Book design in a self-published world

There has been a lot of talk in the news lately about big-name publishers opening up self-publishing opportunities under their same company. When a writer decides to self-publish, it's usually because he 1) can't get an agent, or get "discovered" by a big name publisher, or 2) he just wants to get a few books here and there for his close friends and family. No big deal. What about a third group? The die-hard writer who has true talent, and has the drive to get out there and market his book like nobodies business? That's where Tate comes in. We're not a self-publisher, (we don't accept every manuscript that is submitted to us, we offer no-investment contracts, every book is given the custom treatment, etc.) we're what we have coined a "partnership publisher". You, and us, we work together as a team to see the dream realized.

Where does book design come in to all of this, and why is it important? Well, we happen to really love book design. We also believe that custom book design can only help further your promotional efforts. In fact, we have an entire department dedicated to developing custom book covers and layouts- tailored to your specific needs. It is a pretty amazing thing that each author gets to have personal contact with their Book Designers (yes, plural!) and express what they have been dreaming all those years leading up to deciding to publish.

I wanted to share our Flickr page, so you can get a sneak peak into what the cover designers are currently working up. I've also attached some of the gorgeous layout designs that we're currently working on (these are from designer Stephanie Woloszyn). There are no hidden charges for custom cover design, or a custom layout, unlike many self-publishers. We do it because we love your book, and want its success!

Tate Illustrator takes 3rd in Digital Artist 2009

Congratulations to Tate Illustrator, Kurt Jones, for his recent 3rd place win! Sharon Copeland recently stated regarding Kurt's piece, "Your work was hand-picked from the thousands of entries from all over the world, so congratulations!"

Here is the link to view the other top winners for this category. Judge Gregory Staples commented about Kurt's piece:
"Expertly rendered and executed, you can almost hear the silence in this piece." Well done Kurt!

Tate Design Department-

http://okc.biz/industry/bestofbusiness.aspx

Help get Tate's Design Department recognized in the next OKC Biz magazine!

You can vote online starting now, through September 9.

In the first field that says " Advertising Agency and Graphic Design Firm", simply type " Tate Publishing Design Department".

Fill in your email address at the bottom, and you're done!! Winners get an article in the next magazine. It would be a great honor for our designers to be recognized here in our home state.

Tate Designer is in Semi-Finals for HP Video

Tate Publishing designer, Chris Castor, is currently a semi-finalist for the HP 'You On You' video competition. The competition is to create a video for HP, but the creator cannot show his or her face. You can check out Chris' submission here.

To vote for Chris, give him a "thumbs up"! The more votes Chris gets, the better his chances of moving on to the next round!

Here is a link to the HP contest homepage.

Tate Publishing Illustration Department Paints Mural for local school-

Tate Publishing's illustration department employees designed and painted a mural at Bishop John Carroll School in Oklahoma City. The mural shows the school mascot, an eagle, when entering the gym. The illustration department employees decided the mural fit within their talents. The design was created by Brandon Wood and Kurt Jones of Tate Publishing. The company donated materials and workers volunteered their time.

“The school was really happy to have us out to give the gym a much needed update. The illustrators did an amazing job,” said Brandon Wood, associate director of illustration.

Other Tate Publishing departments have volunteered in the community as well. The multimedia department read to Parkland Elementary students. Graphic designers visited Crossings Christian School and helped children create a tissue paper collage.

Tate Designer wins Award-

Cole Roberts, a Book cover and TMG album designer at Tate Publishing/TMG recently won an "Award of Excellence" from the College of Arts, Media and Design at the University of Central Oklahoma. This distinguished award is handed out to only 1 recipient each year, and we are proud of Cole for such an accomplishment!

Using your Book Trailer for promotion!

Since we first began offering book trailers to our Tate authors a couple of months back, one of the main questions I get is, "It looks great, but what do I do with it?" Book trailers are a relatively new way of promoting your book. The book industry is changing. The old school methods of attending trade shows is quickly going by the wayside. Our culture is quickly turning into one where exciting imagery and technology rules the day and makes the sale.

So where does one take his book trailer to be seen? For starters, I would recommend posting it to YouTube, which allows easy access for anyone to view and even leave a comment. If you have a Facebook or MySpace account, those are two other great social networking sites that have millions of subscribers. The accounts are simple to setup, and there are tons of great groups that you can join to help expand your networking. Make sure you place the direct link to your video page in all of your email signatures, and within the body of your email somehow.

Let's say you aren't so much into the online social networking. Is there hope for you? Yes! Every town should have a Chamber of Commerce meeting, where they allow residents to come and make presentations from time to time. This is a great place where you have an audience that is from your local area, will have a relationship with you, and be interested in finding out more about your book. The meeting room should have a setup that includes a projector, where you can play your book trailer (we can provide a DVD of your trailer for you to use), and then follow up with a short speech from yourself to connect even further with the other residents. Take a few books to sell, as well! In addition to the Chamber meetings, there are a ton of other meetings going on every day in every town. Rotary club, PTA, Optimist Club, etc.

Selling your book is your business, and it requires a lot of hard work. Mark Mingle recently wrote a great blog about this. Your book is your "product", and the book trailer is similar to its "commercial". Do a good job of selling your product to as many people as possible, and you will see results!