“One stand out client has made me realise the true value of building that trust, Clays Self-Publishing. Our first project was printed through Clays, under the wing of Rebecca Souster, Self-Publishing Account Manager”
These kind words are from Mark Ecob at MECOB Design.
At Clays Self-Publishing we only recommend professionals that we trust, and we work closely with Mark, referring any of our independent authors with design needs to him. Read about his first project with us, Napoleon’s Other Wife by Deborah Jay …
“Napoleon’s Other Wife by Deborah Jay follows the little-known life of Marie-Louise, Duchess of Parma, who married Napoleon after he divorced the childless Josephine. A heavyweight piece of hardback non-fiction, it demanded the right jacket. I listened to the author, she listened to me, we worked through roughs that followed the pack and some that didn’t, all within a clear process allowing everyone time to think. Here’s what Deborah had to say:
Like searching for a new home, I knew what I wanted and that I would recognise the right cover when I saw it. Rebecca proved invaluable helping me over the hurdles which beset getting a book into print. From the moment she put me into contact with Mark, I knew that i couldn’t be in better hands. They were open to my naïve suggestions and played around with them. I realised that it was important for all of us to take our time – it would have been wrong to rush an element of the publishing process which is critical to success. Napoleon’s symbolic/iconic N revealing the obscured portrait of Marie-Louise was a stroke of genius matching my criteria. Together, we played around with colour and finally reached the drama of the imperial magenta. Then I knew that the book cover was the right one. I also knew that I could only have got there with the personal, warm, experimental environment of our working relationships.
As a professional working for an independent author, how should you work? Rebecca Souster works with new authors every day and had this to say:
Being adaptable is key to working with authors – they need guidance as much as we need to learn to adapt to their needs. Independent authors are continuing to change the publishing landscape and adapting may be difficult but it’s not impossible. My best advice for industry professionals in publishing; don’t be a dinosaur.“
Read the full article on the BookMachine here.
Mark is also speaking at our Indie Insights event. Grab your free ticket here!