What's New?
Two books I've been working on this summer
Jacob "JB" Burrage (www.jbpublications.com) needed a new cover for his novel Caught Up. I threw together a mockup with minimal text on the front so he could get an idea of what was possible, we talked about the right photo to use (he purchased a stock photo that worked with the theme of his book), I made some adjustments here and there, and the result was a striking cover that JB was very pleased with. JB had his book printed by Lulu (www.lulu.com), and it's now available at JB's website (where he also has an e-book version available) or on Amazon.
Pastor Pat Holliday of Miracle Outreach Ministries (www.patholliday.com) wanted to update her book on Bishop Samuel Vagalas Kanco of Ghana, who, as a young man, was diverted from accepting the mantle of witch doctor from his father through the intercession of Jesus Christ. She sent me the text of the book in Word, which I completely re-typeset in Adobe InDesign. I designed a new cover for the book, incorporating an illustration that had appeared on the original cover.
Elance
I found both of these jobs on Elance (www.elance.com) a website for freelance designers, writers, programmers and other creative types. People who need design work done post a description of what they want and providers from all over the world bid for the work. The competition is fierce—I've found the best way to get jobs there is to work up a concept to offer with your bid. So even if your bids aren't always accepted, you're working on your skills.