Uncovering the Collective
Guest Post by Kayla King
No matter the old adage begging us not to judge books by their covers, I must admit I find myself swayed one way or another based on that first sight. As such, I knew my forthcoming project, Pages Penned in Pandemic: A Collective would need something that I, myself, would find intriguing enough to pluck off a shelf, desperate to dive into the pages held therein.
In the early days of this project, I crafted several designs, but soon after, I doubted the appeal of them all. Instead, I focused on submissions and emails and editorial calls. Before long, however, I researched cover designers, and found the prospect of finding someone on Fiverr to be incredibly user-friendly.
After speaking with a prospective designer, I believed I’d discovered the perfect fit, waiting not-so-patiently to see my vision come to life. What’s interesting about handing your dream over to someone else is that it’s not always what you expect. That first cover was so far from anything I’d imagined, and not in an exciting way. Disappointment certainly seemed to overshadow what should’ve been a thrilling moment, and I hid myself away once again in social media plans and edits and more emails.
During this time, I knew I needed to finalize a cover. With such a tight publication schedule, the pressure to have everything meet my own deadlines was ever present. The second and third revisions came around, and still, it wasn’t quite what I imagined. My fellow editor and best friend brought up that very early cover I designed, and it was then I realized the vision I’d been trying to find had already been created.
I know what you’re thinking, dear reader. How perfect, right? The work was done. The cover was complete. But there was real fear underlying any decision to move forward with that specific design. Unlike my own writing, this was creating something in a different way that everyone would see whether they decided to purchase this book or not. And yes, I was scared.
But that’s the thing about dreams. If we’re not terrified of the implications, are those dreams big enough or worth pursuing in the first place? I recognized this feeling before finally deciding to go with my own cover for this project, which means so much, especially amidst this tumultuous year.
While there is still some time to wait before I get to hold this real book in my hands, I am excited to reveal the front cover for Pages Penned in Pandemic: A Collective today!
Pages Penned in Pandemic celebrates the work created during tough times.
Some wrote without fail every day. Others only managed a page, a poem, or a piece of prose to ease them through the months of wondering: how do we carry on from here? How do we survive?
No matter the reason: catharsis, commitment, escape, emergence, the nag of nostalgia, the unsettled, unraveled, or perhaps, just the act of remembering, these writers have conquered 2020 by sharing their words.
Bringing together poetry, short stories, flash fiction, and essays, these pages penned in pandemic are tangible reminders that something can always be made out of nothing, that transforming the tribulations and trials of the everyday into art is not only enough, it's everything.
Though I’m sure there will be future readers who might not find what they need with this cover to take a chance on reading its contents, I suppose I would tell those readers not to judge a book by its cover, but I know how absurd a request that would be.
I hope someday soon that you, dear reader, will add this to your bookshelf. Not only will you find stunning writing within its pages, but you will unearth a time capsule for this year that once felt impossible to survive, let alone thrive within. But that is exactly what the contributing writers of this collective have accomplished. I can’t wait for you to read their pages penned in pandemic.
We’re committed to not only celebrating the work of our writers, but every writer who has a story to tell. As such, we are continuing to run our featured interview posts over on the blog. We are also donating the proceeds from every print book sold to 826 National, an organization supporting young writers!
Visit us at our website to learn more about our project! And for further updates as we near publication day, we hope you’ll follow us on Twitter and Instagram. We’d also love it if you’d add our book to your TBR on Goodreads!
Here’s wishing every reader a safe and healthy end to 2020. And remember, creating during these times is not only enough, it’s everything.
About Kayla King
Kayla King is the author of These Are the Women We Write About, a micro-collection of poetry published by The Poetry Annals. She is the founding editor and contributing writer for Pages Penned in Pandemic: A Collective (https://www.kaylakingbooks.com/pages-penned-in-pandemic-a-collective-1), forthcoming publication January 2021. Kayla's fiction and poetry has been published by or is forthcoming from Firewords Magazine, Sobotka Literary Magazine, and Capsule Stories, among others. You can follow Kayla’s writing journey over at her website: kaylakingbooks.com or her twitterings @KaylaMKing.
