Friday, January 31, 2014

FREE Graphics & Countdowns, Plus Celebrate

I'm so excited because I have the best news for you!  Nothing is more important than promotion when publishing a book  You've got to get your cover out there, not only on your site, but on friends/fans sites as well.  Now, there's a wonderful guy -- Ben Ellis -- who can take your cover art and make buttons, badges, and countdown clocks and it's ... wait for it ... FREE!!  Here are some samples (just thumbnails) of his work:


And in case you didn't know, 
finding a book countdown clock is really HARD.  
Ben made me a great one -- and he can make you one, too!
Here's a sample:


Go to Ben Ellis's website, Book Graphics & Countdowns, to see more great samples and find out how you can order your own!




CELEBRATE THE SMALL THINGS

I got bogged down with work this week, so my sincere apologies to blogger peeps I haven't visited recently. *blush*

This week I'm celebrating:
1) If I can crit 20k tomorrow and finish someone's ms, I'll accomplish the last of my "January To-Do" list by the actual end of January!
2) My dentist is back from vacation, which is good news for the tooth I broke over Christmas. :P
3) After all the encouragement I've gotten, I'm getting closer to being brave enough to enter the A-Z Challenge!


This post is part of VikLit's blog hop, Celebrate the Small Things. To be part of this blog hop, all you have to do is follow the link and put your name on the Mr.Linky list, and then be sure to post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week.  It can be about writing or family or school or general life.  This is the funnest and easiest blog hop ever! 


54 comments:

Heather R. Holden said...

Those graphics are really cool! And they're free, too? Wow!

Anyway, good luck completing your January To-Do list! (It's always such a relief to get things like that done in time!) Good luck with the A-to-Z challenge as well, if you decide to do it! (I'm somewhat tempted myself, but will likely pass again, heh.)

Little Gothic Horrors said...

I've been ridiculously busy with work too, Lexa, and missing all my buddies in Blogland! Every time I come to your blog you seem to have redecorated and I start wondering if I've been away even longer than I thought. Haha.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Go ahead and enter the Challenge! And sign up soon so you'll be higher on the list.
Fortunately my buddy Retro Jeremy has made banners and such for me, and my publisher has given me graphics as well. A countdown clock would be cool though. Thanks for the heads up.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Love the graphics. And awesome you're getting so much writing done. Good luck in the challenge if you sign up.

Cathrina Constantine said...

I definitely need some kind of promotion. The graphics are cool. I was so worried about joining the A to Z last year and survived. Didn't hesitate this year. Good Luck on getting your 20K done by Jan. 31!

Shah Wharton said...

I love Free stuff! Awesomeness. Will pop over there asap. Well done on the critiquing. Bet they're gonna have loads of great advice form you. I know what you mean about neglecting blogger buddies, I've so had to do that lately and hate it, but sometimes, something just has to give and blogging is it. We're always waiting in the wings. :) X

shahwharton.com

Suzanne Furness said...

Free graphics and goodies, that's got to be worth a little celebration. Hope you get your 'to do list' finished on time.

Robin said...

Thank you for the share on Ben's site. That is a wonderful service.

AND good for you on hitting your January goals! I can't believe you've been suffering with a hurting tooth since Christmas. Yikes!

stephen Hayes said...

This is all so interesting, and it will be useful if I ever get my book finished.

SK Anthony said...

Oh yay! Thanks for sharing Ben's website ;)

Glad your dentist is back, get that tooth fixed! I entered the A-Z challenge for the first time this year, I'm nervous and excited. Good luck finishing the Crit so you meet your January goals!

Julie Flanders said...

Wow, those graphics are so cool! And it's hard to beat free. :D Thanks so much for sharing.

And yay for getting closer to joining the A-Z! :)

Carol Kilgore said...

Glad your dentist will be back! The A-Z is fun! Just make sure to write all your posts ahead. Happy Weekend!

Beth said...

Yay for free clocks! Good luck on A-Z.

M.J. Fifield said...

That's so cool about the graphics—I hope to need some one day.

And the A-Z Challenge is a lot of fun. I've done it three years now, and I always have a blast.

VikLit said...

YAY on the To Do list!

Kelly Hashway said...

Free? Really? I have to check this out. Thanks!

Unknown said...

Awesome graphics--thanks for sharing!

And congrats on making progress on your to-do list! :)

mooderino said...

I think you;ll enjoy the AZ Challenge. Great way to find some cool new blogs.

mood
Moody Writing

DMS said...

Ben does a great job on creating graphics! Thanks for letting us know about his services. :)

Glad your dentist is back- the broken tooth sounds painful!
~Jess

Leandra Wallace said...

Wow, he does really good work! Hope your tooth gets fixed w/the least amount of pain- I hate mouth problems, owie!

Vanessa Morgan said...

Thank you so much for the tip. I'm in desperate need of book banners and buttons. Awesome.

Courtney Conover said...

Marhaba, Lexa! It's Courtney from The Brown Girl with Long Hair blog. Lexa, you have one of The Best -- absolute best -- blog headers I have ever seen! I would so love to learn more about living in Egypt!! (I minored in Middle Eastern culture and studied Arabic in college.) I just wanted to let you know that I've also become a follower of your blog so I can stay up on what you're up to. I'm so glad our "bloggy" paths crossed. Enjoy your weekend!

Anonymous said...

Yes, yes, yes...come join us in the A - Z! Very nice of you to share free book covers, and give your friend a promo like this :)

cleemckenzie said...

Wonderful to find out about Ben. I'm making note of him! And come on in to the AtoZ. It's quite an experience. Hope that tooth is okay and soon!

Georgina Morales said...

The A to Z challenge was a lot of fun. I participated 2 years ago, but it is a time-consuming affair and I don't think I'll be doing it this year, either. But I met extraordinary people over there and made great friends. Can't wait to read your posts!

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Yay for the dentist. I know your tooth is happy. It's always a great feeling to accomplish a goal. Also, thanks for the link to the badges and banners. They look wonderful. I must check on them.

T.F. Walsh said...

What an awesome site you found... I am so using them... yay. This week has been crazy and i totally forgot to do my friday celebration:)

Anonymous said...

Those badges/banners/buttons look great. Chipped tooth? Ouch. Hope you get it fixed quick-like.

Martin Willoughby said...

I have that site bookmarked as of now. Thank you very much. Did you get the ms critted?

Anonymous said...

So many good things here (except for the tooth, sorry about that). I love the graphics.

Unknown said...

That is super awesome of Ben to offer his services for free... bookmarking his site now! I hope you were able to get all you wanted to accomplish by the end of January done, Lexa! And good luck with your tooth!
P.S. I love the countdown clock... so cool!

Anonymous said...

Banners look good...

Treat and Trick said...

Thanks for your lovely comment and for the like. I already liked you too.

Mere Joyce said...

Those banners look great! And the A to Z challenge is definitely worth doing...it's a lot of fun, =)

Stephen Tremp said...

I hope you do the A to Z! Keep it simple. Pick a theme, or not, and start prewriting one paragraph posts now. That's all! You'll have everything finished well in advance.

And thanks for Ben's link. I'll save this post to my Favorites and contact Ben.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Ben is a very talented artist. Thanks for sharing, Lexa!

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Awesome that you found Ben. Such nice work!

Cherie Reich said...

That's awesome about Ben! Thanks for sharing!

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Great news about Ben. I'm filing it in my brain. The badges and banners are really eye-catching.
Oh the clock is delicious looking too. Is there a countdown on it? I didn't notice. Smile.

xoRobyn

Jay Noel said...

Geez, sorry about your tooth. What did I tell you about getting into fights?

That's pretty amazing that Ben is doing that for free. Does he just love doing graphic stuff like that? Or maybe just getting his fantastic artwork out there for promotion? Either way, it's really good stuff.

Rhissanna said...

Those book banners look really smart. And yes, a good dentist is always something to celebrate!

Unknown said...

What an amazing find. Thank you for sharing it.

klahanie said...

Hey Lexa,

I know, where is that super celebrity, Gary? Relax, I'm finally here. Nice mention of Ben. That does look interesting. I hope your tooth is now fixed. I beg you! Please, please, please stay away from that A to Z. Argggghhhh!!!! LOL

Gart :)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Nice banners and buttons!
And yay for getting that broken tooth fixed

Unknown said...

Wow. Ben's creations are fabulous!

Rajiv Sankarapillai said...

great graphics :)
cool !

Unknown said...

totally great graphics! I really like the countdown one. I'll definitely contact Ben. :) Thanks for introducing us to him. yikes, broken tooth? :( Glad that your dentist is back, and the tooth issue will be sorted out. :) I'm still thinking about entering A-Z Challenge. I still have one month and a few weeks to decide..:D

Catherine Stine said...

Very nice graphics. It's always great to discover a new talent like that!!!

kimlajevardi.com said...

Nice graphics! I'm glad your dentist is back. Yeah for a new challenge. You can do it, Lex!

kimlajevardi.com said...

Nice graphics! I'm glad your dentist is back. Yeah for a new challenge. You can do it, Lex!

LD Masterson said...

Completing a do list is worth celebrating but I don't think I'll ever celebrate being able to go to the dentist, broken tooth or not.

Jocelyn Rish said...

It's good to hear you've made such great progress on your goals, but I'm sorry to hear you broke a tooth.

I've done the A-Z challenge the past two years and have a sort of love-hate relationship with it. But it must be slightly more love than hate because I signed up again this year.

E. Arroyo said...

These are awesome! Thanks for the heads up. I was thinking about doing the A-Z challenge but...I don't know. I have to come up with a theme. We'll see. =)

Nigel G Mitchell said...

Couldn't have come at a better time. I'm hosting a giveaway this week and would use this

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