Wednesday 5 May 2010

Proofs, and a Cover Up

I recently received the proofs of my next picture book, to be published in August. In the world of fiction, a proof copy is a bound preliminary version of the real thing, but that's not the way with picture books. The illustrations being so important, picture book proofs usually come as flat, unbound and un-cropped sheets. But the purpose is the same – it's a chance for the author/s to have some final input before the book goes off to be printed.

After years of being Illustrator to other peoples Author, it's still strange to see those roles reversed. So it was probably inevitable that when the proofs came for Little Mouse and the Big Cupcake, I looked at the illustrations a lot more closely than another author might. And I wasn't exactly shy about letting Boxer Books know that I was worried about the cover.



Don't get me wrong, Jill Barton's fine illustrations have a real charm of their own, and are especially suitable for Little Mouse's ideal readership: the very young. But that cover, being so pale, just left me worried that my book would be all too easily missed on today's digi-coloured bookshelf. Just compare it with Jack's Tractor, and you'll see what I mean. Anyway, the reality of the situation is that at proof stage, there's not much that can be done about the colour work as scanned. However, that's not to say the design can't be altered. It turned out that others at Boxer had similar concerns, and here's what they came up with:



The addition of blue, and the enlargement of the text is a huge improvement. The design is much stronger now, and I'm happy that this is how the book will appear when it's released. What do you think?

Little Mouse and the Big Cupcake will be published (on both sides of the Atlantic) on the 3rd of August (when I'll be living in a carboard box, somewhere in the English Channel) by the very lovely Boxer Books. If you like furry animals, fun and cake, then what are you waiting for? Pre-order your copies now! You know it makes sense.

17 comments:

  1. Congrats Thomas - it looks great!

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  2. The second is definitely an improvement!! I want to read it!

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  3. Thanks, Simon. And thanks, Karen. Tell all your friends!

    (If they have three-year-olds that is.)

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  4. Congratulations, Thomas!

    I like the second one better too.

    I can't pre-order yet, on Amazon US. But I'll keep checking.:)

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  5. I saw the first cover before I read what you had to say about it and thought, "something is not right". The second one is a vast improvement. Now I want to read it!

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  6. Thanks, Terry -- thanks, Cat. I'm glad everyone thinks like me about those covers.

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  7. That looks fun Thomas! I like the new cover too.

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  8. Congratulations! And I definitely like the second cover better.

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  9. Thanks, Natalie, thanks, Anita. Cupcakes all round!

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  10. All I noticed on the first one was the big blob of pink icing.

    Congratulations, it now looks very eye catching and I'll remember the title when I order it!

    Am I too late for a cup cake? Because I have a separate pudding tummy from the one that stores my mains: always room for a bun!

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  11. Thanks, Rachel. There'll always be extra cake on my blog. Here, catch...

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  12. Came back for seconds! Just noticed you have a real life type picture now! Hullo you!

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  13. Hullo. I was worried people might think I had something to hide. Apart from being orange, that is.

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  14. Guffaw! I thought your pic looked very appealing!

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  15. Thanks. Oranges ARE very a-peeling:-D

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  16. I like the second one. Cupcakes remind me of my daughter's wedding last year. :)

    Good luck.

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  17. Thank, Glynis, for becoming a follower. And I'm glad to have brought back happy memories.

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