Thoughts on Publishing a Book

My little library with electric stapler used to staple the samples into Magic in the Water

One of the things I did in high school was take typing and a class called Office Practices.  The latter class looked at various things one might do if they were working in an office -  double entry bookkeeping, using a calculator (before there were digital ones), maintaining files, working on large projects that required research (pre-Google).  I also acted as editor of the school newspaper, writing and typing the content onto Gestetner stencils.

When I left high school I worked a variety of jobs, mostly office work because I had the training in terms of typing, filing, bookkeeping, developing a budget, reading financial statements and so on.

So when I became a weaver I already had experience in running big printing jobs, researching for big projects, knew how to touch type at a fairly decent correct words per minute.

It wasn't that big a stretch to begin developing class handouts for workshops and writing magazine articles.

Over the years, I was involved in conference planning and execution, flying all over the continent teaching, organizing materials and handouts for the classes.  In other words, developing and executing multiple Big Projects.  Frequently concurrently.

I started the Guild of Canadian Weavers master weaver program, where once again I had to think through and successfully execute the course requirements, then for the final level research and execute a paper.  In those days it was called a monograph.  (Several published books were developed out of the monograph master weavers wrote for the guild tests - Linda Heinrich, Jane Evans, and mine being just three.)

So it wasn't that huge a leap from monograph to deciding - at the urging of many - to turn my research on wet finishing into Magic in the Water.

As part of that publication I decided that the most valuable thing I could do was provide before and after samples to illustrate the change that happens when you do a+b+c and then wet finish it so that people could see and touch the loom state and the wet finished samples.  I felt that this would convince people of the necessity of doing wet finishing (and maybe help them understand why I use the term wet finishing instead of 'washing'.)

At the same time as I was planning, writing and weaving the samples I was also production weaving for a fashion designer as well as myself.

I will be completely honest.  Not only was it hard physically, it was hard financially and emotionally.

Eventually I stopped counting how much the creation of Magic actually cost because it had grown like the proverbial Topsy and to really know just how much it cost in terms of money was too scary.  By then I had invested too much to stop and denial was the only way forward.

My goal was 1000 copies.  I started with 20 projects, before and after samples.  Typical warp was 40 yards, 48" wide.  Eventually I would add some more as I tried to sell all of the copies.  In the end I sold about 900 complete (or enhanced) copies and 100 went as reduced project samples copies (or donations.)

When asked when my next book would be I would say "Not in this lifetime!"

And yet.  And yet.  Here I am.

This time the internet is a thing.  Websites for on line publishing are available.  The topic doesn't require actual samples, but colour photos are 'easy' and people can have a choice between pdf or print-on-demand.

The content of The Intentional Weaver is not meant to be a 'how to learn to weave' but tips on how to get better results by explaining - as best I can - the science of textile creation.  Of explaining how things work.  Whenever I have taught I find that if people are told why something is happening, they can better understand how to change what they are doing in order to get closer to what they are aiming for.  How to make intentional choices instead of just doing anything they can think of.  (Which isn't bad, just not my approach to textile design - others may have differing opinions.)

By helping people understand the mechanics of the equipment, the inherent fibre characteristics and how spinning can affect those characteristics, how the change in density will affect the function of the cloth and basic info on understanding weave structures, I hope to help people along the slippery end of the learning curve.  To make things less frustrating, more enjoyable.  By providing information on ergonomics, to reduce discomfort and even possible injury.

But most of all, I hope to encourage people to learn as much as they can and work with intention - if they feel that is appropriate to their practice.

I spent the better part of four years (in between various health crises - my own and my mother's) wringing my brain out onto the paper.  It was about this time last year (likely on the way to the cancer clinic to find out that yes, indeed, the cancer was back again) that I found myself in tears, completely unable to even look at the manuscript.  The decision to hire a professional editor was not made in haste - it was another level of expense I would have to build into the investment I would need to make into bringing this information to people.  But again - I had spent too much time and energy to give up when I was now close enough to see that I could not afford to stop, again.  As I had with each health crisis.  This was just one more and I didn't have to do it All By Myself - there were resources out there who could help.  And I needed the help.

So I turned the manuscript over to Ms Editor and I focused on weaving the textiles that I felt needed to be included to understand the weave structures I felt needed to be in the book.  And let the editor do her job.

The Intentional Weaver is, in it's way, almost as big a job as Magic.  There will not be samples, partly because I don't think I will live long enough to produce another Magic!  But I could write as completely and clearly as I could about the things that all weavers should (imho) need to know if they want to design and create their own unique textiles.

I have intimate knowledge about what goes into producing a book from a self-publishing point of view.  The concept through to planning, writing (editing, editing, editing for clarity), the photos required, the samples to illustrate, all the way through to marketing, shipping, so on and so forth.

I had originally vowed to not do any shipping this time because I was all too familiar with how much work shipping Magic was and with the blurb.ca website willing and able to do the shipping for me?  Why on earth would I do that.

Except people wanted to buy directly from me.

So I had a chat with Doug and he and I will do this as part of a pre-publication effort.  My editor has also encouraged me to do pre-publication offer as well as friends - it was not an easy decision, but with the support of Doug, we can do this together.

The blurb.ca website does no marketing as such for their authors, but they do provide marketing advice and some tools.  Since I have done this before - it is not my first ro-dey-o - I will likely put most of my effort into my known marketing connections.

I have asked several people if they will read the ms when it is ready and if they like it, provide a cover blurb.  Because it will be helpful if potential buyers have not just my perspective and word, but honest feedback from others.

For anyone not familiar with publishing, there is much work done that never sees the light of day.  People sometimes ask why books cost so much.  Why can't authors/teachers just share what they know?

Bottom line answer to that question is...authors/teachers have to eat, keep a roof over their heads, pay the electrical bill to keep their computers running, keep their vehicle running so they can take stuff to the post office, etc.  I don't know of a single weaving/spinning author/teacher who is independently wealthy.  So we have to charge for our work.  Because that is what writing/teaching is - work.  It is our work.  Our profession.

And as much as I would like to share for free?  I cannot.  You do have my word, however, that whatever price I put on it will be as low as possible.  The reality is that the retail price has to cover the investment I have and will make in terms of making the book, the percentage I will have to pay to blurb.ca for their service of providing bandwidth for the book, the print-on-demand price of them doing the printing, the financial fees (banking, Paypal, credit card fees) - and all those 'hidden' costs that businesses pay just to stay in business, like sales taxes (GST will be charged for in Canada purchases), accounting services, and so on.

This past weekend saw our first craft fair of the season.  I started the season low on inventory.  And while I didn't get as much weaving done as I'd hoped due to the fall and tearing up my knee pretty badly, I cannot focus on that.  There are two more shows to do.  I won't likely be able to get any weaving done now until after we are home from Calgary.  At which point it will be time to pack and leave for the final push for The Intentional Weaver.

We are still on track for Dec. 2.   And I fight against the doubt, uncertainty and fear of doing another book.  But my mother always called me stubborn.  And so I persist...because yes.  I am stubborn.  And I will do this thing.  I'm in too deep to stop now.  Sink or swim time...