by Catherine Rayburn-Trobaugh: President, Word Branch Media I went to a small Quaker liberal arts college in Ohio and later taught there. Although not Quaker, I received a large dose of the philosophy during my years at Wilmington College. One belief that has stuck with me all these years is the idea of bearing witness. Part of that idea is that a person should take a strong moral stand and live by that. Over time, I have felt strongly about a number of issues: equality, combating genocide, conservation among a few. But as a publisher and writer, no issue is more important to me than censorship.
Writing has always been politically explosive. From Socrates and Milton to Twain and Rushdie, writing bears the brunt of free speech infractions due to its permanence and portability. The greatest detriment to oppressive regimes in Europe was the invention of the printing press that made it possible and plausible for the masses to read and to write. Jonathan Swift’s metaphorical “A Modest Proposal” sank its barbs deep into British oppression of the Irish just as Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” held a mirror to the repressive side of African politics. Some religious groups have been as active, possibly more so, than governments when it comes to censorship. Hiding behind a smokescreen of morality, suppression of books by religions has a long and ugly history. The Catholic Church’s Index Librorum Prohibitorum, radical Islam’s fatwa against authors who cross a man-made line, and Scientology’s aggressive attacks on any critical writing are just a sampling of the groups who seek to silence writers on grounds that range from silly to deadly. Conversely, religious writings have suffered from censorship as well—usually from rival groups. Both the Qur’an and the Bible have been banned by governments and groups as well as various Buddhist writings and Wiccan books. And so, Gentle Readers, I invite you to take part in sharing quotes from your favorite banned writing on Word Branch Publishing’s Facebook page. From September 22nd to the 28th, I will be sharing my favorites, and we encourage everyone to do the same. If you haven’t liked our Facebook page, you can by clicking here. If you need some inspiration, check out some of the other resources below. http://www.beaconforfreedom.org/liste.html?tid=415&art_id=475 http://www.ala.org/bbooks/bannedbooksweek http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/ http://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/banned
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by Catherine Rayburn-Trobaugh: President, Word Branch Media This is a reprint of an article for the WBP writers. I want to share it with all of you because I think the information is valuable, but you may find it a little focused toward our writers.
If you are marketing yourself as a writer, and you should, no doubt you have gotten emails offering a number of options to help you sell your books. While many of these are legitimate, they may or may not be effective. Before you part with your money, consider a few things: • What exactly is being offered for what price? Make sure you know exactly what you are getting and weigh it against the cost. In most cases, they will give you an introductory package with add-ons later. Ask questions and make sure you know the final cost. • Is it right for your genre? If you are primarily a science fiction writer then a marketing kit that deals with a non-fiction market won’t be of much help. • Is the creator of the package reputable and experienced? Do some basic searches to begin with. I like to pair up the person or company’s name with the words “review,” “scam” or “fraud.” Beware though—just because there is one bad review doesn’t make the program a scam; look for patterns. Also, if the creator of the program claims awards and an educational background, look into the legitimacy of the institutions and the claims. • Can you get the same information free? It is entirely possible that the same information can be gleaned from blogs and websites; however, this doesn’t necessarily make it not worth the money. It depends how much your own time is worth. There are many low-cost or free marketing programs you can take part in too. • Library of Congress Blog: [http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/](http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/) • Small Business Administration’s Marketing 101: [http://www.sba.gov/content/marketing-101](http://www.sba.gov/content/marketing-101) • The Freelancer’s Union: [https://www.freelancersunion.org](https://www.freelancersunion.org) • Wiley Publishing Author’s Guide: [http://authorguide.wiley.com/](http://authorguide.wiley.com/) • *Writer’s Digest*: [http://www.writersdigest.com/](http://www.writersdigest.com/) • *Writer’s Market*: [http://www.writersmarket.com](http://www.writersmarket.com) While many of you wonder why we don’t take advantage of some of these options, the answer is that sometimes we do, but WBP is very judicious about how we spend our marketing dollars. In most cases, we are aware of what is out there, but not a lot will be beneficial to us as a business. The same is true of you as authors. It’s easy to spend a lot of money quickly without necessarily getting the best results. Do your homework and consider carefully. *These two are related and are valuable resources; however, they are very aggressive about selling add-ons. Be aware that it is very easy to get caught up in the patter, but spend wisely. by Julian Norwood: Art Director, Word Branch Publishing Word Branch Publishing is bound by technology. Our talented team members are spread over several continents and work through Google Docs and Skype, and we take advantage of all of the latest developments in publishing. But we steadfastly hold onto one vestige from the heyday of book publishing: the handpainted cover. This alone is the concept and execution of our talented illustrator: Julian Norwood. Because of this, WBP is able to stand out from the pack of overdone, overused stock covers and tip our metaphorical hats to a tradition that has all but faded from the world of books.
You can see more of Julian's covers and other artwork by clicking here. ~~~~~~~ An old saying is to never judge a book by its cover, and while it stands well for people, it’s hardly true for books. The cover is often what makes or breaks a sale; it’s the first thing to catch someone’s eye; it is the hook. As an artist, I find myself especially judgmental. When I painted in the café of a bookstore chain, I found myself pouring over the stacks, waiting for delicate layers and washes to dry, or my tea to cool. These days, overused font and stock photography have become the norm, and I’m so immersed in their world that I can often name the font they’ve chosen, and easily pick out an over-used photo which has graced far too many a cover. It's hard to find art gracing a cover these days, unless you go hunting for it. The last cluster of it exists in my favorite nook in the corner. It's where the science fiction section and manga are tucked together, and throughout the rest of the store, the painted cover has become extinct. These days, you can pick up the average book, and what you will see is stock photography, clip art, and layers of filters to mask it all away. Stock photography has become to norm, and even then, has made its own clichés from itself. There are images of single objects, or a held object in limited color (the byproduct of piggybacking on a popular series). Female figures for the sake of art, not even featuring female characters, are common, often with a hefty dose of a nude back-view, a sensual shoulder, or the mysterious “Half-face” view. Things sitting on a blank background are common, like a still-life waiting to occur. Beyond the realms of stock photography, there are even less original techniques. These books have no images at all. Text on a black background has become common, almost the norm. More often than, this approach is modern, “safe,” truthfully it is safely dull. At times it can work to astounding effect, such as on Augusten Burrough’s “Dry,“ which is secretly one of the rare hand-made covers left on display these days. It was printed on paper, and in a fit of genius, doused in water. It’s physical; it exists. The hand-painted cover has almost disappeared, and it is not for a lack of illustrators in the world. Digital painting has taken the place of oils, and the illustrator’s studio is no longer a room of canvases and paper stacks, with the scent of solvents and printer’s ink in the air. These days, illustrators work at their computers, pulling stock photography, and air brushing, applying filters, and working with the all-purpose media of Photoshop rather than an arsenal of tools. The traditional artist has almost entirely gone from publishing, and is nearly never seen in the world of anything less than the major publishing houses. The use of stock photography and a little digital magic has dominated the self-publishing industry. Traditional covers are sparse, almost unheard of, especially when most self-published authors often make their own covers using what they have on hand. It’s easier, and cheaper, to take a photo, throw on some text and call it a book, than it is to hunt down an illustrator to craft something for you. Just recently a favorite author of mine, who’s delicate gouache covers first caught my interest, has gone to the side of digital media. I can’t judge her for it, hand-made paintings are time consuming, and she could not afford her own time for cover work, but they will be missed. As a painter, and an illustrator, I feel like I am sitting on a lone island. I create covers, and my own stories, with the paint I have come to know and love so well in the past few years. When I paint a cover, I’m reminding of the work I loved from my childhood, the alien worlds laid out in delicate gouache and acrylic, by hand. Even beyond the heyday of pulp, I wonder if I will ever find another embossed book cover, with an elaborate, beautiful bookplate in the front. I know the dead arts of embossing, etching, and engraving, and wonder if they’ll find a place in publishing again. I carry on the craft where I can; I do graphic design by hand, with cut paper and clever scanning techniques, the techniques I learned from a professor who mastered her craft before the era of Photoshop. I lay down paint, I carve into metals, I strain my shoulders for the perfect print on a machine older than I. Some days, I take my work out, and create stories in the sunshine on my porch, with painting techniques that pre-date anything I have lived through, but remember all too well on library shelves. I maintain and continue a dying art, and I hope that over the years, there will still be a place for me. |
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