There are some many pitch events around, but one of my favorites is new to 2022’s Mood Pitch. I had already created a few mood boards for the characters of my debut novel that I am querying, NOT MY TIME, but this pitch event gave me the opportunity to really polish them up.
Mood Pitch happens twice a year (at least of the time of my writing this) and more and more pitch events are allowing mood boards for books. I’ve noticed that every time I’ve gotten agent likes from a pitch event, it’s been from a tweet that’s included my mood board rather than just plain text. So if you’re a fellow querying author looking to participate, here are some tips for creating a mood board for your story.
Where to Source Images for Mood Boards for Books
I really recommend using a website like Canva for creating your mood board for your book. I have a Canva Pro account already, but there are still a great deal of photos available with a free account. You’ll have more options with a pro account, but you’ll probably be able to get by with free depending on the subject matter.
Canva’s photo library is really extensive and even offers Magic Recommendations based on images already in your project, which is really helpful when you’re building it out based on a certain aesthetic.
Other places you can source images from include:
- Unsplash
- Pixabay
- Pexels
- Adobe Stock Free Collection
Whatever you do, though, try to avoid using images from movies or other intellectual properties. I think this is more or less fine if you’re just making one for fun that only you and a handful of friends will see, but if you plan to use it for something like a Twitter pitch event, then I’d steer clear of it just to be safe.
I also know a lot of people like to source photos on Pinterest, but Pinterest is basically just another version of Google. Some of those photos may have copyright holdings etc. that you might not be aware of. Stick to free stock photo sites.
How to Build the Grids for a Mood Board
Another reason I recommend using Canva is that it’s so easy to build the grids directly within the app. You can search for grids directly within the Elements tab and a ton of different size options will come up.
For a Twitter pitch event, I’d recommend going with a 9×9 square size, but if you’re using it for your blog and can’t find the ninth picture, a 4×2 looks nice, too.
How To Pick Images That Fit Your Book’s Aesthetic
I think there are a few different approaches you can take to picking your images for a mood board. You can either pick something that is featured iconography in your book or you can find something that fits the general vibe. You can also play with colors.
Featured Iconography
Let’s use my mood board for NOT MY TIME, as shown above. Rory drinks a ton of coffee and finds clues in a local newspaper, so it made sense for me to include an image of a cup of coffee on top of a newspaper as one of my images. Additionally, there are multiple scenes with Kane on the rooftops, so I wanted to include a few shots reflecting that.
General Aesthetics and Settings
I’ve also seen mood boards just pull general aesthetics. These really help show the place of your novel.
I see this a lot for people with academia mood boards or historical fiction: beautiful buildings that looks similar to your setting, specific outfits, marble statues or floors, hands reaching out. These can help fit the mood and show the time and place.
Using my NOT MY TIME mood board as an example again, I love the photo of the man’s silhouette against the red neon backdrop to represent Kane. While it doesn’t 100% look like him or a specific moment in the story, it fits the vibe.
Pick 1-3 Colors
I also like to try to keep colors into consideration when picking images. Chances are, you have one to three colors you associate your story with. For me, it was shades of navy, black, and red, so I chose those for my mood board and had them bleed into each other. If you’re writing something about Greek Gods, for example, you may pick a lot of photos featuring white and gold to give that illusion. If you’re writing dark academia, you’ll probably have lots of rich, deep colors like browns and maroons to break up the black.
Don’t Forget Alt Text!
If you’re sharing these on Twitter, don’t forget alt text! Before hitting send tweet, make sure you go to Add Description on your photo so you can plug the alt text in. Adding alt text is a super easy step that helps make your tweets more accessible.
I see a lot of people, especially SEO pros, say that alt text is a great place to plug in keywords for search visibility. While this is true, please do not do this just for the sake of keyword stuffing. Alt text is meant for those using screen reader software. Please only use keywords that are relevant to your image’s description. This goes for both Twitter and images on your blog.
Alt Text Example for Mood Boards
An easy way to set this up for mood boards is to tackle it by row. Here’s what I used for my NOT MY TIME mood board:
A mood board for NOT MY TIME by Jessica Salina.
Top row: someone walking down an alley lit up with red neon shop signs; feet dangling over a rooftop at night; and a masked person in all black in front of a red neon sign.
Middle row: A cup of coffee and glasses on a newspaper; a camera recording a YouTube personality; and a silhouette against a smoky background.
Bottom row: A man putting boxing wraps on; Colorado snowy mountains; and a figure standing on a rooftop in a city.
I saved this as a note in my Notes app and was able to just copy/paste it whenever I needed to include it for MoodPitch!
Just Have Fun!
Remember, at the end of the day, these are for fun! Yes, Twitter pitch events can feel super exciting and you want it to be as polished as possible when trying to get an agent’s attention. But at the end of the day, you’re a writer – and thus won’t be judged too much on your graphic design skills.
Want to include your title? Go for it! Want to add fun stickers between the photos? That could look cute and be appropriate depending on the theme of your story! Whatever brings you joy is a-okay so long as you’re having fun with it.
