify using them. I decided to start printing my own stuff! Note – these are all Amazon links, and all affiliate links. I’ve found they have the best prices by far. If anyone has something similarly priced without supporting Amazon…please let me know!<\/p>

Printer – <\/strong>Epson EcoTank ET-2800 – link<\/a> – I bought this in September of 2024 and it’s held up very well! I ran out of the ink in March, but I use it A LOT. I’m talking – stickers, art, the whole bit.<\/span><\/p>

Printed Art<\/strong> – Glossy 4×6 notecards – link<\/a> – This was HUGE trial and error. First of all, most printers cannot print borderless over a 4×6. This means if you were to use a 5×7 or any other size art card, there would be a white border around your print. Not all printers are this way, but mine was, so I made sure to only buy 4×6. I experimented with matte vs. glossy and found the glossy is the best way to print. The matte looked splotchy no matter what I did. I also tried photo paper – it was too flimsy and photo like, which I didn’t like.<\/p>

Mailers<\/strong> – 8.5×11<\/a> – 7×10<\/a> – These are the two most common sizes I use. The larger is for 2 or more books, the smaller for 1. If I’m using the larger I’ll sometimes add more padding.<\/p>

Label printer<\/strong> – link<\/a> – This is not a necessity, but it does help A LOT. If you’re using a service that creates labels for you this makes your life so much easier. Otherwise, you can just print it off a normal printer and tape it onto your packages. I love mine!<\/p>

Sticker Paper<\/strong> – link<\/a> – This is the sticker paper I use! It’s thick, shiny and durable.<\/p>

Cutting stickers\/art<\/strong> – link<\/a> – I did a lot of looking around and decided on a Cameo 4 instead of a Cricut. I use this to cut stickers, and sometimes to cut fun art and that’s it. I got it on Facebook Marketplace for $100 and it’s been amazing!<\/p>

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Vendor Events<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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I did my first vendor event in 2023, and my events have changed DRASTICALLY since then. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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RAVE 2023 in Las Vegas, NV. I shared a half table and had no signage. I tried to sell art separately and emulate Blind Date with a Book.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Readers of the Valley in early 2025. I have height, signage and trope cards. This is my booth when I drive!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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First of all – signage. I printed my banner on Vista Print<\/strong> and designed it myself. They had some predesigned banners and I adjusted for my branding. I’ve seen authors make banners for particular series instead of them as an author.<\/p>

I also used Vista Print<\/strong> for the runner on the table with my name. My table cloth was from Amazon<\/a>, I wanted to stand out amongst the sea of black and it works well!<\/p>

For height<\/strong>, I like this<\/a> collapsible shelf. I painted it black to fit my aesthetic and I get SO MANY COMPLIMENTS on it! You can collapse it flat and it’s 3 levels, which makes for height and excitement. I’ll usually put a series on it and decorate it with items that are similar to that series. Like Hexes from Exes, I’ll have demon skulls. I also will put art or anything else to draw the eye.<\/p>

Another way to draw the eye are lights<\/strong>. I bought some pink<\/a>, purple<\/a> and white to really mix it up. I usually have 3-4 of them strewn about my booth. <\/p>

I bought some matte paper and print random things on it depending on the show I’m at. I have one with QR codes to follow me on social media, and I’ll have one with deals for that show (bundles, etc). I display them in these<\/a> acrylic sign holders so they sit upright and look good. <\/p>

I use these<\/a> to display my books. I bought plastic ones initially, but they obscured the view of my covers!<\/p>

Trope cards –\u00a0<\/strong>I’m on the fence about these. I’ve seen some people really love them, but I don’t think I’ve found the right fit yet. I’ve added QR codes to take people to KU if they don’t buy in person and it’s had mixed success. I think mine may be too busy, I need to find a way to draw the eye quickly when I’m talking to someone else. <\/p>

Payment options<\/strong> – Most people DO NOT carry cash! Some ways to take payment include Venmo, Zelle, Paypal, Square, etc. I personally use Square and have a Square reader. The app also allows for tap payment on my phone. I also carry change and make sure my books are priced a round number. $10, $15, $20, etc. Having to worry about exact change for an $18 book is annoying. <\/p>

Branded gift<\/strong> – I don’t know how else to describe this, but you should have some sort of branded item to hand people. Business card, trifold bronchure, SOMETHING! Heck, a sticker with your logo! A flyer! Yes, it may end up in some peoples trash, but I’ve heard a lot of readers lament not having something of mine to look at later. A lot of readers will circle back to their goodies and follow or buy from you later.<\/p>

FUNNEL PEOPLE!!!!\u00a0<\/strong>This is my biggest advice! Decide where you want your readers to look to find you consistently. Social media, discord, newsletter – where will you post all the latest updates? Most authors utilize newsletters because if TikTok\/Meta\/Discord\/whatever dies tomorrow they’ll still have access to those e-mails. Newsletters also have a higher open rate, whereas social media algorithms only show your posts to 7% of your followers. You can enter people who sign up for your newsletter in a drawing, or offer art or stickers for people who sign up. Just think of a way to connect with your readers later!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Resources What I Use I get asked a lot what and who I use, for everything from cover art to editing to the supplies for direct sales. I want to preface this by saying I’m a small time indie author, who does not have a huge backlist or a huge monthly income. This is meant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-701","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-deer.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-deer.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-deer.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-deer.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-deer.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=701"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/cm-deer.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":710,"href":"https:\/\/cm-deer.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/701\/revisions\/710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-deer.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}