Tate Publishing National Illustration Competition

The Tate Publishing National Illustration Competition is underway! We are seeking the best illustration work from highschool and college students, to compete for cash prizes and publication. Click here for more information!

How is a Tate Publishing Audio Book created?

Good morning! I am back from Missouri, and have an exciting blog from our Associate Director of Multi-media, Melissa Madole. She is sharing a bit on the audio book process, and what to expect. Enjoy!

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Hi! I’m Melissa Madole, the Associate Director of Multi-Media at Tate Publishing. My division includes both the audio book and book trailer creation, but today I'll be sharing on how our voice talent helps bring your book to life in the form of an audio book. I just wanted to take a moment to take you through the audio book process from beginning to end.

For fiction and non-fiction authors who opt to have the audio book (out of the choices of audio book, book trailer, and the new option of website- which will be available in a few months) they typically hear from us when they’re still going through the editing process, so they have time to begin abridging their book and to chose a narrator's voice. Currently, only fiction and non-fiction books that are over 10,000 words are asked to abridge to 75% of their total published word count. The reason we ask authors to abridge is simple. The retail cost of an audio book is based on the number of 80-minute discs it takes to contain the book. Obviously, the shorter the book, the lower the retail price and the more likely the audio book is to sell. Also, with our fast paced lifestyle these days, a shorter audio book is more appealing to listeners.

The website (www.tatepublishing.com/narration) features our different narrators reading three different kinds of books. Once we have the abridged manuscript for a book and a narration selection from an author, we’re ready to begin our production and help bring the book to life!

The actual production process of a fiction/non-fiction audio book lasts for three months.

The first month, the narrator voices the audio book. Our narrators send each author a sample of their reading and talk to the author by phone for help on difficult pronunciations and other suggestions before continuing the narration of the remainder of the book.

The second month, the narrator edits out any mistakes made during the narration (misspoke words, unnecessary pauses, etc.) and sends the author a link to their edited audio files. This is where the author gets to hear their complete book for the first time! Much like the process of “proofing” their written copy, an author is asked to use their ears to “proof” the audio version. Our authors’ ears are the last ones to hear the book in its entirety before it is manufactured.

In the third month, our narrators make any needed corrections to the audio book as noted by the author and put the final touches on the audio, before sending it forward in the production process.

The final step in the audio book production process is in our graphics department, where a designer adapts the book’s original cover to fit an audio book case.

So, there you have it! That is how our wonderful team of producers makes your audio book.

While I have the floor (or the blog in this case!), I also wanted to take an opportunity to let you know what to expect in your audio book.

Our audio books represent story-telling at its best! We want our listeners to be entertained by what they’re hearing. We try to think of ourselves as teachers reading to a group of students or parents reading a story to their children. At the same time, they are not an old-time radio drama, with actors playing the different parts of a novel. While we will use different inflection, tone and sometimes accents to differentiate between characters when necessary, we try to steer clear of taking any characters in the book to extremes. Many authors request their entire book be read in a particular accent, especially if they are from a certain area of the country or even the world, however, we’ve found that narrating the entire book with an accent takes away from our efforts to tell the story.

I hope this has given you some insight into what to expect as your book enters the audio book phase at Tate Publishing.

We look forward to working with you!

~M

eLive, a Special Delivery by the Tate Publishing Audio Department!

Next week, Associate Director of Multi-Media Melissa Madole will share a bit of information regarding the audio book process. In the meantime, I'd like to share a bit on what eLive is, and how it benefits children's book authors!

eLive- "Listen, Imagine, View, Experience", is just that. It comes standard with all of our children's books, and brings the world of imagination to a whole new level. Our audio book producers are the best in the industry, and really know how to bring your book to life! eLive books include a free digital download of the audio book. Audio books typically retail for $9.99-$49.99 and even higher depending on the disc length and the type of book itself. This is such an incredible value that is added to the children's books.

Recently, we have begun offering the eLive function to new release Fiction and Non-Fiction titles that have an audio book. Imagine being able to purchase a book for $12.99, and receive the audio book for free. I am proud to say that Tate Publishing is always ahead of the curve in the value that we are able to give to not only our authors, but the readers who purchase their books.

Have a great night, and happy reading!

What happens in the Tate Publishing Illustration Department?

Good afternoon! This weeks insider view is brought to you by Brandon Wood, Associate Director of Illustration. I know you will enjoy getting to learn a bit more about what it takes to produce illustrations for the children's books at Tate Publishing.

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Hello! Just wanted to give a quick look into what happens behind the scenes during the one month production time frame of illustration provided to our authors. The reason for this post is to provide a candid look at the process our illustrators use in providing the very best imagery possible for our authors’ books- so let us begin!

During the first week of illustration, every project goes through pre-production. It begins with the illustrator sending a welcome message to the author, to get acquainted and provide a timeline. The email also has a link to our illustration website to view more specific information and examples of work completed by our talented Tate Publishing illustrators.

Next, the illustrator reads the story and jots down initial notes and sketches for reference to be used later. It may be necessary at this point as well to research more in depth on the book (if there is a certain era in history that needs to be illustrated, or a certain style of clothing needs to be used, etc.). After the initial read, the illustrator will call the author to discuss the book. This is where the fun begins! This discussion is a free exchange of ideas, but ultimately focuses attention on character designs that will set the style and tone of the entire book. The illustrator takes notes regarding character attributes, personality traits, and any other relevant information that will help direct the design of the book. From that point, the illustrator begins designing any main characters directly involved in the story line. It generally is not necessary to focus a lot of attention at this point to second-string characters in the book, as they will simply mimic the style and feel of the characters that the illustrator and the author directly discuss.

So... now we've got the character styles and the overall direction of the book underway. This is now the point when we really go behind the scenes! Though our authors are partnered with one illustrator, that illustrator is partnered with three to four other professional illustrators who help to generate ideas, research, and offer feedback concerning the technical and conceptual direction of the book. We believe that when a group of highly trained and creative individuals come together to discuss an author's book, this is truly the best way to grasp the full potential of the imagery, and portray the author's vision on paper.

The author sees character designs only after it has gone through a review process with the illustrator's team. Once okayed by the team, the author is sent the character design for the real approval – the one that matters. If there is any adjustment to the character required, the author may request it be made and resent for approval. The designs usually are right on the mark the first time, but it is not uncommon for one or two revisions be made to a character design before it is approved. Once characters are approved, the author’s involvement in the illustration process is complete. Now it is time for the illustrator to take the direction of the book that has been set, and really make the magic happen!

The illustrator will begin storyboarding the book, which allows one to see how a scene is laid out with imagery and text and gives a holistic view of the book. The text is evenly paced out along with imagery so there is a consistent flow throughout the book. What we don't want happening, is for there to be large sections of text with no imagery, and then many pages in a row of just illustrations. The storyboard is very important to nail down the flow of the book in its entirety. Once complete, the storyboard is then “pitched” to their team. The team is looking for any visual disruptions in the storyboard such as compositional weaknesses or inconsistent perspectives. The team may also discuss lighting, color schemes, environmental developments, and scene details that will improve the illustrations. Again, the illustrator receives an okay from the team and is ready for production.

Production consists of the illustrator creating the final artwork for the book. Pre-production has already taken care of the style, tone, character design, and storyboard for the book so all that is left to complete is the illustrations. It is a very focused time when the illustrator is free from the interruption of review processes and receiving approvals for the illustrations. During this time, we understand that authors may feel left out of the loop- so the illustrator will send weekly updates letting the author know how the process is going. This focused time allows the illustrator the freedom to alter compositions, colors, values, and details so the most effective illustration is produced. I know from experience, an idea will be discussed during the storyboard phase, but the reality of it working is not known until the final illustration is being produced. For example, if I place a boy with an orange shirt in front of a yellow bus, the boy suddenly gets lost in the scene. However, if I change the color of his shirt to purple, he pops out again.

Once the work is complete, the illustrations are scanned, cleaned up and put through one last review with me before they are set and prepared for cover and layout. A final email is sent to the author to let them know illustration is complete. Whew! A lot has happened in one month, but with the author's input at the beginning to help set the direction of the characters, and the team here at Tate that helps each illustrator push the illustrations, we are confident that our children's book illustrations are second to none.

The author then enters into the cover and layout process for one month, with one of our talented Children's Book designers. It is at this time, when the text is placed with the imagery, that the author sees the book come together. This is truly an exciting day!

I hope this information has been helpful and has given you a sneak peak into the illustration process. I look foward to being involved in your children's book projects soon!