Why Marian Pruijn advises would-be self-publishers to be flexible
Marian Pruijn approached us a while ago with the idea of putting together a book of her art. From the very beginning we were excited to be involved in this project, and happily spent considerable time with Marian pinning down the specifics of how the book should look. The first copy of the printed hardback was received last month, and Marian and I got together to take a look at the result and share a celebratory bottle of ‘fizz’. Marian kindly agreed to take part in this short interview.
Tell us a little about yourself and your background.
I trained as a visual artist in the Netherlands around the age of thirty. it always remained a part-time career. Not by choice but by necessity.
Why did you decide to produce a book of your art?
I have been in a position to paint a lot for over 10 years now and how beautiful it is to capture that body of work in a book. A nice reference work of 10 years of painting.
How did you choose which pieces to include in Alles in Wording?
My intuition told me which pieces would work best in the book. When we discussed how the pictures should be laid out it seemed quite natural which should be included.
Why did you opt to self-publish, and are you happy with the result?
Self-publishing was really the only avenue open to me to get my book produced. I am very happy with how everything went using the services of Panoramic Publishing. The result has exceeded my expectations.
I am very satisfied with your working method. You were patient, gave me good advice and every effort you made to make the book a success was put to use. We are both very proud of the result!
Thank you, Kim for this beautiful Artbook!
Can I say to your readers, if you are thinking about making your own book, Panoramic Publishing is highly recommended.
That’s great to hear, Marian. Thank you. Do you also have a top tip for anyone considering self-publishing their own book?
I had an idea of how I wanted my book to look, including the size and paper type. Publishing with Ingram Spark and Amazon KDP I found the options somewhat limited, although with your guidance we selected alternatives which I am very happy with. So my tip is to be flexible with your expectations. Not all options are available in all sizes, and they also differ for paperback and hardback.
How can people buy a copy of Alles in Wording?
At the moment I prefer that people buy copies directly from myself either by email or via social media (all details can be found on my website). Or of course they can buy in person from me at one of my exhibitions.
When Marian Pruijn is asked to say something about her work, she writes down a number of quotes in the same way that you write a poem. In verses that communicate something, but above all suggest. Each sentence is a summary of an image. It is the same way of communicating that we also see in her paintings. Poetry, that is what we encounter in it, a narrative, full of incompleteness, of suggestion. Melancholy.
Alles in Wording
by Marian Pruijn
Hardback €35
