Adventure Books have always been seen as to have appealing and direct book covers. They’re there to directly attract the reader, get them involved from the point of looking at the book on the shelf. True adventure books are inspiring themselves; they draw the reader into events that can happen to them, right there and right now. The covers in a form have to draw some kind of response from the reader, whether it be positive, negative, or a simple gaze at it. One gaze is better than no gaze, it’s still a potential sale.

Into Thin Air, the title itself directs the reader to think of some form of cloud, a gloomy scenery that will form a mystified sense. The cover itself is again the main draw for potential buyers of the book. It sets the scene, and with the clouds it tries to amplify the fact that the air is personified.

The creative side of this book cover is fantastic. The title itself, ‘Adrift’, instantly makes the reader query the situation that the main character in the story is in. Has he purposely gone adrift? What’s happened to him? Is he alright? The cover of the book shows that the main character is creative, trying to find a way to somewhere (using his own sail), but where?

The concept of the art on the book brings a nice feel to us as a reader. It lets you know where, when and who by the flag and the sea. The flag, showing the United Kingdom, gives the location and a guess of the period of time. It must be 1800+, since the UK was founded in 1801. The where is seen by the sea and it’s perfectly emphasising everything in it.

Everyone has heard of Black Hawk Down. Whether it be the story itself as a factual tale, or the movie representation of it. The Black Hawk is the helicopter that arrived on the scene, and the cover sets it perfectly. The black shows the shadow and darkness in the event, and the chopper itself seems to be showing a gamma style vision.

The huge mountains are instantly the pull effect of this cover. The scenery has always been one represented by beauty… and horror. It allows us to see where the scene is already, and also who was involved with the picture of the survivors themselves. But what was the ‘story’ of the Andes Survivors?

If you need help creating a proffesional book cover design look no further.

On the cover of your book is a good start for placement; even if the book drops down from best seller status, it will be known every time someone checks the book out. On your website, it should appear as prominently as possible And on everything related to your book, you as an author, and your sales in general.. On printed collateral pieces, it should appear on postcards, business cards, signs and media kits. At book signings, you have added clout by showing you are a best-selling author if you have signage with this logo on it. Since there are three logos, you can use them in several different contexts. You are a best -selling author, with a bestselling book and a best seller.

You can click on the seal of your choice below and download a web safe png or a print-ready vector version. The seals are gold or silver and will serve to enhance your image, no matter where they are placed. Using the Amazon Best Seller logos will help to continue your success in all your future efforts.

FINE PRINT: These are not official Amazon seals but graphics created by us to service the many authors looking for a prominent way to display the status that they have worked so hard for.

Quirky and Unusual

Samorost 2 is the sequel to the well-received original Samorost, developed in 2003. This quirky Flash based game is lusciously textured, with an organic theme and the sound track is perfectly matched to the unusual terrain and setting of the game. In terms of web design, this point and click puzzle has been given a perfect minimalist web setting that really allows the game content to stand out and come to life on the screen. Visiting the developer’s website; Amanita Design, you can see they have taken the same approach to their portfolio of game design work.

Flash-based Gaming

Flash based games are a perfect pastime for adults and children alike, and websites such as Bubble Box host an amazing collection of games available to play for free online. With so much content on offer, it can be hard to categorize appropriately, yet Bubble Box’s navigation is immediately available at the top of the page. However, the thumbnails of the newest and most popular games can be seen in the centre of the page, which is perfect eye candy to draw the user in and partake in a click even for the sake of curiosity.

Bright and Cheery Design for Children

Although many of the games listed above are not suitable for children, Big Fish Games offers many entertaining and educational Flash based games to keep the little ones happy. The bright and cheery background and colors would catch the attention of any child, and the use of thumbnails and green Web 2.0 gradient text all add to the jovial feel of the design.

Disney have been entertaining children for decades, and they don’t fail to capture the imagination with their children’s games website. The sky blue background adorned with a smiling sunshine, flowers and popular characters is immediately child-friendly. All text and information is kept to a minimum to avoid confusing the young users, and symbolic icons (such as the rainbow coloured Xylophone navigation) are instantly recognizable to infants and small children.

Gaming for a Good Cause

For those looking to increase their vocabulary and test their knowledge whilst also giving to a good cause, there are rare websites such as Free Rice. Free Rice is a non-profit website, and for every fun question you answer correctly, they will donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Programme, the creators of the website. The fresh green color scheme is welcoming and bright, and gives an impression of growth and prosperity, reflecting the overall aim of the website. The simple URL (freerice.com) is direct and to the point, and the banner at the top of the page makes the intentions of the game immediate to the user.

Gaming for Adults

Online gaming covers everything from sports simulation to fantasy epics, however for the adults who enjoy a little gamble, there are a number of websites devoted to pastimes such as Poker and Bingo. The website for 888.com is a modern and slick example of such a gambling website. The dark overall theme is livened up with splashes of almost neon color, highlighting the available gaming options. This mix of black and neon gives the user an impression of evening entertainment, almost like they’re leaving their seat to take part in a gaming experience somewhere more lively.

Leading on from the previous statement, online gaming is often a solitary affair, therefore websites such as Cards Chat offer the user a much-needed opportunity to converse with other people whom enjoy the art of card games such as Poker. The soft yet bold blue of this poker forum is all at once welcoming whilst remaining serious, and gives the impression that only the most devoted and dedicated to the art of Poker playing need take part in discussions.

Dedicated Gaming Directories

Gamer Charts is a website dedicated to the collation and review of online games of all types, from RPG to Sports to farming simulators. The subtle and subdued steel blue of the color theme gives the website an official tone, and the use of round corner info boxes, diagonal striped backgrounds and drop shadows really give this website a modern look. Navigation is initially kept to a minimum, with the categories expanding on the consecutive pages after the user clicks. To differentiate between the massive amounts of information available on the website, Gamer Charts use rainbow colors to highlight the theme category of info boxes, as this is the first information a user would usually be requiring.

Faith-based Game Discussion

Christian Gaming is an in-depth website devoted to the discussion and review of faith-based games of all genres. The design of this website is striking, with a bold mix of black, red and white. The diverse mix of textures and shading allows the info boxes to stand out from one another, leaving the page organized and less cluttered. However, the eye is immediately drawn to the image on the upper right of the design, which happens to be Spiderman. This is an unconventional alternative to a logo, and this well known character is memorable, and most importantly has a previous cultural dialogue with the user. As the website states; the designers used Spiderman because “he’s cool and he expresses many Christian traits”.

Gray Gradients for Stand-out Content

Auditorium is a very modern and stylish graphical, music-based puzzle game, and the in-game graphics feature smoky gray textured backgrounds, that really allow the swirling, glowing interactive particles of light to capture your attention in a somewhat mesmerizing way. The design of this website reflects the design ideals of the game perfectly, with soft gray gradients and muted colored buttons leaving the game the centre of attention.

Finance is a part of everyday life, and we all understand that our money is a precious commodity that needs the utmost care to ensure that what we earn will remain safe when in the hands of a third party. This is why financial services web design must convey not only an impression of professionalism, but also an open and friendly image; one that will allow the customer to feel confident in dealing with the company, whilst at the same time not consider themselves weighed down by the intricacies of complicated financial particulars.

Green is the Color of Money

When observing many finance based websites, you will notice that the majority of them feature green as the main corporate / thematic color scheme, indicating growth and harmony.

The money management website Mint offers an slightly minimal overall feel, with the front page featuring a bold, eye catching graphic and short description of what it is the company can do for the customer. This information is immediate to the end user, and the large orange button stands out prominently from the page, instructing the customer exactly where they need to go next to proceed further in to the website.

Money Strands is another website to help you budget your finances, and again we see a symbolic splash of green across the home page. The large and chunky Web 2.0 styled navigation underneath the main green body of the page offers the user bite-sized explanations of the services on offer, and the bright and welcoming graphics keep the user interested enough to read on further if they so desire.

The money saving comparison website Bill Shrink allows the customer to compare everything from local gas prices, to television services and credit cards. The gradient green central section draws the eye straight to the information available, and the large navigational sections open to the right to provide the initial questions needed to enable the customer further in to the website. The use of “radio” buttons and Java sliders that the user can drag, make using the website innately more interesting than simply typing numbers in to an available field.

Welcoming and Personable Graphics

Money.co.uk offers everything from financial product comparison to the best savings rates and advice on benefits and debt management. The website is a huge cache of information, and the tricolored navigation at the top of the page instantly directs the user to the product or service they need. The rainbow colors of the logo, the glossy icon graphics, along with the large photographs of the site employees give the website a friendly and open feel, putting the customer at ease.

A Cool and Calming Corporate Color Scheme

The Barclays banking website concentrates on using the company corporate colors throughout the design, and their use of a light Sky Blue gives the impression of calm and stability. Barclays offer many financial products, and the preliminary information about each product is presented in a grid-like style on the home page, spaced out with colorful graphics and icons.

Aiming at Everyday Finances

Star Financial go for a neutral background with great use of the two corporate colors in the homepage graphics and navigational system. The dark Teal gives an authoritative impression, whilst the bold orange is relaxed and inviting. When these two colors are teamed with large images of smiling faces, the design gives a definite impression of a banking institution that concentrates on the everyday customer.

The Cheery and Informal Approach

Umpqua Bank uses bold Cyan and Teal blue of various shades throughout the design of their site, and again this brings to the mind of the customer impressions of calm and stability. However, the graphics and copy on the Umpqua website are a little eccentric and unconventional. This informal approach to information presentation puts the customer at ease, and their unique “community” section allows the customer to feel part of the website and company, rather than just an observer.

Providing Depth of Field

The online accounting software website Kashoo makes great use of overlapping graphics and drop shadows to give the website an almost tangible depth of field. The color coordinated green and blue graphics and icons give the website design consistency, and this is also reflected in the software they market, as screen shots can be seen on the front page featuring the same color scheme.

Black and White – Serious Money Matters

The sophisticated and serious black and white color scheme of the Alliance Bernstein website gives an impression of modernity and experience in executive financial matters. Although there is a small splash of green throughout the website to liven things up, the overall tone is that of authority and business.

Unusual Corporate Colors

The Ally bank website design features an unusual and rich deep purple color scheme, and this unorthodox choice of corporate color is a great way to set a company apart from competitors. Ally’s specific and individual deep plum corporate color will be firmly associated with this business alone in the mind of the customer.

What does it take to become an “Amazon Best Seller”? How do I reach the top of Amazon’s best sellers list?

It doesn’t matter HOW you ask the question, it’s impossible to get a straight answer. Commonly, you will hear: “There is no way to know, because Amazon doesn’t make their book sales numbers public.” But the truth is, plenty of people know. Every person who has become an Amazon best seller knows. But they don’t want YOU to know. In the average reader’s mind, there is no distinguishable difference between an Amazon Best Seller and a New York Times Best Seller. This is exactly why people don’t go flaunting their numbers, because they want don’t want every Tom, Dick and Harry to know what is common knowledge to every author: It is much easier to become an Amazon Best Seller than it is a New York Times Best seller. I have spent months hunting down other people’s exact sales numbers, but it doesn’t matter who you ask, you always get the same answer: “We are not currently releasing exact numbers on our book sales.”

It IS hard to become an Amazon Best Seller, but not as hard as you might think. It is extremely discouraging to prepare for a book launch and not know what your target goal is, but I have good news, I am going to share those top secret numbers with you! But first, let me define an Amazon Best Seller.

You might think that if you are in the top 100, you are a bestseller. I disagree, as there are some small categories that don’t even have 100 books, so I personally wouldn’t be impressed with being number 99!

You could refer to yourself as an “Amazon Best Seller” if you get in the 10th place in a category, why not shoot for 5 and above just to get a real sense of accomplishment?

The number 1 spot is really something to be proud of, and some purists believe you can only claim the title of “best selling author” if you reach the top spot in your category.

So here’s the “Secret Sauce”:

100 books in a given day will usually get you in the top ten of your category.
500 books in one day will most likely clench the number one spot in your category.
I know an author who recently topped multiple categories with less than 400 books sold in a day.

So, it won’t be easy, but if you promote well, and convince your body of followers that your new book has worthwhile information, you CAN do it!
Feel free to comment below with your best-selling book numbers, and I will include them in the article.

If you are getting ready to “go for the gold,” consider our book cover design services. We have worked with New York TImes, Amazon, and Barnes and Nobles Best Selling Authors, so we know how to design a cover that converts browsers to buyers.

When we consider improving our home interiors with new furniture, ornaments and general furnishings, the aesthetic of the store we visit to purchase our desired goods can have a huge influence on whether or not we choose to eventually shop there. The same aesthetic first impression is much the same for online stores; if you’re looking for stylish and quality products, you’ll want to purchase them from a website with a design that says “style and quality”, and with style and quality, innately comes an impression of professionalism.

Pedlars – Bold and Retro

The design for the home interiors store Pedlars has a definite retro feel to it. The strong and bold 1970s orange of the logo and the category banners along the top of the page offer an immediate and unmissable form of navigation. There’s also a nice mix of font / typeface usage, which really breaks up any otherwise unused white space.

Miraentu Interior – Wall Art Styling

The Spanish Miraentu Interior website offers various types of wall art and decals, and the overall design of the website really reflects the product, with bold bordered images enhanced with the use of a soft drop shadow. This really gives the impression of art hanging on a wall, much the same as the products they sell.

Sofas and Sectionals – Great Content Management

Sofas and Sectionals is a great example of how to manage the presentation of a huge amount of store stock. The navigation bar along the top of the page immediately allows you to choose from everything from sofa types to brands and styles, meaning you can find what you were looking for swiftly. The large images of the choice sofas available also add a splash of color to the design.

Decor8 – The Scrap Book Look

The Decor8 Blog has a quaint scrap book feel to it, and although it doesn’t specifically retail products, is a collection of featured home interior products. This scrap book design is perfect for what the blog aims to achieve, with page after page of bright and interesting style ideas for the home.

Bouf and Mooch – The Importance of Corporate Colors

Bouf offer everything from home ware to clothing, and the simplistic yet bold design of their site really showcases all the items on sale. The sparing use of their corporate color, a deep plum, is a great way to make certain desired aspects of the website stand out. On the Bouf website, this plum color is used not only for the logo, but also for important navigational details such as a help section and the product gallery on the home page.

Another somewhat simplistic yet bold website design can be seen on the Mooch home ware and gifts page. The text-textured, gradient background gives a great depth of field to the top layer of content, that being the navigation and showcase products. The strong chartreuse green of the Mooch logo is reflected again, as with Bouf, in the navigational rollovers and any icons that need to be immediate to the customer (such as the shopping cart).

J Design Group – Stylish and Contemporary

The bold red theme of the J Design Group website gives a serious yet stylish first impression, and the use of alpha / opacity on the banner of the website, along with the subtly textured background really gives this website a tactile feel. This overall serious, bold and somewhat corporate design definitely reflects their aim to appeal to a high-end and commercial customer base.

My Living Space – Dual Purpose Bold Graphics

The My Living Space website offers a fun and bright first impression, with the main three, bold graphics acting as the site navigation when the mouse is rolled over. However, a more functional and intricate navigation is also available in the traditional placement at the top of the page, meaning easier usability.

Bokja Design – Using Flash to Showcase Products

The Beirut based Bokja Design website is Flash based, and really utilizes the animation capabilities of Flash to showcase their quirky design ideas. There is a strong vintage / retro influence to their product designs, and this is clearly expressed through the website design. The products on offer are incredibly bold and almost brash, which is why the neutral, pastel colors of the background are a perfect canvas for showcasing them.

Orla Kiely – Minimalism When Products Speak For Themselves

One of the most talked about home interior product designers at this time is Orla Kiely, whom takes from the bold geometric prints of the past to produce beautiful home ware and clothing. Her designs are always amazingly uncomplicated yet at the same time eye catching, and the design of her web store offers the perfect muted setting, allowing her print work to stand out from the page. Her signature colors are also used for the drop down menus, as a simple but effective hint to her products.

Why Backup Matters

While your web host no doubt has systems in place to preserve your data in the event of a server crash, there are other ways that you can end up losing a lot of hard work in the blink of an eye. Let’s say that a hacker infiltrates your website and deletes all your data. If you don’t have a backup, it may be impossible to recover it. Aside from saving your web information from deletion, backups also make getting a website back up and running after a hack has occurred a lot easier. You can simply install a backed-up version of your pages from before the security breach.

Using Locker For WordPress Security

Code Garage’s Locker service is quite simply one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to backup a site online if you’re running WordPress. They’ll create daily backups for up to 10 of your sites for just $15 a month. In addition to their easy, automatic backup services, they also help you handle security by scanning your WordPress sites for suspicious activity like malicious Javascript files and iFrames. Locker’s a cheap way to kill two birds with one stone by creating backups and looking out for security at the same time.

Final Words

If you run a WordPress website online, you have many options when it comes to backing up your data. You can use plugins to backup your data to your home computer, or to another server. But such solutions are often a pain to implement and don’t always provide the performance you expected. Locker, on the other hand, is a true “set and forget” solution that takes the hassle out of performing backups and securing your site. Whether you’re running an online business from your WordPress site or a personal page you’ve spent a lot of time putting together, you can’t afford the chaos that losing all your data will bring. Make sure it doesn’t happen by using Locker for all your automatic WordPress backup needs.

North Seattle Community College. A simple navigation bar allows existing students and potential students to easily access admission, financial aid, academic programs, student services, the library and campus life all in the click of one button. North Seattle Community College’s online learning, class schedules and e-mail are all accessible through the homepage without the page appearing cluttered.

Washtenaw Community College. In the past few years, Washtenew Community College website has won numerous national awards for its design.  A side navigation bar makes it easy for you to find exactly what you are looking for. The website is broken down into a variety of different categories for different groups of people. Sections of the site are designed for future students, current students, parents, businesses, the neighborhood, faculty and staff. There is no need to search every aspect of the site when a portion of the site is specifically geared towards you needs.

Central Piedmont Community College. With a calendar, map and news feed of important Central Piedmont Community College offers instant access to important information. This community college site also offers one section of new students and another section for existing students. With just a few clicks, students can access e-mail, online learning and other tools. This site is easy to navigate and loads quickly.

Community College of Denver. The Community College of Denver has a unique lay-out that plays on the circular shape logo used by the community college. The website is designed in the college’s colors and is easy to use. The homepage navigates students and potential students with ease. Additionally, a news feed allows potential students to see all the good that has come out of the Community College of Denver – including excellence in the dental hygiene and nursing programs.

Pima Community College.  The Pima Community College website exemplifies excellent use of site navigation. One navigation bar provides you with essential information including contact information and directions to the campus. An additional navigation bar provides you will all essential information needed to make an informed decision about attending Pima Community College including campuses, courses and degrees. One additional feature that makes this website great is the ability to switch between Spanish and English – which also shows diversity amongst the student body.

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