| Book Jacket |
| Criteria for well-designed jacket front includes the following: |
ü Title of book should be in letters
large enough to easily be read at a distance of six feet. ü Design and style should suggest subject
and mood of the book. (Cover illustration can
be same as one from the book). ü All the elements should fit well in the space without crowding one another or competing with one another. |
| The jacket front must contain the following: |
ü The words Written & Illustrated
by ü Author’s Name (this must be
consistent – if using the middle initial or middle name, then it must be used in all
places – spine/cover/title pages). ü No nicknames should be used. ü Illustration
|
| The Spine (or Backbone) |
| This
space is for labeling the book in such a way that the reader can find it after it is
placed between other books on a shelf.
|
| For publication, the spine usually contains the following information: |
ü Name of Author (usually only the last
name because fiction books in libraries area arranged in alphabetical order by
author’s last name) ü Title of the Book
|
| We will do our spine in the following manner: |
| Title
of book Your First and Last Name
|
Story & Author Blurb |
ü Must be written in 3rd
person (use she, he, the author, your name) ü Use rules for writing a story: o Full size (8 ½ by 11 inch) sheet of
paper o Write on every other line o Write only one side of the paper o Use blue or black ink or #2 pencil o If using a computer, double or triple
space o Use basic font – no script/no
italics/ no all-capital letters, etc.
|
| What is a story blurb?
This is the information that is placed on the inside flap of your finished book. The purpose of the blurb is to tell enough about
your story so the reader can’t wait to turn the page and read your book. |
| What is an author blurb? The author blurb is the information that appears on the back flap of your book. A picture of you is placed on this flap underneath the text of the blurb. Tell about you, your hobbies, your family, your inspiration for writing, the number of books you have written, etc. An example of an author blurb from the book PICTURE A LETTER by Brad Sneed (Phyllis Fogelman Books) follows the story blurb at the bottom of this page. |
| Be descriptive! Don’t
just tell about the story. Add some words
about the illustrations like, “you will enjoy the beautifully, detailed
illustrations,” or “the brightly, colored illustrations make the text come
alive.” An example of a blurb from a
published book is the one that follows from the book PICTURE
A LETTER by Brad Sneed. |
| STORY
BLURB Example Can you picture a letter? In this clever and amusing wordless alphabet book, viewers are challenged to decipher pictures into...words! A flying acrobat swinging through the air forms the letter A. Take a closer look and you will also find an archer aiming an arrow, an ape playing an accordion, an astronaut carrying an alligator, and aliens flying airplanes. Every letter has a picture - a funny, whimsical scene of actions and objects that all have something in common: their first letter. There are also two small mice making their way through this A to Z odyssey. Below the illustrations one mouse is setting up the alphabet as each letter is pictured, while his friend never strays too far. See if you can spot him in every picture. Brad Sneed's brilliantly creative illustrations turn words into art, and the words - some simple, some challenging - are revealed in a key at the end. PICTURE A LETTER is a book that can be enjoyed by all ages - the more you look, the more things you will discover!
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| AUTHOR BLURB Example BRAD SNEED had a great time creating this book. Some of his previous picture books include SMOKY MOUNTAIN ROSE: AN APPALACHIAN CINDERELLA by Alan Schroeder, and SORRY by Jean Van Leeuwen. His delightfully off-beat work has been aptly described as "vivacious and animated" by School Library Journal, and hailed by Publishers Weekly for its "vivid colors, arresting perspectives, and uninhibited motion." Also in praise of his work, Kirkus has said: "Sneed's demonstrative, picturesque watercolors maintain a steady pulse of comedy." Mr. Sneed lives with his wife and daughter in Kansas. |