Covermakers Chat Thread

Non-reading activities need your help too!
Steven Seitel
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Post by Steven Seitel »

Kudos to Annise for the absolutely perfect cover of The Clevedon Case! :clap:
How did you find such an entirely appropriate image? Well done! :thumbs:

Steve Seitel
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annise
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Post by annise »

Glad you liked it - I first thought the book was set in Clevedon so thought that would be easy but then read the first page and it wasn't. So I search for a second-hand copy of the first edition and found one with a tatty paper cover and played around with it.

Anne
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Post by msfry »

Nammy wrote: June 13th, 2022, 9:20 pm I asked this question before, but it may have gotten lost. Being new, I'm wondering if the CD covers are for use in the catalog or if there is another use also.

When you are talking about jewel cases, I'm wondering why they are needed. Are the books stored somewhere on CD's? I'm not quite understanding the CD part of this. Sorry if I'm being dumb or dumber! LOL
I'm wondering why they are needed. Are the books stored somewhere on CD's? I'm not quite under
Carol/Nammy
Great question, and I look forward to the "official" answer. But I can tell you how I've used them. My Mom didn't have a smart phone, an mp3 player or a computer. I would transfer a book title to CD and give her that in a thin CD case. She would play them on her boom box. I've mailed out a few of my favorite recordings to family and friends in lightweight (and free) origami CD cases -- easier than explaining to them where to find them online. Before the Librivox Audiobook App put all our books in podcast format which I can open on my phone and listen thru my vehicle's Bluetooth speaker, I would make CD's for road trips and of course, each one had its own decorative case. I could make a CD library of my BC projects, with end caps and everything, should I want to do that. A shelf like that would look neat in my office, I think, and be a great reminder of the fun I've had with LibriVox.

[Moved to chat thread by TriciaG]
TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

annise wrote: June 5th, 2022, 6:23 pm History - a few people made CD covers so they could give people CDs they had made at that stage for cars , and for elderly or blind people who could use cd players. They then thought it would be nice to share them for others to use if they wished.
It looked good to have images on the catalogue pages so it was built into the new software. So a big effort was made to have all the old books have a cover.
Nowadays I do not how many people burn CDs, but it isn't much effort to make them at the same time as the others - we have never included the actual CD labels. And we do stick to the maximum length of files.

Anne
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Nammy
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Post by Nammy »

I was so curious, and I thank you all for the responses! I was very upset when I bought my new computer to find they no longer have CD recorders/players. Of course, I bought one that plugs into my computer because I use the CD's for saving data and music to play in my car.

Also, I make the CD labels myself which is fun and easy. My ex-husband used to sell those plastic CD cases that don't break and come in a lot of colors! He sold them for quite some time, but later he couldn't compete with others who were somehow finding them cheaper. I still use them to store my CD's. The clear ones worked best because you could see what's inside.

I thought that a lot of people listen to them in their cars, but I assumed on their phones. I only have a cell phone in case of emergency. I have a personal disliking to them!

Also, I didn't think that Librivox made CD's with labels and jewel cases and mailed them out for free. That was the part that I wasn't understanding. Doing it for friends, families and even to people in nursing homes would be a cool idea as long as they had something to play them on. Personally, I'd fall asleep! LOL

They would make great gifts for the residents at Christmas. When my parents were sick, they were so hard to buy for! There just wasn't anything to buy them, and a lot of people don't read or can't read anymore. I'm quickly becoming one of them due to cataracts which I hope come off this summer!

Since I'll be 70 far too soon, I have a special interest in people in nursing homes. Wouldn't it be great if they had a Librivox library for their residents! They could get a few CD players with earbuds rather cheaply, I think. I hope if I ever get there, they have such a thing.

I kind of doubt if they even have a regular library. I was in one for rehab after a knee replacement, and they had one computer, but I don't remember any books. I'm just thinking out loud. I think too much, get some great ideas, but can't implement them!

That would be a great idea for long-term hospital patients of all ages. You wouldn't need to teach the kids how to play CD's. That's for sure! It makes me think of Shriner's Hospital.

If my money wasn't so tight right now, I'd work on that on my own and see what I could do. Being in a rural area, we don't have any large hospitals, but we have a lot of elderly living places. I could do a fundraiser to pay for the CD's and cases. I would donate the labels and my time. The labels are super easy and fast to make especially if you're doing several the same.

Why couldn't I talk to our local library about putting them on CD's, and they could lend them out? At least people at home could get them out and listen to them on CD. There are a lot of elderly people who are not going to nursing homes. Our Area on the Aging is doing great things to help people stay in their homes as long as possible.

Why couldn't I get my own volunteers to help me? There, I go again! I want to help so badly, but with my anxiety, I am just now being able to leave my home after several years of agoraphobia! I am one with more ideas than I know what to do with and always find reasons why it wouldn't work or I'm afraid to commit myself to anything because of my anxiety. My mind is my worst enemy. It thinks too good, but can't do the work. This is such a hard time to ask for donations!

Carol/Nammy (As usual, sorry for running on, eventually something might work out!)
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Post by msfry »

Nammy wrote: June 14th, 2022, 1:33 pm Also, I make the CD labels myself which is fun and easy.
I'd be curious to know how you make the CD labels "easily". I've made quite a few but it wasn't easy!
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Post by Nammy »

I have/had a software program which had templates. All I can remember about the software was that it was called "Label Maker." That's not very specific, but I'm sure you could find it. It was rather cheap, and you could change the font type, size and color. You just added the text, then printed them out on the round labels. I imagine they were Avery labels. Some had 3/sheet and some had 4/sheet. The hardest part was getting the paper in the printer the right direction!

I just did a search on eBay for the clam shell cases. If you buy a quantity, they are rather cheap. In not, they are about a dollar each. They even have the plastic clam shells with holes to put into a notebook/album so you can organize them. Right now, most of mine are in albums w/o covers, just labels. Some are stored on the spindle that the blanks came one.

Carol/Nammy
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Post by msfry »

Nammy wrote: June 14th, 2022, 3:41 pm I have/had a software program which had templates. All I can remember about the software was that it was called "Label Maker." That's not very specific, but I'm sure you could find it. It was rather cheap, and you could change the font type, size and color. You just added the text, then printed them out on the round labels. I imagine they were Avery labels. Some had 3/sheet and some had 4/sheet. The hardest part was getting the paper in the printer the right direction!

I just did a search on eBay for the clam shell cases. If you buy a quantity, they are rather cheap. In not, they are about a dollar each. They even have the plastic clam shells with holes to put into a notebook/album so you can organize them. Right now, most of mine are in albums w/o covers, just labels. Some are stored on the spindle that the blanks came one.

Carol/Nammy
Yes, that's the program I have used, and still have, along with a bunch of Avery CD labels. I was hoping for something even easier, like making those 5 x 5 squares into 4.25 x 4.25 circles ..... without cutting off any text. LOL :lol:
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Post by Nammy »

I've never had a problem with it. I also have a little device that adheres the label to the CD perfectly.

Carol
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Post by lorda »

Thank you Ava, for the cover of 'Sonette' from Edmund Dorer. :9:
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Post by Availle »

Yeah, sorry... not super inspired about this one...

You know, a summary that's more than "this one has x sections" does sometimes help us cover makers. :wink:
Cheers, Ava.
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msfry
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Post by msfry »

Anne, I love your cover for Blotted Out. Still trying to figure how you created that 8 sided shape under the book art layer, and how you extended the book art leftward so well to fill in the circle given all the angles included. Great jub!
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Post by annise »

It was fun to do - but it is just layers.
1 pink background
2 a "beige" square
3 the image
4 a circle "frame" not too thin

Then go back to the image layer 3, and erase the bits that show outside the frame, then with a little patience you have a circle image with a "rough" edge that is hidden by the frame and merge layer 4 onto layer 3.
Then you can juggle layer "3,4" resize it, move it around etc till it looks right.
You can use the same approach to frame anything with a fancy gold frame as layer 4 - there are many available on line

Anne
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Post by msfry »

I enjoy working with layers, too.
schrm
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Post by schrm »

danke availle fürs cover von ostseemärchen - guter griff! und die farbakzente beim text gefallen mir besonders gut!
und der kleine lv schriftzug...wenn ich wieder cover mache, schau ich mir was davon ab :-)

english summary: thx for the cover ostseemärchen - well chosen!

:D
cheers
wolfi
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