gingerjane
10-26-2007, 04:40 PM
I thought I would post here for everyone the guidelines for submitting a book to North Light Craft. :) If you ever have any questions, please feel free to e-mail Tonia (her e-mail is listed) or myself.
We are always looking for talented craft enthusiasts who have a passion for sharing their knowledge with our readers. If you would like to create a book that showcases your work and techniques, here is some important information about how to become an author with North Light Craft.
What kinds of books does North Light Craft look for?
The types of books listed here are the ones we are most interested in, but if you have a concept that might be outside of this list, we are always open to hearing what you have to offer:
Do-it-yourself hobby activity. We want ideas for books that will appeal to the person who likes to spend their leisure time making or creating things for fun, for around the house, for decoration, for gift-giving, to show or to sell.
A basic skill level. The book should appeal to beginners with basic skills and knowledge. The techniques and processes presented should be well within the reach of the average reader. Emphasis should be on methods that are relatively easy, fun, and rewarding.
Projects, techniques or concepts that readers can use. Typically, this means 20–25 projects or demonstrations that the reader can do or make. The reader should be able to successfully complete the projects, resulting in a product she or he will be proud of, or be able to emulate the demonstration to create something that looks pleasing.
Easy-to-follow step-by-step demonstrations. The projects and demonstrations should be illustrated with clear, easy-to-follow step-by-steps, so the reader can see the whole process by scanning the sequence of pictures. After looking through the book, the reader should feel confident that she or he can do the projects.
Great examples of visually inspiring projects. All of the projects in the book must be appealing and visually inspiring, they must be of high quality, and most should look within the reach of the reader. The reader's response to the examples in the book should be "Wow, I want to do that! And I CAN do it!"
What skills do I need to create a book?
Here's a description of what you need to be able to do so you can work with us on a successful book.
Create great projects and work with North Light on acquiring great photographs. Not only must the projects in your book be of high quality, the photography must be excellent as well. Since many crafters do not have the necessary equipment, time, or skill to take high-quality, digital images of their work, we offer the following arrangement. North Light will bring you to Cincinnati for a week-long photo shoot, where we will pay for photographic expenses, as well as for your lodging and up to $500 for transportation.
Write clear, instructive direction. If you can describe in words what you are doing when you are creating a project, you will most likely have the necessary writing skills. We're not looking for scholarly prose, just an easy-to-follow description of how you create a project that is clear enough for our readers to follow. If your writing is logical and correctly ordered, we can edit the text for grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Provide the content for a book layout plan. Before you write or create anything for a book, you will need to discuss with your editor the number and range of projects you want to include. In doing this, it is important to provide a complete list of all the materials you use to create your projects. Your editor will use the projects and materials lists that you provide to plan the content layout of the book. This planning makes creating the material much easier for you and allows us to help you through the process.
Deliver material on time. It's very important to deliver finished projects, materials lists and writing to us on time so that we can stick to our publishing schedule. Having a clear plan for the book from the beginning will expedite your photo shoot and help to keep you on schedule. We will work with you on a mutually agreeable due date.
How do I get started working with North Light Craft?
To begin the process, we first need to define what your book is about. We need a unique angle for your book, an approach to your art interest or craft that is special and different. It's best if we can establish a very specific "handle" or "big idea" that will focus the book and give it a definite direction from the start.
If you don't know what your "big idea" could be, send us 10-20 jpegs or hard copy photographs of your work so we can develop an idea that will make your book distinctive. Our short questionnaire for your completion also will help determine the book's distinctive direction.
What if I already have an idea for a book?
If you already have an idea for a book that you want to create, send us 10-20 jpegs or hard copy photographs of your work, plus short answers to the following questions:
What is your book about? What subject matter, approaches to the subject matter, and point of view will it include?
Who is the book for? It must be suitable for beginners, but please specifically define your audience.
How does the book work? How will it teach or inspire the reader? In what form will the instruction be delivered—i.e., with step-by-step demonstrations, projects or exercises for the reader to do, close-up details, case studies, artist profiles, before-after or good-bad comparisons, etc.?
What makes your book special and different? What will the readers find in your book that they can't get in other books? This doesn't mean it has to be startlingly new, but what features would it have that would set it apart from other books?
What qualifies you to write this book? Tell us your background and the experiences and accomplishments in your field that qualify you to be the author of a successful book.
If you have them, you should also submit an outline or table of contents, as well as a sample section or chapter that will be representative of the book and your writing style.
What's next?
After we have a good book concept, we work with you to develop an outline or chapter-by-chapter description of the book's contents. We also decide how we will present the material (such as with step-by-step direction).
Once we have a good outline and sample demonstration, we propose the book concept to a review board for final approval. If approved, we then negotiate a contract. We offer contracts for both flat fee and royalty agreements. Your acquisitions editor can give you more information about our contracts.
Why North Light Craft?
North Light Craft has become the publisher of choice for many top-selling, creative authors because, in addition to being highly inspirational, our books look cool! We are dedicated to creating books for creative enthusiasts that are as pleasing to look at as they are instructional. Our books are in bookstores, craft specialty stores and art supply stores across the U.S. and Canada. Finally, we aren’t just a group of editors and designers; we are a group of craft enthusiasts and artists, just like you. We understand what it is you hope to accomplish with your book because it’s the same thing we would want to see in a book we buy ourselves.
What's in it for me?
Creating a book will take time, effort, and real commitment, but the rewards are worth it. Besides the obvious satisfaction and pride you will feel when you see your best work in print, there are other rewards:
You can share your joys and discoveries with others. A major part of the pleasure of being a published author is sharing your work with others. You make beautiful things you can wear, display, decorate your home with, give as gifts, or sell. There is no better way to enrich the joy of others than to share your discoveries and secrets in a well-written instruction book.
It helps get the word out. Being the author of a book is a great way to become known by a lot of fellow hobbyists, crafters and artists. Join our current list of well-known North Light Craft authors. A little publicity always helps, and a book with your name on it is the best kind of advertising!
Being published enhances your opportunities as a teacher. If you teach or want to teach, authoring a book is a great way to reach potential students. If they like what you show them in your book, students will want to take your classes and seminars to see you work in person. This, in turn, also provides opportunities to promote and sell your products.
You make money. You will receive a fee for creating the contents of your book. As your book continues to sell, you will begin receiving royalty payments as well, if you choose to go with a royalty-based contract. Although you might not be able to retire early (or even quit your day job), these payments can be a nice supplement to your earnings.
How do I find out more?
If you have any other questions or need more information, write to:
Tonia Davenport, Acquisitions Editor
North Light Books
4700 E. Galbraith Road
Cincinnati, OH 45236
Phone: 513.531.2690
E-mail:
Tonia.Davenport (at) fwpubs (dot) com
We are always looking for talented craft enthusiasts who have a passion for sharing their knowledge with our readers. If you would like to create a book that showcases your work and techniques, here is some important information about how to become an author with North Light Craft.
What kinds of books does North Light Craft look for?
The types of books listed here are the ones we are most interested in, but if you have a concept that might be outside of this list, we are always open to hearing what you have to offer:
Do-it-yourself hobby activity. We want ideas for books that will appeal to the person who likes to spend their leisure time making or creating things for fun, for around the house, for decoration, for gift-giving, to show or to sell.
A basic skill level. The book should appeal to beginners with basic skills and knowledge. The techniques and processes presented should be well within the reach of the average reader. Emphasis should be on methods that are relatively easy, fun, and rewarding.
Projects, techniques or concepts that readers can use. Typically, this means 20–25 projects or demonstrations that the reader can do or make. The reader should be able to successfully complete the projects, resulting in a product she or he will be proud of, or be able to emulate the demonstration to create something that looks pleasing.
Easy-to-follow step-by-step demonstrations. The projects and demonstrations should be illustrated with clear, easy-to-follow step-by-steps, so the reader can see the whole process by scanning the sequence of pictures. After looking through the book, the reader should feel confident that she or he can do the projects.
Great examples of visually inspiring projects. All of the projects in the book must be appealing and visually inspiring, they must be of high quality, and most should look within the reach of the reader. The reader's response to the examples in the book should be "Wow, I want to do that! And I CAN do it!"
What skills do I need to create a book?
Here's a description of what you need to be able to do so you can work with us on a successful book.
Create great projects and work with North Light on acquiring great photographs. Not only must the projects in your book be of high quality, the photography must be excellent as well. Since many crafters do not have the necessary equipment, time, or skill to take high-quality, digital images of their work, we offer the following arrangement. North Light will bring you to Cincinnati for a week-long photo shoot, where we will pay for photographic expenses, as well as for your lodging and up to $500 for transportation.
Write clear, instructive direction. If you can describe in words what you are doing when you are creating a project, you will most likely have the necessary writing skills. We're not looking for scholarly prose, just an easy-to-follow description of how you create a project that is clear enough for our readers to follow. If your writing is logical and correctly ordered, we can edit the text for grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Provide the content for a book layout plan. Before you write or create anything for a book, you will need to discuss with your editor the number and range of projects you want to include. In doing this, it is important to provide a complete list of all the materials you use to create your projects. Your editor will use the projects and materials lists that you provide to plan the content layout of the book. This planning makes creating the material much easier for you and allows us to help you through the process.
Deliver material on time. It's very important to deliver finished projects, materials lists and writing to us on time so that we can stick to our publishing schedule. Having a clear plan for the book from the beginning will expedite your photo shoot and help to keep you on schedule. We will work with you on a mutually agreeable due date.
How do I get started working with North Light Craft?
To begin the process, we first need to define what your book is about. We need a unique angle for your book, an approach to your art interest or craft that is special and different. It's best if we can establish a very specific "handle" or "big idea" that will focus the book and give it a definite direction from the start.
If you don't know what your "big idea" could be, send us 10-20 jpegs or hard copy photographs of your work so we can develop an idea that will make your book distinctive. Our short questionnaire for your completion also will help determine the book's distinctive direction.
What if I already have an idea for a book?
If you already have an idea for a book that you want to create, send us 10-20 jpegs or hard copy photographs of your work, plus short answers to the following questions:
What is your book about? What subject matter, approaches to the subject matter, and point of view will it include?
Who is the book for? It must be suitable for beginners, but please specifically define your audience.
How does the book work? How will it teach or inspire the reader? In what form will the instruction be delivered—i.e., with step-by-step demonstrations, projects or exercises for the reader to do, close-up details, case studies, artist profiles, before-after or good-bad comparisons, etc.?
What makes your book special and different? What will the readers find in your book that they can't get in other books? This doesn't mean it has to be startlingly new, but what features would it have that would set it apart from other books?
What qualifies you to write this book? Tell us your background and the experiences and accomplishments in your field that qualify you to be the author of a successful book.
If you have them, you should also submit an outline or table of contents, as well as a sample section or chapter that will be representative of the book and your writing style.
What's next?
After we have a good book concept, we work with you to develop an outline or chapter-by-chapter description of the book's contents. We also decide how we will present the material (such as with step-by-step direction).
Once we have a good outline and sample demonstration, we propose the book concept to a review board for final approval. If approved, we then negotiate a contract. We offer contracts for both flat fee and royalty agreements. Your acquisitions editor can give you more information about our contracts.
Why North Light Craft?
North Light Craft has become the publisher of choice for many top-selling, creative authors because, in addition to being highly inspirational, our books look cool! We are dedicated to creating books for creative enthusiasts that are as pleasing to look at as they are instructional. Our books are in bookstores, craft specialty stores and art supply stores across the U.S. and Canada. Finally, we aren’t just a group of editors and designers; we are a group of craft enthusiasts and artists, just like you. We understand what it is you hope to accomplish with your book because it’s the same thing we would want to see in a book we buy ourselves.
What's in it for me?
Creating a book will take time, effort, and real commitment, but the rewards are worth it. Besides the obvious satisfaction and pride you will feel when you see your best work in print, there are other rewards:
You can share your joys and discoveries with others. A major part of the pleasure of being a published author is sharing your work with others. You make beautiful things you can wear, display, decorate your home with, give as gifts, or sell. There is no better way to enrich the joy of others than to share your discoveries and secrets in a well-written instruction book.
It helps get the word out. Being the author of a book is a great way to become known by a lot of fellow hobbyists, crafters and artists. Join our current list of well-known North Light Craft authors. A little publicity always helps, and a book with your name on it is the best kind of advertising!
Being published enhances your opportunities as a teacher. If you teach or want to teach, authoring a book is a great way to reach potential students. If they like what you show them in your book, students will want to take your classes and seminars to see you work in person. This, in turn, also provides opportunities to promote and sell your products.
You make money. You will receive a fee for creating the contents of your book. As your book continues to sell, you will begin receiving royalty payments as well, if you choose to go with a royalty-based contract. Although you might not be able to retire early (or even quit your day job), these payments can be a nice supplement to your earnings.
How do I find out more?
If you have any other questions or need more information, write to:
Tonia Davenport, Acquisitions Editor
North Light Books
4700 E. Galbraith Road
Cincinnati, OH 45236
Phone: 513.531.2690
E-mail:
Tonia.Davenport (at) fwpubs (dot) com