The Writing Life: Graphics for the Non-Technical

Last week I corresponded with John Riddle, one of my long-term writer friends. John is launching a new book next month and he is the creator of the I Love to Write Day which will mark 20 years on November 15th. He told me, “I'm not technical.”

I identified with the statement because I'm a journalist, writer and editor but not technical. I acknowledge my lack and make up for it through hiring others or using simple tools that anyone can use. Today I want to tell you about a tool that I've been using for about a year called MockupShots. I purchased lifetime access to this tool for $80 and I use it almost daily. In fact, the tools have been expanded and improved in the last year with zero additional expense for me. Instead the improvements make the tool even more valuable and useful to me. This tool also created the GIF images that move and I use with my blog posts and social media.

The tools in the MockupShots package are extensive so I will not be detailing everything. Book Mockup Creator is where you upload your book cover and in seconds, it generates several hundred images with your book. If you can save an image on your computer then upload it to this tool, you can quickly create amazing images. I've used these images on social media, with book reviews and many other places.

Stock Photos gives you access to over two million images. You simply put in a keyword and it will show you the images. I often use this tool to find the royalty-free images for my various blog posts. Also to promote the posts, I use it on social media. The only limits on the usage is your own imagination.

Are you going to release a new book in the coming months? Then you can use their cover reveal builder. It's as simple as the other tools but you can hide part of the cover and reveal it in stages.

I have enjoyed using the Testimony Builder too. Have people reviewed your book? If so, you can take those words and create images with the reviews. I've used this tool several times and continue to use the images on social media. If you can upload an image, you can use this tool. Yes, it is that simple.

Possibly you enjoy using short videos with your book cover. It's as simple as uploading an image into the tool, selecting which words and images, then the tool creates the video. As I've said in this article, I'm non-technical so if I can do it, anyone can do it.

There are many other tools and resources in this package that I have not covered but hopefully I've given you some ideas. When I write a book review, I use this tool to create a unique image I can post with my Amazon review and use when I promote my review on social media.

Do you use MockupShots in a different way? Or maybe you have a completely different tool to tell me about? Let me know in the comments.

Tweetable:

Are you a non-technical person? According to this prolific editor and author, you can use create amazing graphics in seconds with this tool. Get the details here. (ClickToTweet)