Back in January, I did an interview for the Sew Mama Sew blog with a focus on the process of publishing a book.

I was so surprised to receive over 400 responses to my interview! Some wanted my job, some just enjoyed a view into the world of quilting, but mostly I heard from people who were intimidated about submitting a book proposal.  As the Acquisitions Editor here at C&T, I thought it would be helpful to start a series of articles for our blog in the hopes of demystifying the process.

Part 1: How do you know if you’ve got what it takes to write a book?

The world of both publishing and quilting can seem very small and tight-knit, so the combo may feel like a double whammy. I don’t argue that it can feel intimidating. Much of the intimidation may come from our reluctance to have confidence in our creative work. When you create, it is often so tied up in representing a part of who you are that the merest hint of criticism can be crippling.

I also admit that the reality is that, as in all types of publishing, C&T reject more proposals than we accept because we only publish a certain number of titles every year. It’s also true that an author with an established profile gets our attention, and that part of our list is comprised of repeat authors. However, both the publishing and the fabric industries thrive on innovation, creativity and, more often than not, fresh inspiration.

So, my advice is: don’t listen to the naysayers who tell you that you don’t have enough experience or that you aren’t a big enough name in the industry. You really won’t know until you try it. Everyone has to start somewhere. Today, I called three wonderful fabric artisans who haven’t been to Quilt Market, have never taught a class, and aren’t even showing you a new technique…and I invited them them to be three of our brand new C&T authors because what they do have is creativity and a fresh vision.

So what is stopping you?

Here is the link to our Submissions Guidelines