Jacket proof for SICK arrived


Production Genius Kathy Lovisolo delivers the Jacket proofs for SICK

A nice gritty matte jacket






About the book
 
Brian and his friends are not part of the cool crowd. They’re the misfits and the troublemakers—the ones who jump their high school’s fence to skip class regularly. So when a deadly virus breaks out, they’re the only ones with a chance of surviving.
The virus turns Brian’s classmates and teachers into bloodthirsty attackers who don’t die easily. The whole school goes on lockdown, but Brian and his best friend, Chad, are safe (and stuck) in the theater department—far from Brian’s sister, Kenzie, and his ex-girlfriend with a panic attack problem, Laura. Brian and Chad, along with some of the theater kids Brian had never given the time of day before, decide to find the girls and bring them to the safety of the theater. But it won’t be easy, and it will test everything they thought they knew about themselves and their classmates.

Praise for SICK
"The gore and action will leave enthralled readers thrilled and then sated with each kill on either side."
—Booklist


About the author
Tom Leveen is the author of Party, Zero, and manicpixiedreamgirl. Zero was named to YALSA’s list of Best Fiction for Young Adults. This is his first foray into the horror genre. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

Cover Evolution of A Greyhound of a Girl—Hardcover & Paperback

Art for both the hardcover and Paperback versions of 
A Greyhound of a Girl was made by Karl Kwasny

1st color attempt
Fully rendered bottom character

Back to a silo character
Now with more arm movement!

One last thing. Adding white to the type for the final design.

A Greyhound of a Girl


Paperback Redesign





Final Paperback Version


About the book
Mary O’Hara is a sharp and cheeky 12-year-old Dublin schoolgirl who is bravely facing the fact that her beloved Granny is dying. But Granny can’t let go of life, and when a mysterious young woman turns up in Mary’s street with a message for her Granny, Mary gets pulled into an unlikely adventure. The woman is the ghost of Granny’s own mother, who has come to help her daughter say good-bye to her loved ones and guide her safely out of this world. She needs the help of Mary and her mother, Scarlett, who embark on a road trip to the past. Four generations of women travel on a midnight car journey. One of them is dead, one of them is dying, one of them is driving, and one of them is just starting out.

Praise for A Greyhound of a Girl
STARRED REVIEW
“A warm, witty, exquisitely nuanced multigenerational story.”
–Kirkus Reviews, starred review

STARRED REVIEW
“This elegantly constructed yet beautifully simple story, set in Ireland and spun with affection by Booker Prize–winner Doyle, will be something different for YA readers. These four lilting voices will linger long after the book is closed.”
–Booklist, starred review

STARRED REVIEW
"Written mostly in dialogue, at which Doyle excels, and populated with a charming foursome of Irish women, this lovely tale is as much about overcoming the fear of death as it is about death itself."
–Publishers Weekly, starred review

"In this moving and artfully structured ghost tale, four generations of Irish women come together. A big part of the pleasure here is the rhythm of the language and the contrasting voices of the generations. Any opportunity to read it aloud would be a treat."
–Horn Book

"For children grieving the death of a parent or grandparent, this book provides comfort."
–Library Media Connection

Award:
Capitol Choices 2013 - Noteworthy Titles for Children and Teens
Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) Choices 2013 list - Young Adult Fiction
 

About the author
Roddy Doyle is the author of nine novels. He won the Man Booker Prize in 1993 for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha. His novels have been made into popular films, including The Commitmentsand The Snapper. He lives and works in Dublin, Ireland.

Cover sketches for UNDERTOWN by Jon Foster










Jon Foster
http://www.jonfoster.com/




About the book
In this fast-paced adventure story, Timothy and Jessamyn are towed through the streets of Manhattan riding in Timothy’s family’s sailboat, on their way to the Long Island shore, when the boat comes unhitched from its truck. The teens “sail” backward down a hill in Upper Manhattan, then fall down a huge construction site hole and into the vast sewer system below.
Thrust into an amazing adventure, the kids navigate waterfalls and rapids as they travel through the rain sewers. They meet a graffiti artist their own age, a homeless person named You, and rats the size of large dogs. They fall into the hands of a gangster who claims the sewers as her kingdom and the homeless as her subjects, and acts as a fence for luxury goods! Will she feed Timothy and Jessamyn to the rats?

Cover sketches for Genie Wishes

Genie Wishes









About the book
This sweet, funny novel follows fifth-grader Genie Kunkle through a tumultuous year. From the first day of school, Genie knows there will be good, bad, and in-between. The good? She’s in homeroom with her best friend, Sarah. The bad? Sarah’s friend from camp, Blair, is a new student at their school, and is itching to take Genie’s place as Sarah’s BFF. The in-between? Genie is excited to be elected to write her class’s blog, where she’s tasked with tracking the wishes and dreams of her class. But expressing her opinion in public can be scary—especially when her opinion might make the rest of her class upset.
Elisabeth Dahl authentically captures the ups and downs of a tween girl’s life, and the dramas—both little and big—that fill the scary transition between childhood and adolescence.

Bazooka Joe and His Gang


Bazooka Joe and His Gang
by The Topps Company, Preface by Talley Morse, Introduction by Nancy Morse and Kirk Taylor, Essays by Len Brown, R. Sikoryak, and Bhob Stewart; Afterword by Jay Lynch, Selected by and from the collection of Jeff Shepherd.
We have been working with Kirk Taylor to publish some excellent guest blog posts — read them at the Abrams ComicArts blog:
http://abramscomicarts.com/journal/2013/5/13/gadzooks-its-bazooka
http://abramscomicarts.com/journal/2013/5/3/bazooka-joe-and-his-gang

Our Tumblr post:
http://abramsbooks.tumblr.com/post/49869698769/que-sabor-pencil-acrylic-on-carboard-30-x

Connect with Kirk, Nancy, R. Sikoryak and Bhob Stewart:
Kirk Taylor
http://twitter.com/taylormorseart
http://taylormorseart.tumblr.com/
http://taylormorsecollection.com/
Nancy Morse
http://twitter.com/NancyMorse
http://www.nancymorse.com/
R. Sikoryak
http://twitter.com/Rsikoryak
Bhob Stewart






Abrams ComicArts and SelfMadeHero received a total of SIX Eisner nominations this year!


Fantastic News!!!


Abrams ComicArts and SelfMadeHero received a total of SIX Eisner nominations this year! 


For Abrams ComicArts:
Best Reality-Based Work - The Carter Family
Best Writer - Frank M. Young, The Carter Family



Best Comic Related Book –
The Art of Daniel Clowes 



For SelfMadeHero:
Best Reality Based Work - A Chinese Life
Best Adaptation from Another Medium - Chico and Rita
Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Asia - A Chinese Life

The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are prizes given for creative achievement in comic books, and are the comic world's equivalent of the Academy Awards. Voting for the awards is held online, and the ballot will be available soon online, and we will send out another email when that happens. 

All professionals in the comic book industry are eligible to vote. The results of the voting will be announced in a gala awards ceremony on the evening of Friday, July 19 at Comic-Con International.

Congratulations to everyone involved!!!

New Drawing!



More drawings!
http://cwdrawings.blogspot.com/


All drawings reasonable priced.
Email
chadwbecks@gmail.com
for pricing

AMULET BOOKS WINS NEW MIDDLE GRADE BOOK SERIES


The news of our the new series Susan Van Metre and Charlie Kochman acquired by bestselling author Jon Scieszka broke over the holiday week. Our official statement is below. Publishers Weekly ran an exclusive in the 12/24 print magazine, which is attached for you to forward to your accounts that can use the news.  Please note that the series will not be published until fall 2014. We needed to release the news now as there were other publishers who bid on the series so waiting too long would allow the news to be broken by another source as people were speculating. It’s very exciting to have Jon on board.

AMULET BOOKS WINS NEW MIDDLE GRADE BOOK SERIES FROM BESTSELLING AUTHOR JON SCIESZKA IN A HEATED 6-WAY AUCTION

Senior Vice President and Publisher Susan Van Metre and Editorial Director Charles Kochman at ABRAMS Amulet Books imprint beat out five other children’s publishers for the first six books in a new illustrated middle grade series by bestselling author Jon Scieszka, the nation’s first National Ambassador of Children’s literature. Titled Frank Einstein, Kid Scientist and illustrated by Brian Biggs, the series is about a budding scientist who battles an evil genius with the help of two well-meaning but imperfect robots that he invents. The first book will appear in fall 2014. Scieszka’s longtime agent Steven Malk at Writers House orchestrated the deal. Amulet Books plans an extensive marketing and publicity campaign for the launch.

Jon Scieszka always wanted to be a kid science genius. The closest he got was winning a green "Participant" ribbon at his fourth grade Science Fair and dressing up one Halloween as a bloody Albert Einstein. Scieszka studied pre-med in college. He taught elementary school, including second grade science, in New York City for ten years.  For over twenty years, he has been a children's book writer, and is the author of The True Story of 3 Little Pigs!, The Stinky Cheese Man, the Time Warp Trio series, Math Curse, Science Verse, the Trucktown series, the Spaceheadz series, and more. In 2008, Scieszka was named the nation's first National Ambassador of Young People's Literature by the Library of Congress and the Children's Book Council.  He is also the founder of the web-based literacy initiative for boys called Guys Read, and is the editor of the Guys Read Library of Great Reading series.

Founded by Harry N. Abrams in 1949, ABRAMS was the first company in the United States to specialize in the creation and distribution of art and illustrated books. Now a subsidiary of La Martinière Groupe, the company publishes visually stunning illustrated books in the areas of art, photography, cooking, interior and garden design, craft, architecture, entertainment, fashion, sports, pop culture, as well as children's books and general interest titles. The company's imprints include Abrams, Abrams ComicArts, Abrams Image, Abrams Books for Young Readers, Amulet Books, Abrams Appleseed, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, and STC Craft/Melanie Falick Books. Abrams also distributes books for The Vendome Press, Victoria & Albert Museum, Tate, Royal Academy of Arts, Booth-Clibborn Editions, Five Continents and others.
www.abramsbooks.com

The Evolution of a NERDS book cover



"I imagine people will be surprised at how much work goes into this type of project. I'm surprised, and I participated in it!" —Ethen Beavers

The following shows the process Ethen and I went through working on the cover for Michael Buckley's latest series, NERDS. I wish I could have better descriptions but I don't want to give away all my secrets.

Step one find an Illustrator.
To find the perfect illustrator I teamed up with Michael and headed down to our local comic store, Rocketship  (sadly, now closed) on a cold January afternoon. We shifted through comics and graphic novels , compiling a list of ten names that we would present to our editor Susan Van Metre. In the end Ethen Beavers was the nerd for us. I tracked Ethen down by leaving a message on his art message board since all other searches came up flat. He responded which was a welcomed surprise.

I then sent him Michael's 2nd draft manuscript and a brief summary.

NERDS book description:
A secret spy ring of nerdy elementary school misfits
Combining all the excitement of international espionage and all the awkwardness of elementary school, NERDS, featuring a group of unpopular students who run a spy network from inside their school, hits the mark. With the help of cutting-edge science, their nerdy qualities are enhanced and transformed into incredible abilities! They battle the Hyena, a former junior beauty pageant contestant turned assassin, and an array of James Bond–style villains, each with an evil plan more diabolical and more ridiculous than the last.


Step two begin sketch phase

Ethen's first sketch



My first alternate compositional sketch. The idea was to introduce the all the characters.


Here the idea is the same but a little more realized. We added braces in the type. I add to a nerdy style as well as to highlight the main characters nerdy quality. This would be repeated through out the series. Only there was something still not quite working.







We where forgetting the Spy angle to the NERDS story.
here are some additional sketches working out new compositions



The idea of and official seal came up.
Finally a font was chosen





Here we begin to work out color and how it will be used throughout a 6 book series



Next how to treat the type. I wanted a techie feel to the type as seen below.



Final type

But the seal still is working correctly. So we tried to nerd that up as well.
In the end it proved to be to much.




At last the color and composition is worked out.
Only something is still not working.



Again we needed more spy imagery. So we research James Bond and Mission Impossible imagery.
Ethen worked up these great sketches reworking the characters.







Ethen then combined the two ideas in to a final sketch



Then we took it to a cover meeting to see if we were on track.
Turns out we were!



Final art with out text.

Final Cover with text



Back cover design

Each book features a character. Book 1 features Jackson " Braceface" Jones, the new recruit. The fourteen pounds of metal in his mouth make him the team's go-to gadget guy!

One last bit a of business the CASE COVER! 

Did you know we designed the case covers for NERDS series with a different image than the jacket. I knew it you didn't. Who looks at the case cover anyway. GULP! I do.


Case Cover

The idea for the different case was to reveal the NERDS secret identities as normal kids. Apparently when they are not saving the world they also become fashion disasters.







Also in the NERDS series






About the book
Michael Buckley is at his comic best in this madcap new series sure to appeal to kids looking for a quick, exciting read.

Combining all the excitement of international espionage and all the awkwardness of elementary school, NERDS, featuring a group of unpopular students who run a spy network from inside their school, hits the mark. With the help of cutting-edge science, their nerdy qualities are enhanced and transformed into incredible abilities! They battle the Hyena, a former junior beauty pageant contestant turned assassin, and an array of James Bond–style villains, each with an evil plan more diabolical and more ridiculous than the last.

F&P level: V

Praise for NERDS
“An action-packed, tongue-in-cheek take on the world of superheroes and villains. The pacing is quick and the action is plentiful—kids will almost hear the sound effects as they read. NERDS brings a worthy message to the fore—that uncool kids can grow up to be anything but. Funny, clever, and thoroughly entertaining, this title should be popular.”
–School Library Journal 

"The unique format of this book, combined with the imaginative and playful storyline, will appeal to many readers."
–Children's Literature

About the author
Michael Buckley is the author of the New York Times bestselling series and Today Show Al Roker Book Club pick The Sisters Grimm. He has also written and developed shows for Nickelodeon, Disney, MTV Animation, the Sci- Fi Channel, the Discovery Channel, and VH1. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Alison, and son, Finn.


The Evolution of a Picture Book Cover, Starring JOHN BROWN


Illustrator and author John Hendrix posted the 'Anatomy of a Jacket' on his Blog Drawing on a Deadline. John discussed the process of making the jacket for his latest book JOHN BROWN:His Fight for Freedom. This entry is a follow-up to his but from the view of the art director. Let's begin.


Usually after most of the interior is underway, do I start asking the illustrator (in this case John Hendrix) to start sketching up cover ideas. Sometimes I will have something in mind that might work. This was not one of those times. I felt that what ever John might sketch up was going to be better than any suggestion I might have. But more importantly at this stage I feared that any direction might stifle his creative process.

So John began to sketch.



And from there he selected his best sketch



At first glance John's sketch was very impressive and exciting only was it right for the book? I waited a couple of days to see if it was still as exciting. After showing it to the editor Howard Reeves. His concerns echoed my own. That as beautiful of a drawing as it was, for a cover it was to stately and stiff for the book that it is. In addition the subtitle was of some concern "The Oath of Freedom" It leads you to believe that John Brown actually took an oath, which he he did not. Howard and John worked on subtitles that might better suit the story.

My direction to John was simple we need more motion/action. I wanted to feel John Brown's passion. I referred him to pieces from the interior that worked well and captured what I was trying to say.


So back to the drawing board.


This new sketch compositionally was better than the last, it definitely had action. I loved how the type was developing but now John Brown appeared to be crazy pants rather than a 'hero' . How where we to make him appear to be a 'hero'. At first this was a hard thing to do. mainly because of his beard. It made him look Joaquin Phoenix / Una bomber crazy. This had to change. I suggested thinking of Superman crossed with Moses.


We both seemed excited by this idea but would it work? John went out in search of reference.


John's next sketch was right on the nose. At this point we worked out a subtitle that better described John's Brown's story, " His Fight for Freedom"


Only one slight change. We needed a girl character. (See below)


Next John stopped by my office where we went over how the whole cover would look. Back cover, flaps, and spine. I wanted to utilize John's typography as much as possible. Type is not something to be place just on top of an illustration. Anything I might have done would look unnatural with his art. I try to make sure that type and illustration live together rather than fighting with each other. I had John work up type for the flaps and spine , well really the whole jacket.



Once the sketch was approved John set out to work on the final. He first looked over the entire book to remind himself of the general color structure. From here I wait until I see the final art. Below are John's studies and process of making the final art



The shield on the bottom of the art needed to be used on the title page as well, in different proportions, so he built all the elements of the cover individually and assembled them in Photoshop.



Once the bottom was assembled in place with the flaps and spine, He could lay in the art for the top. Here is the full piece, unobscured by the shield.






Finally the cover art was done. Next step add Jacket and Flap copy.




Here is the final front cover.

 For more about JOHN HENDRIX check out this cool interview.
Also Illustrated by John Hendrix, 
Nurse, Soldier, Spy
The Story of Sarah Edmonds, a Civil War Hero


Illustration © 2009 by John Hendrix.
Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers. New York.
Posted with permission of publisher. All rights reserved.

ABRAMS Kids on INSTAGRAM!

ABRAMS Kids is now on Instagram. 

Follow us for a behind the scenes look into Abrams Appleseed, 
Abrams Books For Young Readers and Amulet Books. 

Follow us!

( please :) )

 Follow @abramskids




Here is a Sneak Peak of what is to come.



Fun with Authors and Illustrators!


Michael Buckley


Dan Santat


The team behind Kel Gilligan's Daredevil Stunt Show



Sneak Peaks of new books

Shadow on the Mountain



#sneakpeakweek

Author and Illustrator visits to the office



Laurent de Brunhoff delivering art for Babar's Celesteville Games

Behind the scenes of a book cover photo shoot!


Our model for Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe

Author and Illustrator signings!


Fiona Robinson signs What Animals Really Like



And office shenanigans!



A for ABRAMS
#aforabrams @abramskids @abramsbooks

A for ABRAMS


We over here at ABRAMS KIDS have started a campaign on Instagram and Twitter called A for ABRAMS ( #aforabrams ) We are collecting A's that are artful, well designed, or just plain cool from anywhere that you might find them. The idea is whenever you happen to see one of these artful A's out and about you can join us by hash tagging your A #aforabrams as well as including our Instagram or twitter handle @abramskids or @abramsbooks.  Have some fun and we hope you all get to see the world around you a little better.

Here area few examples of different A's I have found.

You can find artful A's in our books!


 By Ross McDonald from Hit The Road, Jack



From PANTONE COLORS designer by Meagan Bennett



From  I HAD A FAVORITE DRESS by Julia Denos

Or on your favorite wimpy book!


From Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Or you can be crafty and make one to hang on your window.



Or you can find one in your local Museum!


 Found at MOMA


Or at your local bookstore!


Found at R. J. Julia Independent Booksellers in Madison, Ct


Or at your favorite restaurant!


Found at Prime Meats in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn


Good luck hunting! A for ABRAMS #aforbrams @abramsbooks and @abramskids