John Van Der Woude

John Van Der Woude – Designer

A professional book designer who has worked on hundreds of projects (covers and interiors), specializing in trade fiction and academia.

Overview

As a professional book designer for over 13 years, I've had the pleasure of working on hundreds (probably getting close to thousands soon) of different cover and interior book design projects for publishers and self-publishers around the globe on a wide range of different genres and topics, both fiction and non-fiction. I've worked both as an in-house designer for a publisher, but more extensively as an independent book design contractor.I've worked with publishers such as Oxford University Press, Canadian Scholars Press, Lioncrest Publishing (Book In A Box), Georgetown University, University of Regina Press, Fernwood Publishing, Nimbus Publishing, Orca Book Publishers, Breakwater Publishing, as well as many self-publishers.Although we're recommended not to, we all judge a book by its cover. And that's where I come in. I'm always looking on new exciting projects that I can lend my expertise too, and take the professionalism and design of your book to the next level.When I work with authors on their projects, my focus is always on communication. I make sure that my clients feel well taken care off and respected throughout the process, and that their feedback is always welcome, both positive and negative. What I ask in return is that they understand that I am being hired because of my knowledge and extensive experience in book design to provide a professional and well-considered final product.For my process, it depends on the specifics of the project. But in general, for a book cover/jacket project, I provide 3–4 different initial cover concepts showing different directions and marketing options for the book to go in, and then proceed from there based on the client's feedback. Generally, a finished product is achieved in about 4 more iterations.For book interior projects, I really value having a consistent visual aesthetic from cover to cover of a book, so it will always borrow its design sensibility from the book's jacket, expanding on the aesthetics established there to create a consistent reading experience from a visual standpoint. Generally, I'll create a design sample of the first couple chapters, or about 10–20% of the book's interiors, then proceed from there based on the client's feedback. Once the sample is approved, the rest of the interiors is laid out according to that.If you're interested in working with me, I'm always open to questions about myself, my experience and my process, so don't hesitate to ask!I'm looking forward to working with you on a project soon!
Services
Non-Fiction
Art Biographies & Memoirs Education & Reference Photography Political Science & Current Affairs Sports & Outdoors
Fiction
Literary Fiction
Languages
English

Work experience

Self-employed

Apr, 2004 — Present
I’m a professional book designer and have been working with publishing houses and self-publishers for over 13 years now, working on literally hundreds (I don’t think I’m quite at thousands yet…) of book cover and interior projects ranging from non-fiction, to fiction, to children’s picturebooks, to coffee table books, to e-books, to academic, to educational workbooks,…well, I think you get the idea. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to contact me. And I look forward to discussing your book project soon!

Portfolio

Not all dreams have happy endings. Sailing in Circles, Goin' Somewhere is the funny, bittersweet memoir of a Prince Edward Island man who, over seven years, builds a classic 1930s wooden sailboat and, in 2004, attempts to circumnavigate eastern North America. ... read more
In 1946, a Black Halifax businesswoman, Viola Desmond, was wrongfully arrested for sitting in a white’s-only section of a movie theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. In 2010, sixty-four years later, the Nova Scotia government recognized this gross miscarriage o... read more
When our infrastructures deteriorate, when social benefits are frozen, when our living conditions are precarious, it is because of tax havens. A source of growing inequalities and colossal tax losses, the use of tax havens by large corporations and wealthy ind... read more
The Top 15: Nova Scotia's Greatest Athletes

Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame

At 18, Sidney Crosby became the youngest player in NHL history to record 100 points in one season. At 29, he scored his 1000th NHL point, won his third Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and was named playoff MVP. It is probably no surprise that Crosby ... read more
The global financial and industrial turmoil of recent years has once more brought the crisis-prone nature of the capitalist system to the forefront. In the context of economic stagnation and the retreat of working-class organizations, the rich and powerful aro... read more
The Big Tree Gang

Jo Ellen Bogart

Reg and Keely are twins. Keely loves painting and bugs. Reg loves rocks. Keely sings crazy rhymes. Reg plays softball. Shawna and Burt are their friends. In this series of linked stories, the children’s deep involvement with their daily activities never falter... read more
Wake the Stone Man

Carol McDougall

Set in a small northern town, under the mythical shadow of the Sleeping Giant, Wake the Stone Man follows the complicated friendship of two girls coming of age in the 1960s. Molly meets Nakina, who is Ojibwe and a survivor of the residential school system, in ... read more
Established under late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, Mision Barrio Adentro (MBA) Venezuela s adaptation of the Cuban social medical model utilizes a free, universal health care system to serve and educate rural, poor and marginalized populations and to bro... read more
Most social work research texts are written from an empiricist and positivist perspective, emphasizing the scientific method and the value of objectivity in research. While acknowledging that certain aspects of the scientific method should be preserved, Adje v... read more
The crucible of North American neoliberal transformation is heating up, but its outcome is far from clear. Continental Crucible examines the clash between the corporate offensive and the forces of resistance from both a pancontinental and a class struggle pers... read more
With personal letters gathered from public archives and the relatives of those who fought in the First World War, historian Ross Hebb tells the story of Canadian soldiers, from recruitment to deployment to return, in their own words. Letters Home is a collecti... read more
Underground Nova Scotia : Stories of Archaeology

Paul and Jonathan Fowler Erickson

In his uniquely homespun style, sinister storyteller Steve Vernon digs up the dirt on Maritime murders from 1770 to 1929--along with a few bodies along the way. Unearthing historically buried, and occasionally unsolved, violent crimes from across Prince Edward... read more
Pat Connolly spent more than sixty years talking of, writing about, and analyzing sports in radio, television, and print media in Nova Scotia and central Canada. His clear, sharp voice was known to thousands as the consummate sportscaster and play-by-play man.... read more
The past two decades have witnessed the emerging role of grassroots social movements and community-based peacebuilding as key sites of transformative political and cultural engagement. Merging Fires explores three grassroots alliances between Indigenous commun... read more
Red Sea

Diane Tullson

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. After being attacked by Red Sea pirates, fourteen-year-old Libby is left alone on a hostile sea, far from home, to fight for survival.
"What is Canadian cuisine? Lenore Newman distils much of the current thinking into the erudite and elegantly readable Speaking in Cod Tongues. Her odyssey across the country provides a wealth of culinary detail, giving us a vivid contemporary portrait of Canad... read more
Re-Orienting China challenges the notion of the travel writer as "imperialistic," while exploring the binary opposition of self and other. Featuring analyses of rarely studied writers on post-1949 China, including Jan Wong, Jock T. Wilson, Peter Hessler, Lesli... read more
With previously unpublished photographs, this new edition of Northern Trader is a vivid personal memoir and valuable primary account of the last days of the fur trade. Harold Kemp recounts the routines and rhythms of that long-lost way of life and paints a por... read more
Noam Chomsky and George W. Bush seldom agree, but they both argued that 9/11 stood alone in American history. Although the use of airplanes as weapons of mass destruction was new, Mark Anderson maintains that the response to the attack was not: it was, in fact... read more
The Beckoners

Carrie Mac

John has 2 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

David F.

David F.

Jun, 2020

John was amazing! I had a last-minute issue with my book and needed a formatter who was available asap. John offered to help and finished the job days before the scheduled deadline. A huge thank you, John, for coming to my aid! You were a life-saver! Merci!
John V.
Happy to help David! If you need anything else in the future, don't hesitate to ask.
Anntonette J.

Anntonette J.

May, 2020

I am very satisfied with the work he has done for me, I would definitely let him assist me again in the future.
John V.
Thanks Anntonette, it was a pleasure to work with you!

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