Since I made the announcement last week about my book, I had a few blog comments from readers that mentioned they liked reading about my book proposal process. I thought it would be interesting to have a little interview for you all, with the acquisitions editor at my publisher, Karen Burns. Karen.is.awesome. She is one of those people that puts you at ease immediately, and she is so interested in the quilting and sewing community. She also has a deadly obsession with shoes.
In the post about my book, I briefly touched on what I had to do to turn in my book proposal. I completed 2 patterns, which means that I wrote out all of the instructions, took step photos, and also sent in photographs of the finished bags (although I have heard that sometimes publishers like for you to send in the actual finished projects). Before I finished the instructions, I had my friend Katy “engineer edit” them for me. She is a task master and helped me tighten the instructions. 😉 In addition to the 2 completely finished patterns, I sent in 18 (I believe it was 18…I wish I had my original proposal saved on this computer so I could show you) sketches for other bag patterns. I scanned each sketch into my computer, and then compiled them in Microsoft Word. Each page had 1 sketch, and below that sketch were 2 fabric swatches of what fabric I would make each pattern in. Looking back, I ended up actually making 12 patterns total, and some of the bags I did indeed make in those fabrics (and for other bags, the plans changed along the way).
In addition to the 2 patterns and the sketches/swatches, Martingale also has a long questionnaire in which they ask you many questions about how you envision your book, and also what other books would be ‘competing’ books with yours (not that I feel like I am in competition with anyone, but more or less, books on similar subjects), and how your book would be different. Of course I mentioned Kay Whitt’s Serendipity Bags and Amy Butler’s Style Stitches, both books which I consider to be epic in the area of bagmaking.
So, in a nutshell, if you are interested in preparing a book proposal, you need to be very specific. You can’t just say “well, I want to make a book about quilts.” You have to have a plan for a plan for a plan. For instance, my friend Thomas is coming out with his Modern Quilt Perspectives in March, and his book is about quilts that portray a very specific message or social commentary. See what I mean? Specifics people! 🙂
So, without further ado, let me introduce you to Karen Burns, my acquisitions editor with Martingale Publishing, and this very flattering photo of her that I stole off her Facebook page. 😉
Karen Burns and Karen Johnson, from Martingale Publishing
How long have you been the acquisitions editor for Martingale? What do you like about your job?
I have been working in Acquisitions for about two years now. I have been working here at Martingale for five years. I started in the Sales department, then Marketing, and am now LOVING acquisitions!
Acquisitions is a social job, and it gives me the opportunity to meet new people, see wonderful/beautiful quilts and sewing projects, (along with knit and crochet) and develop great books that reflect the author’s style and flair. (your book is case in point. It is SO you!) I also enjoy being able to attend Quilt Markets, and other shows including Sewing Summit and Quilt Con.
‘Becoming a Confident Quilter’ by Elizabeth Dackson
Outside of work, what kinds of creative things do you like to do?
Oh heck, I have been crafty for as long as I can remember! I take on a hobby with a vengeance! I started quilting about ten years ago, and have been hooked since then. I have quite a fabric stash, and not enough time in a day to even make a dent in it! Once I started making quilts, I realized I should probably invest in a long arm machine in order to try and finish some of them. I started a quilting business, and ended up working on everybody else’s quilts rather than my own! (I am like the cobbler’s kid that has no shoes. I have LOTS of my own quilts, just waiting to be quilted) I recently decided to focus on my own quilts, and am excited to get out into my studio and find some time to work on them! (Truly, I probably have at least 40 of my own quilts patiently waiting to be quilted) I also crochet. I have been known to make MANY a crochet gift, whether it be a scarf, afghan, or toy. I know how to knit, (I learned back when I was young) but I don’t knit much. I have it on my list of things to do. I also LOVE to embroider. I started working on that again. I think there will be many embroidered Christmas presents in the works this year!
‘Quilts Made with Love’ by Rachel Griffith
If someone is interested in submitting a book proposal, what exactly should be included in the proposal?
Great question! We have a proposal form on our website, but a prospective author can also contact me directly. I LOVE to answer questions ,and work with authors to help them develop a good proposal. A proposal should include a clear picture of what the author wants to convey. What is the “hook” of the book? What makes it different than other books? What will make people want to buy it? Who is the target audience? Does it have a technique involved? We also ask for project idea photos/diagrams so we can see the quality of work. If we decide to take it to our proposal meeting, I will again contact the prospective author and ask them to send me samples. (samples are ALWAYS a good thing!)
’25 Patchwork Quilt Blocks’ by Katy Jones
As far as a book proposal goes, how important is it to be unique? As an example, if there are ‘x’ amount of Christmas quilting books currently out on the market, should this topic be steered clear of?
Being unique sells. Having a technique sells. A unique technique sells best! 🙂 I think it is important to remind people that it takes some time for a book to even come out into the market. The author needs to work on their manuscript, and projects, and turn them in to us. Once we receive their completed work, it takes about 11 months for the book to be published. So, the “hook” and content of a book is important.
‘Modern Neutrals’ by Amy Ellis
When thinking about a prospective book as a whole, approximately how many projects are usually included in a book (or does it depend on the type of craft book)?
Yes, that depends. Some books with quilts that are pieced without templates, or applique, we normally suggest at least 15-16 projects. If books include applique, we normally say about 12 projects depending on the size/content of the applique. Sewing books are a different animal, because some have patterns, etc, so those also vary. Page length also varies. Many of our books are either 80 or 96 pages, although we also have books that are 48 and 64 pages.
‘Set the Table’ collaborative book
Besides writing the actual text of the book, what other skills does a writer need to have? Do they need to be able to draw or illustrate their steps?
We do ask that once the author is in the process of writing their book, they only need to be able to roughly draw up their illustrations. We do assign each of our authors an illustrator, who then takes those drawings, and makes them into a piece of art. 🙂
‘Triple-Play Scrap Quilting’ by Nancy Allen
As an acquisitions editor, do you actually go in search of people to write books on specific topics?
Oh, you bet! I became quite the blog follower when I started this job. (oh, there are SO many great blogs, and designers out there!) I started making contacts through the blogs, but I also ALWAYS want people to feel free to approach me. I also work on compilations that include quite a few designers, and I am always looking for contributors, and ideas.
‘Modern Baby’ collaborative book
Do you think it is important for a prospective author to already have a web presence, such as a blog?
I think it helps. It helps them especially when it comes to marketing their book.
‘Hexagons Made Easy’ by Jen Eskridge
After a book proposal has been turned in, then what happens at Martingale, and how long does this process take?
After I receive a proposal, I look through it and contact the prospective author with any questions I might have. We have a proposal committee that consists of our Marketing, Sales and Editorial departments. I write up, and present proposals to the committee once a month. We talk about the contents, who is the target audience, how many books we think we can sell, if it is a good fit in our calendar, what else we have coming out, etc. I show any examples I might have of the author’s work, and I also talk about their online presence, etc.
It can sometimes take a few months to be taken to proposal committee if we have a long line-up. Once we accept a proposal, it then goes through the Profit and Loss stage which takes about 3 weeks. So, it takes about a month before we draw up the contract etc. I, of course, keep in close contact with the authors, and let them know how things are going. Once the contract is drawn up, we do the happy dance, and then the author begins working on the manuscript.
‘Skip the Borders’ by Julie Herman
After a book proposal has been accepted, how long does the author usually have to work on their book?
That varies from author to author. We do have author guidelines, illustration guidelines, etc that an author needs to follow. I normally suggest at least six months, although we leave it up to the author to decide. We don’t like to push, or make anybody nervous.
‘Modern Quilts from the Blogging Universe’ collaborative book
I know you have put together some collaborative books, such as ‘Modern Quilts from the Blogging Universe.’ What is that process like, and how do you find the projects for collaborative books?
“Modern Quilts from the Blogging Universe” was one of the first books I worked on, and it was SUCH a joy! I met so many wonderful designers throughout that process. I went out and searched for designers for that book, as I do for many of the compilation books. I do ALWAYS appreciate if I am approached by designers that would like to contribute, as I keep a running list, and am happy to ask for designs.
‘200 Blocks from Quiltmaker Magazine’
Is there anything else that prospective authors should know?
Yes…Martingale has been in the publishing business for almost 40 years. We also publish knit and crochet books, along with sewing and quilting. We are an employee owned company, and we all enjoy what we do. This is a great company to work for, and a great company to work with.
If anybody has any questions about writing a proposal, or would like to contribute to a book with us, please let me know. I don’t bite. 🙂
Thank you so much Karen!!! If you’d like to contact Karen to chat about a possible book proposal or idea that you had, she can be reached at [email protected]
In this video, I will show you some fun woven labels that you can add to your bags or pouches. The labels add a little bit of extra special to your projects. You can find the woven labels here: https://tinyurl.com/2mepk36n
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tazjMmFr1Io]
March is Craftsy Month here on Sew Sweetness! If you are not familiar with Craftsy, it is a series of hundreds of online classes for learning techniques and projects. There are free classes to try out, and any classes that you purchase stay in your account forever so that you can reference them at any time! My love affair...
This is a little view of some of the things that went down here at Sew Sweetness in 2014! Initially, I wasn't going to write a post like this (a lot of things leave my being the minute I finish making them...I guess I'm more interested in the actual making than in the finished project, lol), but I've been...
Today's post is brought to you by Liz from Moments... She is an avid sewer of faux leather, and I thought it might be nice to pick up some of her tips for sewing with leather, as it's not something I commonly do (but would like to!).
pleather, PVC leather, fake leather ...whatever you call it ... is way easier...
Hi everyone! I'm just checking in this morning with a little sewing survey that I put together. I'm interested in knowing more about YOU, what you like to sew, what kinds of fabrics you use, etc. Hopefully this will be quick and fun, and I would really appreciate it if you took that time to answer these quick 13...
My new book, 'Big-City Bags', is now available to order as a SIGNED copy in my pattern shop! It's releasing on November 5th, in just two short weeks, so order your copy now!
Also, if you live in the U.S., receive FREE shipping on your order (international customers, please contact me for overseas rate - [email protected]).
You can read more about...
This post is part of Purse Palooza 2013.
For full schedule of guest post pattern reviews and prizes, click here!
Lindsay is the guest poster today. Lindsay is the author of Lindsay Sews and Craft Buds. I will have the immense honor of reviewing Lindsay's new book, Modern Bee - 13 Quilts to Make with Friends next week!
Hello! My name is Lindsay and I...
Today I've got another Quilt Market dress to show you! I showed you one of my other dresses a couple of weeks ago, and here is 2 of 3. For this dress, I had a huge amount of doubt as I worked through it (were the dresden plates too big? Would the cap sleeves work out?), but I am...
I am really excited to share this news with you today...my book is available for pre-order on Amazon! I saw the pre-order go up a couple of months ago, but that was just in title only. Photo previews (just a few...some bags are not pictured!) are now up on my title page, so I thought it was a great...
This post is part of the City Sampler Sew Along.For more information or to see blocks completed so far, click here!Welcome to the pre-sewing post of the sew along for Tula Pink's new book, City Sampler: 100 Modern Quilt Blocks. It's already a top pick on Amazon, so hope you've picked up your copy (and if not, there's still plenty of time!).Me...
If you know Thomas Knauer Sews, you know that his fabric is known for well-thought-out themes and bold colors. His latest line, 'Asbury' contains images of vintage theme park, everything from ice cream cones to bumper cars. Across more than one of his lines, these fabrics have appeared, which are called Jellybeans (pictured above). I know Thomas hates the...
If you haven't heard much from me lately, I've been busy making bags, and some of these bags I've made using By Annie's Soft and Stable. A blog reader first asked me to look out for it at Quilt Market this past Fall; I had never heard of this product. I didn't think anything of it, in fact, until...
Great interview, Sara! I am curious as to how you made the choice to send your proposal to Martingale as opposed to other publishers? I am so very happy for you, Sara! Janelle
Wonderful interview, Sara, and thank you Karen for sharing about Martingale’s acquisitions and publishing process! Posts like this are so helpful when considering or preparing to submit a proposal!
I love hearing all this all came together for you!!
Great interview Sara! Congrats on your book!
Thank you for sharing all this information, it is really interesting and helpful.
Great interview, Sara! I am curious as to how you made the choice to send your proposal to Martingale as opposed to other publishers? I am so very happy for you, Sara! Janelle
Thank you for this post. I have an idea in mind and will explore the proposal process at Martingale.
Ditto! Thank you Sara and Karen for a peek behind the curtain 😉
Great interview and peek inside Martingale and the process!
Wonderful interview, Sara, and thank you Karen for sharing about Martingale’s acquisitions and publishing process! Posts like this are so helpful when considering or preparing to submit a proposal!
Cool! It’s good to know how much work goes into a book making. Well done both of you!
Great post, I agree, Karen is just lovely, so nice to deal with 🙂 its a really interesting process!
Thanks so much for sharing this Sara – this is something I’ve always wondered about!
Great post. It’s fascinating seeing the other side of the book cover.
What a truly wonderful interview with Karen and thanks so much for sharing your steps along the way!
Great interview!
Incredibly useful and unique post! Thanks Sara!
I loved reading this post and can’t wait to hear more about your book!
What a great post — so interesting! Thanks for thinking of doing it and for making it happen.