Haunters Cover Comparison

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It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a year since my debut novel – Haunters – was published. Now the book is beginning to appear in other countries — some with that distinctive British cover, and some with a different cover altogether – I though it would be interesting to compare how different publishers have interpreted the book. Especially as the three covers I’ve seen so far are so very different from each other.

Haunters in the UK (and Australia and New Zealand)

I was impressed by this design the moment I saw it. I felt the designer (the brilliant Steve Wells) had found a striking way to evoke the ghostliness of the story whilst still hinting that something other than a conventional ghost story would be found between the covers. If it’s true that a good cover tells you not just what a story is about but also how a story will feel, then I think this is successful. The acid yellow text in a band down the side wraps the whole thing up nicely, but in a way that’s also unsettling.

I did have some initial concerns that the skull didn’t read very clearly through the boy’s face – it looked more like someone wearing glasses – but I can see that this is about the best that can be done without using some very expensive printing technique.

Haunters in the US

When I first saw this, I was taken aback by just how differently Scholastic had chosen to brand the book. Here we’re firmly into the realms of action, adventure and sci-fi, with strong hints of Back to the Future or the film Jumper. Not that any of this is inappropriate – the book is certainly all these things. This is a great cover image (by the award winning illustrator John Picacio), and one that should play well with the core readership (10+, mostly — though I hope not exclusively — boys). I can’t wait to see a copy of the book in my hands. The best way to account for the wide difference between the US and UK covers is to say that the book draws on a very broad base for its inspiration, with traditional ghost story themes woven into those of time travel and dreamwalking.

I have no real criticisms, but the blue of the title blends into the blue of the background in a way that makes it hard to read. This does have the effect of creating an iconic, textless cover image viewed from a distance, though, which is striking. But personally I would have expected the text at the top to pick up red/orange/pink tones from the colour elements in the bottom part of the image.

Haunters will be published in the US next month, in hardback initially. I’m looking forward to getting feedback from readers there on the cover, as well as the story itself (I’ve already been shown a good Kirkus review). Keep your eye on this blog for a giveaway in the next few weeks.

Haunters (Dromenjagers) in the Netherlands

Here we’re different again, with a cover that is very dark and contrasting. And if the UK version emphasises the ghosts, while the US one the time travel, then the Dutch publisher, The House of Books, have gone straight for the dreamwalking/near-death/out-of-body aspects of the story. And I’m pleased because these were precisely the elements that were strongest in my mind when I wrote Haunters. The fact that the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ motif also looks like an unblinking eye (an image used in the book) is a really nice touch.

Using a lot of black does have its risks though, and the Dutch edition certainly isn’t as eye catching as the British or American ones, but once spotted, I believe the cover is more than intriguing enough to draw potential readers to at least read the blurb on the back. Let’s hope they want to read more.

Dromenjagers (love the title in Dutch!) is due out in September.

In conclusion, I have to say that – while I slightly prefer the UK cover overall – I’m delighted to see such strong visuals on my book. When I’ve seen more of the designs for the German and Spanish editions, I’ll update this post. I’m looking forward to that. In the meantime, please let me know what you think, and – of course — which is your favourite.

The Cat Who Came Back

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Our cat, Clovis, has come back (long story) to live with us. Now the power to make viral book trailers is mine!

In theory.

Now, I know nothing is less interesting than other people’s pets (except perhaps other people’s breakfasts or children), so I won’t bore you with a long account of how fluffy wuffy ickle Clovis’s tufty wufty head is (num nums). But, since my day-long struggle to scan the damned animal with a very poorly designed microchip cat-flap resulted in a series of bloodstained (though cathartic) and drawings, I thought I could at least share some of those here.

I’ve nothing much to add to this except to say that I’m now in a market for a tranquiliser gun. And a dog. In the meantime, if you live anywhere near Southern England, lock up your hamsters.

And no, he stilled isn’t scanned.

Words versus pictures

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As an author/illustrator, people often ask me if I prefer writing or drawing. I usually reply that they are both very different, and that I just enjoy making the change when I’ve been doing one of them for a long time. But the real truth is, I do have a preference. And it has crept up over the years and taken me by surprise.

I have just finished the illustrations for Dan and the Caverns of Bone (see above for a taste of what these look like). I found it difficult in ways I can hardly describe to those who haven’t spent hours squinting close range at wayward ink lines and then transforming them into pixels in order to do it all again digitally. It’s like a war fought between a man and his materials, waged on the scale of a postage stamp, no prisoners taken and the ‘do not disturb’ sign for free. There has got to be another way. Something that involves less squinting, at least.

And yet I do like the finished result. Somehow it’s worth the cramps and eye strain. It’s just that it hasn’t escaped my notice that while writing the word ‘elephant’, say, is the work of a moment, drawing the damn thing takes an hour and forty roughs, plus coffee breaks. When a writer writes ‘then the goblin army swarmed over the hill’, the scene is set and he can move on. The illustrator, on the other hand, has to cancel his social life for a week.

Of course, I know writing isn’t easy. It’s not the word ‘elephant’ that counts, but what the elephant is doing and why. But I hope no one begrudges me my moment of moan as I ease out of ‘illustrator’ gear for one project and shift into ‘writer’ for the next. And shift is the right word. Today I covered more story in words than I can do in a week of pictures. Though so far I’ve managed to avoid throwing in a gratuitous herd of elephants, just because I can.

Should authors read reviews of their own books?

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‘Oh, I never read reviews’, said the writer, his left eye twitching almost imperceptibly.

That’s what we’re supposed to say though, isn’t it? It’s almost a cliché of being an artist of any kind. But surely we do read them, don’t we? In a cold sweat at midnight, to the sound of an ice-cube rattling in a whisky glass? After all, why wouldn’t authors want to know what people are saying about their books? Surely there’s a lot to be learnt form how readers are reacting to our work.

When Haunters was published, I set my jaw and determined to face up to whatever might be aimed at it, reminding myself that any review was a good sign. After all, what can be worse than never being reviewed at all? So I set up google alerts, made occasional searches, installed the Goodreads app on my phone, kept the tin hat tipped back.

And so far I’ve been fortunate; Haunters has had mostly positive or very positive reviews. There have been some fair criticisms too, but no real nasties (though how’s that for waving a red rag at a bull?). I’ve seen how brutal some reviews can be, so I’m mostly just relieved to have reached today without being torn to shreds from the safety of some anonymous armchair. And yet it turns out that merely waiting to be savaged is itself a negative force. After months of low-grade anxiety over just the possibility of a slap, after feverishly dabbing at the Goodreads icon of a morning, after almost not logging in to Amazon at all, I’ve come to understand not only why authors say they don’t read reviews of their own books, but I’ve also come to believe them.

I realise this makes me sound like a pathetic bundle of nerves. And perhaps I am. But nervy over-sensitivity seems to be a good quality in any artist, so I won’t apologise. And anyway, here’s the thing: no one knows a book as well as the person who wrote it. I am already painfully aware of the shortcomings in everything I do, and gain little from having them broadcast back at me by complete strangers.

I know that honest reviewers can be frustrated by the “don’t-read-‘em” stance, and like all writers I’m hugely grateful to anyone who has taken the time to read and review any of my books (thank you!). But since not logging-in to Goodreads for several months has actually left me calmer and more productive, I can’t help drawing a certain conclusion.

I’m not sure anyone who hasn’t gone through the book creating process themselves can really understand how it is possible for imperfections to get through to print. But when you have a hundred plates to keep spinning, one of them is always wobbling — that’s just how it is. Close up scrutiny of that errant plate might make the writer feel bad – and the reviewer triumphant — but it’s hardly going to prevent it happening again.

A good writer friend recently summed it up nicely: the negative effect of a bad review is always greater in magnitude than the positive effect of a good one. And that is precisely why I have stopped reading any review that isn’t actually shoved under my nose. Because in the end, reviews are surely meant for readers first and foremost. Authors should just get on with writing their next book.

2013

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No, don’t worry – I’m not going to go all old-year-review on you. Neither am I making any impulsive public new year’s resolutions (it’s far too late for that, thank the gods). However, it can’t hurt to hold a little round-up of my year ahead, as optimistically projected from the dubious vantage point of mid January. What could possibly go wrong? Ooh, I do love a good hostage to fortune!

As mentioned in my last post, the sequel to Dan and the Dead will be published in June. Pretty excited about that. There remain the chapter heading illustrations to do, mostly involving random French Goths. Lots more about this later. Also out at around the same time will be the US edition of Haunters, which is definitely something to be excited about. I still haven’t heard officially about the cover art for that, but I do know that it will be very different to the UK edition, so I’m very much looking forward to comparing. Especially as the UK cover recently received a huge vote of approval. Other co-editions are in the pipeline too, some perhaps for this year.

In picture book mode, Too Many Tickles will be published in the Autumn (Macmillan), with illustrations by Penny Dann. I don’t have any other picture books in the works after this one. Not yet sure if this will be my last for a while, but I haven’t had much picture book shaped inspiration for ages (Too Many Tickles was written at least three years ago), so maybe.

As for new work, I have a half-finished full-length novel to wrestle with, though I’m being pretty cagey about it for now. Also, there’s something rather exciting brewing, but I’m definitely keeping that close to my chest. If it comes off though, get ready for some very colourful posts later in the year.

So, all in all, 2013 holds a lot of promise for me. I hope it’s going to be good for you too.

Dan and the Caverns of Bone – the cover!

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Well, I think I can share this now: the cover for the second Dan adventure in all its creepicolour glory!

If it turns out I am being premature, then this post’ll vanish like a puff of ectoplasm on a windy day, and I’ll have to put up a review of pencils or something instead. But assuming that it’s okay, I hope you like it. Needless to say I’m very pleased myself, especially since I nearly abandoned this drawing early on because the line was a bit iffy. But it’s never a good idea to judge something before it’s finished, especially with Photoshop waiting in the wings to work its magic. And it turned out okay, I think. In fact, it rather puts the cover of the first book in the shade. But you didn’t hear me say that…

Anyway, I blogged about this book recently, in case you missed it. It’s due out next year with A&C Black (Bloomsbury), as part of their Quicksilver series for ‘newly confident’ readers, 10+.

How to Find an Illustrator for your Book

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Okay, so that’s a title designed to attract attention. But it does refer to a question I often get asked by people writing children’s books. People writing children’s books outside the industry, that is, but wanting to get in. The hard fact is though, anyone asking that whilst planning to get published the traditional route is unwittingly waving one of the reddest of the red flags that drive prospective agents and editors away. Because here’s the thing: the author almost never chooses the illustrator for their book.

This is because the look of a book is so vitally important to selling and marketing these days, that editors want to be in firm control of the visual side, especially with a new and unknown author. And this is as true of picture books as it is of the cover for your novel. Declaring that your Aunty Joan — whose watercolours are always so popular at the church fête — will ‘be doing the pictures’ is the kiss of death to your chances. It’s never been easier for publishers to say ‘no’, remember? Even if your aunty Joan is twice winner of the Kate Greenaway Award, and you are Neil Gaiman, your future editor will still want to be the one who finally decides.

But this is good news, isn’t it? It means all you have to do is sell the text, then sit back and let the professionals handle the rest. And you’ll always get some say in the matter. Of course, if you are aiming for self-publication then you are free to choose who you like and handle it all yourself. But that’s a different blog post. This one has just run out of room…

The ‘Next Big Thing’, er… Thing

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Brilliant YA Thriller writer Rachel Ward has kindly tagged me in the ‘Next Big Thing’ blog meme. You know, the one where you get asked all those questions about your current ‘work in progress’? Well, this was going to be my first chance to talk about my new full-length thriller – ‘The Sketchbook Keeper’ – which is dominating my thoughts at the moment, so hurray! Except…

…except, when it came to it, superstition and caffeine jitters have put me off that idea. I’m only a third of the way through a first draft, after all. So instead, here’s a little more about the sequel to my novella, Dan and the Dead, currently entitled ‘Dan and the Caverns of Bone’.

What is the title of your next book?

Er… Dan and the Caverns of Bone. If someone has something shorter to suggest, please do, as that’s a lot to squeeze onto a cover full of drawing.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I visited the catacombs in Paris a few years ago. Several times. It’s a gloomy and disturbing place, as you’ll know if you’ve ever been there. The things that have been done with the mortal remains of long-dead Parisians no doubt seemed tasteful at the time. Now, though, it’s all pretty creepy-kitsch and ghastly. In a keep-looking-over-your-shoulder sort of way.

But not every visitor to the catacombs is a tourist. There are other ways in, unofficial ways. And under the ground it is always night…

What genre does your book fall under?

Gothicky-comedy with drawings. Obviously.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I don’t know the names of any teenage actors. Whoever plays Dan would have to be very flexible in the eye-brow department. Is there someone who is a cross between Benedict Cumberbatch and the Fonz? Again, let me know.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

“Crapsticks! Unless….”

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I have an agent – the formidable Jodie Marsh at United Agents. The book will be published in 2013 by A&C Black (Bloomsbury).

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

Nearly four months, off and on. This sounds short, but the manuscript is only 26,000 words, so it’s actually quite a long time. I had trouble in the middle and rewrote it several times. The crusty Parisian tour-guide with a wooden parrot on a stick is gone. As is the suspiciously generous pastry chef, the swarthy banker and the whole Eiffel Tower…

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Anything where the main character can see ghosts, I suppose, only Dan is rather more cynical about it than might usually be the case. Also, there’s a significant twist to the well-known ‘I see dead people’ thing, which takes Dan off into different territory. You’ll have to read the book to find out what that is though.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Childhood wonderings about imaginary friends and ghosts, fuelled by seeing grainy re-runs of Randal and Hopkirk (Deceased) at an impressionable age. Rentaghost is in there somewhere too.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

I’m doing the cover and the chapter heading illustrations. Does that count? No? Well, I’ll just have to fall back on the twist I mentioned earlier, then, won’t I? Though there is a girl in it too, with something dark about her. And a gang of goths and emo-kids in a palatial squat in the centre of Paris. And the best paper aircraft ever to feature in children’s literature. And a slow-speed subterranean boat chase over an inky lake filled with white-eyed fish and twisted reflections. And there’s something lurking in the shadows, too. Something that shouldn’t be there, something that shouldn’t even exist.

Something deadly…

But that’s enough of that. Now I have to pass the baton on to some other writers, so here they are:

Simon Kewin – SF/fantasy writer and poet. He blogs well too.

Kate Kelly – thriller writer with a debut novel – Red Rock — due out next year. Congratulations, Kate!

Julian Sedgwick – writer, thinker, and constant friend. He has a book out next year too: Black Dragon (Mysterium). It’s book one of a trilogy and sounds fantastic. Make a note of the name.

I hope you enjoy meeting them, if you haven’t already. Their own ‘Next Big Thing’ posts should be up a week today.

Social Media Round-up (revisited)

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Shortly before Haunters was published, I wrote a post about the creaky nature of my on-line ‘platform’. Embarrassment was mingled with frustration; cynicism was in evidence; I wanted to do something about it. Now that several months have passed and I have done something (sort of) about it, I thought I’d update the post here, just to see what’s changed.

– I still have a blog, but I’ve managed to drag it over to WordPress from Blogger — and park it under my own name — which is surely an improvement. The issue of whether or not talking about myself and my work is bragging or simply broadcasting is still unresolved, but at least I got to create some fancy buttons for my sidebar.

– I’m on facebook and feel at home there. I do now have a page for myself as an author, and it hasn’t turned out to be quite as lonely as I feared. True, it isn’t growing as fast as my ‘private’ account, but I’ve pretty much abandoned the idea that I have a private account now. Privacy and facebook don’t belong together in the same sentence anyway, so I don’t really mind. But I do still have to keep an eye on my brother…

– Twitter. I’m sort of getting it. I see now that I was following too many people, so I recently went through and liberated anyone I felt would be better off without me. Some of them were so grateful that they liberated me in return. I feel lighter. However, if you are dull as slippers or monstrously racist or a warrior for Jesus and I’m still following you, please let me know in the comments so I can set you free too.

– Google+, LinkedIn, Shoutski, Boast-button and the rest – nope. I keep an eye on Wiki, and sometimes log in to Goodreads, but the things I’m already on are enough for me, thanks.

– Finally, what do I think about the possibilities for selling books through social media? Still not a lot. At least, not unless you have a dirt-cheap (free?) e-book to download. I really can’t see how authors shouting about their books to an audience of mostly authors is going to shift many units, especially when the key characteristic of social media is that they are social and not commercial. Okay, I do sometimes shout myself, but only in a half-hearted, for-the-look-of-the-thing sort of way, and with low expectations. No doubt I’m old-fashioned in this. Please let me know.