Diagrams, Photography, and Pretty Pictures

IDGS · 03-05-2011, 04:10 AM

Hey, all!

So my proposal is currently out a-shoppin' with publishers via my agent, and I'm sitting here with my fingers interlaced behind my head, sweating. You know how it is to nervously wait, I'm sure.

Anyways, I've gotten to thinking. My project is a 'how-to' guide of sorts, kind of a 'handbook' you might say. As diagrams (minor, simplistic) photos (for the sake of illustration) and pretty pictures (just to dazzle, obviously) feature in the work, on an average of one every other page, at least in my sample chapters.

For the proposal, when I originally subbed to the agent, I just had placeholders - a text-box to show formatting with "Image of a *blank* here." She advised I just snag some stock photos off the internet just for the time being, so that editors got an idea of what I meant - not for the actual publication, obviously.

Now, it's got me wondering. Assuming this does sell as I hope, how is this going to work? With most publishers (I don't know if there's a rule or anything about this) will they farm out the pictures / diagrams, will I be responsible for providing them, or will I be responsible for fronting the costs to get them professionally done? As a writer, my art skills, even for technical diagrams of the very barest sort, are rather lacking. I don't think I could make the illustrations measure up to how I'd like them to look, to say the least.

I know it varies and I will obviously pose the quesiton to my agent eventually, I just don't want to seem money-hungry / cheap / flustered this early on in the game. Just yet, anyway.

Thanks in advance for the feedback, much appreciated!

IDGS

EDIT: I apologize for my broken sentences, horrid grammar, excessive 'justs,' and the like - it's late, I'm tired, and the stress is a-bubblin.

Royal Mercury · 03-05-2011, 09:01 AM

Well, if the publisher doesn't have someone who can provide them, you should be able to find some artist that can do the job for you. Check at the local colleges, or among your friends.

You can also scan for some sites, or even go to eLance or guru.com. But many of the people at guru are from India and China, and I tend to try to avoid that if at all possible.

If you are really desperate, pm me. I've done a bit of graphics in my time.

PinkAmy · 03-05-2011, 03:06 PM

I feel your pain--my graphics aren't very good either. In my opinion, it's best to have something prepared, even if you know it's not good enough for the final draft of the book, to at least give the publisher an idea of what you're going to use. When I did a self-help book, I must have spend 1/2 a day trying to make an original graph of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs--you've never seen so many lopsided triangles in your life, LOL. In the end I snagged one off the internet and redid it with my own colors and sizing- I changed the wording too. This probably isn't keeping with the spirit of copyright law, but since I basically used the graphic as a template, I was okay. I only finished 3/4ths of the book- I was bored to tears (this was 10 years ago, before I knew about proposals).

03-05-2011, 04:10 AM	#1
IDGS I has a title. Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Purgatory, ON Posts: 728	Diagrams, Photography, and Pretty Pictures Hey, all! So my proposal is currently out a-shoppin' with publishers via my agent, and I'm sitting here with my fingers interlaced behind my head, sweating. You know how it is to nervously wait, I'm sure. Anyways, I've gotten to thinking. My project is a 'how-to' guide of sorts, kind of a 'handbook' you might say. As diagrams (minor, simplistic) photos (for the sake of illustration) and pretty pictures (just to dazzle, obviously) feature in the work, on an average of one every other page, at least in my sample chapters. For the proposal, when I originally subbed to the agent, I just had placeholders - a text-box to show formatting with "Image of a blank* here." She advised I just snag some stock photos off the internet just for the time being, so that editors got an idea of what I meant - not for the actual publication, obviously. Now, it's got me wondering. Assuming this does* sell as I hope, how is this going to work? With most publishers (I don't know if there's a rule or anything about this) will they farm out the pictures / diagrams, will I be responsible for providing them, or will I be responsible for fronting the costs to get them professionally done? As a writer, my art skills, even for technical diagrams of the very barest sort, are rather lacking. I don't think I could make the illustrations measure up to how I'd like them to look, to say the least. I know it varies and I will obviously pose the quesiton to my agent eventually, I just don't want to seem money-hungry / cheap / flustered this early on in the game. Just yet, anyway. Thanks in advance for the feedback, much appreciated! IDGS EDIT: I apologize for my broken sentences, horrid grammar, excessive 'justs,' and the like - it's late, I'm tired, and the stress is a-bubblin. __________________ PUB'D! * GREY DOGS (I/III) - Severed Press - AVAILABLE HERE! * WAITING JACKALS (II/III) - Severed Press - AVAILABLE HERE! * CRIMSON LETTERS FROM KANDAHAR PROVINCE - Wild Wolf Publishing - AVAILABLE HERE! * FIVE WORDS IN BLACK - PostMortem Press - AVAILABLE HERE! WIP'S! THE WILLOW (III/III) - 20,092 / 80,000 Lives @ www.IanDGSandusky.com Last edited by IDGS; 03-05-2011 at 04:11 AM. Reason: ugh.

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03-05-2011, 09:01 AM	#2
Royal Mercury I think I am, therefore.... Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 211	Well, if the publisher doesn't have someone who can provide them, you should be able to find some artist that can do the job for you. Check at the local colleges, or among your friends. You can also scan for some sites, or even go to eLance or guru.com. But many of the people at guru are from India and China, and I tend to try to avoid that if at all possible. If you are really desperate, pm me. I've done a bit of graphics in my time.

03-05-2011, 03:06 PM	#3
PinkAmy New kid, be gentle! Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 2,763	I feel your pain--my graphics aren't very good either. In my opinion, it's best to have something prepared, even if you know it's not good enough for the final draft of the book, to at least give the publisher an idea of what you're going to use. When I did a self-help book, I must have spend 1/2 a day trying to make an original graph of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs--you've never seen so many lopsided triangles in your life, LOL. In the end I snagged one off the internet and redid it with my own colors and sizing- I changed the wording too. This probably isn't keeping with the spirit of copyright law, but since I basically used the graphic as a template, I was okay. I only finished 3/4ths of the book- I was bored to tears (this was 10 years ago, before I knew about proposals).