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Writing

Make a Picture Book Smarty

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Make a Picture Book "Smarty" Copyright © 2015 Joan Y. Edwards
Make a Picture Book “Smarty”
Copyright © 2015 Joan Y. Edwards

“Make a Picture Book Smarty“

I’ve changed the name. Instead of a picture book dummy – it should be a picture book smarty. It’s smart to make one, not dumb as the name would lead you to think. After I told Linda Andersen that I think they should be called “Smarties” instead of “Dummies, ” I saw a post by Sarah S. Brannen called “Dummies for Smarties.“

What is a picture book dummy (smarty)?
Merriam Webster Online says that a dummy is:

a :  a mock-up of a proposed publication (as a book or magazine)

b :  a set of pages (as for a newspaper or magazine) with the position of text and artwork indicated for the printer

So before you can make a “smarty” for the picture book you’ve written or  another person’s picture book, you need to put the text for the story on pages that represent the book. They don’t have to be full-sized pages, but large enough for you to see how the text and the pictures are going to blend together and flow from one page to the next.

A picture book “Smarty” will help you see in a flash that there is too much text which leaves you no room for an illustration. Or that there isn’t text that makes you want to  turn the page on the odd-numbered pages. You want great page-turning text on the odd numbered pages! You can do this!

Cover Page (back of it is end paper glued to front cover)
1 – title page
2 – copyright page 3 – dedication page
4 -Blank or an illustration leading into the story 5 – FIRST PAGE OF Text STORY (No words on page 4),
6 and 7 (two-page spread1)
8 and 9 (two-page spread2)
10 and 11 (two-page spread3)
12 and 13 (two-page spread4)
14 and 15 (two-page spread5)
16 and 17 (two-page spread6)
18 and 19 (two-page spread7)
20 and 21 (two-page spread8)
22 and 23 (two-page spread9)
24 and 25 (two-page spread10)
26 and 27 (two-page spread11)
28 and 29 (two-page spread12)
30 and 31 (two-page spread13)
32 LAST PAGE OF TEXT in Picture Book.
End Paper (which is glued to back cover) Back Cover

You may choose to copy text and images and paste them into program that prints them out on regular 8 1/2 x 11 paper and staple together as a book.Or do half pages. Many people make their dummies smaller than the book. This helps cut down the cost when you print copies to send publishers or others. As long as the pages are in proportion to the finished book, you’ll be fine.

I laminated 18 pages of the size paper I wanted and bound them together with plastic coils at a local print shop. Then I taped the text and illustrations to it, including the front and back cover. When I finish one book, I can scan the pages, take them off and start again. Or laminate 18 more pages.

Do what sounds fun and will do the job! Good luck with your picture book “smarties!”
Please tell me what you think of this idea!

Resources

  1. Dulemba. “Storyboard:”http://dulemba.com/FreeTools/Storyboard.jpg
  2. David Huyck. “How to Make a Picture Book Dummy:” http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/08/how-to-make-a-picture-book-dummy/ 
  3. Kathy Temean. “How to Craft a Book Dummy:” https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/crafting-a-book-dummy/.
  4. Joan Y. Edwards. “So You Want to Write a Picture Book: “https://www.joanyedwards.com/so-you-want-to-write-a-picture-book/ 
  5. Joan Y. Edwards. “What Are Picture Books?”  https://www.joanyedwards.com/2012/01/11/what-are-picture-books/ 
  6. Wisegeek. “What Is a Picture Book?” http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-picture-book.htm
  7. Meghan McCarthy “An Illustrator’s Guide to Illustrating a Picture Book:” http://www.meghan-mccarthy.com/illustratorsguide.html
  8. Patrice Sherman. “A Few Picture Book Basics,” http://www.writingpicturebooksforchildren.com/a-few-picture-book-basics.html
  9. Patrice Sherman. “Kinds of Picture Books,” http://www.writingpicturebooksforchildren.com/types-of-picture-books.html
  10. Sarah McIntire. “Picture Book Dummy Sample” http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/76688.html
  11. Sarah S. Brannen Tutorial: “Dummies for Smarties”
    http://www.yellapalooza.com/tutorials/dummies.html
  12. Uri  Shulevitz. “How to Make a Storyboard:” http://www.mightyartdemos.com/mightyartdemos-shulevitz.html

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Copyright © 2015 Joan Y. Edwards
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