Here are samples of some recent books or covers that have been produced at Aeonix Publishing Group (click on the thumbnail for a larger image of most of these covers).
Living
and Working In Paradise: Why Housing Is Too Expensive and What
Communities Can Do About It by William Hettinger is an
authoritative look at "housing intervention" programs
in several resort communities that were used to reserve some "affordable"
housing for local residents. Popular resort communities have become
magnet locations for second homes purchased by the well-to-do.
This tends to drive housing prices higher -- while the first reaction
is positive as local people, who are leaving the area, can sell
their property for good prices. Eventually, the community suffers
as those who work in local businesses are unable to afford to
live in the area, causing lengthy commutes and lower standards
of living. This book describes the methods that some communities
have used to overcome the problems and enable workers to again
live in the community.
The cover is based on a photo by the author, taken at Martha's Vineyard, one of the communities featured in the book. The type was selected to compliment the typography inside the book and to accommodate the somewhat long title. Type colors were selected for good contrast with a complementary pallet to the colors in the photo.
The
workings of disturbed human minds, March 10, 2004 -- Reviewer:
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - Soldiers Of God:
Primal Emotions And Religious Terrorists by former academician,
neurobiologist, psychologist, and biotechnology expert Jay D.
Glass, deftly examines the human motivations that can so bend
a person's mind as to make them give up their lives and/or kill
for their concept of God. From the anti-anxiety effects of faith;
to the religious maskings and sanctioned cravings of violent,
rapacious, homicidal behaviors; to wanting to be somebody that
motivate human beings to their core, Soldiers Of God is a harsh
yet insightful look at the workings of disturbed human minds which
is specifically written so as to be of interest to the academic
community and fully accessible to the non-specialist general reader.
Soldiers Of God is especially recommended reading for students
of the Psychology of Religion, and a seminal contribution to International
Terrorism Studies reference collections.
The cover features a hand-grenade falling into flames on a
blue background. Optical effects on the type give the appearance
of embossing and help make the title stand out. This is a 6 x
9 inch soft cover.
Dawson's Gift
is a mother's story of religious rededication and the realization
of a mother's promise. Dawson Bell, was a hard-partying, motorcycle-riding,
young man, who suffered severe heart problems in his mid-twenties,
was hospitalized and was being kept alive on a Ventricular Assist
Device (VAD) while waiting for a heart transplant. Both the son
(who realized that his body's reaction to alcohol was the source
of his severe health situation) and his mother reconnect to their
faith in God and put their respective futures in His hands. This
book chronicles the emotional highs and lows that accompany any
life-threatening physical affliction and gives you a sense of
the grueling experience associated with modern medicine's promises
and failures as the wait for a transplant heart goes on. Ultimately,
this is a story of spiritual renewal and hope.
This cover was devised by taking a photo of Dawson, isolating the primary subject from the background and overlaying it into a forest scene (from a stock photo). Additional lighting effects serve to give a somewhat ethereal appearance, but we strived to avoid making Damson appear "ghostly." The title is enhanced by "gold" and "embossing" effects to make it sparkle without resorting to expensive foil stamping. Likewise, the author's name is enhanced with a "chrome" look to enhance a sparkling look to the front cover type. The book is published in hard cover with a dust jacket.
Don't Pull The Plug: A Lesson In Life started out as a
series of essays in magazines and was developed into a book for
the severely disabled. It's a collection of essays about a stroke,
rehabilitation, empowerment, living and dying, cats, spiders,
horses, aliens, and sex. Author Tom Matola says that after surviving
a severe stroke, "I wanted to share with others the ways
I found to deal with the ensuing disability, including not only
dependency issues and depression, but also joy in living a full
life." His co-author and companion Roberta Johnson says,
"As Tom's care giver, I joined in wanting to share my experience
with not only the travail, but the pleasures of living with a
disabled person."
The cover started as a rough sketch and combines elements of the coast line, the ocean, and the sun. A 'heart monitor' trace runs across the cover about 1/4 of the way from the top and an electrical plug with the international "no" symbol superimposed is in the upper right corner. Various clip art elements are combined with vector drawings in Adobe Illustrator to create the basic cover. Drop shadows are used behind the type to both soften the sharp edges and to "float" the text over the background image. Colors were selected to maximize contrast with the background so that the cover will be readable from a distance. This is a 6 x 9 softcover.
How to Grow
Your Business Without Driving Yourself Crazy by Mike Van
Horn is a helpful book for the entreuprenuer who's trying to improve
his/her business, yet still maintain a reasonable lifestyle. It
has many helpful tips, techniques, and suggestions to make your
small business better.
This cover features a cartoon drawn by an accomplished cartoonist. The cartoon was separated from its background and overlaid on a yellow to green graduated background in Photoshop.The cartoon was given a drop shadow to help it stand free from the background. Likewise, the type (also set in Photoshop) was given embossing and drop shadow effects to help them stand out. Type was sized to quickly communicate the message of the title.
Fire Mountian: A Tale Above The Napa Valley is a work
of fiction based in Northern California's "Wine Country."
This is a great tale of intrigue and murder. Richard Blanchard
also wrote Mounted in the City by the Bay. That
cover is featured on one of the following pages of samples (link
below).
The cover features a vineyard from a stock photo modified in Photoshop to look somewhat "painterly." The profile of the Mountain in the background has been modified to reflect the actual mountain featured in the book. The type was selected for good readability and the color was choosen for good contrast with the background.
These are page images as posted on the Amazon.com web site. These links were active at the time this page was modified, but may become unconnected due to changes beyond my control. Try going to the Amazon.com web site and searching for the book titles and authors as listed. These links will open a new window in your web browser.
Adventures of a Mainstream Metaphysical Mom by Michele Payton. This book was one of the first I did with InDesign (ID Version 1.5)
"Soul"utions: Achieving Financial, Intellectual, Physical, Social and Spiritual Balance with Soul by Michele Payton. The cover was created from an illustration provided by the author, but Aeonix provided the typography. (This book interior was typeset using InDesign Version 2.x)
Relax, You're Already Perfect: 10 Spiritual Lessons to Remember by Bruce Schneider
Eye of the Bear by Naida West (This book had a very long text. The design maximized the amount of material per page... we used 'run in chapters' to also minimize the amount of "wasted" space. Even so, the book ran some 630 pages.)
Martyrs' Tomb by Mack R. Hicks. Cover painting by the author, cover typography by Aeonix.
Making Rain: An Adventure in the Law by Jerry Sears. The cover design is on the next page of sample covers (see link below).
Non-Confrontational Power Selling by David Jacobson. This is one of the earlier books I produced. It was typeset using PageMaker. (I now use InDesign for book design and layout.) The cover design is on the next page of sample covers (see link below).
There
are many issues in creating and publishing a professional-looking
book to be sold in book stores, specialty shops or through direct
mail and the Internet. The business consultants, publications
designers and typographers at Aeonix Publishing
Group can help you with producing your book. We can give
you advice, as a consultant or trainer, or we can produce a complete
camera-ready book for you. We also can design covers and marketing
materials for your book. In addition, we can help you prepare
RFQs for printers and evaluate the bids you receive and give you
guidance with tax issues, marketing, and distributing your book.
To contact Aeonix Publishing group, send an e-mail to Info@Aeonix.com
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