To map or not to map. That is the question.

[Thaddeus]

I have mixed feelings about maps.

I've had a functional map for my WIP for ages, largely to ensure I kept things consistent and had a good picture (literally) of how the kingdom looked.

However, as a reader I tend not to look at maps too much and really don't care if they aren't included. Not only that, details are easily swallowed by the spine of a hard copy or by the small screen of an e-reader.

That said, I know plenty of readers rather like them (I did get one piece of criticism about the absence of a map for my first book, even though it was confined almost entirely to a single city). And it's the reader who ultimately decides whether what we're doing has worked, needs bits cutting or adding.

Do others like seeing maps, or, if you're a writer, making them?

[R.A.]

I usually like to see them and will sometimes refer to them regularly depending upon the book. The scope of my first book wasn't big enough to make it worth the effort to me, but I had one put in the second. Ha, I say that like I spoke and someone did it, but in reality I drew a couple drafts and had a friend fix it up a little better and do calligraphy for the words. Some people really do appreciate it, though what they appreciate even more is a list of names with a pronunciation key. Personally I don't mind reading names my own way, but readers wanted it so I provided it in the second book.

[Stan]

I liked the maps of Middle Earth. The best maps are those in the early books of Lindsey Davis who writes about a Roman detective c.80ad. She provided maps of Rome at that time. Utterly fascinating.

[Thaddeus]

RA, that's a good point. A cast list, [dramatis personae is the swanky name, I think], can be useful, especially for series.

I share your view on pronunciation (not fussed if people want to pronounce the W in Ostenwald as a W or a V), but some find guides handy, if applicable.

[R.A.]

Of course, if the book gets turned into a movie there might be a lot of irate fans wondering why the actors are pronouncing it with a 'v'. :)

[Thaddeus]

If the book gets made into a film I'll happily deal with a lot of irate fans :D

[Mary]

I have a cast list in each book of my series; the idea was to allow someone to start anywhere in the series. Some of the names are Dutch so maybe phonetics would be helpful too. Movie rights available!

[R.A.]

Sometimes my husband and I joke about hitting it big, and all the drama I avoid by remaining obscure, but I'm with you. I think I could take the criticism if I had a movie-driving fan club.

[Christian]

I LOVE maps in fantasy books. I think this is just a totally subjective thing - I'm sure some people's eyes glaze over when they see them, but others (like myself) find them an incredibly romantic and immersive aspect of the experience. I know it's the RPG-player in me speaking when I say this, but I really believe that every good fantasy world should be a place the reader wants to explore.

I did create a map for my novel, and then just posted it on the official website, rather than trying to shoehorn it through the Smashwords meatgrinder. Hopefully readers will find it fun, and it will drive people to the site too :)

[R.A.]

That's a good idea, Christian. I'm not on smashwords so I don't know how that would work, but on kindle I didn't have much trouble getting the map to fit on a page. But anything that brings them to the site is good!

[Ubiquitous]

If I'm new to the book, I'm less interested in the map. If the map is simple and shows me at a glance the relative locations of a small number of places, I'll find it helpful and interesting. If it looks like an incomprehensible mess, packed with ridiculous details, I'll skip it because I don't know yet what places are important in the story.

Tolkien's maps were absolute genius. Detailed enough to make the world appear rich and real, the major locations were clearly marked and provided a high level overview of the world. A new reader could quickly grasp the size and scope of the distances without needing to spend hours memorizing minutiae. Returning readers could dig into the details, triggering memories of special moments.

The question I have to ask is, how much detail do I have to know about the story before I can start reading it? World creation is great. I love creating new worlds, but the place is not the story.

That's a lot of pointless noise to say that if maps are high level and conceptual in nature, placing them at the beginning of the story can be helpful. If they're extremely (or insanely) detailed, then I would place them at the back of the book. Back there, they won't get in a new reader's way while still providing some additional information/flavor/details for the reader who has just finished the book and would enjoy digging a little deeper. I also like the idea of linking to maps on your web site.

Opinions vary, so I think you should do what you want to do, regardless of what anyone else says.

[R.A.]

Good feedback, Ubiquitous. I hadn't thought it through that far, but I think I agree with you.

[Stan]

Ubiquitous wrote: "If I'm new to the book, I'm less interested in the map. If the map is simple and shows me at a glance the relative locations of a small number of places, I'll find it helpful and interesting. If it..."

Excellent post.