With the world advancing so quickly, some may feel books are old school, destined for the same decline as tapes, videos, and records. But for all of us who are drawn to a spontaneous love of physical books, we know that will never be the case. The promise of freshly printed pages, filled with precious content, and the ability to disappear into new worlds never tires. And with the passing of time the well worn, thumbed corners add to the appeal. Around our home I have bookcases packed full, tabletops stacked with gems waiting to be re-read, and piles building up around the house of old favourites. I know where every copy is, and each one brings its own injection of pure joy.
Interior books have always had an allure, and somewhere deep inside I have always wanted to write. Having found my niche in interiors I knew that I wanted to make books, filled with my thoughts and with creative ownership to allow me to express myself visually through styling, art direction and storytelling.
Books make a home. And for me the process of writing one has become a vital part of what makes me tick. You write for yourself, but with the hope that it will appeal to others, so when your work is shared and enjoyed, it is an emotional experience that I never take for granted.
If like me you are also driven to write a book, knowing where to start can be a confusing business. I am hoping to break down some of the mystery around getting started.
WHAT’S YOUR WHY?
For me writing a book was something I had wanted to do since becoming a stylist and feature writer for interior magazines and newspapers, 20 years ago.
I wanted to challenge myself – and wanted to prove that I could write more than a 1000 word piece? I wanted to know if I could put together the creative design for a concept and translate that to the page? And if I could really commit the time and effort required to deliver a book? The reality is until you start you actually don’t know if it will be your thing, or if you can – and at that point you have 224 ++ pages staring at you blank against a signed contract promising delivery!!
Fortunately I find that process exhilarating, but don’t get me wrong it can also be quite daunting at the start when everything is still in your head.
After coming from a corporate and then marketing agency world where creativity and strategic thinking went hand-in-hand, I wanted to bring my own ideas to life, rather than creating things for other people all the time. I wanted to make a book that sat on our bookshelf with my name on the cover – something I had created and a legacy for the future.
It was, however, never about ego (that’s for another post). It was purely about proving to myself that I could develop an idea, source, style and shoot the images (with a trusted photographer), and write the content to create something that reflected me. If no one bought it – it would obviously be a disaster for the publisher, but for me it was never about me needing to big myself up it was purely a way to make my own creative voice come to life. When you leave the ego behind it clears the way for you to create freely - which for me is hugely important
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CREATING A BOOK?
Within the industry having a book published does act as a measure of authority within your sector, and if the book does well it helps to elevate your position as an expert within your chosen field.
When a major publishing house says yes, it acts as a form of endorsement for other business connections to see - often as a mark of approval and can help to further your career.
There are different tiers of publishing house – so definitely do your own homework about who you would like to associate your name/brand/business with. The right connections work two-ways and when you are starting out you don’t always recognise that. Do your due diligence about who you would like to work with – it will help you streamline how many publishers you choose to approach.
Look to other authors and if you like their work, check out who published them. If you know the author ask them for their experience – it does really help to establish patterns and a feel for what appeals and what doesn’t.
My experience was to take an idea to one publisher at a time. For me that always about integrity – but also it safeguards an idea from being widely seen before a deal is struck.
MY EXPERIENCE
Writing a book for a business founder I was approached by my publisher at Octopus Books, initially to write the second book for The White Company. She had seen our home featured in an article within Homes & Gardens magazine – whilst staying in a holiday cottage and felt I would be a good fit. It was all very serendipitous and has led to some amazing projects together.
I met with the publisher and TWC and we agreed we could work together. I worked as Contributing Editor, to tell the founder’s story, and then subsequently worked also as a Creative Consultant, on the visual layout of the book.
Creating the written content you work closely with an extended team from the retailer – founder, chief creative officer, stylist, photographer, as well as the homeowners and publisher – so there are a lot of people involved in what you are doing and who you are accountable to. Working this way you are not needed to promote the book once it launches - at that point you step away and leave it to the founder, her creative and press team/publisher to bring their commissioned work out into the world.
Co-Author - With Covid the TWC book went on hold for a year as the country went into lockdown and no shoots could take place. This left an opportunity to pitch another idea to my publisher – this time the book being, CURATE, which has now sold over 50,000 copies around the world.
I had been working collaboratively and remotely with Australian interior stylist Lynda Gardener and photographer, Marnie Hawson for a while – and we had a ‘nearly completed’ set of material that could be used for this book. The pitch was submitted and amazingly it was a yes!
As the book featured seven of Lynda’s homes we billed on the cover as co-authors, even though she was the stylist and I had written and conceptualised the book idea. You have to be able to handle this when you agree - as it can be odd someone else being billed as an author when you have written every word. Double billing is quite common in publishing nowadays, as it gives a publisher a dual platform to launch a concept – as with us in two different continents. Our experience on CURATE was a great one, but it is important to make sure you are credited properly for your work.
Standalone Author - My bestselling book CREATE, published in June 2023, was a really important book for me. I wanted to do something completely on my own.
My experience with each book has been immensely positive, and working with the same publisher, comes with a sense of mutual trust which for me is everything. And being with a large, highly regarded publishing house, it has enabled the books to reach extended markets from day one, being published simultaneously in the UK, Australia and the US.
If you are curious to get started on your own then the following workshop for paid subscribers, details my experience of the process and I hope it will help you on your way. As a Valentines Gift to you, there is a one time, 30% off subscriptions, up to next Wednesday.
My key learnings to follow below:
Stage 1: Defining The Idea
Stage 2: Doing your Research
Stage 3: Refining Your Idea
Stage 4: Deciding How You Will Create/Source Imagery
Stage 5: Creating The Pitch Proposal
Stage 6: Publisher Approach - Direct/Agent
Stage 7: The Outcome - Rejection/Succcess
Stage 8: The Contract
Stage 9: Creating Your Book (getting started, flat-plan, photography, design, paper, cover, words, submission
Stage 10: Launch & Promotion