Maps

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knight_tour

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I apologize if this has been covered before. I am curious how agents and publishers deal with maps. Many fantasy novels need maps. I assume an agent does not want to see a map an author has done for his/her book, but what about when it goes to a publisher. I assume they do use the author's map and just have a professional artist render it better?
 

Nivarion

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I'm not sure. I would think they might use the author's map as a guide for a professional, if they have some one else do it. As I'm not published yet, I don't know.
 

Pthom

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Welcome to the SF/F forum, knight tour.

Be sure to peruse the Table of Contents thread, wherein you will find this listing:
5. World-Building, Maps, Etc…

You are correct in assuming the topic has been covered. In a published work of fiction, illustrations, such as maps, are sometimes those provided by the author, and sometimes provided by the publisher. It depends. Prepare your map because you are the one who undoubtedly understands its function best, then submit it with the manuscript.
 
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MumblingSage

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Should I submit it in all its present, pencil-drawing-on-computer-paper glory, or should I scan then print it to make it neater?
 

FennelGiraffe

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Many fantasy novels need maps.

I love maps; I can spend hours poring over a good map--fantasy or real--or drawing my own. But I have to disagree with that statement.

Useful for the author to keep things consistent while writing? Of course.
Interesting to some readers? Definitely.
Needed in order to follow the story? Not so much.

After you have an agent, tell him there's a map. See what he says about it. There's a good chance he'll say the best use for it is to be posted on your website as bonus content. The same goes for the genealogy of the royal family, the biology of the fantasy races, and the historical timeline.

If he does want to see it, Xerox it, scan it, whatever, but don't send out your original.
 

Nivarion

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I love maps; I can spend hours poring over a good map--fantasy or real--or drawing my own. But I have to disagree with that statement.

Useful for the author to keep things consistent while writing? Of course.
Interesting to some readers? Definitely.
Needed in order to follow the story? Not so much.

After you have an agent, tell him there's a map. See what he says about it. There's a good chance he'll say the best use for it is to be posted on your website as bonus content. The same goes for the genealogy of the royal family, the biology of the fantasy races, and the historical timeline.

If he does want to see it, Xerox it, scan it, whatever, but don't send out your original.


I'm one of those readers who loves the maps. I will often plot out where the characters are in the story on the map. Although I did give up on WoT.
 

MumblingSage

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Half the historical fiction I read has maps. That said, I'm reading about American Prehistory at the moment, so maybe those maps are needed. Many of them also have cute little dotted lines showing where the characters are travelling.

The cute dotted lines make me feel babied. But at least I can check to see how far in the 'journey' stage of the book I am...

/reader's perspective
 

knight_tour

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Okay, maybe many fantasy novels don't need them, but I do think that readers would get somewhat lost if I didn't include a map with mine. Each of the major characters (3) take completely different tracks through a rather large area.
 

knight_tour

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I haven't read it. So I can't say.

I read the first LOTR book with no problem and never had to refer to the map to figure out where they are or what was going on.

Different strokes, I guess. I enjoyed the LOTR and Silmarilion so much more because of following the characters through the world with the maps. Maybe it's because I am such a visual person.
 

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As much as I love them, I think maps should be extra. The writer shouldn't rely on the map to clarify the scenes and descriptions in the book.

Nivarion and Knight Tour: thanks for the props. I drew the entire thing by hand, using a digital drawing pad and photoshop, but I was heavily influenced by maps drawn by Andreas Blicher. I got the parchment background form his site.
 

DeleyanLee

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I apologize if this has been covered before. I am curious how agents and publishers deal with maps. Many fantasy novels need maps. I assume an agent does not want to see a map an author has done for his/her book, but what about when it goes to a publisher. I assume they do use the author's map and just have a professional artist render it better?

A few of my friends who are published also do maps. For one, the inspiration for the entire book/series stems from her maps. Another doodles something on scrap paper to solidify his ideas. Another keeps it in all her head. Another plots it out on some confusing computer program I can't remember.

Of the four authors (small sampling, but all I have), none of them submitted the maps with their books. My friends who can actually draw maps often mention to their editor (once the book is sold) that the map exists and the editor will generally look at it for consideration. Of these maps, the author's map is what got printed if a map got printed. On occasion, the editor will ask if there's a map and, if not, the author has generally produced one, either themselves or get an artist to do it, and that was the one that got printed. No professional artist hired by the publisher has ever been involved with my (limited) examples.

But maps, like any other artwork, doesn't get discussed until the book has been bought and turned in in its final form.

Hope that helps.
 

knight_tour

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A few of my friends who are published also do maps. For one, the inspiration for the entire book/series stems from her maps. Another doodles something on scrap paper to solidify his ideas. Another keeps it in all her head. Another plots it out on some confusing computer program I can't remember.

Of the four authors (small sampling, but all I have), none of them submitted the maps with their books. My friends who can actually draw maps often mention to their editor (once the book is sold) that the map exists and the editor will generally look at it for consideration. Of these maps, the author's map is what got printed if a map got printed. On occasion, the editor will ask if there's a map and, if not, the author has generally produced one, either themselves or get an artist to do it, and that was the one that got printed. No professional artist hired by the publisher has ever been involved with my (limited) examples.

But maps, like any other artwork, doesn't get discussed until the book has been bought and turned in in its final form.

Hope that helps.

That does help. I had assumed that a publisher would want a professionally done map, but now I wonder if I need to try to have one done up myself. I have drawn my map, but I don't have the artistic talent to do a great one.
 

zanizh

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i love maps too - real ones and fantasy ones. May I share one I drew for my WIP? I thought it turned out well. linky

Wowza. That's awesome!

I generally love maps and only hope that someone redraws my map(s) for mine when my book is finished. But I agree with Rose. I don't want it to take away from the story. I like the idea of having it as a "bonus" on a website.
 
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knight_tour

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I like the map being in the book; if it were only on a website I would never bother with it, and I do enjoy having them, at least when there is a lot of travelling involved in the story.
 

Tepelus

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What a nice map, H.Scribe! I've thought about drawing one up myself for my Historical/Paranormal novel, because it takes place in Hungary and Romania and might be a nice little reference for those not familiar with where the cities and towns are over there. Kostova uses a map in her novel, and it was helpful in knowing where certain cities I didn't know were located. It would save the reader from having to look them up from some other source, if the reader truly wanted to know where places were.
 
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