Category: My Books

Book Production · My Books · My Thoughts · Writing

A Book Cover: Is it a Secret Weapon?

Larada Horner-MillerLeave a comment
Larada Horner-Miller's 4 newest book covers

Is a book cover a secret weapon to get books sold? Many people think so. What does research say? I know what I’ve done recently!

Research on the Importance of a Book Cover

“A high-quality book cover not only looks great, but also communicates its genre and attracts the “right” readers with relevant trends, color schemes, and more.”

https://reedsy.com/blog/guide/book-cover-design

“Studies show that 79% of people make a split-second decision about picking up a book based solely on its cover, according to design platform Wixel.”

https://mixam.com/blog/education/how-book-cover-design-drives-sales#:~:text=Introduction,according%20to%20design%20platform%20Wixel.

For my first three books, I designed the cover, not knowing any better, but since then I have had 100Covers.com do my covers. Why? Because I believed the research stated above.

I love what 100Covers.com have produced, and they are so easy to work with. We collaborate with resources I find and shared with them. Then they did the magic and created eye-appealing covers.

My First Book Covers

Somewhere I found a review I ignored about my first book, This Tumbleweed Land’s cover. On the original cover, I had a text box covering the tumbleweed in the picture. That’s the theme of this book, so what a revelation. I loved the photo I used with Mesa de Maya in the background (noted on some of the first maps every made of the southeastern part of Colorado). But that mesa wasn’t mentioned in my book, so I had 100Covers.com redo it and I released it last week.

Here’s the comparison:

What do you think?

My Newest Book Cover Is In a Contest

Time Measured Out! book cover

Time Measured Out!: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry is in a nonfiction book cover right now on AllAuthor.com. It has entered the final round and the winners (1st, 2nd and 3rd) will be announced March 31.

Right now my book cover is in 2nd place with 120 votes, but with another book, The Amazing Dinosaur Dictionary for Kids, hovers right behind me with 119 votes.

What do you think?

The Amazing Dinosaur Dictionary for Kids book cover
Time Measured Out!: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry book cover

The book cover in first place, Phoenix Rising, has 186 votes.

Here’s it’s cover:

Phoenix Rising book cover

So, I would appreciate your vote at https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/20500/ to keep me in a solid 2nd place and maybe jump up and take over 1st place.

My 1st Place Winning Book Cover

Hair On Fire Wins 1st play in the AllAuthor.com nonfiction book cover contest, May 2024

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir received 1st place in the nonfiction book cover contest at AllAuthor.com in May, 2024. It was so exciting to communicate with my different social media sites and my email lists to encourage people to vote, and I received comments back that encouraged me. They came through repeatedly, and this award added prestigious to my book.

Finally,

I have heard repeatedly from my many mentors the importance of my book covers. I truly believe a book cover can be a secret weapon to get people to buy and read my books.

If you missed the importance of your vote, it could make the difference for my book’s winning stance or not. Put down your cup of coffee, your beer, your book or your knitting. It will only take a couple minutes. Grab your phone, iPad or computer and go to https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/20500/

Larada Horner-Miller headshot
Vote like my book’s life depends on it because it does!

Professional Reader

My Newest Books

Time Measured Out!: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry, Book #2 e-book

ISBN – 9798989688654

$.99 for limited time

is my truth universal? book cover

Is My Truth Universal?: A Woman’s Poetic Odyssey e-book

ISBN – 979-8989688623

ALWAYS FREE

Was It a Dream? book cover

Was It a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry, Book #1 – e-book

ISBN – 979-8989688630

 $3.99

Hair on Fire book cover

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir e-book

ISBN – 978-0996614498

$3.99

Buy My Audio Books:

This Tumbleweed Landed

This Tumbleweed Landed audiobook cover

Let Me Tell You a Story 

Let Me Tell You a Story audiobook cover

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Memoir Audiobook

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir audiobook cover

Day 31 – January Ends Today—So What Did I Learn?
Blogs · Memories · My Books · MY LIFE · My Thoughts

Day 31 – January Ends Today—So What Did I Learn?

Larada Horner-Miller7 Comments
January calendar

January ends today, and so does the Ultimate Blog Challenge. Whew! The challenge was to write a blog post each day for thirty-days. Here’s answers to Paul Taubman, the organizer’s questions.

Did you finish the Ultimate Blog Challenge?

I proudly finished the Ultimate Blog Challenge, but I missed three days: 13, 16, and 20. The part that excites me—I don’t feel guilty for missing those three days. The 13th we went to La Fería Internacional de Las Flores y del Café (International Flower and Coffee Festival). We had a blast there enjoying ourselves and seeing Alejandro Torres, a major music star in this area. I was too tired to write that night but I wrote about it for the next day’s blog.

Alejandro Torres & daughters - January
Alejandro Torres & daughters

Again, we returned to the festival on the 16th. I wondered if returning was a good idea because our first time there on the 13th was so magical, but we weren’t let down. We saw dancers from Panamá and from over the world. Again, we stayed late, and I fell into bed exhausted that night. No blog post!

International Dancers - January

As I remember the 20th, I feel embarrassed! When I got up on the 21st, I realized I had completely forgotten to do the blog post. Nothing significant happened—oh, well!

But again, I reiterate—I have no guilt about missing them, and I feel exhilarated today in finishing this challenge. That’s new for this perfectionist! To finish a commitment like this reminds me of my determination. After each missed day, I had to continue—no question asked!

Again, I gleaned ideas from other participants to enhance my blog through this Challenge. The daily assignment of reading two other blog posts in the Challenge helped me see choices, personalities come out in playful and professional ways, and the passions we all have! Thank you to each one who participated!

Have You Accomplished Any Other Goals Recently?

On December 21, 2025, I released my tenth book, Time Measured Out!: Navigating Life’s Journey and am so proud of it. It is the second book in a five-book poetry series. During January, I have been promoting the heck out of it!

Also, I have a marketing plan I’m following, so I have been promoting my first book, This Tumbeweed Landed, the month of January. To be honest, I started a little late, but I have already started my promotions for my second book, When Will Papa Get Home?, and I feel so much more organized than I have ever been.

At the end of 2025, I received notification my book, Was It a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry, won a bronze award in the Global Book Awards so I have been also promoting that book. It is the first book in the series.

I’ve scheduled a promotional experience with Let’s Fix Stories on February 17. I sent them the first 10-15 pages of my new book project which is an AutoFiction. The tentative title is Eye Witness to Life/Healing. I’m excited to see what they have to say about the beginning of my book. As we know, the reader either gets hooked by then or drops off! I want professional help on making it the best.

Why Did You Joined the Ultimate Blog Challenge?

In November 2021, I participated in my first Ultimate Blog Challenge, and I wrote every day. I gained so much from that challenge, picking up ideas from the blogs I read like the use of headings and subheadings and the use of coloring them. I have adapted these ideas and use them regularly.

Because my blog is on wordpress.com, each post is scored for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Readability analysis. When I looked at the other blogs, it spurred me on to be more detail-oriented on my blog, so I investigated the relevance of both of these scores. I realized their importance and work hard each blog post to be sure I receive a “green smiley face” instead of a yellow or red one.

Achieving Your Goals

I believe deeply in goals and have used the idea for years. Goals colored my work as a teacher and the computer coordinator at Washington middle school in Albuquerque, New Mexico. One year, I asked my committee to dream without limits for the next year—brainstorm the ideas possible. When I typed up the list, it was long and ambitious!

The next year, we achieved every goal on that list, even the outrageous ones! That’s why I believe in goals.

So, set some goals. Do something you’ve never done before like the Ultimate Blog Challenge then follow through. See the follow through is the important part. On my dream list at Washington middle school, we submitted our list to our senator, we canvassed him, we showed why everything we listed had importance—in other words, we did the footwork!

Finally,

January ends today. This is the last blog post for this Challenge, but I have my weekly blog post to do tomorrow. I’ve shared some vulnerable truths here, some fun-filled activities and my life in general. I will return to blog readers refreshed and invigorated by this month of writing, thinking up topics and sharing my life with the world. Yes, it was a commitment—a hefty one, but it fed my soul, because writing does!

Larada Horner-Miller - Janaury
Join me on my weekly blog at https://laradasbooks.com/my-blogs/

Professional Reader

My Newest Books

Time Measured Out!: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry, Book #2 e-book

ISBN – 9798989688654

$.99 for limited time

is my truth universal? book cover

Is My Truth Universal?: A Woman’s Poetic Odyssey e-book

ISBN – 979-8989688623

ALWAYS FREE

Was It a Dream? book cover

Was It a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry, Book #1 – e-book

ISBN – 979-8989688630

 $3.99

Hair on Fire book cover

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir e-book

ISBN – 978-0996614498

$3.99

Buy My Audio Books:

This Tumbleweed Landed

This Tumbleweed Landed audiobook cover

Let Me Tell You a Story 

Let Me Tell You a Story audiobook cover

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Memoir Audiobook

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir audiobook cover

Book Promotion · My Books · My Thoughts · My Writing · poetry · Self-publishing

Day 18 – Accidentally, A Great Week for My New Book!

Larada Horner-Miller5 Comments
Cozy Up - accidentally

Accidentally, I had a great week promoting my new book, Time Measured Out!: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry!

Much of my promotions for most of my twelve years in the book business have been accidental—and this week it was for sure!

Part 1 – Accidentally

As a promotional idea, I did a Goodreads Giveaway from December 28 – January 09, 2026. I gave away 100 copies of this book. 736 readers participated in the Giveaway. Because Amazon owns Goodreads, they downloaded the 100 copies without paying for them. Because I have been checking my Dashboard in KDP.com often, where I publish my books, the 100 copies shocked me. So, it took me awhile to figure out the increase in sales of 100 books with no royalties. The good news—that movement of books made Time Measured Out! #1 in three categories:

Book sellers rank on Amazon - accidentally

You might wonder why I would do a Giveaway of so many books? Here’s the stats after the Giveaway on Goodreads: 661 want to read it and 694 added the book to their shelf in Goodreads. It now has a 4.2 rating out 5 there. So I could benefit it in the future.

Part 2 – Accidentally

Because of my excellent coach, Derek Doepker, and coaching group, I entered my book in the possible “BookBub New Release for Less” promotional. I had been warned by Derek any of BookBub’s promotionals are highly sought after and well worth it. I have entered other books in the past and not been selected. This time I was, and it was for January 13, 2026. Yes, it costs a lot, but the results were supposed to offset the cost.

Part 3 – Accidentally

No, the sales did not cover the cost, but the promotion caused an increase in sales. Because of the increase in sales, the book bounced between #1 Best Seller in the Poetry about Love category and #1 New Release in Poetry About Women on January 11. Then on January 12, it stayed #1 Best Seller in about Love and #1 New Release in Poetry About Women and stayed there until on January 14. Then it was Top New Release in Poetry About Love. Amazon algorithms likes all of those identifications, so then they do more organic promoting of that book.

Amazon Ranking Data about Time book - accidentally
Amazon Ranking Data about Time book - accidentally

Two above on January 11, 2026

Amazon Ranking Data about Time book - accidentally
Amazon Ranking Data about Time book - accidentally
January 12, 2026 see two!
Amazon Ranking Data about Time book - accidentally
Only one on January 13, 2026
Amazon Ranking Data about Time book - accidentally
January 14, 2026

Happily, the promotion increased the sales of the first book in the poetry series, Was It a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry. And who know what the long-term results will be.

Finally,

Accidentally—yes, but I am going to write this formula down for my next book because it seemed to fit together nicely—first a Goodreads Giveaway and second apply for a promotion on BookBub in a timely manner. I’m proud of what happened, even if it was accidental.

I have a hard time with marketing and promoting my books. It costs money; it takes time to do all the work and it needs to be planned out and executed a month ahead of time—and I’d rather be writing! But guess what? I have put together a Marketing Plan for this year, so we’ll see what happens—wish me luck!

Larada Horner-Miller - accidentally
I’m working on my Marketing Plan for 2026. Any suggestions?

Professional Reader

My Newest Books

Time Measured Out!: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry, Book #2 e-book

ISBN – 9798989688654

$.99 for limited time

is my truth universal? book cover

Is My Truth Universal?: A Woman’s Poetic Odyssey e-book

ISBN – 979-8989688623

ALWAYS FREE

Was It a Dream? book cover

Was It a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry, Book #1 – e-book

ISBN – 979-8989688630

 $3.99

Hair on Fire book cover

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir e-book

ISBN – 978-0996614498

$3.99

Buy My Audio Books:

This Tumbleweed Landed

This Tumbleweed Landed audiobook cover

Let Me Tell You a Story 

Let Me Tell You a Story audiobook cover

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Memoir Audiobook

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir audiobook cover

Day 12 – Instructions for Living a Life—Mary Oliver-Style!
My Books · My Thoughts · My Writing · poetry

Day 12 – Instructions for Living a Life—Mary Oliver-Style!

Larada Horner-Miller3 Comments
Blank blackboard - instructions

“Instructions for living a life:

Pay attention.

Be astonished.

Tell about it.”

~Mary Oliver, “Sometimes”

Attention Please - Instructions

Mary Oliver’s Instructions for Living a Life resonated with my heart and soul the first time I read it. Because of that, I have quoted it at the beginning of both of my poetry books in the Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry series.

So I thought I’d share the Introduction to my new book, Time Measured Out!: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry.

Introduction With Instructions

Life’s all about paying attention and not letting the world pass you by. Some call it mindfulness. That’s a big order, but I see that’s what I did over the years with my poetry by being present and seeing the specifics in my life around me. Prior to writing poetry and taking note of my life, years escaped me! The poet arose in me, and this is what transpires: I write poetry when I’m happy, when I’m sad. I write about what’s important—and about what’s trivial.

And now you’re getting a peek into me. Not only am I sharing the vulnerability in my poetry, but in my life.

This is the second book of poetry in a five-book poetry series that chronicles my journey from 1986 to the present, showcasing both difficult times and, ultimately, my most fulfilling era. It all changed at fifty-eight and my fourth marriage, but that’s much later, in book #5.

My first book in this series, Was It a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry, which covered my life in poetry from 1986 to 1998, won a Gold Award in the Global Book Awards and second place for poetry in the Next Best Reads Writing Contest, which felt so affirming.

When I choose a title for my books, I consult my husband. I gave him the list of poems chronicling my life from 2000-2003, and he quickly came up with Time Measured Out. I love how this title captures not only the transformative time this was for me, but my playfulness in poetry, as well.

So much happened in the years this book covers, not just for me personally, but also globally. Because I worked as a middle school teacher, I did a lot of my writing during the summer, sitting in the passenger seat, my ex-husband driving down the road to the next square and round dance festival. The summers were my time to write, to travel, to get away from the crushing schedule of teaching, and to see our country near and far—and to dance!

Introduction Continues with Instructions

In 2000, my ex-husband, Ted, and I bought a Four Winds Majestic Flyer Class C motorhome in preparation for our 2001 road trip to Alaska on the Al-Can Highway. I dubbed the summer of 2000 “The Majestic Flyer Summer,” after our RV, as we tested it out while traveling to dance festivals.

We spent hours planning our Alaska trip, and my excitement grew as we prepared. We traveled north to the Canadian border then followed the Al-Can Highway from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon. The rough uneven roads made it an adventure for me, but Ted as the driver grew tired of it. But our journey didn’t go how either of us expected. We broke up in Homer, Alaska in one of the most picturesque spots, the ocean surrounding us. Ted took me to Anchorage to my cousin, then I flew home, leaving him to drive the RV back.

After our breakup, I sought refuge at the Santuario de Chimayó for the second time, but how different my experience was this time compared to my first visit in 1991 (see book #1)!

My ex-husband and I tried to resolve our differences for seven more years, but our reconciliation didn’t fare smoothly. We did have some good times sprinkled in, but it was mostly trouble, chaos, and agony. We struggled until 2008, and I share our final breakup in book #4. Amid this, I continued to turn to poetry to make sense of life—my writing comforted me and helped me survive, and survive I did!

Introduction & Instructions Ends

Though there’ve been deep struggles in my life, my positivity always weaves its way through. In this book, you’ll see me repeatedly struggle with my relationship with my ex-husband and how I viewed myself because of it—a dysfunctional relationship at its worst! Yet I bounced back, resilient. If you’ve had similar experiences, resilience saved our lives!

The book will draw near its end with poems I wrote in celebration of my niece for her thirtieth birthday and, lastly, a tribute to my mom. Ending this book with my thoughts about Mom brings a smile to my lips and an ache to my heart! Yes, Mom, you end this second book—so apropos!

Just a reminder! Someone wrote this comment in a review on Goodreads about Was It a Dream?: “There were a few places where these poems felt amateur. In some ways that adds to the charm, but I can’t help wanting to poke at them and try to use one of the many tools we have to make poetry more effective.”

Please remember this poetry series dates back to 1986, and I didn’t polish any of the poems. I wanted you, the reader, to see my progression through the years as a poet. Refraining from “fixing” them felt risky, yet I committed myself and you to this journey. And, yes—it’s been hard!

Step into my world of poetry, and don’t look back. You might decide to grab a seat and linger or even stay.

Finally,

These three short lines of instructions have become my motto in life. I always want to remember them and be sure and adhere to them—otherwise, I lose essence of the life I’m living! My poetry will direct me!

Larada Horner-Miller - instructions
First I have to pay attention!

Professional Reader

My Newest Books

Time Measured Out!: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry, Book #2 – $.99 for limited time

is my truth universal? book cover

Is My Truth Universal?: A Woman’s Poetic Odyssey e-book – FREE

Was It a Dream? book cover

Was It a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry, Book #1 – e-book or $3.99

Hair on Fire book cover

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir e-book on sale for $1.99

Buy My Audio Books:

This Tumbleweed Landed

This Tumbleweed Landed audiobook cover

Let Me Tell You a Story 

Let Me Tell You a Story audiobook cover

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Memoir Audiobook

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir audiobook cover