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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/