January 9, 2012
Client Spotlight – A. R. Silverberry
Each week, we offer a brief description of the work we’ve done for a client–either the graphic design, the techie miracles we’ve performed, or some other cool thing we’d like to share–and we’ll give you a look into both our process and the work of some of our very talented clients.
I’m so excited about this week’s spotlight; it’s for one of my favorite authors, and one of the best websites I’ve ever designed. It’s actually for a site I designed a couple of years ago.
Author A. R. Silverberry needed a website that was beautiful, a little mysetrious, and that reflected the adventurous quality of his new young adult novel. It’s a story that champions the life of a young girl, Jen, and shows her strength, beauty and determination. Of course, I was instantly hooked.
I was thrilled to design a site for it and was so curious to see what I could do. Up until that point, I’d never done a fantasy site before, so I was excited to get my feet wet with it. My first inspiration was the cover art for the book. A. R. had had it custom designed by a very talented artist to get exactly the look and feel he wanted.
Cool. I had a place to start. I found several pics that I wanted to try, but I had a feeling from the start about the one that ended up in the final version. I worked on it quite a bit to bring out the pinks and oranges in the site, to give it a surreal, beautiful quality.
Then, I added scrollwork, shadows, gradients and an exotic font to it to give it that other-worldly feel. The depth of the scenery hints at the adventure on the horizon and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the final results.
And there were other little elements that we added that I loved, like the scroll work on the homepage, including the little red, wax seal that bears the initials of one of the characters. I love it.
And, since A. R. takes such a proactive approach to his marketing and is so interested in getting his novel out there to new readers, I wanted to do a quick client interview on his marketing approach and how he uses his website to promote his novel and generate interest.
Interview with A. R. Silverberry:
How do you use your website for marketing?
I see the website as an important part of my branding. I wanted it to reflect that I’m a fantasy author. Because of the imagery, font, colors, and layout you used, people immediately know that my work has a dream-like, fairy tale quality.
Since launching the website, what has changed, and why?
I launched the website before Wyndano’s Cloak was published. I knew the website had to grow as the book picked up speed. You provided an easy way for that to happen. With monthly updates, we added reviews, reader’s comments, news, a book trailer, and book award seals. What was surprising was that the site accommodated all these changes without losing it’s magic. I’m looking forward to having a contest on the contest page, so there’s plenty of room for growth.
What is Wyndano’s Cloak about?
Jen has settled into a peaceful life when a terrifying event awakens old fears—of being homeless and alone, of a danger horrible enough to destroy her family and shatter her world forever.
She is certain that Naryfel, a shadowy figure from her past, has returned and is concentrating the full force of her hate on Jen’s family. But how will she strike? A knife in the dark? An attack from her legions? Or with the dark arts and twisted creatures she commands with sinister cunning.
Wyndano’s Cloak may be Jen’s only hope. If she can only trust that she has what it takes to use it . . .
Who would the book appeal to?
The story is for children ages ten and up, or the child in us all. If you love page turners with secrets, riddles, mystery, treachery, and intrigue, you’ll enjoy Wyndano’s Cloak.
What’s ahead for you?
I’m starting the second draft of a new fantasy novel set in a mythic past. I’m planning a blog tour to continue promoting Wyndano’s Cloak. That’s the wonderful thing about the internet. A book can live forever in the blogosphere through book reviews, interviews, and guest posts.
Thanks for the awesome post, Diane, and more importantly, the beautiful website! You reminded me that you sent three mastheads for us to look at. They were all incredible, but the one we chose was the first one you said you did. I was stunned; you had intuited the exact feeling I was looking for in the website!
Happy New Year!
Peter
Writing as A. R. Silverberry
Pete, branding is such an important concept. I’m currently having all of my books recovered for branding purposes. Are you branding your second book to your first and the site?
That’s an interesting question, Melissa. I’ve been focusing on branding myself as an author, but you’re right, the book’s presentation is a hugely important part of branding. And the book is one, of the main things (perhaps only thing) readers will see. So like the website, readers need to have a feel for what kind of writer they will find inside the book. I’m not sure how this will work with my second book, which has different audience. We’ll see!
The website and book cover are “beautiful,” congratulations!
You’re so welcome, Peter! This design felt like it was inspired from the very beginning. It was so much fun to do for you, and I’m thrilled with how it turned out!
Thank you so much for the compliments on the website, Patience!
This is such a good question! Yes, I think branding is important, too, and if you can carry a certain theme across all of your books, sites, printed materials, e.g. bookmarks and business cards, then that’s great. But often, I find that it’s enough for things to just have the same “feel”. For instance, Peter’s website is quite different from the book cover, but both echo the same “feel” that he wanted. And, as long as his next book would fit in with that, he’ll probably be fine, even if the audiences are different ages or something. A big difference that might require a different site or look would be if he was writing non-fiction for corporations or something.
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You’re right, Diane. The website just needs to capture the feel. And I felt that it captures more about me as an author, in general, than specifically about the book, although there’s lots of overlap! I think we’re on safe ground, unless I start to write mysteries or spy thrillers!
If anyone is interested, here’s a little piece I wrote about branding in a Facebook group I participate in; we we’re discussing what branding is, and how you develop it; of course, everything below also applies to websites, and any place where an author has a presence:
I think there are two things, and they overlap. There’s the author’s brand, which describes the essence of who the author is as a writer. Then there’s the book’s branding, which also communicates the author’s brand, as well as something about the book. My personal branding statement might be: A. R. Silverberry, bringing imagination, inspiration, and fairy-tale magic to children’s fiction. Hopefully, that statement sets me apart, and describes what’s unique about me. If you look at the cover of Wyndano’s Cloak, you’ll see the bold and adventurous Renaissance font in the title; the border; and the embellishments in the upper corners. These things tell the reader: Fairy Tale Magic Inside! So the author brand and the book cover brand overlap. Gregory Maguire’s books are an excellent example. His branding statement might be: Maguire, bringing twisty adult themes to fairy-tale classics. And if you look at his book covers, they are all by the same artist, and convey just that twisty thing. If you Google author branding, you’ll find a lot of worksheets that will help walk you develop your brand!
Best Wishes,
Peter