World Book Day special - The beauty of traditional typesetting and printing by Jeannie Waudby

The book is finally ready to go to the printer’s, word-perfect and with a beautiful cover. This is where it finally becomes an object that many people can hold in their hands and read. Nowadays typesetting is computerised and printing is mechanised. We are all typesetters, converting our thoughts into letters on our phones and laptops, choosing the typeface we want to use. But let’s have a look at how it worked before computers.

For hundreds of years books or scrolls were written by hand, for example the 7^th century Lindisfarne Gospels and the 9^th century Book of Kells.

 

 

A scribe at work 

 

These books were very beautiful, but only a few people could read or own them so of course they were very expensive.

 

A way of printing from stamps began in China in the 5^th or 6^th century and mass printing from woodblocks in 907. In Europe, woodblock printing goes back into the 14^th century. Each page was carved  onto a woodblock and then printed. This happened in Europe too.

 

 

A woodblock  

 

This made it possible to print many copies very much more quickly, but the process of carving the woodblock was still very slow. 

 

A woodblock print

 

Printing was really revolutionised with the invention of moveable type. Again it was first invented in China in the 11^th century, with individual characters made out of clay, and in Europe in the 15^th century with letters of metal.  

 

 

 Type 

 

When I was young I worked as a typesetter in a printing works that had somehow managed to stay in the nineteenth century.  

 

The frame where the typsetter stands, with cases of type below. 

 

All our type was movable, and to set it we used a stick  

 

A compositor’s stick 

 

The letters sit on little metal shelves called leads to sandwich them together. When a block of text is ready it can be tied up and put in a galley. When the whole page is ready it is all assembled on the ‘stone’ using different sized pieces of wood and metal, called ‘furniture’. Eventually this is all screwed tightly together in a metal frame, the ‘chase’, and can then be lifted onto the press.  

 

 

The forme on the stone, ready to print

 

My experience has been very handy for the book I am writing, which takes place in a printing works in the 1800s. Here is my character’s name, set in capitals with a print from it.  

 

 

When books are printed, several pages are printed on one large sheet and then cut and folded. This is a tool for folding so that the edges are crisp – it’s called a bone.  

 

A bone 

 

The pages could be put together and sewn in bundles before being bound with a cover made of cardboard, leather or cloth. They would then be pressed in a bookbinding press like this one. 

 

 

A bookbinding press 

 

19^th century books were sometimes sold with the edges still folded so that the reader would have to cut the pages to open the book.

 

Modern printing is completely different from the old days of hand or foot operated presses.  

A  hand-operated printing press 

 But we can find traces of the old ways – in the words: upper case and lower case, typesetting, the spacebar on a computer which comes from the old spacers that were put between letters, and most of all, if you hold a new hardback book up to your nose you can still capture the delicious smell of ink.

The Time Tunnellers are five authors who write historical novels for
children and young adults -
Susan Brownrigg, Barbara Henderson, Catherine Randall,
Ally Sherrick and Jeannie Waudby.

Every Thursday we share a new blog article on a different topic
and a youtube video with a writing challenge for young people and teachers.

 

World Book Day special - How is a book cover made? by Ally Sherrick

The old saying, ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover’ might be true for people. But in the case of an actual book cover, though it won’t tell you how well-written it is, it offers up some big clues about what sort of story you’ll encounter inside.

Besides the all-important title, these clues are delivered through a combination of artwork used, colours applied and the description, or cover-blurb on the back.

When I visit schools, children always want to know more about this mysterious-seeming process and whether the author has any say in the finished version.

I’m very lucky in that regard, because my publisher, Chicken House Books does like to involve its authors in the business of coming up with a cover.

Like many other writers, I usually create ‘mood boards’ of images which help inspire the development of my story. I post these on Pinterest and share them with my publisher so that, in addition to the writing, they have something visual to help spark ideas for a cover design.

A clip from my mood board for Black Powder

In the meantime, they’ve been busy thinking of what sort of artistic style would work best, studying portfolios of work by possible artists. For my first book, Black Powder, about two children caught up in the Gunpowder Plot, they selected Alexis Snell, an artist who specialises in making prints from linocuts. You can watch a short video of how she made the lino-cut for the cover here.

Once the cover illustration is finished, the publisher sends it to a design studio to experiment with different colour-ways and design the spine.

 

Two different colour-ways for Black Powder created by Steve Wells, the designer.
We chose the one on the right which we thought was the strongest.

Next, the publicity team gets to work with writing the all-important description – or ‘blurb’ – which tells you, the potential reader what the story is about. The aim here, using as few words as possible, is to persuade you that it’s the book for you.

 

The cover blurb – which needs to be as short
and exciting-sounding as possible ...

Once the design and blurb are finalised, the book is ready for printing. The cover artwork is sent to the printers with instructions for the weight and type of paper to use, along with requests for any special finishes such as embossing or coloured foil.

 

Black Powder was lucky enough to be
given the gold foil treatment!

And then it’s over to the printer to weave their magic ...

 

The Time Tunnellers are five authors who write historical novels for
children and young adults -
Susan Brownrigg, Barbara Henderson, Catherine Randall,
Ally Sherrick and Jeannie Waudby.

Every Thursday we share a new blog article on a different topic
and a youtube video with a writing challenge for young people and teachers.

World Book Day special - what does a publisher do? by Catherine Randall

You’ve found a publisher for your book. What happens next?

Sadly, a publisher will never take your manuscript and say, ‘Great, that’s perfect, we’ll send it to the printer!’ It has to be worked on by quite a few people first. The good news is that all these people will help to make your book the best it can possibly be.

 Firstly, an EDITOR will read the manuscript carefully and suggest any changes they’d like to make to big things like the plot or the characters. They may even ask you to change the ending or get rid of a whole character! These suggestions can be difficult for you as the author, but I’ve found that however hard you’ve worked on a book yourself, it will always benefit from having a fresh pair of eyes looking at it, especially when those eyes belong to an experienced editor.

Once both you and the editor are happy with any changes, the book is sent to the copy-editor.

The COPY-EDITOR is responsible for going through the manuscript line by line, checking for spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and over-used words. The copy-editor makes sure that the story you want to tell is clear for the reader. They also check for consistency so, for instance, if a character has blue eyes in chapter 2, they can’t have brown eyes in chapter 10.

While the copy-editor is doing their work, the manuscript will be sent to the DESIGNER. The designer makes decisions about how the finished book will look. Here’s a double-page spread from Barbara Henderson’s book Black Water to show you the sort of decisions the designer has to make.  

The DESIGNER will then combine the finished, copy-edited text with their finished design and produce proofs showing what the book will look like when it is printed. After these have been checked again by everyone, including the author, the book is finally ready to go to the printer.

But you might have noticed that there’s something very important missing! Ally Sherrick will tell you all about that tomorrow ….

 

 

The Time Tunnellers are five authors who write historical novels for
children and young adults -
Susan Brownrigg, Barbara Henderson, Catherine Randall,
Ally Sherrick and Jeannie Waudby.

Every Thursday we share a new blog article on a different topic
and a youtube video with a writing challenge for young people and teachers.

World Book Day special - How to get published by Susan Brownrigg

This week on the Time Tunnellers blog we look at the different stages a book goes through from manuscript to bookshelf!

How do books end up bookshelves?

How do you find a publisher for your book? by Susan Brownrigg

So you've finished writing your novel - Congratulations! Make sure you celebrate this amazing moment because it can be a bumpy road to publication for writers.

What next? Have you edited your book or is it still a first draft? Writers will often re-read their book many, many times looking for spelling mistakes, errors, plot holes and ways to make their writing brighter and tighter! 

It is of course very hard to spot all your mistakes or to see where readers might get confused by your story. This is where it can be great advice to find someone you trust to read your book and give you honest feedback.

Think carefully about who you ask to do your 'beta read' - a family member may tell you 'I loved it. It's perfect,' because they love you, think you are incredibly clever for finishing a book (you are!) 

A good place to get honest feedback is at a writing group.

If you write for children/young adults like the Time Tunnellers there is the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI.)

Once you have your edited book it will be ready for submission. This is what sending your book to an agent or publisher for them to read and consider is called.

Most publishers will not accept unsolicited submissions direct from authors - this means if they have not asked you to send your book they do not want to see it.

Beware of any publishers who want you to pay towards the cost of the publication - this is called vanity publishing. If you are unsure about a contract offer, you can join the Society of Authors who will offer you free legal advice. 

So many authors will try to find an agent who will represent them.  Agents pick the very best books (often the ones they think are very commercial - e.g will sell in big numbers!) they are sent (from the 'slushpile.'. They will then submit the book to editors they think will like the book as much as they do.

Agents take a cut of the money the author is paid, usually 15%.

Agents are very busy people and they haven't time to read everyone's complete manuscript, so most will only want to read the first three chapters and a synopsis (usually a one page breakdown of the entire plot.) You can find a list of agents and publishers in the Writers & Artists Yearbook and by doing a google search.

Agents and publishers will often have a page on their website that gives precise details on how to submit to them. Make sure you follow them to the letter. 

Some agents and publishers have certain dates when they are open or closed to submissions. Look out for competitions too as they can offer publication as a prize or an opportunities to meet with agents and/or editors. Examples include SCBWI's Undiscovered Voices competition and Slushpile challenges and publisher Chicken House's annual competition and 'open coop' submission day.

You will need to include a covering letter - make sure you address it to the agent by name and not Dear Sir! Your letter should explain what your book is about, how long it is, what type (genre) it is e.g sci fi or mystery and why you wrote the book - especially if you have a personal connection to the theme. When submitting my book Gracie Fairshaw and the Mysterious Guest I wrote about my love of Blackpool, and explained that Gracie has limb difference like my great grandfather. 

As I mentioned earlier, agents are very busy and often they will state that if they have not replied withing 8 weeks then they are not interested in representing you. If you do get a reply, it may well be a rejection, and often a standard or 'form' letter. 

 

Some of my rejection letters

If your reply includes comments specific to your story you may want to follow the advice given if it resonates with you.

Some writers are lucky and get a yes the first time they submit their books, but many more successful authors received lots of rejections before their first book was accepted for publication. 

I clocked up lots of rejections for five books before I was offered a publishing deal by Uclan Publishing. 

Writers need lots of resilience and perseverence if they want to become an author - but dreams can come true! 

The Time Tunnellers are five authors who write historical novels for
children and young adults -
Susan Brownrigg, Barbara Henderson, Catherine Randall,
Ally Sherrick and Jeannie Waudby.

Every Thursday we share a new blog article on a different topic
and a youtube video with a writing challenge for young people and teachers.

Guest blog: Claire Fayers on the Lady Charlotte Guest who translated the wonderful Welsh Mabinogi tales

Next week it will be the first of March. Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant Hapus. Happy St David’s Day! All over Wales, people will be celebrating the day with welshcakes (delicious), leeks (not quite so delicious) and daffodils (do not eat these!)

If you go to school in Wales, you may find yourself playing a musical instrument, dancing a traditional dance or writing a story for an eisteddfod competition. If you’re a girl, you may dress in traditional costume.

Claire in traditional Welsh dress

I’ve always been fascinated with myths, legends and fairy tales, and I’m lucky to live in Wales because we have loads of them. They mix together real places with extraordinary characters and happenings. The most famous of these stories come from a collection called the Mabinogi or Mabinogion. You’ll find stories of shape-shifting and magic, of heroes and battles, and you can read them all in English, thanks to this lady.

Lady Charlotte Guest

Lady Charlotte Guest was born in Lincolnshire in 1812. Her home life wasn’t happy. Her father died when she was young, her mother married again and Charlotte did not get on with her stepfather. Growing up, she spent a lot of time outdoors, and she loved learning new things – especially new languages. By the time she was twenty-one, she was fluent in Italian, Greek, Latin, French, Hebrew, Persian and Arabic.

Then, in 1833, her life changed forever. Charlotte met a Welshman: John Guest, the Member of Parliament for Merthyr. Within months, the two were married and Charlotte left her English country home for the ironworks of South Wales.

Her family were horrified, but Charlotte threw herself into her new life, learning to manage the ironworks, visiting schools, and setting up a library. Unsurprisingly given her love of languages, she was soon learning Welsh.

A few years after that, one of Charlotte’s friends loaned her a copy of The Red Book of Hergest.

The Red Book – so-called because of its red cover – is one of the oldest Welsh manuscripts, dating back to medieval times. It contains a collection of historical texts, poetry and stories, and the ancient tales that make up the Mabinogi.

The stories include four sets, or branches, each following the life of a different character. Pwyll, the prince of Dyfed who travels into the magical otherworld and later marries a fairy wife. Branwen, whose mistreatment by her Irish husband leads to a terrible war between Wales and Ireland. The knight, Manawydan, who helps save Wales from a fairy curse. Math the Lord of Gwynedd, who presides over a story full of magic. People changing into animals, flowers turning into a woman and plotting murder.

Along with these four branches, there are other tales, mainly recounting the deeds of King Arthur and his knights.

A few of the stories had been translated into English, but not all of them. Maybe Lady Charlotte liked a challenge, or maybe she loved the strange tales so much that she wanted everyone to read them, but she decided to translate them all.

Over the next seven years, the stories of the Mabinogi were published in seven volumes, with Welsh transcriptions by the poet John Jones and English translations by Lady Charlotte Guest. It was a huge task, especially as Lady Charlotte had to fit it around the demands of the ironworks and her family. She had no idea how many people would read these Welsh stories because of her, or that her translations became the standard version for more than a hundred years.

Her words have inspired many other authors: JRR Tolkien’s Silmarillion, Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain and Alan Garner’s The Owl Service.

 

And my own book: Welsh Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends. It contains several of the stories from the Mabinogion along with other tales collected from all over Wales.

John Josiah Guest died in 1852 and Lady Charlotte caused a social scandal by marrying a much younger man. She left Wales and developed a new passion for collecting. She and her new husband travelled around Europe and she built up a vast collection of porcelain, board games, playing cards and fans. Shortly before her death in 1895, she donated almost 12,000 pieces of china to the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Lady Charlotte kept a diary from the age of ten through most of her life. I’m glad that her words, and her stories, live on.

 

Claire Fayers writes fantasy adventures. Her books include The Accidental Pirates, Storm Hound and Welsh Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends. 

www.clairefayers.com