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Q&A With Julie Karen Hodgins
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Q&A With Julie Karen Hodgins
I’m
delighted to be doing this Q&A Julie Karen Hodgins! Julie is a book
planning consultant & book designer!
Q: Julie, how long have you been a
book planning consultant & book designer? What drew you into doing both?
Did you have to go to college to be a book designer and book planning
consultant or did you get a job right out of high school?
A: I have liked writing, drawing and making
books for as long as I can remember. My parents say that when I was
quite young, I showed them a book and told them that I was the “author and
illustrator.” In high school I remember noticing books that were designed with
that bit of “extra” just for fun, and when I came across an article
in a teen magazine about what they called “graphic communications”
careers, I felt I finally had a name for a job that suited me.
I kind of built my own path to this career. I
heard about a publisher that was offering internships in “desktop publishing”.
They offered me an opportunity to learn Adobe software while working next
to an experienced book designer and with a whole team that published books in
many languages. It was a unique opportunity. I worked with them for two
years, and then I studied Graphic Communications (with a print focus) at a
technical college.
Right after college I was hired by a printing
company that specialized in book printing and offered book design
services. Once again, I had the opportunity to sit next to a much more
experienced book designer, as well as learn about the entire printing process, because
we had press and bindery departments under the same roof. Many
of our clients were independent publishers. It was a privilege to see the books
I designed be printed and bound just a few meters away.
After quite a few years working at the book
printer, I decided to work independently so that I had more freedom to travel.
I continued to work with independent publishers, planning and designing their
books. I began to work on my own around the time that print-on-demand was
making printing books independently easier than it had ever been, and it has
been a fun ride!
Q: Can you explain more about what a
book planning consultant is?
A: Over many years of working with
self-publishers and independent authors who would come to me with all their
artwork and text ready, wanting me to make an amazing cover and
interior layout, I started realizing that even one hour of input earlier
in the book planning process could have helped them achieve a much more
professional-looking final product. By the time they came to me, the book page
size, illustration style, etc. were often already chosen and weren’t always
ideal. I had inquiries from people who had already sunk thousands of dollars
into photography or design and were ending up with files that could not print
or simply books that did not look attractive and could never compete with
professionally published books. I started offering what I call “Book
Planning, Design and Print Consultations” (link: https://www.juliekaren.com/book-planning-design-and-printing-consultations)
which allows would-be authors and content creators to reach out to me
early on in their brainstorming and planning process and get professional
feedback. Sometimes we work backwards by deciding how and where they will
print, which then affects design. Or I do some art direction, helping them to
find an illustrator or decide page size. Often, they return to me when they are
ready for book design.
Q: What wisdom have you learned in
your years of book planning consultant & book cover designer have you
learned, that might help others wanting to pursue both careers?
A: Ask lots of questions. Never stop
learning. I learn something new with almost every book that I design. Even
client or supervisor critiques or complaints which seem hard to handle at the
time end up making me a better designer and better professional. Be humble and
take any opportunity to learn from other more experienced designers.
Listen to the market (a nice phrase I stole from
my business coach, Ilise Benun https://www.marketing-mentor.com/)
and figure out what people need, and how you can help. That’s how I realized
that creators need help with book planning.
Also, you don’t have to offer every service under
the sun. You may start out as a generalist, but you can’t do everything equally
well. Figure out what your superpowers are and then find other great
professionals who can help your clients with things you cannot. For example, I
learned early on that I would not be able to keep up with ever-changing eBook
standards. I found someone who is great at making eBooks and keeping up with
the technical details of that. We are both happier when he handles my eBooks.
Q: If you were to be an author, what
genre would your book be?
A: That is a good question. Probably a children’s
book or a memoir.
Q: Which do you enjoy more, book
planning or book designing? Why?
I enjoy both. Planning is often a conversation
with the client, and I love to learn about other people’s experiences and
projects and have interesting talks with them. I get to talk to people all over
the world. But the introvert in me also enjoys the quieter work of
brainstorming cover design ideas or typesetting (laying out) a long book.
Q: Would you please add links to your
website and social media accounts so the readers can follow & contact you?
A: https://www.juliekaren.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-karen-hodgins/
