At the launch of Story Cities, editors Rosamund Davies, Kam Rehal and Cherry Potts talk about the What, How and Why of bringing the book to fruition.
Intrigued? you can order a copy direct from us at our webshop
Over the years (five of them!) we’ve published books (16 of them!) and that’s meant we’ve needed covers.
Some of them I’ve done myself either due to lack of funds or because I had a good idea and a photo that would work, others we’ve had competitions to find artists, and yet more we’ve gone back to artists we’ve worked with because we LOVE their designs. (Some we would like to have gone back to but they aren’t doing book covers any more.)
Mostly they are shy folk and don’t much show their faces, but we still want to give them all a thank you.
Thank you to:
Annie Rickard Straus (Lovers’ Lies)
Zoe Lee (The Other Side of Sleep)
Melina Traub (Mosaic of Air)
Gail Brodholt (Stations)
Lucy Reynolds (The Dowry Blade)
Karen Keogh (London Lies, Foraging)
Ed Boxall (Devilskein & Dearlove, The Old Woman from Friuli)
Kevin Thelfall (Weird Lies, With Paper for Feet, Happy Ending NOT Guaranteed)
Gordy Wright (Brat, and forthcoming: Spellbinder, Wolftalker and possibly A Gift of Rivers – no image yet only asked him this week)
Come to the PARTY on the 8th September.
This could almost pass for organised.
Tour posters for With Paper for Feet and Happy Ending NOT Guaranteed
Just got to get them out to the venues and other willing post-uppers now.
(both cover designs by Kevin Threlfall btw)
You buy something on line and when it arrives it is A) ENORMOUS and B) a bit complicated, so the sensible thing is to test how long it takes to put up (8 minutes but it’ll be quicker when I don’t spend three minutes staring at it thinking, that can’t be right – it wasn’t) and take down (3, but then another 5 to pack it all into its carry case.)
Rather fetching though!
Our Cover Artists Exhibition at Lauderdale House closes soon, your last chance to see the pictures ‘in the flesh’ is this Sunday. There have been modest sales, but we’d really like all the artists to go away with at least one picture sold. They are a brilliant, diverse lot, and the exhibition looks terrific (though I say it myself, who curated and hung most of it!)
If you are thinking, I can’t possibly afford a piece of original art, then two of the artists have limited edition books with their illustrations in, for a very modest sum, which will obviously be an investment for when they are famous… more info in the catalogue
Obviously you can buy direct from the artists at any time, contact details for all of them here but there is something about seeing their work together, on the wall, that is rather special!
Ed Boxall
Annie Rickard Straus
Karen Keogh
Zoe Ann Lee
Melina Traub
Kevin Threlfall
We are launching our newest book, The Other Side of Sleep in a series of events over the end of September and beginning of October. This is the (north) London one, being held in conjunction with our very first Art exhibition. The book is another first for us, as it is poetry.We always said we’d do poetry and now here we are doing it. In Style, with Long Narrative poems, minimum 40 lines (if you have ever thought about sending poetry to a publisher or a competition you will understand the significance!) Other launches, minus art work, in Oxford and Brighton, and later in south London, Middlesbrough and Amsterdam!
Join poets Adrienne Silcock, Alwyn Marriage, Bernie Howley, Elinor Brooks, Jennifer A McGowan, Jeremy Dixon, Kate Foley, Sarah Lawson, Simon Brod, and possibly others for readings, chat, a modest amount of drink, and books, obviously. Possibility of music, possibility of Cake… although it’s a very busy week so possibly not cake. All happening at
The Long Gallery, Lauderdale House, Waterlow Park, Highgate Hill N6 5HG
(REALLY sorry, owing to great age of the house there is no lift to the long gallery).
PLEASE RSVP if you would like to come.
We put a lot of thought into our covers, and we really appreciate our cover artists so we decided to give them a bit of an extra thank you, and celebrate their talents with an exhibition.
Running from 1st-12th October, in the Long Gallery at Lauderdale House, Waterlow Park, Highgate Hill, N6 5HG the exhibition is open by appointment (they have lots of classes and meetings booked into the long gallery); just ring 0208 348 8716 to find out when you can get in – don’t be shy, they are very friendly and enthusiastic. Unfortunately it’s a listed building so althoguh the long gallery is absolutely gorgeous, it isn’t accessible by wheelchair (we tried to find somewhere that was, but costs were utterly prohibitive).
We are holding the private view in conjunction with the launch of our latest book, The Other Side of Sleep on October 1st at 7.30 pm. RSVP to let us know you’d like to come – there will be modest amounts of drink, and readings, and artists and poets to talk to, possibly some music….
It was a tough decision and we would like to thank everyone who put in an entry, But the winner is Annie Rickard Straus, and her delightful goldfish bowl.
copyright Annie Rickard Straus
This won’t be the absolute final version of the cover, but it will look very similar.
More cross over here than in the Lovers’ Lies voting. My highlights from the competition were these. (Yes I do know two of these designs were entered for Lovers’ Lies, but they work for Mosaic too). I will be contacting the designers to discuss minor changes before making a final decision. I’ve decided to delay publication of Mosaic of Air for a few months as my happy idea that promoting 2 books would be no more effort than promoting one has proved to be a false hope!
5 silhouette Kevin Threlfall
6 Cloud Lucy Reynolds
1 lying lovers/ 22 women lying Melina Traub
3/21 woman blowing notes away Melina Traub
So, interesting! Here are the Authors’ top six covers for Lovers’ Lies, in no particular order with the names of the artists. No cross over! Some of the same authors but different designs.
29 B/W couple back to back Harry Williams
8 goldfish bowl Annie Rickard Straus
16 cats like fish Angela Trentin
20 paint blotches Michaela Gajdikova
3/21 woman blowing notes away Melina Traub
21 floating hair/fins ‘goldfish’ Penelope Mazza