Cover Conundrums…
Just when I thought my self-publishing project was coming to an end it seems I’ve come across yet another stumbling block that could yet potentially set me back even more money, and may well push my print date into next year.
The problem it seems, is the cover.
Having spent more weeks than I care to recount finalising my cover design with my old publishers, I finally sent my cover pdf off to my new publishers with the hope of spending in the region of £40 for them to make the few necessary adjustments to my cover for the new smaller size jacket. Fair enough, I thought – £40 is nothing compared to the amount I’ve spent and wasted thus far in needless bills to my old publishers. In fact, £40 is a veritable bargain.
So anyway, after a few minor delays, (what with starting a new job, moving house and my computer deciding to die on me), I sent off the necessary files ready for printing.
All good so far.
A few days later I received an email informing me that my submitted pdf wasn’t of a suitable resolution for printing.
Strange… the pdf was in a resolution suitable for a larger book…
Brushing this thought aside, I supplied the necessary files to the printers including the full-res cover illustration as well as my blurb text for the back cover.
Then… nothing.
I started to worry. I emailed the printers to no response. Was I about to experience yet another publisher let-down?
Possibly.
Then, on Friday, I got the text message I had been waiting for. Apparently the proof copy of my book had arrived back at my Dad’s house ready for me to examine. Great! The only problem of course being that I now live in London and there was no way on earth I could get back to Broadstairs over the weekend to check things over.
Nothing a little cunning ingenuity couldn’t solve – I asked my Dad to send me photos of the proof copy.
Things were starting to look up!
A few hours later and the photos arrived in my inbox. Was this to be the moment I saw for the first time the culmination of nearly five years’ worth of work? Was this the moment I’d be able to at long last draw a line under my apprenticeship as a writer and finally say I had published my own book?
As the title and tone of this blog suggest, the answer, I’m afraid to say, is no, no it was not.
I looked at the cover and I saw all my hard work and effort reduced to GCSE-standard graphics design.
The printers it seems, had basically decided to remake the whole cover themselves, simply inserting the image (© David Lawrence 2010) onto the front with the title in a large font with the author name ‘M. L Ryder’ at the bottom.
Yes, I said ‘M.L Ryder’.
This was definitely what we internet geeks would call a major ‘WTF’ moment. In fact, I’d put it as more ‘OMG WTF LOL’. ‘LOL’ because that was pretty much all I could do at sight of my massacred cover.
They couldn’t even get my name right…
I find myself then, at something of a crossroads. The paperwork that got sent out to me with my book has been posted to my address in London by my Dad. Until it arrives, it seems I can’t do anything. I really don’t know at this stage, what on earth I am going to do.
If I didn’t laugh, I think I’d cry. It’s almost as if someone is out to get me at the moment. Pretty much everything that could go wrong, seemingly is with this project, and as far as everything else is concerned, The Darkest Hour is on a major hold until I can summon the creative strength to sit down and do some serious graft with it one weekend in the foreseeable future.
I guess all I can do at this stage, is wait and see what the paperwork says.
I certainly didn’t expect a GCSE intern to butcher my beautiful cover.
I just hope things can be fixed. And cheaply…
As always, I’ll let you know how it goes.
Until next time,
M.J.Ryder
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