Deck of 1000 Spreads—New Spreadcrafting Tool

tarotbear

So, did you follow their guidelines such as 'no lettering on the cards- we'll add that ourselves' and that stuff?

So, do you have control, or did you sign that all away so Llewellyn has permanent rights to everything? Just curious ...
 

schmedrake

Well, my situation was a little different in that my cards aren't tarot cards. They're all-text cards. So I sent them to them fully mocked up, because that's how I submitted that text to them.

I'm not an artist, so I'm happy for them to have control over the visual aspects. I'm sure the process would be different if I designed a deck, but in this case I wrote a deck. I really don't know how it works for artists. My suggestion would be to send your proposal to a few publishers and ask questions BEFORE you sign the contract. If there are deal-breakers in the way you've designed your deck, like size or it has to be 3-D or something, iron that out before, too. Different publishers have different ways of working. Make sure you find the right fit for your needs.

BUT remember that they're the experts at doing this. They know what looks right on a shelf in a bookstore and they know what appeals to their customer. They're the ones taking the most risk, financially speaking. So it's not all about the artist or author. If you want full creative control over a project, then self publish. You can do one of those kickstarter campaigns to raise money. Like with any business partnership, there are tradeoffs.
 

Carla

Hi Shmedrake, this sounds interesting. I wonder why 57 cards? Were those just the top spread positions you found in researching spreads? Also, what's in the guide book? The idea itself sounds pretty self-explanatory. I think it's a cool idea! Do you know when it will be ready for sale? Do you have any idea what the set will look like, or actual dimensions of the cards?
 

schmedrake

Hi, Carla. Yes, 57 because that's what it narrowed down to when I came up with the list of all the spread positions to include.

The set will be coming out in March. The guidebook contains information on how to craft a spread and different ways to use the cards. Like you said, it's pretty self-explanatory, but not everyone has crafted a spread before. Plus, the cards will be color coded for use in my spreadcrafting system (basically a system that makes spreadcrafting easier for beginners and those who want to follow my way of spreadcrafting.) So if you want to know what the colors mean, you'll have to look in the book. And I may also have suggestions of ways to use the cards in the book that you haven't thought of. Certainly many on this forum will be putting them to use right out of the box, however, and won't have to read the book.

I have seen the box design, which has a picture of the cards in use on it. So that's all I've seen of the design so far. Sooner or later I'll have to finalize the copy on all the cards, so I have no doubt I'll see them at some point. I suggested a size of roughly 3x6....wide enough to fit the width of most tarot cards and tall enough for the spread name to poke out the top. Clearly, the cards won't be bigger than a Rohrig, for example. But I have a pretty large collection of decks and there are only a few that are either taller or wider than the spread cards.
 

Wintergreen

Very interesting. I'll be looking forward to this - I like stuff for experimentation. Keep us posted!
 

tarotbear

schmedrake - just for the record - how long did/will the process take between your creating the cards and their publication and release next March? People seem surprized when I tell them my book took two years to make happen.
 

schmedrake

I think I did the proposal at this time last year. I wrote the book and submitted the cards sometime around September or October last year. So it's going to take 1.5 years when it's all done and, from what I understand, that's faster than normal. So your two years is typical, from what I understand.
 

tarotbear

Thank you! I think sometimes people need to see these statements from those of us who have 'been there' and understand that we are very patient and steadfast people to wait all that time to see a plan come to fruition, in this world where gratification is never instant enough and people want something new 'yesterday.'

I look forward to hearing you document the process for us. :thumbsup:
 

rachelcat

Congratulations! I can't wait to see the finished product (or at least a picture of it :))!

Everyone: I have seen and used a prototype of this deck, and it's very cool! I'm a spread snob (I usually only use my own spreads), so it really means something when I say this deck really works! Randomized spread positions really add more intuitive power to a normal randomized card reading. (Then there are the other bells and whistles, which I haven't tried out yet.)

So look for it, you'll like it!
 

schmedrake

Hooray, my first endorsement! And from someone as picky when it comes to tarot as me! :D

Rachelcat is one of the very few people who have known about the project since, pretty much, its inception. And she is among those who helped me test and refine the product before I submitted it to Llewellyn. :)