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Post by wordsworth on Oct 24, 2023 10:35:28 GMT
Morning All,
Hope all is well at the Vault.
We're back again to pick your brains!
Those of you who occasionally branch out into our Classics may have noticed that we're changing all of the covers as we reprint (the less said about some of the old ones the better...). All of the series will eventually receive new covers, including our Mystery & Supernatural series.
We're branching out and engaging artists and illustrators to give our books a fresh new look. If you have suggestions of artists/illustrators that you'd love to see on our books, please do let me know and we'll explore these.
Also, seeing as there's not much Mystery left in our Mystery & Supernatural these days, we're considering a change in name. Any thoughts on this also welcomed!
I'll run a giveaway and send out some of our new covers as they become available by way of thanks.
Thanks in advance,
Emma
P.S. (For the Machen enthusiasts, we're aiming to get our new collection into print in early 2024)
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Post by andydecker on Oct 24, 2023 16:59:35 GMT
I seldom have anything good to say about contemporary cover art. The problem is of course that you need a concept for a series which makes it even more difficult.
I just can say what for me has become a no-go on a cover: no amateurish computer-art - I would rather see a classic painting by Rossetti than something like a un-original drawing which takes it self not seriously -, no amateur fotos of anything, regardless it is a a sunset, or still life or a person, no people turning their back to the audience. One of the worst and lazy covers in recent memory is the edition of Jordan's Wheel of Time which is so deliberate bland and un-offensive it is a shame.
I see your title problem. It can't be too specific but should not be too bland. Which is very difficult. Wordsworth Supernatural?
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Post by dem bones on Oct 24, 2023 18:23:48 GMT
Those of you who occasionally branch out into our Classics may have noticed that we're changing all of the covers as we reprint (the less said about some of the old ones the better...) and The Man in the Iron Mask — to name but two — are truly terrifying. I'm sure they are highly collectable by now! Are you planning to reissue all the mystery & supernatural titles or a select few? Will try think up a name .... |
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Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Oct 25, 2023 0:19:00 GMT
Also, seeing as there's not much Mystery left in our Mystery & Supernatural these days, we're considering a change in name. Any thoughts on this also welcomed! Wordsworth Macabre Wordsworth Dark Wordsworth Eerie Wordsworth Uncanny Wordsworth Weird (Weirdsworth?) |
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Post by humgoo on Oct 25, 2023 7:06:16 GMT
It's heart-warming to see so many people care about good cover design. And I think that pays off for a publisher.
One of the most successful series in recent years is certainly British Library's crime classics series, which already numbers more than 120 books (with like two dozen anthologies edited by Martin Edwards, which belies the old "wisdom" that short stories don't sell), and I can't help thinking that this success has a lot to do with their cover designs. You've got to love those railway posters-based covers! (And I suppose they don't need to pay big money for them?)
Here's a nice blog post (from The Invisible Event blog) by a designer about how she created new covers for a couple of John Dickson Carr reprints for a crime publisher. Not something computer-generated, not an irrelevant old painting, but actually a design made by human, thoughtfully!
Not easy to do, of course, but I wish Weirdsworth (©The Lurker In The Shadows) a most successful venture!
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Post by Michael Connolly on Oct 25, 2023 16:55:17 GMT
Morning All, Hope all is well at the Vault. We're back again to pick your brains! Those of you who occasionally branch out into our Classics may have noticed that we're changing all of the covers as we reprint (the less said about some of the old ones the better...). All of the series will eventually receive new covers, including our Mystery & Supernatural series. We're branching out and engaging artists and illustrators to give our books a fresh new look. If you have suggestions of artists/illustrators that you'd love to see on our books, please do let me know and we'll explore these. Also, seeing as there's not much Mystery left in our Mystery & Supernatural these days, we're considering a change in name. Any thoughts on this also welcomed! I'll run a giveaway and send out some of our new covers as they become available by way of thanks. Thanks in advance, Emma P.S. (For the Machen enthusiasts, we're aiming to get our new collection into print in early 2024) Hi, Emma, Are you looking for new artwork or existing artwork for the series? When it comes to M.R. James, the best illustration seems to be this familiar one by James McBryde for "Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You My Lad". www.google.com/search?q=james+mcbryde+whistle&oq=&aqs=chrome.4.69i177j35i39i362l11j46i39i362j35i39i362l2.-1j0j8&client=tablet-android-samsung-ss&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8&chrome_dse_attribution=1#vhid=fHOp_PUadTBUpM&vssid=l |
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Post by dem bones on Oct 25, 2023 17:18:19 GMT
It's heart-warming to see so many people care about good cover design. And I think that pays off for a publisher. One of the most successful series in recent years is certainly British Library's crime classics series, which already numbers more than 120 books (with like two dozen anthologies edited by Martin Edwards, which belies the old "wisdom" that short stories don't sell), and I can't help thinking that this success has a lot to do with their cover designs. You've got to love those railway posters-based covers! (And I suppose they don't need to pay big money for them?)
Here's a nice blog post (from The Invisible Event blog) by a designer about how she created new covers for a couple of John Dickson Carr reprints for a crime publisher. Not something computer-generated, not an irrelevant old painting, but actually a design made by human, thoughtfully! Not easy to do, of course, but I wish Weirdsworth (©The Lurker In The Shadows) a most successful venture!
I like the design of the BL 'Tales of the Weird' paperbacks, too, particularly those graced with Sandra Gómez cover art. This is perhaps my favourite Wordsworth Myst & Supernatural cover - and there have been some beauties;  Des KnockAlso, seeing as there's not much Mystery left in our Mystery & Supernatural these days, we're considering a change in name. Any thoughts on this also welcomed! Wordsworth Macabre Wordsworth Dark Wordsworth Eerie Wordsworth Uncanny Wordsworth Weird (Weirdsworth?) You forgot Sinister! |
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Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Oct 25, 2023 21:15:50 GMT
I'll have you know that for a time Sinister was practically my middle name... |
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Post by wordsworth on Oct 30, 2023 8:27:14 GMT
Those of you who occasionally branch out into our Classics may have noticed that we're changing all of the covers as we reprint (the less said about some of the old ones the better...) and The Man in the Iron Mask — to name but two — are truly terrifying. I'm sure they are highly collectable by now! Are you planning to reissue all the mystery & supernatural titles or a select few? Will try think up a name .... We'll be changing the covers on all of them, however the effect of this might not be seen for a while as we'll change them as and when we need to reorder and they're generally not a fast selling series. By current calculations, i expect the majority of them will have new covers in the next 18 months. Emma |
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Post by dem bones on Oct 31, 2023 10:55:58 GMT
Hi Emma
With some of the earlier, slimline Mystery & Supernatural editions, have you considered maybe fleshing them out a little with two or three additional stories where possible? I'm sure between us we could suggest/ provide material for slightly expanded volumes of, say, Conan-Doyle's Tales of Unease, Marjorie Bowen's The Bishop of Hell, Baldwin & Gailbraith's shared Shadow on the Blind ....
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Post by andydecker on Oct 31, 2023 11:31:06 GMT
Hi Emma,
I don't know your backlist very well without checking, but did you ever do Frederick Cowles? If one writer needs a bigger audience, he is a good candidate. Timeless.
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Post by dem bones on Oct 31, 2023 12:38:11 GMT
Hi Emma, I don't know your backlist very well without checking, but did you ever do Frederick Cowles? If one writer needs a bigger audience, he is a good candidate. Timeless.
Can answer that one for you Andreas. A Wordsworth Cowles has yet to materialise, though I can no longer remember why not. It certainly couldn't have been for lack of demand. Here's a Wordsworth Myst & Supernatural checklist - think we may have missed a few updates toward the end, though not many. |
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Post by Michael Connolly on Nov 1, 2023 15:55:04 GMT
Hi Emma, I don't know your backlist very well without checking, but did you ever do Frederick Cowles? If one writer needs a bigger audience, he is a good candidate. Timeless.
Can answer that one for you Andreas. A Wordsworth Cowles has yet to materialise, though I can no longer remember why not. It certainly couldn't have been for lack of demand. Here's a Wordsworth Myst & Supernatural checklist - think we may have missed a few updates toward the end, though not many. Frederick Cowles died in 1948. Aren't his stories in the public domain? |
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rob4
Devils Coach Horse
Posts: 104
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Post by rob4 on Nov 21, 2023 22:34:14 GMT
We're branching out and engaging artists and illustrators to give our books a fresh new look. If you have suggestions of artists/illustrators that you'd love to see on our books, please do let me know and we'll explore these. Kim Myatt would be able to meld the contemporary with the classic. Check her out. darkartandcraft.com/blogs/news/the-haunting-art-of-kim-myatt |
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Post by wordsworth on Mar 19, 2024 14:55:19 GMT
Afternoon All. Just wanted to drop in and say hello. New covers for the 'Weirdsworths' (I like that as a working title!) have been a little delayed by work on the Classics covers - we're slowly but surely waving goodbye to the black banded covers (although Three Men In A Boat still remains at present, sadly..). We have identified a title font we like for the 'Weirdsworths' (got to start somewhere!) and have been looking at the artists and illustrators you've suggested. We've just returned from the London Book Fair where we've had some interesting conversations around eBooks. Derek @ Wordsworth was wondering about the possibility of getting some of our Mystery & Supernatural titles back out there in the form of eBook as there have been a few that we've had to stop printing due to poor sales. I wondered if there would be demand for these? Equally, if there were some books/collections out there (out of copyright) which we could lay our hands on, we could publish some titles available in eBook form only? Anyway, I'm waffling on a bit now. Interested to hear your thoughts as always! Emma It's heart-warming to see so many people care about good cover design. And I think that pays off for a publisher.
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