News

Throwback Thursday – TARDIS Collage

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Hello Everyone,

The last few weeks I’ve been on a mad dash to create promotional material for JenEric Designs and all its facets. This will eventually lead into an awesome new website redesign.

One of the things I did was create a Collage for the Travelling TARDIS. At the end of August the TARDIS will have been travelling for four years. It and it’s stunt doubles have been to three continents, met two Doctors, four Companions, two Supermans and countless others.

traveling tardis

It’s been a great four years and that’s just the beginning. If you’d like to order your very own travelling TARDIS you can can commision one in our store. The Large one is a foot and the small one is three-quarters of a foot.

Let’s hope the TARDIS flies on for many years to come.
Éric

Why Your Book Needs a Layout Artist!

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Hello Everyone,

Today I want to talk to all you authors, publishers, and people who want to make books. Formatting a book, even something as simple as a novel, isn’t just knowing a few things in Microsoft Word. It’s also knowing industry standards, font combinations, typesetting, and the difference between a print and electronic book.

That’s not going into the little flourishes like separators or the difference between different genres. For example, a fantasy book is more likely to have a classic font, while a horror novel might have a more modern font.

Reasons

A good layout artist will walk you through the process and help you choose the best options to make your book look as good as it deserves. The process should be painless and you should get unlocked copies of your document after you’re done.

I can hear you thinking, “I already have to pay a cover designer, editor, and printer for my book! I’ll just do it myself.” That’s a perfectly logical and understandable thought. However a layout artist is worth the cost if only in saving you time and frustration. What will take you weeks of research, and even more in applying the format, will take a layout artist days.

They can also help you avoid legal issues with fonts, since most layout artists collect them like they’re going out of style.

Cost

If you do a search, you’ll find people charging up to $2000, and you’ll find some that charge $50. What should you be paying? That depends on the size and complexity of your book, along with the experience and skill of the layout artist. I was told at a writer’s convention that you should be paying around $300 for a good sized novel.

Worth it?

If you take into account the time saved, (which you can use to write) the step by step guiding, and the fact that your book will look amazing; I think it’s certainly worth it. (I might be a little biased)

Services

If you have a project you need a layout artist for, check out JenEric Designs’ prices for your Layout design.

 

I once noticed a book change from serif to sans serif fonts in the middle with no explanation. Have you seen any terrible layout mistakes in a book?

Éric

7 Days Until Ottawa Comiccon

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Hello,

It’s only a week before Ottawa Comiccon and I’m panicking a little. (It’s actually a lot AHHHHHHHHH!)

JenEric Designs will be selling this year for the first time and I can’t wait to see everyone. (And hide behind the table when the crowds get crazy.)

You can find us at table 2203. It’ll be awesome

ComicCon2015

Coffee

I may have gone overboard with coffee this year. I will have 7 different flavours available in two different sizes. (100g for $10, and 33g for 3$ or buy two for $5)

The flavours are:

  • Chocolate: Davroast; (Now Nut Free)
  • Key Lime: Key Lime PI; (New)
  • Banana Cream and Peanut Butter: Elvis;
  • Banana Cream: Minion;
  • Cinnamon: Raktajino;
  • Peanut Butter: Jabba the Peanut;
  • Raspberry: Morpheus’s The Red Pill;

I look forward to see you all there.

 

What, or who, are you most excited for, for this Comiccon?

Éric

CON Contest 2015

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Here’s the deal. We’re all really excited for CON: Creative Ottawa Nerds’ event on March 21st and since we’re excited we’re giving you the chance to win $15 dollar credit for JenEric Designs. All you have to do is enter below.
[contesthopper contest=”2319″]

But There’s More!

Like and invite your friends to our Facebook Page and if we reach 500 like on Facebook by the 20th at 6pm, we’ll randomly give another $15 to one of our fans.

Logo

That’s two contests for the price of one!

Good luck!

JenEric Designs

Recommendation Monday – Cakes by Tee

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Photo by Cakes by Tee

Hello,

Small change to this weeks schedule. The Travelling TARDIS will post Tuesday and Thursday and I’ll be putting stuff up Monday and Friday. Stay tuned for a special Contest on Wednesday.

Cakes by Tee

I’ve been following the amazing Cakes by Tee since they had 300 likes on Facebook and salivating at each new cake, cupcake, and cake pop. The cakes looked so good that I was desperately looking for a reason to commission something. So when Jen, my wife, decided to have a party for her 30th, I decided she needed a good cake. Her favourite flavour is spice cake and I saw that Cakes by Tee offered an apple spice cake and knew I had to get Jen an Applejack pony cake.

Here’s what Cakes by Tee made:

Photo by Cakes by Tee

 

Isn’t it pretty?

The cake was light and fluffy and Cakes by Tee was extremely accommodating with my requests. It was nut free which is awesome and the price included delivery,

I loved the cake as did everyone at the party.

If you’re in the Ottawa region and need a cake. Contact them and get the best!

Coffee Pre-orders are open!

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Coffee for CON

Last week I asked you to vote for which coffee’s you’d like me to sell at CON.

The response was pretty clear and I’ll be selling 4 coffees at CON:

  • Banana Cream: Rebranded as Minion;
  • Cinnamon: Raktajino;
  • Peanut Butter: Jabba the Peanut;
  • Raspberry: Morpheus’s The Red Pill.

I’ll have free samples of one of these available on the 21st.

Coffee Pre-orders

You can pre-order any of the flavours above and a few others on our new Coffee Pre-Order page!

Writing

I’ve gotten back into the habit of working on Everdome and I’m really enjoying the characters. It’s really easy to write this book.

Reading Quest

I’m trying to get through the first book in over 20 series I’ve accumulated over the years to see if I like them.

I recently finished Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews the first in the Kate Daniels series and I absolutely loved it. The author weaves genres together to create something original and fascinating. The maturity in the prose and world building is a joy to read. I look forward to devouring the rest of the series.

I give it an 85%

 

You excited for coffee?

Éric

Transitioning from a blog

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In case you hadn’t noticed, the link for my picture this morning is different. I am no longer using my old blog, although if you try to go there it will automatically bounce you to our new page. I had an excellent run on blogspot: over three years I had 19,000 views! That is amazing. More than I ever hoped for! Thank you to everyone who has contributed to that number. Now, because we have a new website, I have twenty two views. Let’s bring that number up, people!

This new website currently contains both my blog and that of writer Éric Desmarais. We will be putting up a page for our store in the best future as well. Keep your eyes on our website!