Tag Archives: Art

The Redemption of Erâth: Book Layout Begins

With the final edits for The Redemption of Erâth: Exile wrapping up, I’m starting to look at the internal design of the book. When I published Consolation, I had a publishing company to do all the design work, and I have to say that for the internal design, at least, they did a pretty good job.

This time, though, I’m on my own. I got some practice in when I published the History of Erâth in October, so I know a few things to look out for (for example, good guttering), but since this is a major sequel (the second ‘true’ book in the series), I really want to make sure everything comes out just right. I’m going to try a few different print options—I went for cream paper with History of Erâth, but I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the stock (it’s a little too thin). I might test white paper, and see if the stock is any better.

I also want an internal design to match the first two books—fire for Consolation, trees and leaves for History. The major theme throughout Exile is mountains, so I’ve designed a couple of black and white mountain silhouettes to try and replicate the feel of the first two books. I use them for Part pages and for Chapter headings, and to separate sections of the book. Below are some examples of what this looks like:

Part Page
Chapter Heading
Body Page with Break

I’d love honest feedback on these; I’m open to changes at the moment, but pretty soon it’s going to have to be fixed and locked in. If there’s room for improvement, please let me know!

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Thought of the Week: On Reading One’s Own Writing

As I begin to gear up toward the February release of The Redemption of Erâth: Exile, I find myself reading and re-reading the book itself over and over again. This is a natural process, I’m certain, of anyone who’s every published a book, but you get interesting looks from people when they ask you what you’re reading.

It’s a curious fact that artists aren’t supposed to enjoy their own work.

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Writing Prompt: Best Writing Advice

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A Facebook writers’ group I’m a part of put up a challenge recently: if you’re a writer, post a short piece about the best writing advice you’ve ever received. If you’re a reader, what do you look for the most in fantasy books?

I’m not much of one for listening to advice, but I’d like to have a go at answering both bits, if I may. As a writer, it’s pretty easy to feel bombarded by advice on how to write better, how to publish better, how to market better, etc. Quick tips and tricks abound on the internet, most buried deep in a post that is five times longer than it needs to be. Most of this advice is harmless, some of it is useful, and all of it guarantees instant success, which is to say it guarantees nothing at all.

You can make bad writing better, but you can’t fix nothing at all.

Receiving advice implies a level of support from others: someone who’s in the know, or whose opinion carries weight, and wants to share it with you. The funny thing is, I haven’t been much supported in my writing endeavors since my childhood, when my mother used to rave over my Star Trek fan fiction (it really was awful). Today I’d like to see myself as a ‘professional’ author, but my sales are in the double digits and my royalties not even enough to warrant being taxed. Because it’s not bringing money into the house, my immediate family doesn’t tend to see the value in what I do—other things have to take priority.

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