SOS – Mapmaker Needed

31 Thursday Mar 2011

We’ve had a very positive response from a publisher on our 6th U.S. Cavalry manuscript, and they’re ready to send contracts, but we find ourselves in a rather desperate need of a cartographer for the work’s maps. The publisher couldn’t recommend one.

Does anyone know of anyone who does this for a reasonable price? For that matter, can anyone tell me what a reasonable price is? We’re basically looking at two battle maps, a map of part of the Rappahannock, and six or seven campaign maps. Nothing earth-shattering, but definitely beyond Jim’s and my ability to produce.

Of Maps and Manuscripts

21 Thursday Jan 2010

Posted by dccaughey in maps, publishing, writing

≈ 7 Comments

I’ve encountered a question that hopefully learned readers of this blog will be able to assist me with, to wit: at what point do maps enter into the publication process for manuscripts?

This question leads to a host of other related questions, which are all the more interesting to me given that the most often viewed complaint during reviews of historical works (particularly military ones) is a lack of maps. Is it the author’s job to find a cartographer and arrange for maps, or the publisher? Is a publisher even interested in looking at a manuscript without maps? Who pays the cartographer? Should the author make rough maps for clarity before beginning the search for a cartographer?

Far more questions than answers, but perhaps this will spark a discussion.