Behind the Scenes: Design and Planning

Aquatic zombie by Violet Kirk

It took from the fall of 2009 to February 2011 to write, edit, design and get the artwork for the book.  During this time, I was also going to school, working on a book for Arc Dream Inc. called Road Trip and podcasting. However, I think I could have finished Zombies of the World in less time had I planned better.

The book sprang organically from the material I used for the web series, so I didn’t spend much time determining exactly how many images I would need or how many words I would need to write for each section. At first, I focused on writing the main text and assigning art for the artists. My idea was to finish the main text and send it off to get edited. While it was being edited, I could work on the layout. At least that was the original plan. Once the bulk of the rough draft was written, I sent it off.

Unstable Authority Figure by VIolet Kirk

The initial layout took only a short while, since I had help from several friends in creating a base template for the book. It was then a matter of pasting in the text and images. However, I often found that I needed to lengthen or shorten the text to fit the page better. This resulted in writing new text within Indesign. I also found I needed more art to vary the layout of the book. Since the book was full color, I wanted to take advantage and fill it with great artwork. Too much text would be a waste. So the book went through several major revisions as I added new material, revised it, adjusted the layout and then repeated the process. This led to several holes in the production cycle as I would have to assign artwork later on once I knew I needed it and would then have to wait for it.

What I learned: Planning a major project like a book takes a lot of time up front but it saves time and frustration in the backend. It’s imperative to know what you will need from other people so you can get them working as soon as possible. It will also take longer than you originally plan. Delays and setbacks are common. It’s important to keep moving ahead though. You can’t finish a project if you don’t keep working at it. Keeping the energy to continue over the long term is the hardest part. It’s so easy to give up and try again later.

Of course, I did manage to wrap everything up and send the book off to the printer. I got the printed books in late June and the final result was worth the wait, I think. Of course, marketing and distribution are entirely different skill sets that I’m still learning but I’m proud to have pulled it off.

This concludes the behind the scenes blog posts. If you want to learn more, feel free to email me or comment about what you liked or didn’t like. I’d love to hear if these posts were informative or not.

 

October is Zombie Appreciation Month!

The North American Necrological Research Institute designates October as Zombie Appreciation Month. They aren’t alone – even the state of Kansas has declared October as “Zombie Preparedness Month”  So to celebrate, we’re having a sale and releasing some great free content for you all!

EVERYTHING IS ON SALE!

Zombies of the World is $13.95 with FREE shipping, this month only!
Ebook editions are $2.99
The Survivor Safety Poster is only $7.50 with FREE shipping
The Species Poster is now only $9.95 with FREE shipping

This isn’t all though. Every Tuesday and Thursday, we’ll post brand new zombie-related content to our blog like:

 

  • The conclusion of the Zombies of the World web series
  • Survivalism and the zombie apocalypse: a two part essay
  • Songs of the dead: great zombie songs you should hear
  • Behind the scenes: planning Zombies of the World
  • The new wave in foreign zombie films
  • A new excerpt from Zombies of the World
  • A podcast of Ross Payton’s Gencon 2011 Zombie Panel
  • and more!

Be sure to subscribe to our blog (RSS feed here)

The Zed Word reviews Zombies of the World

They like us, they really like us!

Zombies of the World is a relief from everything that’s wrong with most zombie guides. Unlike many other guides that are tedious and dry attempts to cash in on the undead, Zombies of the World is sharply written, wonderfully illustrated and designed, mercifully concise, and deeply influenced by zombie culture. And most important of all: it’s really fun to read.

Read the whole review here.

World War Z to hit theaters December 21, 2012

One of the best pieces of zombie literature will finally hit the silver screen next year:

Paramount has announced they’ll be dropping their Brad Pitt-led zombie movie “World War Z” into theaters on December 21, 2012. The film is currently shooting with Marc Forster directing the Black List-approved script by J. Michael Straczynski (with rewrites by Matthew Michael Carnahan) that centers on a UN bureaucrat named Gerry Lane, who in the aftermath of the zombie war is asked to compile a complete report on the incident.

From Indiewire

Fingerprint scanners can now tell the living from the (un)dead

According to New Scientist “researchers at Dermalog Identification Systems in Hamburg, Germany, have developed a way for a fingerprint scanner to differentiate between live and dead tissue.”Ostensibly designed to keep thieves from bypassing fingerprint scanners by severing fingers from authorized users, this system can also be of great help against intelligent zombie species. Talking Zombies are particularly clever and determined predators and would not hesitate to mutilate a victim to gain access to secure locations.