Thanks for joining me as I chronicle My Self-Publishing Journey for my epic fantasy, THE SHADOW WATCH. In Part One, I outlined my reasons for pursuing this avenue of publishing over the traditional publishing model.
Many things are quickly falling into place, as I lay the groundwork for the self-publication process. My editor and cover artist have been booked, and most recently, I commissioned a beautiful world map for THE SHADOW WATCH.
All this fell together much more quickly than I expected. I had originally planned to work with another artist, who ran over $500, whom I discovered on a thread on Kboards. I did not like the idea of spending quite that much, but I had a hard time finding an artist I liked for much cheaper. I also want this book to be as professional as possible, and let’s be honest, for epic fantasy, a detailed world map is an expectation.
Then, I stumbled upon an online thread that mentioned that there are several quality Map Artists on DeviantArt for very reasonable prices. I checked it out and stumbled upon the very impressive work of Sebastian Breit (check out his work here). And he was able to begin immediately.
[A Self-Pub Lesson Learned: You can find high quality work for a good price, if you are willing to look. Spend a little more time researching before booking a commissioned artist. Find a price that fits your budget and quality standards. Had I not been browsing some threads on Kboards, I would have ended up spending several hundred dollars more than I wanted to. This goes for cover artists, as well. I highly recommend Deviant Art, by the way.]
I am incredibly pleased with this map, and the turn-around time was only about a week. I was blown away as this world I’ve written about and poorly sketched on printer paper quickly turned into a detailed world.
Considering I will be writing at least 3 books in this world, the upfront cost of one map is totally worth every penny, in my opinion.
Let me know what you think of the map!
And stay tuned for more about my Self-Publishing Journey.
Best,
S.A. Klopfenstein
S.A. Klopfenstein 
Beautiful map! It makes it all seem so much more real when you have something there before you to study. I just get an urge to explore all of these little places. Features like maps are why I enjoy fantasy so much. Following this blog!
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Thank you! I’m glad you like it. I agree. I love looking at fantasy maps too. Thanks for following 🙂
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Wow – awesome map, S.A.! When not in my own worlds, I hungrily gawp at all the marvels created by the Cartographer’s Guild, well worth checking out if you’re a fantasy author 🙂
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Thank you! Glad you like it 🙂 And yes, I’ve checked out CG as well! Amazing maps!
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This is really cool.
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Thanks Mike! And thanks for following as well 🙂
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Can you suggest an artist/designer who could sketch the magical tribal characters of my novel The Aqueous Transmission? Haven’t met anyone helpful yet.
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All depends on what you are looking for and your budget. If you are looking for a lower price but good quality, I would check Deviant Art/ There are tons of talented artists, and you can narrow your search to fantasy artists who have sketched tribal-esque worlds and characters. You might also check some of the threads on Kboards; sometimes artists will advertise discount deals this time of year. If you are willing to spend some money, Jeff Brown is an amazing fantasy artist. My dream is to commission Chris McGrath to do some artwork for my novels, but I’ll have to make some money off my books before I could afford him. But his artwork is incredible.
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Thanks, man!
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No problem. Thanks for stopping by! And best of luck with the artwork.
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