Graphic Novelist Chooses Colorpage

French flaps frame the book visually, they are tactile, make great bookmarks and add an element of reader interest. French flaps are ideal for synopsis and author biography … and perhaps even proof that you may occasionally judge a book by its cover.

There are few things more exacting than an old-school printer’s eye. And I have two of them. I first encountered ColorPage in the Exhibition Room at a Self-Publishing Expo in Manhattan, where they displayed a table of books. I was impressed not only by the quality of the books, but also by the knowledge of the sales rep. I took notes and a brochure. Several months later, when I decided to bring the Moon Realm Series into print . . .

I solicited price quotes from six printers who offered full-color, digital presses, ColorPage was among them. Having seen the quality of their books firsthand, I worried they would be out of my price-range. Happily, that was not the case. Not only did they meet my price range, but they did so while offering better paper and cover stock!

As anyone who’s been involved in books knows, bringing a meticulously designed one to life takes a symphony of talent. Everyone has to be at the top of his or her game: illustrator, author, editors, typesetter, page and cover designer, pre-press, and pressman (or women!). It’s a business just as tricky on the publishing end as on the printing end. And the only thing that matters is the final product.

ColorPage surpassed my expectations at every hurdle. When the first batch of boxes arrived at Gibbering Gnome Press’s loading dock (my garage), our excitement was high.

I examined the first book out of the box very quickly, –then, very slowly. It was gorgeous. But it was more than that: it was perfect.

As a bookseller of twenty-one years (yes, I wear many hats), I know what a great book looks like. When I put The Moon Coin on our front table, alongside the Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Artemis Fowl, Lemony Snicket, Nicholas Flamel, Fablehaven, Leviathan, Narnia, Warriors, Hunger Games, and more . . . it looked right at home.

–Richard Due

Richard Due (pronounced “Dewey”) first imagined the Moon Realm while telling bedtime tales to his children. He makes his home in Southern Maryland, where he and his wife have owned and operated Second Looks Books since 1991.

Gibbering Gnome Press,
A Division of Ingenious Inventions Run Amok, Ink
themoonrealm.com