About Me:
Hello and welcome to Swmming Upstream the home of my blogs. I am D.C. Salmon and I write pulse-pounding adventure thrillers that blend real-life unsolved mysteries with modern-day action.
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I look at a lot of other blogs, and they all have titles like How I Increased My Viewers in 3 Weeks or How to Make $10,000 a Month with a Small Blog. I’ve never wanted my blogs to sound like that. If it were that easy to write a blog, make lots of money, and give up your day job, everybody would be doing it! I'm not saying it's impossible, but it takes an incredible amount of work, know-how, and even a little dash of luck.
My blogs are just me, behind a keyboard, telling anybody who dares read my ramblings what it is really like to publish a book, balance family life and work, and, ultimately, trying to sell more books.
🎨 The Never-Ending Book Cover Quest
My attempt to get a new cover made for An Irish Mystery is proving to be a serious challenge. It just isn't going well at all.
I first approached a professional on Reedsy (which I’ll explain more about below). They turned me down, stating they only do horror or fantasy books now and their price starts at a hefty £1,000. That definitely made me rethink my budget! After several rejections from professionals on Reedsy, I decided to dust myself off and look elsewhere.
I stumbled across a company online. Their prices seemed almost too good to be true, but their Trustpilot rating was impressive—over 3,000 reviews with a 4.9 out of 5! I decided to take the plunge. I paid for their premium package, which included the Ebook, paperback, hardback, and marketing materials, and even got a 20% discount for signing up for their newsletter.
Treasure Island, Not Thriller
When they sent the initial design, I was hugely disappointed. It was clear they hadn't listened to my brief. It was cluttered, used too many treasure tropes—a chest and a map, neither of which are in the story—and ended up looking more Treasure Island than a modern adventure thriller.
I contacted them immediately to say we had missed the mark. I tried to take the blame, saying I hadn't been clear enough, but I was honest about what wasn't working:
- The cover was visually cluttered and used too many tropes (map, treasure chest).
- The overall feel was too "Treasure Island," not a modern thriller.
- The jewel on the necklace was incorrect for the Irish Crown Jewels, a key detail in the story.
- The cover lacked a sense of modern action and suspense.
Click picture to enlarge
The $15 "New Concept
I sent a much clearer brief with examples of authors in my genre, like Clive Cussler, James Rollins, and David Leadbitter. The reply was a shock: "This was a very clear direction but it is obviously a new concept! So there would be an additional charge of $15."
A "new concept"? It was no different from what I asked for in the first place—they just got it wrong the first time! But I told myself I needed the cover, and $15 is only about £11. I asked if they could share a simple sketch or a mood board before proceeding, hoping to avoid another disaster. They said they would have something for me the next day.
A few days later, after chasing them, I received a full-blown design—not a sketch or mood board, but the final art. It was heading in the right direction, but the jewel they used looked like a portal to another dimension, giving it a sci-fi fantasy feel instead of a historical thriller. When I asked them to use the real Irish Crown Jewels, they said they could do it, but it would require an expensive illustration, without giving me a cost.
Click picture to enlarge.
Cutting My Losses
By this point, I'd had enough. My options were to cut my losses or carry on pouring time and money into a project I didn't trust. I contacted them to say:
"While I greatly appreciate the direction we are heading, the added time and cost for illustration gives me pause, particularly considering the outcome of the last round. My primary concern is the risk of investing in this expensive illustration process and still needing to start over."
In the end, I’ve only spent about £50 in total. I’ve decided to move on and find someone different. Yes, it will cost more money, but I know I want the cover to make me say "wow," and sometimes you just have to pay the going rate for quality.
💡 What is Reedsy? A Game-Changer for Indie Authors
If you’re a writer—especially a self-published one—you’ve likely heard a lot of talk about Reedsy. But what exactly is it, and why does it matter?
In a nutshell, Reedsy is an online marketplace and toolkit built specifically for independent authors and publishing professionals. Think of it as a premium, curated hub where all the experts and resources needed to create a professional book are brought together in one place. You can find their website here: Link to Reedsy Website
🤝 The Vetted Professional Marketplace
The core of Reedsy is its Marketplace. This is where you can hire high-quality, vetted freelancers who specialize in book creation. These professionals have often worked for the biggest publishing houses, giving you access to top-tier talent.
You can find and hire experts for almost every step of the publishing journey, including:
- Editors: Developmental, Copyediting, and Proofreading.
- Designers: Book covers (a big one!), interior formatting, and illustrations.
- Marketers & Publicists: To help you get your book seen.
✍️ Tools to Make Writing Easier
Beyond the marketplace, Reedsy offers some fantastic free tools that are incredibly useful for writers:
- The Reedsy Book Editor (Reedsy Studio): This is a free writing and formatting tool. You write your manuscript in their system, and it exports a perfectly formatted file ready for submission to all major retailers.
- Learning Resources: They have an extensive blog, courses, and webinars that break down the complexities of publishing and marketing.
In short, Reedsy is all about quality control. If you're looking to invest in making your book look and read professionally, it's one of the first places you should check.
🚀 Draft2Digital: Finally Moving Forward
I finally sent an email to Draft2Digital (D2D) and received a response that my account was under a routine review. I’m happy to report that all holds have now been removed, and my book is moving through the process!
I can already see An Irish Mystery appearing on new sites, which is a massive win after weeks of waiting. My book is now available on:
- Kobo
- Barnes & Noble (Nook)
- Fable
- Thalia
- Smashwords
- Angus & Robertson
- Vivlio
- Apple Books
New sites will be added to my universal book link as they are loaded onto the relevant platforms. You can check the link here: https://books2read.com/dcsalmonbooks
🧭 What's On the Horizon?
It’s been a busy and frustrating week, but I am not a quitter! I have already sent an email to another cover design company. Just from that first exchange, they feel more personable and hopefully a better fit. I will keep you posted on the new cover quest in next week's blog post.
Somedays I wonder why I got myself into this business, but as much as I find things frustrating, I love the world of An Irish Mystery. If you enjoy reading about my journey, please take the plunge and give my book a go. I promise, if you like adventure thrillers with a historical background, you won't be disappointed. And if you enjoy it, please leave a review!
📚 What Am I Reading? (A Final Update!)
I’m thrilled to report that I finished The Berlin Wife by Marion Kummerow! As I suspected, once the story built, I couldn't put it down. This is a powerful historical novel that offers a compelling look at life in Berlin as the Nazi party rose to power.
The author skillfully illustrates how the tightening noose of Hitler's laws affected people across the class spectrum. We follow two couples, the wealthy banker Julius and his wife Edith, alongside a less-affluent couple, Helga and Heinrich. The novel’s greatest strength is its heartbreaking depiction of one tragic truth: money, social status, or even religious conversion meant nothing. The narrative vividly shows how Hitler successfully alienated Jewish citizens and the extraordinary courage required by these women to stand by their husbands.
I gave the book 4 stars and left my full review on both Goodreads and Fable if you want to check it out. It's a must-read for fans of WWII historical fiction that focuses on the domestic fight against tyranny.
What are you currently reading? Let me know in the comments—I need suggestions for my next read!
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