If you want to write to the publishing house "Osprey" ...
This article is my 900th material on the VO website since 2015. And I would like him to somehow stand out among others - about Tanks, Vikings, conquistadors, rifles and machine guns of different countries and peoples. To be useful not only in terms of information - “well, I haven’t read about it yet, it’s interesting”, but could also provide some help to at least some readers, so to speak, of a practical nature.
Why is the trilobite brooch painted by Angus MacBrpide on the Scandinavian woman’s chest? And because in this place such brooches were found in a number of burials! Moreover, a particularly interesting result was the excavation of burials in Greenland. They even found the remaining clothes ...
And here, as always, the readers themselves came to my aid. Already not one or two, but several immediately asked me to talk about cooperation with publishers of popular science literature, including historical, and the British publishing house Osprey Publishing, in particular. Well, what can you do if most of our journalists, although they have nothing to do with such a subject as science, are nevertheless constantly striving to expose the same British scientists in an absurd and ridiculous form. Apparently this is done exclusively for those readers who in this way rise, or rather, would very much like to rise above the citizens of other countries. The familiar refrain - “But with regard to ballet, we are ahead of the planet ...”
Well, this is someone you like, but the fact is that in fact, working with any publishing company is very important, and especially with the same publishing company Osprey. But ... you can, as evidenced by the experience of many Russian authors published in this publishing house. But there are some pitfalls. And about them, and the very creative kitchen of the author and will go today another story.
To begin with, all major foreign publishers, including non-fiction literature publishers, work only through literary agents. And they still need to find and agree with them that they will represent you. It is clear that in order for this to happen, it is necessary that your book be written in good English, French or German. You can ask for the translation of the book, but it does not make sense. The translation is paid by the author himself. It is expensive and in the end you will get ... zilch! And books need to be published in order to earn them!
And that's just "Osprey" and is perhaps the only exception to this rule. Sometimes they themselves turn to a well-known historian with a request to write a book for them: even in Soviet times, such a precedent took place with historian E.V. Chernenko, who studied the Scythians. But he is unlikely to have received much for the book published at that time. I remember when, in 1989, I had an article in a magazine in Bulgaria, they also sent me a fee in 25 dollars from there, but they gave me only five checks and that for Birch, and everything else went on to build the world socialist system. Approximately the same thing happened to him, only on a much larger scale.
But you can take the initiative yourself: sit down and write an email to them - they say, I ... such and such ... I have an interesting topic for Osprey, I want to suggest it. Now they are preparing a portfolio for 2020 year, so it is not too late ...
Every detail of this picture by A. McBride has been confirmed in the findings of archaeologists ...
What needs to be done next? Write a request! This is also necessary if you contact our publishers. Since the requirements in all publishing houses are different, ad-libbing here is unacceptable. But on the websites of our publishing houses there is usually a section: “To Authors”, all the requirements of which must be strictly adhered to. Porridge butter here will not spoil!
With the British, it’s both easier and harder at the same time. First of all, in the volume of a couple of paragraphs you should write about what your book is and what it matters in the general cultural and informational plan. Then you take a similar edition and see what sections it consists of. About the same should be with you!
But this picture is made on the basis of images on the famous “Bayeux carpet” ...
Here, for example, the content of a book about the Volga Bulgars and the fall of the Kazan Khanate:
INTRODUCTION
CHRONOLOGY (Chronology)
WARS OF THE VOLGA BULGARS (Historical text)
• The pre-Islamic period
• 10th-13th centuries: Islam and its rewards
• 13th century: the coming of the Mongols
• 14th century: the scourge of the Novgorod ushkuyniki
• 15th century: the Khanate of Kazan
• 16th century: resistance to Muscovy, and fall
ARMIES: ORGANIZATION & TACTICS (Tactics and organization)
ARMS & ARMOR (Weapon Research Text)
• Swords and sabres - spears and javelins - battleaxes - maces and bludgeons - bows and arrows
• Helmets - armor - shields
FORTIFICATIONS & SIEGE WARFARE (Fortification)
• Timber and moat fortifications - siege machinery - firearms
CONCLUSIONS (Conclusion)
FURTHER READING (Bibliography for further reading)
PLATE COMMENTARIES (Picture Comments)
There are several series on which books are distributed in Osprey –– the most famous - “Men at Arms” (People weapons), there is a series of "Company", "Battle", in a word, before you write there, you should open the publisher's website and get acquainted with all aspects of its activities. In the MAA series, the usual number of pages is 48, in others it may be 64, and 96. Well, it is clear that the more pages, the ... more fee, in the event that you submit your text in English. And you will be paid for 20-30 photos for one book, captions for them, as well as captions under the pictures and comments to them. However, not all so simple. Pay only for your own photos or archival photos indicating what kind of archive.
You will have to write the text yourself. For 48-page edition - 35 pure text pages. Of course, you can use network translators, but the result will be terrible. Moreover, in the process of writing the text you need to remember that the informativeness of Russian and English differs by 20% in plus and minus. When translating into English, our sentences should be shortened, while English ones, on the contrary, should be lengthened! Literally translated means doom your work to failure. But even in this case, that is, if you managed to write enough “English text”, you will most likely be offered a co-author — a specialist in this or a related field — to bring your text “to mind”. And, of course, you have to share with him the fee.
Let's say you wanted to write them a book about the Russ and the Vikings, and they accepted it. You want to decorate it with an epigraph - “Aria of the Varangian Guest” from the opera Rimsky-Korsakov “Sadko”.
Here is the Russian text: Bulat swords, arrows sharp at the Vikings,
They inflict death without failing the enemy,
Brave people of midnight countries
Great is their One God, sullen sea.
But the translation from Google: Swords bulatny, arrows are sharp for the Varangians,
They cause death to the enemy,
People are brave of midnight,
Great is one God, gloomy sea.
Who knows English - laugh. Who does not know, let him take a word that the translation is inaccurate and very, not to mention the complete absence of English rhyme. The last phrase touches especially: “God alone is great, sullen sea!”
So joint work with a foreign colleague is very desirable. In addition, you will have to draw up a contract with the publishing house through it, since it is he who is a subject of the UK, not you. But on the other hand, they will send you a document on 28 pages, where literally every pound will be written, so you will not have to doubt the honesty of the publisher (which is why our authors are afraid most of all). It has not yet been the case that Osprey deceived one of its authors. The only thing that you will not know - and what will not be printed in the most published book is the number of printed copies. The number of reprints is indicated, the number of copies is not! But all the same, the amount will be very decent, so you will get a lot more for pure 35 pages of the text of the MAA 48-page edition than for a book in 10 copyrighted sheets or 400000 signs in our country!
A good artist has enough of such sketches. Fig. I. Zeynalova
However, this is just the beginning of work - write an acceptable English text. Next you will need photos. They can be taken from the Internet, yes, it is possible, but only all of them should be “public domain”, that is, be in public use. Either these are photos taken by you personally, and then at the end you should modestly indicate - “the author's photo”.
Or these ... Pic. I. Zeynalova
However, the most difficult is the illustrations. There are eight of them in the MAA series. The number of pieces on them varies from one + details of weapons, to 4-5. Some of the illustrations should have a horizontal arrangement of the figures, the other part should be vertical. And you cannot say: “Here is the text for you, and let your artist draw everything from it!” Sometimes we can say that. Work in the publishing house "Osprey" is organized quite differently.
The easiest, if you write about the Russian hussar regiments 1812, or our modern Rosgvardiyu. In the first case - “pictures” and cards - the sea. In the second - well, probably, you have a lot of photos that you can offer them to the artist so that he draws on them the required 8 illustrations. But what if all this is not? But where to get pictures "about the Rus"?
Already ready drawing which "Osprey" accepts and uses. Author A. Sheps.
Sketches have to draw yourself or invite a friend of the artist. Personally, I had this: since my co-author was David Nicole, and he is not only a well-known historian, but he also draws well, I first sent him a bunch of sketches, photographs from the museum in Kazan, as well as photos of individual artifacts, indicating which figures it should be placed. There were photos and drawings of sabers, helmets, armor, shields - patterns on the fabric, in a word - absolutely everything that an artist might need.
D. Nicole, having received from me a pack of related materials, drew sketches of each figure and sent them to me, indicating question marks in circles, what is the color of a number of details and where does the information come from? I had to make references to the State Historical Museum, the Tatar Historical Museum, the books of the historian Pletneva, and much more. And the figures in the picture are usually from 3 to 5, and each one will be required of you by such a sketch, indicating where you came from this or that detail. That is why it is so funny for me to read the “writings” of some “experts” who claim that there is a kind of “fantasy” in the drawings in the Osprey books. I wish it were so! Then I wouldn’t have to answer three times to questions like “Where does the saber handle come from?” Confirm the photo, specify the source! "," Where did the pattern on the shield? Confirm with a link to the source! ”, And so on.
A lot of trouble delivering cards and what is written on them. This is a very hard work - to make them, and the artist to draw.
In addition, at the end of the book there should be a list of references that you used yourself and which readers can read as a supplement. Naturally, I have books in Russian, and on the part of D. Nicolas - in English. But the names of Russian books should be given in English transcription - and here sit down and translate: “Kulikovskaya bitva”, izdatel'stvo “Centrópoligraph” ... in a word, the pleasure is below average.
Again, this is just SKETCH! Not the fact that the publisher does not alter this card in its own way. "Everything will be SO and NOT SO at the same time."
True, what makes work easier? Well, first of all, the volume, and secondly - this is still a popular science exposition of the topic. But on the other hand, how many letters did you need to send back and forth to solve all these issues ?! Now everything goes by e-mail, and in the recent past it was necessary to go to the post office very often ...
But this is only one of the scans from photos from the museum, confirming that the arrowheads were like this. That is, when the artist "Osprey" will draw an archer, he will be able to use a photo of the tip in his drawing. He is so explicitly stated - “This” is THIS! Then there will be some kind of “expert” (like those that sometimes appear here on VO) and will shout that this is a “fabulous tip” that there really weren’t. And here it was, and drawn from photographs from the museum.
To be continued ...
Why is the trilobite brooch painted by Angus MacBrpide on the Scandinavian woman’s chest? And because in this place such brooches were found in a number of burials! Moreover, a particularly interesting result was the excavation of burials in Greenland. They even found the remaining clothes ...
And here, as always, the readers themselves came to my aid. Already not one or two, but several immediately asked me to talk about cooperation with publishers of popular science literature, including historical, and the British publishing house Osprey Publishing, in particular. Well, what can you do if most of our journalists, although they have nothing to do with such a subject as science, are nevertheless constantly striving to expose the same British scientists in an absurd and ridiculous form. Apparently this is done exclusively for those readers who in this way rise, or rather, would very much like to rise above the citizens of other countries. The familiar refrain - “But with regard to ballet, we are ahead of the planet ...”
Well, this is someone you like, but the fact is that in fact, working with any publishing company is very important, and especially with the same publishing company Osprey. But ... you can, as evidenced by the experience of many Russian authors published in this publishing house. But there are some pitfalls. And about them, and the very creative kitchen of the author and will go today another story.
To begin with, all major foreign publishers, including non-fiction literature publishers, work only through literary agents. And they still need to find and agree with them that they will represent you. It is clear that in order for this to happen, it is necessary that your book be written in good English, French or German. You can ask for the translation of the book, but it does not make sense. The translation is paid by the author himself. It is expensive and in the end you will get ... zilch! And books need to be published in order to earn them!
And that's just "Osprey" and is perhaps the only exception to this rule. Sometimes they themselves turn to a well-known historian with a request to write a book for them: even in Soviet times, such a precedent took place with historian E.V. Chernenko, who studied the Scythians. But he is unlikely to have received much for the book published at that time. I remember when, in 1989, I had an article in a magazine in Bulgaria, they also sent me a fee in 25 dollars from there, but they gave me only five checks and that for Birch, and everything else went on to build the world socialist system. Approximately the same thing happened to him, only on a much larger scale.
But you can take the initiative yourself: sit down and write an email to them - they say, I ... such and such ... I have an interesting topic for Osprey, I want to suggest it. Now they are preparing a portfolio for 2020 year, so it is not too late ...
Every detail of this picture by A. McBride has been confirmed in the findings of archaeologists ...
What needs to be done next? Write a request! This is also necessary if you contact our publishers. Since the requirements in all publishing houses are different, ad-libbing here is unacceptable. But on the websites of our publishing houses there is usually a section: “To Authors”, all the requirements of which must be strictly adhered to. Porridge butter here will not spoil!
With the British, it’s both easier and harder at the same time. First of all, in the volume of a couple of paragraphs you should write about what your book is and what it matters in the general cultural and informational plan. Then you take a similar edition and see what sections it consists of. About the same should be with you!
But this picture is made on the basis of images on the famous “Bayeux carpet” ...
Here, for example, the content of a book about the Volga Bulgars and the fall of the Kazan Khanate:
INTRODUCTION
CHRONOLOGY (Chronology)
WARS OF THE VOLGA BULGARS (Historical text)
• The pre-Islamic period
• 10th-13th centuries: Islam and its rewards
• 13th century: the coming of the Mongols
• 14th century: the scourge of the Novgorod ushkuyniki
• 15th century: the Khanate of Kazan
• 16th century: resistance to Muscovy, and fall
ARMIES: ORGANIZATION & TACTICS (Tactics and organization)
ARMS & ARMOR (Weapon Research Text)
• Swords and sabres - spears and javelins - battleaxes - maces and bludgeons - bows and arrows
• Helmets - armor - shields
FORTIFICATIONS & SIEGE WARFARE (Fortification)
• Timber and moat fortifications - siege machinery - firearms
CONCLUSIONS (Conclusion)
FURTHER READING (Bibliography for further reading)
PLATE COMMENTARIES (Picture Comments)
There are several series on which books are distributed in Osprey –– the most famous - “Men at Arms” (People weapons), there is a series of "Company", "Battle", in a word, before you write there, you should open the publisher's website and get acquainted with all aspects of its activities. In the MAA series, the usual number of pages is 48, in others it may be 64, and 96. Well, it is clear that the more pages, the ... more fee, in the event that you submit your text in English. And you will be paid for 20-30 photos for one book, captions for them, as well as captions under the pictures and comments to them. However, not all so simple. Pay only for your own photos or archival photos indicating what kind of archive.
You will have to write the text yourself. For 48-page edition - 35 pure text pages. Of course, you can use network translators, but the result will be terrible. Moreover, in the process of writing the text you need to remember that the informativeness of Russian and English differs by 20% in plus and minus. When translating into English, our sentences should be shortened, while English ones, on the contrary, should be lengthened! Literally translated means doom your work to failure. But even in this case, that is, if you managed to write enough “English text”, you will most likely be offered a co-author — a specialist in this or a related field — to bring your text “to mind”. And, of course, you have to share with him the fee.
Let's say you wanted to write them a book about the Russ and the Vikings, and they accepted it. You want to decorate it with an epigraph - “Aria of the Varangian Guest” from the opera Rimsky-Korsakov “Sadko”.
Here is the Russian text: Bulat swords, arrows sharp at the Vikings,
They inflict death without failing the enemy,
Brave people of midnight countries
Great is their One God, sullen sea.
But the translation from Google: Swords bulatny, arrows are sharp for the Varangians,
They cause death to the enemy,
People are brave of midnight,
Great is one God, gloomy sea.
Who knows English - laugh. Who does not know, let him take a word that the translation is inaccurate and very, not to mention the complete absence of English rhyme. The last phrase touches especially: “God alone is great, sullen sea!”
So joint work with a foreign colleague is very desirable. In addition, you will have to draw up a contract with the publishing house through it, since it is he who is a subject of the UK, not you. But on the other hand, they will send you a document on 28 pages, where literally every pound will be written, so you will not have to doubt the honesty of the publisher (which is why our authors are afraid most of all). It has not yet been the case that Osprey deceived one of its authors. The only thing that you will not know - and what will not be printed in the most published book is the number of printed copies. The number of reprints is indicated, the number of copies is not! But all the same, the amount will be very decent, so you will get a lot more for pure 35 pages of the text of the MAA 48-page edition than for a book in 10 copyrighted sheets or 400000 signs in our country!
A good artist has enough of such sketches. Fig. I. Zeynalova
However, this is just the beginning of work - write an acceptable English text. Next you will need photos. They can be taken from the Internet, yes, it is possible, but only all of them should be “public domain”, that is, be in public use. Either these are photos taken by you personally, and then at the end you should modestly indicate - “the author's photo”.
Or these ... Pic. I. Zeynalova
However, the most difficult is the illustrations. There are eight of them in the MAA series. The number of pieces on them varies from one + details of weapons, to 4-5. Some of the illustrations should have a horizontal arrangement of the figures, the other part should be vertical. And you cannot say: “Here is the text for you, and let your artist draw everything from it!” Sometimes we can say that. Work in the publishing house "Osprey" is organized quite differently.
The easiest, if you write about the Russian hussar regiments 1812, or our modern Rosgvardiyu. In the first case - “pictures” and cards - the sea. In the second - well, probably, you have a lot of photos that you can offer them to the artist so that he draws on them the required 8 illustrations. But what if all this is not? But where to get pictures "about the Rus"?
Already ready drawing which "Osprey" accepts and uses. Author A. Sheps.
Sketches have to draw yourself or invite a friend of the artist. Personally, I had this: since my co-author was David Nicole, and he is not only a well-known historian, but he also draws well, I first sent him a bunch of sketches, photographs from the museum in Kazan, as well as photos of individual artifacts, indicating which figures it should be placed. There were photos and drawings of sabers, helmets, armor, shields - patterns on the fabric, in a word - absolutely everything that an artist might need.
D. Nicole, having received from me a pack of related materials, drew sketches of each figure and sent them to me, indicating question marks in circles, what is the color of a number of details and where does the information come from? I had to make references to the State Historical Museum, the Tatar Historical Museum, the books of the historian Pletneva, and much more. And the figures in the picture are usually from 3 to 5, and each one will be required of you by such a sketch, indicating where you came from this or that detail. That is why it is so funny for me to read the “writings” of some “experts” who claim that there is a kind of “fantasy” in the drawings in the Osprey books. I wish it were so! Then I wouldn’t have to answer three times to questions like “Where does the saber handle come from?” Confirm the photo, specify the source! "," Where did the pattern on the shield? Confirm with a link to the source! ”, And so on.
A lot of trouble delivering cards and what is written on them. This is a very hard work - to make them, and the artist to draw.
In addition, at the end of the book there should be a list of references that you used yourself and which readers can read as a supplement. Naturally, I have books in Russian, and on the part of D. Nicolas - in English. But the names of Russian books should be given in English transcription - and here sit down and translate: “Kulikovskaya bitva”, izdatel'stvo “Centrópoligraph” ... in a word, the pleasure is below average.
Again, this is just SKETCH! Not the fact that the publisher does not alter this card in its own way. "Everything will be SO and NOT SO at the same time."
True, what makes work easier? Well, first of all, the volume, and secondly - this is still a popular science exposition of the topic. But on the other hand, how many letters did you need to send back and forth to solve all these issues ?! Now everything goes by e-mail, and in the recent past it was necessary to go to the post office very often ...
But this is only one of the scans from photos from the museum, confirming that the arrowheads were like this. That is, when the artist "Osprey" will draw an archer, he will be able to use a photo of the tip in his drawing. He is so explicitly stated - “This” is THIS! Then there will be some kind of “expert” (like those that sometimes appear here on VO) and will shout that this is a “fabulous tip” that there really weren’t. And here it was, and drawn from photographs from the museum.
To be continued ...
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