JUST ANOTHER DAY IN THE LIFE OF A SMALL PUBLISHER

The Boy has been finally put to bed! I wish somebody would do the same for me- and tuck me in with Teddy!

A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF A SMALL PUBLISHER

In February 2011 we published Kathleen Herbert's Moon in Leo; that in itself quite an achievement since I received it in a chaotic jumble of over a thousand badly typed pages, just over 6 months before. (Read the full story here)

It is February 2012, and we are about to publish our third book, The Boy with Two Heads, so I am in celebratory mood.

 

SEMIOTICS AND COVER DESIGN
 

Our covers have been praised for their beauty and elegance and I hope the new cover will appeal too. It is busier and more "modern" looking than the others, but, like them it has its own story. A cover should tell you as much as possible about the content of the book.   (I wrote an earlier post about how some American covers were misleading) Just as with Moon in Leo and Paths of Exile, the images were chosen for their significance as well as for their look. This is what makes cover design so fascinating: sometimes the semiotic aspects war with the aesthetics! When they both come together it's magical. I hope we have got it right with this one- but I am sure you, the readers will tell us- please feel free!

THE BOY WITH TWO HEADS COVER STORY

Both background photographs were taken by the author: the picture on the front is of the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, built in 1896 to house the first modern Olympics. 

A detail from the map of Ancient Athens. The bridge over the Ilissos (now covered by a modern road) is the spot where both Themis, and over two thousand years later, Suzanne, meet with their accidents. The natural amphitheatre between the hills is the site of the Panathenaic Stadium. In 432 BC, this is where  Athenian youths would practise their sports. 

The girl on the cover (our Suzanne) is looking towards the crossing where her accident occurs. The photo on the back of the book is of the crossing itself and the police accident board (a real board, kindly loaned by my local constabulary) is on the exact spot where the accident occurs. The bronze head (our Themis) is of the Youth of Antikythera in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. When we had problems obtaining permission to use a photo of the statue, Alex, who lives in Athens, stood on tiptoe and held her camera above her head to get the picture we finally used.  Designer Kate worked her magic on it, and finally flipped both heads!

When she turned this-

into this-























we all three knew it felt right. Don't forget to tell us what you think!

HEADS AND TALES: JUDGING A BOOK BY ITS COVER

We are so near publication that I wanted to share my excitement about the new book and its very striking cover. When I put our three covers together, I am very pleased that they all look so different- reflecting the very different nature of their stories and writers- but am struck by the similarities too. Each cover has a tale to tell, and every element on each of them has resonances above and beyond its visual impact. More of this later.

And here's a preview!

Mighty Zeus and my walk to work

I haven't been updating this blog much lately as I have been busy working on The Boy with Two Heads. We are having some problems getting the right image for the front cover, but we are confident that the book will be out by the end of February.

Contemplating imagery from the book, I thought of this picture on my way to work: it is from Karen's Whimsy

Speaking of my walk to work- I thought I might share  it with you:

About to go out of the door

On the way- the views of Skiddaw and the Northern Lake District Fells are often amazing, but barely visible today

Nearly there! We built this solid wooden cabin in that very hot summer we had a few years ago

Nearly at my desk!

And as I sit at my desk in my cosy office, a stone's throw across the

garden, I realise how lucky I am: the walk to work may not give me much exercise, but the views of the garden, the fells, the birds and the snowdrops just beginning to show, lift the heart and the spirits. And I love my work!

Head Office. The dark green board came from my first workshop in Wigton, and the new cream sign was a Christmas present from my daughter

BOOK RESCUE: KATHLEEN'S STORY

ROYALTY FREE FICTION

"History is full of ordinary people with extraordinary stories"


I follow quite a lot of blogs- mainly about historical fiction, and most of them are fascinating, well written, well researched accounts of the history behind the book


This one however, struck me as different- its about the story behind the book, and as the posts are by the authors themselves, and they are writing about what they care passionately about, ie their book, they are not just well written, they are exceptionally well written!


I want to read each and every story on this blog!

So I was extremely pleased and excited when Deborah asked me to write about Moon in Leo for her blog


Only problem- I am not the author. Just the publisher. Perhaps I am being unjust to myself when I say just. This was a book that its author was passionate about and wanted to share with humanity. She had a vision and plenty to say about the state of our society, but she suffered with a stroke, and its aftermath- confusion, depression and delusion. All through what were some very dark years however, she held onto the fact that she had written an excellent book, and that she had a friend who had promised to help her get it published. Read her story, but take time to read other authors' stories too!

FIND THE NAME: LOSE THE LADY?

I have had this little puzzle for longer than I can remember. It is my metaphor for life. It reminds me that everything you do impinges on something else. It reminds me that if I want to do X, Y or Z, I will almost certainly have to do A, B and probably C first! It reminds me that nothing is ever as simple or as easy as it seems.


When I fished it out of the drawer just now, it already displayed LADY on the top line. Could I make another word without losing the lady? Well, I could, but I had to move every other little plastic square. Perhaps I can now make CUT- but the prospect makes me feel tired. Oh hang on- if I make CIT (not a word- really except as op. cit.)- or better still TIC- I could have PURR!


Instead, I will embark tonight on the final styling and typesetting of The Boy with Two Heads, adding maps, lists of characters and author notes. I am excited at this prospect but know from experience that it will be just like my slidy plastic puzzle: when I change something at the beginning, it will mess up a page near the end; just as I think I have got it all sorted, in the right order, I will find a typo, and have to go onto the next page to change it; and it will take 10 times as long as I had bargained for. Meanwhile, Kate will be waiting for me to order the cover template so that she can get on with the final design. I can't order the template until I know exactly how many pages the book will have, as this affects the width of the spine. You see- it's exactly like my plastic puzzle!

Don't forget to visit Julia's new blog, and read the story from her POV!