I had that experience in the past, too, Erin, and that’s why I was paying for photos for the past couple of years (not paying much, but still not using free sites). Seems like things have changed in a good way!

Sandy

I hope it’s helpful, Gary. Thanks for stopping by.

Sandy

What do you like most about it, Fausga?

Sandy

Glad it was helpful! 🙂

This is SO helpful, Lee Ann! Thank you!

Sandy

It does take a little time at Flickr. I usually have a pretty good idea what I am looking for before I start. Try using more than one word when searching. For instance, “horse in field,” rather than just “horse.” Their search engine handles more specific searches well.

Also, you can limit the number of pics they show by adding extra specifications using the pull-down arrow next to “Any license.” For instance, if you want photos you can make modifications to, or commercial use allowed, or a combination of those two, that limits what you have to scroll through. I have used a couple of Flickr pics in designing book covers, so I needed the “commercial use & mods allowed” for those.

Lowell, for novels like yours, I recommend two tactics as a starting point. The first is writing a compelling book description with the keywords that people will use when searching for books like yours on Amazon. Tell them what the book is about in a way that makes them want to use the “look inside” feature and then buy it. That description should be attached to all of the book’s formats — hardcover, paperback, and e-book. Second, work to get reader reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. The more reviews you have, the more likely people are to buy your book. Once you’ve got those pieces in place, there’s much more you can do, of course, but one step at a time.

I hope you are well!

Sandy