You Need a Website. Yes, You, Author!

You're an author. You need a website. You know you do. Your publisher expects you to have one. They're not helping though. What are your options? Hire a web developer? Yes, you could. I don't begrudge anyone his due, especially if he has an education and experience in a field and knows programming languages. Add visual design to the mix, and that person is worth his weight in gold. The web is a complex field and it's hard to figure out sometimes.

But, if you are in my shoes, where books are probably an avocation, which you continue to work at to turn them into a vocation, and you make only a buck or two per copy, you can easily outspend income.

I'm offering design for a basic web site. I've made my living for 20 years in one form of design or graphic arts or another. I've had experience designing for the web, but do not have all the development (coding/programming) skills. So, I do the visual set up, focussing on who you are, how you want to represent yourself on the web—kind of like a book cover for YOU! Then, I work with a developer who is prepared to do the basic coding for a basic site, to get it up and live.

It worked for Joyce Moyer Hostetter, it worked for me; it can work for you.

Picked Up Drive at the Library

Every little thing helps. I got a mention on the blog All Children's Books.

namelos. The opening move in a new age of publishing

A Publishers Weekly story this week http://tinyurl.com/ocydmf caught my attention when I noticed my former publisher's name, Stephen Roxburgh, founder of Front Street and former publisher at Boyds Mills Press.

namelos editions http://www.namelos.com, the next phase of his namelos publishing effort, announces it's moves to publish electronic and POD books. The article reads in part "namelos will handle financial arrangements with agents and publishers on a project-by-project basis, with the splits depending on its level of involvement. (Industrywide, agents typically get 15 percent of everything.) Namelos will be equal profit-sharing partners with its authors and will not pay advances. “If it’s $4, the author gets $2,” Roxburgh said. “If I sell an electronic edition for $6, the author gets $3."

Some retracting remarks are made by longtime literary agent and industry observer Richard Curtis, and publisher of E-Reads.com. However, knowing Stephen, he hasn't embarked on anything he hasn't weighed carefully and is poised for great success. He's working with some big names: Carolyn Coman (Newbery Award winner), Donna Diamond (illustrator for Bridge to Terabithia).

namelos (which means "nameless" from a medieval German epic poem and is intentionally lowercased) will read any manuscript for $200 and give a five-page evaluation to prepare would-be authors for submission. There is also pricing for a greater commitment to develop projects and match authors with agents and editors at publishing houses.

Joyce Moyer Hostetter's Brand Sparkling New Website

I met Joyce at a Highlights Founders' Workshop in March of this year. As soon as I returned, I read her book Blue and thoroughly enjoyed it (see post). Be sure to read it's Sequel Comfort. I plan too :-)

Through online conversations, I knew she was thinking about updating her website and offered to help. I don't code (develop), but I can offer design. We wanted to make it seem like her—choosing symbolic imagery from her work, capitalizing on things in her life that are important, and giving her readers a rich, visual impression. (Visit Joyce's Website)

Take a look and also visit her very active blog, Reading, 'Riting, & Research. You can also sign up for her e-newsletter, Talking Story which she shares with Carol Baldwin, another author buddy.

Also, she's giving away free books, so you better log in!

Helllp! Perspective!

I'm working now on the next book under contract with Boyds Mills Press, Job Site. Hopefully, it can be released for their Fall 2010 catalog, but there are no promises on a schedule until they have it in hand (May 1, 2010 is my deadline).

Because this is a detailed story about a construction site with a lot of machinery, and beca

use I am all about odd angles and perspectives, I have to get the

perspective right. I was struggling with this particular frame. Where does the horizon go? Do both the crane and tower have the same vanishing points?

Enter, the blogosphere. I actually found a great soul who blogs about art, art lessons and even perspective: Julie Duell. I asked for help. She was more than happy, and posted th

ese thoughts for me. Very helpful. I will maintain a permanent link for Julie on the right.

Log in

for online lessons.

A New Picture Book Contract Awarded

New Picture Book for Author/Illustrator Nathan Clement

For the few of you who are reading, I'm remiss in announcing that July 20, my editor from Boyds Mills Press emailed me to say they want to publish another book idea I proposed:

"We'd love to publish Job Site, and propose that we do it under the terms of

the previous contract. I'll give you a call either later today or tomorrow.

I'm very excited about this. I think it will be a strong follow-up to Drive.

This is an idea that he himself suggested: "why not a book about a bulldozer." I took it and made it a book about construction equipment on a job site. Hence my title will be Job Site. This week, my main tech editor was at our house: my brother-in-law, Bob, who is a heavy equipment operator. Really, he's a crane operator. Since I don't seem to write about topics I actually know about, a tech editor is important. He had me reorder my storyboard to make a little more sense of what happens when on a job site.

My deadline is set for May 2010. I can only hope it will be in the Fall Catalog, but they don't commit to those things until they have project in hand.

This will follow the art medium (digital) and style of Drive.

Alone in the Topiary Garden Begins to Take Shape (pun intended)

I've finished the drawing for this illustration. I've tried to solve as many problems as possible at this stage rather than leaving it for the painting stage: light, perspective, objects in the background.

If this were going to become real published artwork, I see it as a full-page opposite a page of text. Probably not a cover, since I didn't leave any room for a title.

On to painting now. I'm going to try to project it onto my painting surface. We'll see....

Everything behind the girl (I'm calling her Cecelia) is actually a topiary form including the hedge wall with a scroll top and urn. Everything, except the Sinister Gardener (no offense JMH, the eternal mulcher), that is. I think I also want to add a real bird poking out of that pointy bush.

Before leaving this, I'll give you one of my problem-solving techniques: we are viewing this scene from below, which means a very low horizon line—like at Cecelia's waist. This makes us see the underneath side of the elements that are taller than she is and creates a sense of largeness and even foreboding. Also, the horizon is tipped, which seems to befuddle me while I'm drawing. So, I produced this guide which I taped behind my drawing to remind myself where the vanishing point for all these lines should be headed.