Will animation artists incorporate the new Apple Pencil stylus into their production workflows?
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By: Jerry Beck,
on 9/30/2015
Blog: Cartoon Brew (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Apple iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Cintiq Companion, Michael Yates, Apple, Tech, Microsoft, Wacom, Michael Johnson, Don Shank, Surface Pro, Add a tag
By: Dianna Dilworth,
on 6/24/2011
Blog: Galley Cat (Mediabistro) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Sarah Palin, Ellen DeGeneres, Michael Johnson, Madonna', CW Cooke, Comicbookland, Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, JK Rowling, Add a tag
By: John,
on 3/9/2009
Blog: DRAWN! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: children's books, Illustration, book design, bob staake, Michael Johnson, Add a tag
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By: Jerry Beck,
on 9/30/2015
Blog: Cartoon Brew (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Apple iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Cintiq Companion, Michael Yates, Apple, Tech, Microsoft, Wacom, Michael Johnson, Don Shank, Surface Pro, Add a tag
By: Dianna Dilworth,
on 6/24/2011
Blog: Galley Cat (Mediabistro) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Sarah Palin, Ellen DeGeneres, Michael Johnson, Madonna', CW Cooke, Comicbookland, Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, JK Rowling, Add a tag
Madonna has had a pretty colorful life, and pretty soon you’ll be able to see it in full color. Independent publisher Bluewater Productions has a new comic book coming out in August based on the star’s life.
Female Force: Madonna is the illustrated story of the star’s life as written by CW Cooke and drawn by Michael Johnson. The book tells the story of how a struggling dancer in New York became one of the biggest pop stars in history. The book also highlights Madonna’s influence on other artists. “Most pop stars owe everything to this woman. It’s amazing all of the things that she’s done in her lifetime, and I have a feeling that this is still only the beginning,” stated Cooke.
Bluewater’s Female Force series featured other prominent women, including: Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, JK Rowling, Ellen Degeneres and Sarah Palin.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
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By: John,
on 3/9/2009
Blog: DRAWN! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: children's books, Illustration, book design, bob staake, Michael Johnson, Add a tag
Reader Michael Johnson took issue with Bob Staake’s recent Picture Book Dummy. He writes:
I think that if the dummy remains as it is, it will mislead aspiring picture book creators into thinking they have, as Staake writes, “15 spreads… (and) a single page finale,” when they are more likely to have 14 spreads, a single page beginning and a single page finale. I’d hate to see a bunch of Drawn readers (or Bob Staake fans) show up at a publisher or agent only to be told that they’ll have to lay the whole thing out again.
I’ve attached a “corrected’ (if I’m right) version. It more closely resembles the children’s books I own - books from different decades, Caldecott winners, etc.
The revised dummy shows the flip-sides of the end papers as what they must of course be, i.e., end papers, too. The title page is the first of the 32 (non-end paper) pages, the publication information is on the flip-side, and the story begins on the facing page.
I assume there are books out there that resemble Bob Staake’s diagram, which shows printing on the backside of end papers, etc., but this revised version is closer to the books I’m familiar with.
Here’s Michael’s version (click to see the full size):
And here’s Bob’s version again:
So who’s right? By my calculations, neither of them. Of course, they’re not wrong, but certainly neither guide should be treated as gospel.
For example, neither Where the Wild Things Are nor The Cat in the Hat, arguably two of the world’s most famous picture books, follow either of Bob or Michael’s guidelines.
A quick survey of the picture books on my shelves reveal books with 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 23, 27, and even 30 spreads. And of those, there are books with publication info at the front, publication info at the back, books with multiple title pages, books with no title page, books with blank pages, books that begin or end on a single page, books that begin or end on a double-page spread, and all manner of variations.
As it is with all things, there is clearly no one true method. These guides certainly help one understand the basic construction of a physical book, and how it affects page layout, but I’d think twice before letting any one set of rules dictate too strongly how to write your story.
To me it would seem that the best picture book dummies are picture books themselves.
10 Comments on A second look at picture book dummies, last added: 3/11/2009
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I’m glad you posted this response, and a response to the response. I think your conclusions at the end are perfectly put, and now I don’t have to post MY nuanced analysis of Bob’s still-very-useful dummy guide.
I tend to recommend to illustrators that are new to the business that they plan for the least expensive printing option in order to win over publishers. The least expensive picture book, as far as I know, is one that’s 32 pages with separate, non-printed endpapers, such that the endpapers are not included in the page count at all.
-Adam Rex
Thanks Adam. I looked at a few of your books as reference when writing this, in fact!
When I worked on my first children’s book, page 6 was the first page of the story. Pages 4-5 was Full Title page (p. 4 being the pub. page) and page 3 was the Half-title page. I never created any Endpages, so I can’t help on that end. Page 35 was the last page of the story, and Page 36 was like an epilogue image: no text, but something that adds a little bit of fun to the end of the story. Didn’t do a page 37, nor 38-39. And I didn’t create a back cover either.
What I’m getting at is I’m sure it’s different with each publisher, as well as each book. Each layout will depend on the project at hand.
Hi everyone. This is what I’ve learned along the way in my pb illustration/writing courses. The dummy should be 32 pages with the story typically beginning on page 3 or 5. Pages 1-2 or 1-4 are for publisher info, dedication, title page, etc.. Keep the page count divisible by 4 (32 pages is common).
There’s definitely an infinite number of possibilities but these are standard guidelines I’ve been given by published illustrators and authors. I hope it helps!
I agree with Adam. If you are pitching you’re first picture book, it wouldn’t be wise to go beyond the 32 pages. When a book is self-ended (you illustrate the end papers) the page count is 40. Page #1 is actually pasted down onto the cover, with page #2 being the first end paper page. So with that said, page #4 and page #37 could both be used in telling your story. And yes, there is no right or wrong place to put the title page, dedication page and copyright page.
It is extremely rare that a publisher will go beyond 40 pages. Because once the book is over 40 pages, the price point will have to go up.
-Jarrett J. Krosoczka
johnny is absolutely right — no picture book dummy is etched in stone. this one, however, is the form i have used for years — and on last count, in over 44 books. seems to have worked for me pretty well.
Thanks for posting, Johnny. I think your summation is exactly right. I hope it was clear from my language (”more likely,” etc.) that I wasn’t putting forth my revised version as *the* way, either. Just (perhaps) more common.
As Adam Rex (whose work I admire) says above, “The least expensive picture book, as far as I know, is one that’s 32 pages with separate, non-printed endpapers.” Yet Bob Staake’s dummy template showed the publisher printing on the end papers (at the front of the book, anyway) as a matter of course, as the default.
While a successful creator like Bob Staake (whose work I also admire) may get “15 spreads and a finale page” as a “rule,” I think it’s unwise for a first-time creator to assume that they’ll get 31 of the 32 printable pages for their story. Fourteen spreads, a single page beginning and a single page finale will give the publisher the two pages (minimum) they’ll need to do their thing.
Thank you michael for the final final response! It is very painful to hear anything claim to be : THE DEFINITE MODEL.
Especially when we do have exceptions and considerations beyond the full page spread, such as epilogue images (Ward) and illustrated end papers (jjk). Amazing example: The Stinky Cheese Man & other fairly stupid tales.
Thanks everyone!
This is all useful discussion for me, as I’m writing my first children’s book at the moment and I’m looking for any insights into how best to ready it for publishing.
Jumping in here as an example of a first-timer with printed endpapers.
I’m currently illustrating the first of my two manuscripts picked up by Harper. The stories just need the extra room, (and it’s going to be a blast to design something fun for the endpapers.)
Perhaps an exception to the rule, but I’m usually doodling when they’re handing out the rules anyway, so I miss these things.