I recently did a virtual lab for Etsy on the subject of getting a craft book published. I had already started a series of postings talking about the acquisitions process so, I’m using my notes from the lecture to highlight what are hopefully useful tips. In my first post, I encouraged people to try and put the negative thoughts aside that may prevent you from submitting a proposal in the first place. But perhaps you aren’t even there yet and just want to know how to give your proposal the strongest chance of success before you submit. Here are some tips to get an editor’s attention:
Well thought out design on blog, etsy store, website etc. Take some time to create a brand that you are happy with and stick to it.
Excellent craftsmanship/quality of work.
Knowledge of and dedication to the marketplace. This can be established through trade shows, magazine features, and any other ancillary projects that may be related to your particular craft. Show them you’re there to stay. Publishers don’t want to invest all that time and effort if you will have moved on from beading to woodcarving by the time the book is released.
Know your publisher. This is like applying to college, and you need to do your research. There are a couple of ways to go about this. First, see who publishes most of the books on your own shelf. Go to the library/bookstore and see which titles you’re attracted to. Keep on top of publishing trends within your craft area. Watch for who is advertising in the publications you are reading, the fairs you are attending and the blogs you follow. Remember that we want to find you as much as you want to find us—the rest of it is just a bit of a matchmaking process.
Follow the rules Most publishers have a set of submission guidelines that can be downloaded from their website (here’s ours). Make sure to complete all of the steps they are asking for. Don’t think that more is better and wait to write the entire book when all the publisher is requesting is a sample chapter. Unlike literary publishers, C&T and most craft publishers don’t expect you to have the whole manuscript completed.
Potential authors shouldn’t be intimidated about their writing abilities (that’s what your editor is for) since most craft books are really led by their imagery. It’s much more important to be on trend with the design and theme of the book. The purpose of a sample chapter is to show you can write well with a sample project to show that you can teach. You should include a Table of Contents with a list of the projects you would like to include. If you are proposing a process based book, then definitely describe the process and show step-by-step examples. (Don’t worry, it’s all confidential!) Make sure you follow the publisher’s submission guidelines to the t—there is really no excuse not to do that.
Next up…”What to Expect from the Process”
Similar to her best selling Elm Creek series, author Jennifer Chiaverini has managed to pack both drama and quilting into this week’s giveaway More Elm Creek Quilts. What stands out about her novels and the quilters who read them is the inspiration drawn to better our communities. Elm Creek Camp has quite a following! It’s about reading, embracing, and of course quilting.
More Elm Creek Quilts includes 11 traditional quilts (patterns and instructions) featuring 30 traditional blocks, some quilting basics, and of course drama, drama, drama (excerpts from 5 novels).
What ever your mood or energy level this book will hit the spot. You could choose to make a quilt, start up a good cause or curl up in a cozy chair and read about the happenings at Elm Creek Camp.
For a chance to win a copy of More Elm Creek Quilts, post a comment here or on Facebook by Monday July 6, 2009 telling us about an inspiration that propelled you to make a positive change in your world (however large or small)
We’ll randomly pick one winner to be announced on Monday. Good Luck!
This morning on my walk I was running through a list of things that I’d like to try making, that I SHOULD be making, that I NEED to be making. By the end of my walk I felt totally stressed out—completely negating the experience that I wanted to get out of my early morning exercise! I think I’m going crazy…and not the good kind of crazy, if you know what I mean.
I’m a list-maker. I’ve started a list of everything that I came up with on my walk this morning and this has helped some, but I’m still feeling the pressure. To me, “making” should be enjoyable, relaxing, fulfilling. I can’t even get myself past deciding what to make first!!
I've got about 5 other lists just like this one laying around my house!
I have a question for all you “makers” out there: How do you handle all the jolts of inspiration that you get when reading blogs, sharing project ideas with friends, even just dreaming up cool things on your own? Most importantly, how do you keep yourself from going (too) crazy?
A creative life is filled with challenges and rewards, puzzles and curiosities. This ongoing series of poems attempts to express the “Aha”s and “What if”s, the deep ponderings and casual observations of an inquiring mind trying to make sense of reality. May it serve, for you, as a bit of “Everyday Inspiration” along your own creative path.
To a body
Aging—
“Snap out of it!
I’m just
Beginning to be
Good
At what I do!”
Not too much this weekend. I found some fabric from a gal who used to make burp cloths for boutiques until she had her third child and time was no longer her own. All three for $.50.
I also had the chance to make a couple of projects for an upcoming birthday party for a smashing little 2 year old. As I have two boys, I take great comfort in probably never having to accommodate the unlikely insistence upon a ‘My Little Pony’ party, but it was nice to play with the pastels from my stash. I made this bird with a cage to hang in her room:
The pattern is from Spool Sewing (click here to download the pdf pattern). You can’t see the chest which is linen, then I added the wings (not included in the pattern) and worked in some novelty yarn for a subtle bit of fluffiness. I initially tried to add some beads to the wings, but it looked to fussy to me.
I decided to use some Amy Butler Temple fabric I have had for ages combined with some Anna Griffin fabric my friend Jamie picked up for me at the sample spree at Market into a sweet little arts and crafts tote with a pencil pocket. Inside I have some coloring books and some fabulous rock crayons from the stubby pencil studio (soulemama put me on to these). I couldn’t resist using some large rick rac I found at PIQF last year although it does look slightly more garish in the photo than it does in person. Took me one nap time to complete both!
I have known Jean Wells for close to 20 years, since I first joined C&T Publishing. I was impressed, then, by her best-selling book, A Celebration of Hearts. Over the years, as I worked on her books, and tracked her progress through the quilting world as an artist and businessperson, she has always been ahead of the curve in style and technique.
Her latest book, Intuitive Color and Design, is no exception. It is the next step for many quilters who have reached a plateau in their technical quilting and want both inspiration and guidance on how to take the next step into art quilting. This book is so appropriately Jean’s: It resonates with her personality, her style. The curves, shapes, colors, and textures in the quilts come naturally to her as an expression of her artistic talent. The energy inherent in this latest work shows how naturally she draws with a pencil, slices with a rotary cutter, or motions in air as she talks to a class. There is freedom in her movement and commitment in her stroke. Having progressed through the technical aspects of quilting, she moves with her intuition: creates from her mind’s ponderings and observations. The result is pure, and purely Jean.
As one of the photographers of her quilts, I was in awe last November when they arrived in the studio. Now I can’t wait to see the finished book in July, to see what the talented C&T team has put together as the final package. This is a book not to be missed. If your budget is thin, save up for this one. It will keep you inspired and sewing through those hot summer months. If you can take a trip to Sisters, Oregon to meet Jean and see her annual quilt show, DO IT! In the meantime, get her new book as a gift to yourself. It’s the next best thing to being there.
We quilters have too much stuff!! We love it all and can’t resist when we see wonderful fabric or great embellishments or a handy gadget, but it SO adds up, and the problem becomes where to put it?
I am lucky because when my children grew up and left home, I inherited the family room as my sewing studio. However, the room does not have a lot of storage, so I had to create some by using inexpensive bookshelves I already had. Making the open shelves look neat was a challenge. These 12″ x 13″ baskets from IKEA turned out to fit perfectly on the shelves. The smaller ones stack together 2 high and the larger ones fit just right.
I tied on tags to easily identify what is in each basket.
The baskets hold everything from yarn, to fabric, to stabilizer, to small embellishments and ribbon, to templates, etc. All that stuff is now neatly stored in baskets, making the shelves look neat and serene, rather than jumbled and junky. It works well and didn’t cost a fortune!
Congratulations to SewCalGal who won Gift Box Studio Lolli! If you had a chance to peruse the comments posted I’m sure you’d agree that Carol R’s giftbox adorned with a 4’ Christmas tree must have stirred quite the excitement, bafflement, and awe of the recipient and all those present (no pun intended). Also laughed at Jennifer’s 40th birthday present. Leave it to an Aunt to “getcha”! Must keep that idea tucked up my sleeve for later use (can’t be an Aunt remembered only for “having gum”). Thanks everyone for all your great responses!
As a special thanks to our blog readers, for the next two weeks you can get 20% off your purchase of Gift Box Studio Lolli. Simply mention discount code WG25018 when you place your order with C&T via phone (800.284.1114) or at our web site (enter discount code where noted during checkout) on or before July 13, 2009.
So, I have been doing a bit of embroidery lately. I have to say, that I feel like I am cheating on my sewing machine. I began my love of all things fabric and thread by taking a summer class when I was 8 and then progressing into cross stitch. When I got into quilting, I left all of that behind, so it has been nice to enjoy these projects:
I made this from a fantastic Orange Flower Tutorial and gave it to my son’s pre-school teacher as a year end thank you.
I backed it with the fabric my husband printed for me through Spoonflower. My son, Archie, designed the fabric which is the rare combination of flowers and smiling storm troopers.
The next is this inspirational note from Katie Cupcake:
I had Archie write the note in washable ink, and then I stitched over the top. I have dreams of creating a bunch of these little pieces of ‘paper’ and using them to write notes more frequently and hang them with a clothespeg somewhere. But all that stitching for the lines of the note takes awhile. I did this one by hand—maybe machine stitch the lines and hand embroider the text??
A number of years ago C&T Author Wendy Hill wrote a book called On the Surface. In addition to quilts, garments, and the types of things you’d expect to see in a quilting book was a wonderful creation that Wendy created called Button Babies.
Wendy’s button babies had rat tail cord arms and legs, with beads for hands and feet. I updated the Button Baby with a crown, arms, legs, and a heart made from Art Girlz charms. When I send Wendy a photo, her first response was “I want one!”
So my Button Baby has a twin sister who lives with Wendy in Oregon.
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