archive

November 2006

The Publisher-Author Relationship - Covers

No, we don't get that much creative control. What we sell to the publisher is the rights to publish a manuscript. That's it.

You have to remember that publishers are in the business of selling books. They employ people who are (hopefully) experts in marketing and advertising. If they have a choice between what their expert says will sell the book, and what an author with no expertise at all says they want, naturally they’ll do what the expert says. Especially since they’re paying the marketing bods several times more in yearly wages for their expertise than they’re paying the majority of authors for a piece of writing in advances and royalties.

I’ve worked for two publishing companies, and have a qualification in promotion, so I’ve seen the issue from both sides. I can’t help but agree when marketing people say that most authors wouldn’t know a good cover from a bad one. I’ve seen what some really awful ideas that authors have suggested for covers.

That doesn’t mean publishing companies don’t come up with bad covers from time to time. Predicting what readers will respond to is just as tricky as predicting what buyers of any consumer item will buy. There’s a saying in advertising: “Only 10% of advertising works. The trouble is working out which 10%”.

My three main gripes are covers that demean books, deceive the reader and book titles that can’t be read because they’re in overly fussy fonts or too small to be read from across the room.

I’m sure many readers who love fantasy wonder why we end up with trashy chain mailed bimbos on covers. Marketing bods in the US are certain that this is what we want. (Interestingly, this isn't true in the UK and Australia.) Readers often disagree. What can you do? I hesitate to suggest you avoid buying books with trashy covers, as that harms the writer - who had no say in the cover - and also prevents you reading what might be a wonderful book. You could write letters of protest to the publishers. Or, if you’re lucky and the books are published with better covers in other regions, shop around online and buy the edition with the cover that pleases you most.

As a reader, I also object to covers that deceive readers. Not in small details, though. While Akkarin is sporting a mullet on the US version of The High Lord, nobody is going to protest that they got the impression Akkarin had terrible fashion sense and it turned out he didn’t in the book. But a dragon is not a small detail. It appeals to people who like dragon books, and so dragon-loving readers are going to feel ripped off if there isn’t one inside.

The font issue is one purely about a book promoting itself. If a reader enters a bookshop looking for my book, I want them to be able to spot it from across the room. Otherwise they might get distracted by that other book about dragons, spend all their money, and have nothing left by the time they found what they were actually looking for. (Believe me, I’ve done this. Except, of course, it wasn’t a dragon book.)

I consider myself lucky, actually. Most authors don’t get much input on covers. I’ve known some who didn’t see the covers of their books until they saw the book on Amazon. I suspect it’s only because I have a design and publishing background that I get to have as much influence as I do. That background also let me know how far I could push for change, and how to justify it. (And while I might think the winged horse cover is ridiculous, at least it gives me a good story to tell at conventions!)

A new writer isn’t going to get the right of veto on covers. At that point a publisher doesn’t know you. Not having the final say on a cover was hardly going to be a deal breaker. Authors who stamp their feet and make outrageous demands tend to leave all involved in producing their books not wanting to be involved ever again. And those people tell their friends in this rather small, well-connected industry. In other words, there’s a good chance being obnoxious will ruin your chances of ever being published again. And if the word had got around that I’d chucked a hissy fit and cancelled a contract over a mere cover, I doubt I’d have found another publisher willing to take on the books.

My publishers have produced better covers as time has passed. Maybe it takes them time to get a feel for an author’s work, to gather information about what covers worked and apply that to future covers. It does take time to build a relationship with publishers. I hope I've convinced them I have good ideas and can compromise. At its best, the publishing of books is a co-operative process between publisher and author. You can't expect them to compromise and negotiate if you're not willing to as well.

While the US cover of The Novice is a bit silly, the others are okay. The Aussie ones are good, and the UK ones are brilliant. I like all of the covers for Age of the Five and I love the US cover for Voice of the Gods. That's not bad odds, really.

Why are they different? The answer is simple: they are published by different publishing companies trying to appeal to quite different markets. And the tastes of readers in the US, UK and Australia are very different.

June Fanmail

You know, writing these lists is a lot of fun. There's much to be said for omitting repetition from a task. And I like the way the fanmails start to relate to each other, allowing me to develop my responses as the list forms.

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Andrew was disappointed that the BMT didn’t go in the direction he hoped. Of course, if it had gone in the direction he wanted, he might have been disappointed at how ‘predictable’ the plot was. Sigh. This is proof that those who say a writer should write what they want, and not try to please everybody, are right.  

Angelika is liking the BMT and asks why she can’t find a book I mention in the “Future Worlds” part of my website on Amazon. That would be because it hasn’t been rewritten and published. There’s a good reason why I gave that page of my website the title “Future Worlds” : )

Anna and her best friend are worshipping my books. That’s so sweet. And… I couldn’t help imagining them prostrating themselves before an altar containing the books, perhaps with offerings of chocolate and knitting yarn.

Carrie from Ireland wrote a very long email. And she knits! Always nice to hear from a fellow knitter. If you did sample authors from my recommended reading list, I hope you enjoyed them.  And Priestess of the White.

Charline couldn’t put Priestess of the White down. She says: “… I think Auraya/Leiard is my first book ship now”. I have no idea what this means, but I figure the meaning is good.

Claus from Denmark likes lead female characters and appreciates why I didn’t continue on with the BMT storyline in my next series.

I saw your website and the cover art for the Dutch translation for The Magician's Guild caught my eye, because I found it to be exactly the same as Sharon Shinn’s Wrapt in Crystal. Is it supposed to be like that? Hope you can clarify my doubts, and here are the links:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0441006167/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product/103-8699550-3678239?%5Fencoding=UTF8
http://www.trudicanavan.com/aboutbooks.php?pg=books2

This probably came about because the publisher that used the artwork for Sharon’s books didn’t buy worldwide rights for the image. Publishers sometimes cut costs that way. This means that the illustrator can sell the same illustraton to regions outside of the one they’ve already sold rights for. I’d also guess that foreign translation publishers tend to be small with tight budgets, so can’t afford to comission artwork, and using illustrations like these is cheaper (even if they don’t match the story one bit).

Cydney was moved by the BMT, but in a good way, and is smart enough to realise that it takes time to write good books. In fact, this is a lovely email. Thankyou, Cydney! 

Damien from Ireland’s boss has great taste in books and has given Damien a love of fantasy books. May you have many, many hours of enjoyment, Damien.

David wonders if nothing these days can be considered original. Nope, nothing is original, David. Everything has been done before. The trick is to combine elements in an interesting way, and write well and engagingly – with passion. Draw on those influences, but give them your own unique spin and style.

Emily wanted advice on running an illustration business. I’m afraid I can’t give you any. It’s been too long since I illustrated for a living and I don’t know what the market is like now. And I never knew what the market was like outside Australia. Good luck anyway!

Ellen-Louise says my books have made her want to read more and more. Picture me doing a MrBurns (fingers drumming against each other and saying “Eeeexceleeent!”) Good luck with your writing, too!

Faye liked the BMT and wants to know when the Traitor Spy trilogy is out. Check out my Publication Dates page.

Galen from Dixon, Illinois, USA loves my books. Awww, thanks!

Gary has been reading fanasty and science fiction for over 50 years and when he said he put my books in the same ‘make the time’ category as Heinlein and Asimov I nearly stopped breathing. Cor!

George (whose email address bounced) wants to know who has the third blood gem. I bet you do : )

Someone who signed off as “[name omitted to prevent spoiler]’s Mourner” and who uses a LOT of ellipses sent a tiny but amusing post BMT ending daydream set to the score of Beethoven’s 5^th Symphony. LOL! 

Harry from South Africa thanks me “on behalf of the whole of South Africa, for the many late nights you gave us”. You don’t have to urge me to write more about the guild, Harry. Check out More Kyralia Books.

Harry asks if I’m certain that the next books will be as good as the last ones? I’m never certain about anything. All I can do is write them as well as I possibly can and hope readers will like them. For your question about films go to the FAQ. 

Helen wants a whole lot of extra little details going beyond the end of the BMT, or bits of the action that I left out because they weren’t relevant… and in her second emails she jumps to a few conclusions. Take a deep breath, Helen. Let it out slowly. The stories of the real world may be ongoing, but ones in books can only be so long or they’d bore readers to death, or be so lengthy that publisher couldn’t afford to publish them. There will always be a few unanswered questions. If there weren’t, and all the loose ends were tied, people would complain that the story conclusion was too neat and convenient.

Holly’s question “Where do you get your insperation from when you write your books?” is really the same as “Where do you get your ideas from?” which is covered in the FAQ. Good luck with your book, Holly!

James is 12 and has read all of my books 10 times. Oh, for the spare time of the young. He’s also afraid he’ll have a heart attack if he doesn’t get to read the sequel soon! I'm sure you'll survive, James.

Jeanine found the BMT “otherworldy, yet, totally applicable to our society”. She also asks if I ever consider going to conventions in the States. I have, many times, but the costs of airfares to the US prevents me just hopping over there on a whim. (I travelled there several years back and still wince at the cost of food and accomodation on that trip.) Nevertheless, Orbit have said they will be sending me on a world tour in a few years, and hopefully that’ll include some conventions.

Jesse is wants my help making a computer game based on the BMT. Er… maybe you should read the “Can I write a screenplay/roleplaying game/computer game based on your book/s?” answer on my FAQ page. While it sounds like what you’re doing is just a hobby and probably no big deal, I’m hardly going to actually help anyone violate copyright.

Jennifer adores the BMT and is excited to hear of the sequel . Good luck with your own books – and if you need something to read in the meantime there’s always Age of the Five to try.

Jill is wondering about the ex-conjoined twins in the AotF. Don’t worry. There’ll be an explanation in Voice of the Gods.

Joanna (I think – she didn’t sign the email so I’m going by the email addy) loves the BMT and the recommended reading list. If you try any of the books, I hope you like them.

Jodi stopped reading only for things like eating and sleeping. Yes, people do get worried if you don’t do these things. And yes, he was a hottie, though I didn’t expect people to get as attached to him as they did. Good luck with your own writing!

Kane says I get better with every book I write. Aww! Thanks, Kane.

Kathy couldn’t find the Guildhall on the map. That would be because it’s inside the University. And she has a great quote for her sig. “Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.  That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.” Lol! So who said that, Kathy?

Leon wants to know if “the white priestess book” is the beginning of a new series of books. Yes, it is. Check out Age of the Five for more info.

Letisha (also known as Sketch) has also been reading the website. Yay! I’m definitely planning to keep writing (and rocking) for many years yet! 

Lili congratulates me on the Orbit deal. Thankyou!

Lindsay from England’s sister pushed TMG into his hands, and now he’s jealous. I hope I can keep you hooked for life!

Lisa is a smart cookie. PotW has inspired her to write, but she had the foresight to wonder where the line is between copying and merely being influenced. I can’t tell you exactly without reading your story, Lisa (and I’m afraid I don’t have the time) but generally you shouldn’t copy names of things like people, places and concepts, and avoid copying concepts (like how magic works, etc) exactly. Creating your own is as valuable a skill in writing as knowing how to string words together in the first place – and in my opinion it's most of what’s fun about writing fantasy.

Mark says the BMT was MIND-BLOWING and is offering to work for free if he’s cast as an actor in a BMT film. Hear that, you film producers? Free! No? No problem. I can wait. I’m a very patient person.

Matt from Iowa, USA enjoyed the books and would like his books signed. As I said earlier in this list – a tour is on the cards. We just don’t know when, yet.

Matthew from St. Louis in the US write’s an intriguing email. He is a fussy reader, with ADD, but he says “I refuse to say there is a bad book out there!”. I like his determination. He asks:

In The Magicians' Guild, why is the first half of the novel spent looking for Sonea? Why couldn't she be found right away continue with the story? Was it to further the development of characters or to further the suspense?

Both, really. It’s that “the journey is worth more than the destination” concept. If you cut out all the middle bits between characters ‘arriving’ at significant points in their live, a book would consist of just a paragraph. Like, say: “He was born, he graduated, he got a job, he retired, he died.”

Sonea’s place in the world she was born in meant she feared and was suspicious of magicians. She had to have time to reassess her beliefs, and if she’d been captured that time would have been spent as a captive – a static situation much less interesting to the reader than the action-filled scenes of avoiding capture. And you wouldn’t have gained such an understanding of who she was and the city the story was set in if you hadn’t seen all the different parts of the slums.

My ‘faithful fan’ (or Micaele, if the email addy indicates the sender) is “truly bored with other books now that I have seen one I love”. Oh no! They’re not supposed to stop you reading! Truly, there are plenty of good, engaging books out there. You can't give up because of mine!

Michael thinks that when he’s 19, when the Traitor Spy Trilogy comes out, he won’t want to read “these sort of books” any more. What an awfully pessimistic view to have of the future! I hope by the time he’s 19 he understands that good books take a long time to write, and that there is no reason to abandon the things that give you pleasure just because you’re a little older. Adults read fantasy too. Heaps of them, if my sales figures are anything to go by...

Mitchell from Melbourne says my books helped him to grow into the person he is today. That’s one of the nicest things a reader can tell a writer. (Well, so long as the person they became isn’t an psychopathic killer.) As for the release dates for the rest of the AotF, go look at the Publication Dates page again. I update it when dates change. It’s whole purpose is so people can keep checking it.

Someone who left no name but whose email contains “Mrg” also needs to look at the Publication Dates page.

Nathan (I think) thought LotW had a better tempo than PotW. Interesting that you think so. I do aim to up the pace as the story progresses. If you start at break-neck speed, it's a lot harder to up the pace convincingly.

Nuala from Ireland (whose email address bounced) asks where I got the idea for the BMT, and for Akkarin. I can’t tell you where every single moment of inspiration stemmed from, but the most significant one is that the Purge chapter was inspired by the alleged ‘cleaning up’ of Barcelona before the Olympics by removing the homeless from the streets. Akkarin… he first appeared in a dream and developed from there. (And no, it wasn't an erotic dream. It was actually quite sinister.)

Phil, I hope you enjoy the rest of my books!

Rainer wants to know if there’ll be a German edition of the prequel and sequel. No contract has been negotiated yet, but since the BMT translation has been so popular, and they’re one of the few foreign language publishers to buy the Age of the five, I reckon it’s very likely.

Ralph from Sweeden gave all sorts of intersting insight into why the BMT worked for him. He asks if I listen to music while writing. Only occasionally, to set up a mood, then I work in silence. Or near silence, punctuated by work on the nearby freeway, the hungry cat meowing, the occasional sledgehammer and drill of the tradesmen working on our house…

Robyn and her(his?) brother Zeb want to make sure I know how much they love my books. Thankyou! And good luck with your writing, too.

Ruan (I think) from South Africa thanks me for writing Priestss of the White. Thankyou for reading it! Unfortunately I have no idea how long it takes for my books to get to South Africa. Your local bookseller would probably be able to give you more accurate information than me.

Ryan want me to keep up the good work (will try to), and plans to put “a bug in one of my friends ears” in an effort to get a film made of the BMT. Good luck!

Another Ryan sent a short and sweet email. Thanks Ryan!

Sarah from Essex, UK analyses how her reading patterns are a result of good storytelling. I hope I can keep giving you the same dilemma, Sarah. 

Sara loved the BMT and wants more! She also wants to audition for a film. And she gets a gold star from me for reading the website – especially the writing advice. Good luck!

Suzanne is going to force all her friends to read the BMT. Now that’s what I like to hear!

Sydney (hey, we’ve got a Cydney and a Sydney in this batch!) is looking forward to LotW. He says “I can complian or order it on Amazon, so I’ll be placing that order soon”. LOL!

Tom from England wants me to write a fourth BMT book. I think perhaps he may be happy to read the More Kyralia Books page on my site.

Trisha says “GREAT JOB”. Thankyou! While you’re waiting for the sequel, there’s always the Age of the Five to keep you occupied. Yes, that was a devastatingly unsubtle hint : )

I have a deep interest in writing and have just started a course that I hope will improve and develop my technique. My question is, how to you choose/create the names for your characters? Not only do you apply great, unusual and fitting names, but they all have the same 'feel' of the era you have created (meaning - none of the names feel out of place against each other or the setting). How do you do that?!

German language rights for Age of the Five

A Poll, a Crossword, an Newsletter and a Blog

It's a week for publicity. I have sent off a poll idea and a whole lot of questions and answers for an Age of the Five crossword to be used on the HarperCollins Australia's Voyager Online site. They should be up on the site soon.

Today my US publisher asked if I'd like to blog on their guest blog next Feb, for a week, when Voice of the Gods comes out. I'm thinking the entries will probably be more like answers to interview questions than the sort of random news and guestbook question answers I put in here. Should be fun!

On top of that, in my letterbox today was the latest issue of Victorian Writer, the Victorian Writers Centre newsletter. It's their speculative ficton issue, and has an article by Keith Stephenson called "Oz Spec Fic 101", and interviews with Jack Dann, me, Paul Haines, Sean Williams, Stephanie Smith, Cat Sparks and Bill Congreve. Interesting stuff.