So I have just landed a book deal and needed to make a map....

[T.B. McKenzie]

And after a little searching I found this place, and then an excellent tutorial you all know about -- Ascensions' Atlas style.

Anyway, I tried my hand at it and here is the result. Would love to get some feedback from the pros.
SthChinovurMapjpg.jpg

Thanks again for taking a look.

T.B

[Eilathen]

Congrats, man!

I really like the basic map style and the mountains are very nice. Not sure about the forest, though. It took me some time to even see the forests! And I am not sure if the forest-style mixes well with the rest of the map.
Also, this kind of "bending the letters into form" you have going, for example with the Crystal Mountains, is kind of distracting to me.

Anyway, hope that does not sound too harsh. Just my first impression and my two cents.

Oh and please tell us a bit about your upcoming book!

[T.B. McKenzie]

Congrats, man!

I really like the basic map style and the mountains are very nice. Not sure about the forest, though.


It took me some time to even see the forests! And I am not sure if the forest-style mixes well with the rest of the map.
Also, this kind of "bending the letters into form" you have going, for example with the Crystal Mountains, is kind of distracting to me.

Anyway, hope that does not sound too harsh. Just my first impression and my two cents.

Oh and please tell us a bit about your upcoming book!

What would you suggest for the forest? more of a linear render like the mountains? I was going for something more textured, but It kinda gets lost.

I agree again about the curvy labels, but I needed to differentiate between land feature titles and place titles... I guess I just got photoshop happy.

No no, not too harsh at all. this is what I wanted to hear. Everyone I show this too around me just says its looking great, and I need some harsh internet objectivity.

Yeah.... okay. here goes.

The basic premise is a world of ubiquitous magic and we follow the story of one boy who has no magic at all. Turns out that having no magic makes him quite important.

Can't really say too much more at the moment. In the middle of editing and cover design. I'll be making a shout-out to this place though when it gets printed.

T.B

[jtougas]

Looks really good. I think if you added just a hint of color to the forests that would make them stand out a bit. The curved text isn't bad at full resolution but I can see it getting hard to read as the image gets smaller. All in all a great piece.

[Katto]

Nice map! As mentioned you should work on the forest. You should also think about how large the map will be printed and at which dpi and how many colors are used. Details could get lost and as JT pointed out the labels will be hard to read.

[Dygash]

Hi TB, as one writer to another, congratulations on your book deal! I hope you have great publishing success. Your map looks very good, reminds me of 'The Hobbit' map.

[T.B. McKenzie]

Thank you for all your comments.

The ratio of the current map is the double page spread of a paperback, and I think they print in 200 dpi. No colour though after the cover, so have to play with greyscale. The original file was much darker and the forest stood out more, but I played with an adjustment layer of levels, to try and make it all a little more vivid, but I think i've lost some detail.

Thanks again for your thoughts, I'll post a few more variations soon and see what you all think.

T.B

[jbgibson]

Well, you get unhelpful comments like "pretty good"... because it looks good. 200 dpi at paperback size -- I bet a lot of the beauty gets lost. The fine forest detail will probably turn to mud. One thought - the reason for your light water, dark land is to immediately tell the two apart, right? Well since your places of interest are mostly on land, why don't you flip it? Dark lettering and symbology against light land would get you better contrast.

A further possibility would be to make two versions. Go simpler, starker for print, and indulge yourself with color and additional detail in a version of any resolution and complexity you like, online. Annotate the in-book one with your URL, promising 'additional detail at the website'. A side benefit would be a modest stream of readers hitting the site on into the future, where they can of course find out about further books by you :-). Heck, make it a community, where the readers' most frequently asked questions get answered in future stories.

Ymmv - I am neither a publisher nor a published author. But I would sure hunt down added info online ... in fact I have. :-)

[T.B. McKenzie]

finalchinovur.jpg

Thanks for all your comments.... Have finally had a minute to make some changes....

The idea of having a bigger, more detailed and coloured version online is excellent.... And I think i'll add one to my blog when more time comes my way.

Sheesh, I thought having a job, wife and kid was hard; but you add an editor and a deadline to the mix and things get complex. Soon I may have to give up my quest to get all the gold stars on angry birds.

Thanks again for your insights... any more are always welcome.

And for those that are interested, I started a blog about my book a little while ago, back when I had no agent, and no book deal.

http://magickless.blogspot.com/

T.B

[Clercon]

I say that the forest looks much better on this version. But I'd prefer to have the sea dark and the land light. But that is just my opinion.
And congrats to the book deal.