In past entries in this blog I've mentioned that there were a few problems making this book. The one that people ask me first and foremost every time I tell them about the concept for this book is "how did you mange with the letter X". I won't lie, for the animal in this case I had to do some research. This was probably the only animal in the book that I can't prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it exists. The candy however was actually fairly easy, in fact that reason I felt comfortable using candy in this book was because I knew I had a candy for the letter x.
The next problem came about when I started thinking about making this project into a book, or selling it in any way. I realized that I couldn't use brand names for candy without either paying out companies or risking breaking some kind of copyright. Once I started working on these drawings I started to have to update a few pieces in order to make sure the beast was enjoying a generic treat. I actually enjoyed this challenge. I did use some research material for finding generic candies, but thankfully it was almost entirely my own website candycritic.org. I also decided that it would be okay to use the names of candies from outside North America.
I would be lying if I told you that turning these drawings into a book was not filled with some other frustrations. I had to double check spelling and grammar at least a dozen times. I also had to figure out how to format my drawings to they could be printed into a book. I've worked on books and comic books in the past, but frankly someone else almost always did the pre-press work for me. I learned a lot and it actually left me confident enough that I made a second book quickly after (the complete Snack Facts).
I hope you enjoyed my tales of putting together Treats and Beasts. As always, if you want to pick up your own copy, check it out right now on Amazon.
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