An online friend who is a reader encouraged me to buy trading cards for my books. She is an avid collector of author trading cards. The card usually features the cover on one side, and a picture and details about the character on the other side. I have checked into it, and you have to design your own card to send to the printing company. I have the full Adobe Suite program on my computer but...you guessed right...I don't know how to use it! So, as always in these dire situations, I call upon my son to help. Help, Simon, Help!!
Once I get my cards designed, I have chosen photographs for each, and I have written their characteristics. These characters are from Sinners' Opera, a vampire paranormal romance. I thought I would NEVER find a photograph of someone to represent Morgan, the hero. I did a search on "handsome men with long black hair" searching for a picture of Lucien, the anti-hero. And a picture of a gorgeous blond man popped up in the search. Here are the photos of Lucien, Morgan and Isabeau, the heroine (though I imagined her as looking like Michelle Pfeiffer in Lady Hawke).
Morgan:
Lucien:
Sinners' Opera is available in print and ebook formats on Amazon or from the publisher, Double Dragon Publishing.
Do you have to pay for the rights to the pictures you use, or are they part of the cover created for your book where the rights have been purchased?
I would have to buy a software program for my computer and, God only knows if I could learn how to use the dang thing.
I had no idea readers collected these character trading cards.
I wonder if you can have book covers put on playing cards?
Interesting post.
Sounds like an interesting idea to me.
Anything that helps! Go Linda!!
Linda, you are so into promotion! We all need to be.
I like your character choices.
I can't imagine collecting these myself (because I always have my own idea of what characters are like in the books I read), but it's a fun promo idea. Great choices, Linda. I like your Morgan best. :)