How To Get A Book Deal
And the start of something special!
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
STAGE 1: DEFINING THE IDEA
Spend time defining your initial idea.
What is the concept?
Who is your target audience?
Why is the idea relevant right now?
How ahead of the curve are you?
Why is your voice the right one to tell this story?
How will that play out in terms of writing style?
STAGE 2: DO YOUR RESEARCH
Look at what books are out already around a similar theme. Are they successful, do they appear in the rankings on Amazon or in bestseller lists – what makes them special.
Then look at your idea and make sure it carves its own niche, with a distinct USP.
Explain why this idea is a commercial one – your commissioning editor will need to know this to pitch the idea to an acquisitions team, so you need to know the detail about what you are suggesting.
STAGE 3: REFINING THE IDEA
This can take time – some people can spend years defining this.
My recommendation is having an idea and reacting quickly to it. I am a firm believer that ideas come to you, and if you do nothing with them, they will leave you and move on to the next person.
Setting aside some focused time to work that idea up is the best investment you can make. Do it quickly and give yourself a time constraint – a week, a month, but in my view no more as you will lose momentum.
STAGE 4: DECIDING HOW YOU WILL CREATE /SOURCE IMAGERY
Many authors of interior books will use all bought in images from photographers and picture libraries to reflect their book concept, and shoot very limited amounts of their own fresh content.
I like to create fresh content for my books, and only work with people with whom I feel an affinity and connection. Internationally with budgets I have bought in a few shoots when budgets did not allow travel, but I like the opportunity to source, style and art direct the vast majority of content that appears in my books.
Always check the copyright you are signing up to – and make sure it fits with how you work. I retain copyright with my photographers after the embargo period.
Image copyright Michael Sinclair. Styling Ali Heath, shot for CREATE in the home of Alex Legendre.
STAGE 5: CREATING THE PITCH PROPOSAL
You’ve have defined your idea, your audience, and your USP, now you have to work up those ideas into a concise pitch document. You get one chance at this so it needs to be compelling, hard hitting, to the point, and should include a mix of words and visuals to excite the publisher about the potential.
For non-fiction I always break down the structure of the book - and include an introductory outline which explains the concept in one page. Then the suggested content I want to include for each chapter showcases suggested home-owners/visuals to support each section. You do not need to have everywhere pre-shot, you just need to show the places that you would like to include as visual examples.
This document should also include an overview of yourself, your career, track record, and audience - to give the publisher confidence that you are the right person to be trusted to deliver for them.
I have no experience of fiction, but my understanding is you submit the whole text before a decision is made. Interior books and non-fiction work in the way I am sharing with you.
For your first pitch you will often have to include a sample chapter, or sample home story, that will give the publisher an indication of your writing style. A few books in, your ability to write is a given, but the content suggested at this stage will be of great importance to show how an idea will work.
The pitch document is the most important thing you will create in a book’s life journey – as it is the one document that will decide your fate and whether the project gets the green light. Your publisher will add any comments to finesse this document before it goes to the sales acquisition team. But my advice is to make it as beautiful as possible as this is your opportunity.
STAGE 6: PUBLISHER APPROACH - DIRECT OR AGENT
I have never gone down the agent route for the reasons above. But I think if I hadn’t been approached by Octopus back in 2020, then I probably would have ended up exploring that way.
Choosing an agent is a lengthy process in itself, but their websites will usually tell you if they are open for non-fiction submissions. Long term I think an agent can really help. They will help you shape your proposal – but that doesn’t mean you can rely on them; you must create the best document you can to get their attention and to show your value. Agents will often just have a good handle on what publishers want to see and will act as a middle man filtering prospective ideas to a publisher, and then negotiating that deal for you.
I chose to stay direct and have negotiated my own deals for each work. But I do have a publishing contracts lady who works on my behalf to check the lengthy contractual terms that are very confusing when you first set out.
STAGE 7: THE OUTCOME – REJECTION OR SUCCESS
DEALING WITH REJECTION
I started pitching book ideas back in 2015. In fact, I sent my first ever book pitch bizarrely to the lady who is now my publisher. It was my first rejection email – I wasn’t big a big enough name for them then, which I completely get as books are a commercial business, and your audience does matter. I was, however, also very lucky that when the rejection letter came in, as I called to see if there was any feedback. Unusually the publisher took my call and gave me some brilliant advice. Knowing just how busy they are, I am grateful that she took the time.
Over the next few years, I pitched the same two concepts to another publishing house – who sat on them for a year. We had discussed locations, book style and paper quality with the design team – before their acquisitions team finally decided the concepts were not commercially viable.
Sign off is a confusing process with many publishers - you can think an idea is happening, but until acquisitions give a yes to the commissioning editor and a deal is struck, it could go either way despite how many positive meetings you may have. I’ve had other ideas pitched and rejected, then seen something extremely similar appear down the line in other books they have produced. Over time you get to believe karma is powerful and getting upset about what could have happened, or what could simply be a coincidence, is wasted energy. If that has happened, they weren’t the publisher for you anyway, so put it down to a lucky escape.
SUCCESS – IT’S A YES!
THIS IS THE BEST FEELING EVER! You will receive a call or an email saying the book idea has been approved. The sales team will make predictions on the future sales of your book, and your commissioning editor / publisher will make you an offer based on those assumptions. After all the hard work this is a great day.
STAGE 8: THE CONTRACT
You will receive an initial offer outlining your advance on royalties for your words – which is usually split into three payments – on signing, on delivery and on publication. Plus, an amount that you will receive for illustrations – to cover photography, drawings, travel. Budgets are always tight and this can be a big juggle as to how you manage production costs for your book, against what it is you are wanting to create.
At offer stage this is your opportunity to accept or negotiate the fees and royalty rates before the full contract is delivered.
Royalties for non-fiction are usually a % of net receipts from books that are sold at full RRP, and via various different channels, at fluctuating discounts, plus rates for foreign language co-editions etc.
There are lots of variants detailed in your Memorandum of Agreement – the full contract that will be sent to you. This is a huge document that outlines all the terms – so do take legal contractual advise on what you are signing up to.
I always do separate contracts with the homeowners and photographers I am working with to make sure we all know what our responsibilities and deliverables are, and where relevant, what the agreed costs are.
STAGE 9: CREATING YOUR BOOK – THE REALITY
Getting started
Day one, this can feel a bit scary as you look at what lies ahead. Don’t panic! Being organised will be the only way you will get through the next few months. From signing to delivery of the book, I have always had 6-7 months to complete it.
I think the tighter this period of time the easier it is not to get lost in overwhelm. Routine will become your best friend. Work out a schedule of when you are shooting – then block that time out on your planner and you can work out what time is left to deliver the copy. Slow and steady gets results – panicking and leaving it to the last month is going to be challenging. For each book I have written, I have felt the overwhelm about six weeks before the due date. You have to get hold of yourself and tell the fear to go away. You can do it, have done it, and will do it again - you just cannot let imposter syndrome in. Trust me on that.
Structure
I commit to writing everyday once I get going. Find a place you love to work – for me that is my desk, the dining room, the garden, or the kitchen island. I like to switch up it up – and my favourite time to write a book is Spring / Summer when the days are lighter and longer. I have a set of rituals - if outside working I lay out a tablecloth, light a candle, fill a vase with some flowers, and make sure I have my water and coffee in lovely vessels, surrounded with all I need before I start. I have learnt from experience that writing a book in winter is hard for me.
It doesn’t matter if you churn out a chapter or a page in a day, it is the fact you sat down to write and committed to the delivery. Some days it will flow easily, and other days it will feel slow – but there will probably be some nuggets that may just appear as the basis for something later in the week, so long as you show up.
I definitely have to isolate myself and tend to withdraw for a while from friends and social engagements as I need solitude to get in the zone. My husband is an amazing cook and feeds and waters me well – but if that is not possible make self-care a priority too and carve some time to eat well, get out the house, and rest.
There are no rules so work the way that suits you. I like to start early – often in my dressing gown from 6am-late morning. Then a break, get showered and feeling like I could answer the door without appearing like a complete loser!
I go back to work after lunch and often work late into the evening - my head seems to come up with ideas when the house is still. Juggling children, family, normal work, and books, is a huge commitment, so knowing when you can get in the zone is important.
Make it work for you and shut out the voices from others that will get into your headspace and challenge your ability to think you can do it. Trust me you can!
Flat-plan
I like to use a flat plan to map out my ideas – seeing it on the page and being able to move pages around on my Mac really helps me get going and create a structure for my work. It also helps to do this before your shooting schedule starts as you can work out what imagery you need.
Photography
You will have already worked out which locations you will include in your book and have drawn up contracts between you and the homeowner about the commitment. I like to work closely with each location before shooting, to plan what we need to achieve from that shoot and to ensure our time is optimised.
Work with a photographer who understands you and with whom you have a track record of working together well. Understanding each other’s working style and knowing that is in tune with your book idea is imperative.
It is a gorgeous process creating a book but stressful, so making sure you have each other’s back is essential and knowing you will have fun along the way, will ensure a great outcome.
Design
I am lucky that my publisher allows me a great deal of creative freedom to layout the images and suggest the page style and grid formats as part of my work in the creation of a book.
This creates more work for me but is the only way I can personally create something that reflects my creative style and how I want the concept to feel and be portrayed. I become so close to the material I cannot simply hand it over to someone else to design as their isn’t the same connection.
Not all publishers allow this and want control over the design, which can sometimes be the final part of the jigsaw when the words are submitted. I cannot work in this way and the creative freedom I am afforded is really important to me.
When the shoots for the book are completed, and the design starts to come together – laying out the visuals really helps to fine tune the words. For me the two things are inextricably linked.
I submit a full layout plan – with grids for each page and images all laid out ready for the publisher to use and for their designer to format and overlay with ideas for text style, layout, and font designs. It’s collaborative but I have set a look and feel.
I know lots of writers who handover all their images and words to the design team with no influence on the design outcome. For me that wouldn’t work, so do make sure you know what path you are on.
Paper Quality
This is an important consideration so do talk about that early with your publisher as there will be cost implications for your desired choices.
Cover
The cover is the one thing that the publisher and sales team are heavily involved in. Commercially it is really impotant to get this right so it can involve quite a lot of back and forth to reach a decision that you are both happy with.
First Draft Words To Final Submission
Your first working draft at home won’t be your last – so keep going back to it, refine your thoughts and make sure it connects between chapters.
I like to check in with my publisher and send sections as they are completed to make sure they are on board with where I am heading. This really helps and takes the pressure off it all being submitted on one final deadline with no interim feedback before.
It also means copy-editing time should be minimal as the finessing of content ideas has already happened along the way. Your copy editor will perfect any dodgy punctuation and it is another really valuable set of eyes to ensure the clarity of what you have written has nothing confusing for the reader.
My advice though – when you do get near to your delivery date, is to know when to stop tinkering. You could drive yourself mad and at some point you have to release your baby out to your publishing team.
From submission to publication it is usually a time lapse of about 8-9 months. Seems a long time but the reality is it goes very quickly.
You will usually receive an early copy about three months after you submit - that is a very exciting day when you get to hold your first copy in your hands, knowing that the book is being printed way across the world, and getting ready to be transported in containers to its various global launch locations.
It’s a complex process and why I haven’t considered self publishing. Maybe one day, but the back up with my publishing team has always been incredible. When you receive a box of ten books- you start to realise just how quickly you could fill your home if you were responsible for distribution!
STAGE 10: LAUNCH AND PROMOTION
The marketing of your book is an important part of its journey.
I am always assigned a PR and publicity team and we work together optimising our contacts in the industry to promote the book. Not all publishers offer this, but most do.
My advice though is to lead this as much as you can, as your own contacts and desire to make the book a success will drive results. You are focused on one book not many, and that time investment from you will bolster all the other support you get internally from the team.
You will start to talk about your book to editors three-four months ahead of publication, sharing watermarked pdfs supplied by the publisher, to help secure extracts and promotional insertions head of launch. This coverage is imperative in terms of getting your book out there and seen, and so is the following three months, post publication.
If you are launching in more than one continent there is usually a press team in each, but again any of your own contacts will be very useful.
Include a pre-order link on your social media and website. And it is always to helpful to include a pre-order bonus as a thank you for people helping to promote your work.
Send advance copies to editors, key industry names and your contacts ahead of publication. It is likely the publisher will support you with books, but promotional materials and how I choose to send them out into the world is at my cost.
A book launch event is a gorgeous thing to do with a local shopkeeper and bookstores. I have hosted launch events at my friend’s beautiful store and it is a very lovely way to send your book out into the world and to celebrate with those that can make it. Many writers do active book tours – this is always a good option as are podcasts, radio and TV if you can secure interest.
Reviews remain essential for every book – so as hard as it is to ask, do encourage your followers to post reviews on Amazon in every country you launch in. It does really help.
The support I have received from gorgeous followers and those who have discovered the books by chance has been overwhelming. And this type of support is always so appreciated. It comes from the heart and seeing them hold your book in their hands or on display in their home, is very special. It is what brings a book to life and gives it context and meaning with the readers it was intended for.
I so hope this workshop helps. I run 1:1 Consult sessions, so if you need any further help do get in touch. Publishing your own book is a gift - and if it is on your bucket list, then I wish you every success achieving your dream. Failure can be a big part of this journey - and I know from experience how it feels for a publisher to say no. But I promise you when you make a connection and a meaningful relationship begins, it is makes every tear and previous heartache worth it. The joy you will feel seeing your book printed and bound is like nothing else. And you will feel immensely proud of what you, and the team around you have achieved.
Wishing you all a great week ahead. Ali x x
My new Substack, For The Curious - is a place for all those who are curious to learn more and keen to bring their own creativity to life. I hope signing up and coming on this journey with me will encourage you to seize your dreams.
As a lover of storytelling, words and images, I am excited to be able to communicate and share with you in a longer form way, as an extension to my instagram feed, and am grateful for those supporting me with a paid subscription. After having worked in interiors and many related fields for over 20 years, since leaving the corporate world, I am looking forward to sharing many of the valuable things I have learnt, and have helped me pivot since starting my own company; along with insights, learnings and creative direction, that I hope will inspire you too.
Wow! A fabulous wealth of information, Ali. This has been a stop and start process for me, the “essence” of my story frequently goes into shape-shifting mode. I spend a lot of time walking in the woods around Tahilla Farm calling it back. ;)
Thank you very much Jeanne. I love the idea of you doing that walking around the farm ✨✨