Here, warts and all, is my attempt to describe my experience with self-publishing - including the mistakes I made along the way and lessons I have learnt.
Why?
It started with the text of a poem that I wrote some years ago in the form of a children’s story. I read it out to an old University friend that I was staying with at the time and he, and another guest who was visiting at the time, kindly suggested that it was worthy of exploring the idea of developing it into a children’s book. They suggested contacting a friend of the family, who is an illustrator, and I dropped her a line to see if she would be interested in some kind of collaboration. If I’m being perfectly honest, I probably (at least sub-consciously) used the contact as an excuse to get some tips about how the process works.
Initially I didn’t receive a response (as it turned out she was just very busy) although later she did come back to me with some useful tips. Whilst waiting for an answer I started doing some digging, using the ubiquitous Google, by way of my own research.
During this period of browsing and reading I came across a company online called Bear With Us Productions (BWUP). You never quite know what you’re going to get when you venture into a world you know nothing about (apart from what you have read on the internet) but their offering seemed a suitable combination of appealing, professional, value for money and kind to the “first timer”. All of which, I hasten to add, I have found to be true.
So I dived in and started the process.
Getting Started
I was first attracted to the Authors' Favourite, which you will hopefully see has two important elements to it as a choice. Firstly it satisfies the inherent novices “second cheapest bottle of wine” dilemma and secondly it is proudly advertised as the “most popular”. You will also notice that it includes pretty much all the essentials and a few “nice to haves” for the beginner and, in my humble opinion, comes at a price that is not quite as scary as some of the estimates for illustration alone that I have read about.
Feel free to browse the offerings there (and elsewhere) and make up your own mind. But you might, like me, start to feel like your trying to sip from a fire hose and it does become a bit wearying. “Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good” etc. Or is that just laziness?
To get to the point, this is what I chose. I paid up, completed the necessary contractual formalities and was then the proud owner of the title of “Author” and had the paperwork to prove it. I was on my way.
Characterisation
I submitted my text and was asked to give examples of the kind of artwork I would like. Then I was given a choice of illustrators from BWUP’s team to choose from and happily settled for Felipe Calv.
The main characters in my particular book are unusual, at least they were to the illustrator, and consist primarily of the bike and Uncle Zebedia who owns/runs the Antique shop.
I purposefully wanted the main character to be faceless and genderless, so that the story could be easily adopted by the reader or the listener. At various points, including the cover design, there was ample encouragement/justification to be able to show the smiling face of the child character but I decided to stick with my original vision. Time will tell if this has any significant effect on the take up, either in enjoyment or sales, of the book.
CONTEXT: All the communication with BWUP is carried out using the Basecamp site/app. Communication is carried out using message threads and all interaction is through the mechanics of the app/site. This is not the same as sitting down with a person and having a discussion where you can point to or draw something to help get your message or idea across. I come from an IT background (nearly 40 years of it) and I am used to such tools, but it has always been in a hybrid environment where the tool and the work process is supported by direct interaction if possible. Even when dealing with geographic and time separated colleagues, there were video conferencing and other interactive tools to make the process more dynamic. This capability isn’t available for this process.
It can take a little getting used to trying to work out whether you have been misunderstood, or whether the contribution through the creative process has moved your ideas on in a way you haven’t yet got to grips with.
Lesson 1
Keep asking. If it is not what you asked for, check whether they have misunderstood or whether he/she just had a great idea and went off in a different direction without necessarily explaining why. Sometimes the professional advice and creativity on offer enhances your end product significantly.
I found it useful to find or create images to describe better what I was thinking of. Even if these were poorly drawn images done in PowerPoint or photos of hand-drawings.
Don't move on if you are unhappy with the current state, but don’t let your pre-conceptions of the imagery limit the creative process. Be open to fresh ideas and insights.
Don’t let your own ideas stop you gaining the benefit of the professional expertise on offer.
Early characterisation ideas for Uncle Zebediah (note the spelling change).
Other characterisation images
Story-boarding
Next the illustrator will sketch out a number of images (page-spreads) that follow the narrative, along with some examples of text placed over (or around) the images. I found these quite difficult to review, as it isn’t immediately obvious how close to the finished example they are. Sometimes it feels like the images are setting quite a lot of detail in stone and other times it seems that you are just agreeing to the general principle.
To help, I was sent an example (not from my book - but by Felipe) of how a storyboard sketch would look after the artwork/colourisation was then completed. As you can see from the examples here, the artwork is very different between the early storyboard image, both in detail and final layout.
This stage is meant to show roughly how the text interacts with the imagery and the final layout, where the image is greatly enhanced by the added detail, and colourisation.
This is also where you can make decisions on whether you want some pages to not have text on them at all.
CONTEXT:
I struggled with the level of detail in the storyboarding and understanding how much the images needed to match the text that I had written. Consequently the review comments I provided, in some cases, were not really relevant to this stage and the cause of some unnecessary debate.
In hindsight, and after the example was provided, it was clearer that this stage of the review was more about the general feel of the flow of the book and how and where the text would be placed. The example provided gave me a much better feel for the level I was supposed to be reviewing, and thus approving ahead of the next stage.
Lesson 2
Keep asking. Apart from the level of detail in the sketches, it is not always clear exactly how the text will interact with the images. In my case, because of the poem structure, the grouping of the text was (in my view) quite critical to making sure that the rhythm and rhyme would come naturally to the reader. The illustrator ‘s focus seems to be to envision the text and the related images they inspire and how these would appeal to the reader. We had some discussion about if and how a verse might be split across two pages/images and its not always clear whether there is room for the text around the images without breaking up lines. Sometimes that matters and sometimes it doesn’t seem to.
Strike the right balance with the help and agreement of your illustrator.
Cover Options
This was one of my favourite parts of the process. Unencumbered by the detail and flow of the text the illustrator gets the chance to imagine the front (and back) cover.
This is also quite unique as, although you have images in your head about your story/text, you never really think about an image that captures the essence of the whole project.
Felipe came up with some brilliant ideas for the cover and it was a difficult choice. Made even harder because by now you need to be aware of the potential significant difference between the sketched idea and the end example. For instance, one of the options looked a little “dark” but I loved the very creative perspective and it might have been possible to change the tone so that it didn’t look quite so “GothamCity” - perhaps by replacing some of the buildings with trees.
CONTEXT:
The power of marketing and experience provided by BWUP to come up with something that “catches the eye” is invaluable here.
In the end I had my own favourite, which ended up, after the helpful suggestion from BWUP, being the back cover image.
Lesson 3
Listen to the advice on what will work but don’t be afraid to make suggestions, as these fuel the creative process too.
I found this was a good time to involve friends and family. You’re not ruining any surprises, it brings the project to life for them and, even if you don’t follow the results of any straw-poll you undertake, it might generate some other ideas or compromises you haven’t thought of.
Although the final decision did seem a bit daunting at times, BWUP were really good at helping to explore options and being supportive about the process of deciding on a finished idea.
Make sure that you check consistency between any text in the “blurb” on the back page and the text in the book. It is quite easy to miss these, especially if it is a person or place name that can be spelt in different ways - or even a made up name.
Above all, have fun!
Colourisation
I guess I’ve already alluded to what happens during this stage, although this is probably where I think some of the issues with the process (artistic as well as the limitations of the toolset) might be encountered.
Once the detail was added to the detailed storyboard images, some of this detail didn’t quite match to the text (I guess this falls into the category of “artistic license”).
So the options available as part of the review are then:
Change the detail so that it matches the text, even if that means losing some of the beautiful creativity added by the artist.
Change the text, so that it more readily matches the artwork
Accept the inconsistency, bearing in mind that not all the detail in the text needs to be represented in the artwork and visa versa.
I ended up accepting a mixture of these. The most problematic one was option 2 and, again in hindsight, I think I would resist more and perhaps have the confidence in the text. Its a difficult choice because you really don’t want to miss out on experience and creativity that the illustrator brings to the project.
In this case, I introduced a new paragraph to explain the propeller and the wings*, which didn’t feature in the original poem. And, of course this meant finding room for the additional text and generated some problems for later.
In the end it was down to striking a balance between my original idea that the bike had magical elements, but could basically “just fly” (in the same way as ET’s bike “just flies”), and Felipe’s addition of certain elements to the transformed bike that assisted its “flying capabilities” and made it feel more magical.
*You might have noticed that there was a tail fin on some of the early images for the magic bike (after the transformation) and this didn’t feature in the end book. Which is a shame because the draft drawings looked nice, but the temptation to change the text (again?) was resisted.
CONTEXT:
I think this is the most difficult stage to review. There is significant input and work by the illustrator during this stage and its easy to be blown away by the way your book suddenly comes to life. This is the time that, if you are new to the process, you really see the amazing input the illustrator has.
There is far more detail to review and small errors in consistency between the pages can be missed. Time is also moving on and it feels like there is pressure to turn these reviews around, as you feel close to seeing something close to a final product.
Any missed mistakes at this point can cause quite a bit of rework and not only be frustrating to the illustrator but can be very frustrating for yourself too.
I tried to conduct some of this stage whilst on holiday using my phone and a tablet. Unfortunately I edited the wrong version of the text and this caused even more confusion.
TAKE YOUR TIME.
Lesson 4
It’s very easy to assume that the illustrator is on top of all the detail of the characters and components of the story that appear across more than one page, especially (like in the case of my book) when there might have been quite long conversations about some of the minor details. There were (are?) still some minor inconsistencies in my book, but BWUP were very kind in correcting some of the ones that were found as late as when the proof copy was finally printed. Not something I think they would like to do on a regular basis and I honestly can’t blame them.
Try not to rush this part of the process. Don’t just look at the individual pages and the text you envisage being on them. Check for consistencies between pages and images. Also check to see if the changes in the images, which might look much better than you imagined, still work with the order and placement of the text. It only takes a change in sequence of text or the increasing in size of an individual image on a page to change the text placement dramatically - especially when you are trying to accommodate long sentences and rhyming patterns.
Check everything over and over. Sometimes things might have changed that you weren’t expecting and there is always a possibility that something might have gone wrong in the upload/download process and you aren’t looking at the correct version.
Provide any comments against each individual image. I made the mistake of compiling all my comments into one and I am sure this made it much harder for Felipe to manage the changes that he had to make to each individual image - and for me to check the replacement versions.
It’s a difficult stage to get others involved*, but it might be worth getting a fresh pair of eyes - if only for the consistency side of things.
*If only because you want it to be a bit of a surprise
Book Overview
This is where the individual images and text start falling into their final places. It is also when you will find any issues with the amount of room allowed for your text and any problems that might arise in the text placement from late changes in the text or imagery.
It is also the point when you start to see what the book will look like in terms of inside covers and all the extra bits, like the copyright and publisher details, that go to make the inner pages of a book.
It comes as a PDF file and I have provided images of some of the PDF pages to give you an idea what it will look like.
CONTEXT:
This stage consists of compiling many of the different aspects of the book from different components in the process, into one product.
This introduces another potential issue with the compilation process and I experienced examples where the latest version of an image or the correct text (one case being my use of the wrong version of the text to make corrections) wasn’t included and, if you don’t look at everything it is easy to miss something that isn’t quite right.
Hopefully this stage will be relatively painless, if you have managed successfully to concentrate on the detail available in the earlier stages. We had some lengthy discussions about text placement due to the complexity of the blend between image and text.
Lesson 5
Check every page, on every version you receive for review. Not just the ones that you think have changed since the last version you received. Check the tiniest details e.g text encroachment onto images, spacing of characters in text (especially if you are using an unusual font or a mix of font size, colour and positioning). Its better to be safe than sorry.
Don’t forget to check the “Blurb” (on the back of the book) and any text on the front. Check for inconsistencies and spelling too. Even check the “official” stuff on the inside pages. It’s just as easy for anyone in the process to make a mistake (especially when making, what seem like, minor changes) and spotting errors now (even this late in the process) will be appreciated more than finding them later.
Although, it comes as a PDF, surrounded with lots of other information, this really is almost the last chance to review the final product before you start uploading to Kindle Desktop Publishing (or another printer) for final proofing. So try and treat it like the finished book. I went through a fair bit of paper reviewing this stage and I probably (definitely?) didn’t do enough reviewing even then.
In Summary
As the quote goes “Art is never finished, only abandoned”. It’s a balance. The more you look at your work and the evolving collaborative work with the illustrator and others, you will always find something you might have done differently. Changing one word for another here or there perhaps.
But, what is more frustrating is when your vision remains intact but there are errors in the execution. So:
Before you start this process, make sure that you are as happy as you can be about the text (albeit you might change it when collaborating with the illustrator).
Once you’ve settled on the text, focus on every word from the point of view of the execution of the work (e.g. spelling, grammar, placement/grouping of text). A professional edit (another service provided by BWUP).
Check everything and get some others to check it too. Never mind the element of surprise and keeping your project to yourself. No-one (in my experience) is capable of spotting everything. I had a number of people check things during and toward the latter stages of the project and they each spotted something I and others hadn’t. Even then something will sneak through - but hopefully the odds of it being something someone else spots is decreased to a manageable minimum.
Don’t hang on to the “what-if’s” I.e. don’t second guess decisions you made earlier, that were (no doubt) right, or good enough, at the time.
Enjoy what you have achieved, learn from your mistakes and go again.
If you've read this far then well done and thanks. I hope that you have found it useful
NOTE You can find more of the artwork that went towards developing the book on one of Felipe’s Behance.net online pages HERE