Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Writing Our Second Book

We’ve been mentioning our second book off-and-on for several months now, usually followed by promises to give you some details soon, so we’re finally fulfilling that promise.

How did you get a second book deal?

Our original deal with our publisher, Artisan Books, was for two books, so we’ve known since signing on with them in 2011 that we’d be doing a follow-up to our first book, which came out in November of 2012 (more on that whole experience here).

When will this one come out?

Right now we’re working towards a fall of 2015 release – although that depends on lots of factors (many beyond our control) so it’s not set in stone yet. Artisan has been great. Instead of pressuring us to jump right back into developing Book #2 right after the first book’s release, they encouraged us to decompress and take time to really be thoughtful about the second book. Having been through this process before, we have a much better understanding about how time consuming each step can be (the proofreading alone, my goodness!) so we know fall of 2015 will creep up on us faster than we think.

Will it be more of the same from Book #1?

Nope! There will still be specific projects and tips worked into every chapter, but the overall concept of the book will be different. We actually assumed Artisan would encourage us to follow the same format as Book #1 (if it ain’t broke, right?), but they really wanted us to make it different, so it could stand alone. That sounded a lot more interesting to us as well… albeit sort of elusive for a while. What concept and format would grab us this time? We spent nearly a year tossing around ideas, drafting rough outlines, and brainstorming with each other and Artisan. At some points, Sherry and I worried nothing would ever hype us up enough to say “that’s IT!”, but sometime last winter we landed on an idea that got everyone excited, which added up to some really nice momentum.

So… what will it be about?

Without giving too much away, the goal is to write a book full of real decorating ideas that fit the way that families really live. It’s all well and good to stare at gorgeous high end inspiration rooms, but where are the TV remotes? Where do they drop their mail? Do kids and pets actually live there? We want to highlight a bunch of decorating and organizing ideas that solve challenges that many families face, while making sure there’s not just form and function, but meaning in every space (so each member of the family feels at home). Obviously our household isn’t representative of everyone’s family structure, so we’re excited to step outside our own doors and include some other homes, which is a really fun departure from our first book, which was shot almost exclusively in our house. So in addition to chapters full of our projects and ideas, we thought peppering real home tours throughout this book allows us to showcase a greater variety of families, styles, and solutions.

Are you looking for homes to feature?

Yes! We’ve already begun shooting some of them, but there’s still room for more and we’d LOVE to consider yours (or your friend’s / neighbor’s / beekeeper’s). Here’s what you need to know if you’re interested:

  • We’re looking for homes that are beautiful but also very personal and reflect the tastes and needs of the people who live there. Even if you don’t think your whole home is ready for its close up, we’ve got ways to feature single rooms or spaces if you think you have a really special kitchen, playroom, or even a great staircase.
  • Unique circumstances are encouraged. We want to keep the definition of “family” as wide as possible – from parents with kids, to empty nesters, to couples with pets, etc. etc. Do you live with your in-laws? Do you juggle a big family in a small apartment? Did you convert a bedroom into a hang-out room for your eight dogs? We’re all ears.
  • Send your pics and brief story/description to [email protected] with “BOOK TWO” in the subject

What if I don’t have a home to submit? Can I still be a part of it?

Yes! We’ve got some other fun ways to work you guys into the book. We really want it to represent tons of families, so we’ll let you know more about them when the time comes.

Are you going to have those crazy weeks of photoshoots in your house again?

Hopefully not! We’re trying to make the process less hectic than last time, so we’ve been spacing out our photography – especially since this time we have the added challenge of coordinating shoots in other homes in addition to our own, as well as juggling a newborn. At one point we tried scheduling all the shoots to be done before Teddy arrived, but quickly realized it would be impossible. It was nice to check some off beforehand though, and Artisan has been so great about letting us pace ourselves and focus on enjoying Teddy’s arrival. We finalized our outline last month, recently started writing some chapter intros and tutorials, and are aiming to have everything else shot by the end of the summer, at which point we’ll have a few months to complete the manuscript.

Book2 Instagrams

Will you be going on a book tour again? If so, will you be coming to my city again/this time? 

This is another frequent question we get, but we haven’t really had that discussion with Artisan yet. Everyone’s focused on making the book first, so the tour stuff probably won’t get ironed out for another year or so. Our guess is that there will be some sort of tour but what and how many cities is a big ol’ question mark. So much of that depends on who’s willing to host an event, and that’s way too early to guess. For now we’re just grateful that we don’t have to think about traveling too far away from our kiddos for another year or so.

Comments

  5. Samantha says

    So excited for this!! What a wonderful concept! I wish our house was camera ready, but I don’t think we’re quite there yet, haha! I’m excited to hear about what other way we might get to participate, though!

    Also – every single one of those fake book covers made me laugh, though I think the Ninja Turtles one was the best! Love you guys, love the first book, can’t wait to preorder the new one!

    Hope you have a fun 4th of July!!

    Reply

  9. Kara says

    Love this! I’m so excited about the theme of the book. We’ve got about 1,000 square feet in a two-bedroom downtown condo; there are a few really pretty little decorative spots but largely everything has to be SO practical and we could definitely use some fun ideas for making practical look fun and decorative. Can’t wait!

    Reply

  11. Alexandra says

    Congrats on book 2! I’m totally going to sign up my Mother and her amazing, beautiful house and she will have no idea! :)

    Reply

  13. Diane says

    TV remotes? I have 6 fan/AC remotes. Where to store, stylishly (out of site from pets) where I can find them easily?

    Reply

  15. Kati says

    If there was anything that would motivate me to finish my kids’ nursery, it’s the opportunity to submit a pic to you for consideration in a book! CONSIDER THE FIRE LIT UNDER THIS KABOOSE!!!

    Reply

  16. Manda Wolf says

    Very cool. I can’t wait to see how the second book comes out. I was checking out the page for the first book and I was sad to see that the submissions had closed. I guess you couldn’t keep it open forever but I loved checking in on every ones projects.

    Reply

  18. Amy says

    I love that you plan to talk what ‘home’ look like for different family structures! I’m a single mom who works full time outside of the house, while raising a child and a handful of pets, who does NOT have buckets of money to spend on home improvements/house cleaners/yadda, and I cannot tell you how difficult it is to find inspiration that fits my life either online or in magazines.

    A couple of the things I love about your blog is that you focus on the small projects as well as the big, and you show how DIY is a process, that takes time and has occasional pitfalls – those things make it feel like DIY is something I can handle.

    On the other hand, I’m frequently wondering how to tackle things that look doable for the two of you when there’s only one of me. Never mind the fact that I am stuck with an 80+-year-old farmhouse with some serious issues (my ex and I bought it as a fixer-upper that we never fixed up, and I can’t afford to move. But I do love what the house could be, and the location, so I’m working with it!).

    I’ve come up with some solutions – work with what I have while changing what I am capable of doing on my own; simplify; recognize that having to wait a long time to work on or pay for a project isn’t necessarily a bad thing (time gives me a chance to consider many options, come up with creative and less expensive solutions, and figure out what I really want to do).

    But I’m looking forward to maybe seeing how others tackle the different roadblocks and come up with solutions that go with their lives and family structures! Very cool idea!!

    Reply

    • Sally says

      Amen. My partner has physical contraints, so I have to call a friend when I need help moving furniture or anything that takes two.

    • Cat Morris says

      Sally, you mention difficulty moving furniture. One idea that I figured out after the zillionth time I threw out my back was to put casters on most of our furniture. Oversize casters can look industrial and cool on the right piece, smaller casters can be hidden if a sofa or armchair has slipcovers. Basically, if an item is really big and heavy, it has casters in my house. Kinda dorky cool…

      We are getting a foreign exchange student in the fall, which means we are repainting the bedroom she will stay in. When we moved all the furniture to the center of the room before painting, it was almost comical how easy it was to slide everything over.

  19. HeatherB says

    I’m so stinking excited about the book!! I LOVED the last one (actually what turned me to the blog…book came first :) and love design books in general (design for real people, not the so-expensive-I-can’t-even-afford-a-lamp things), and the book market just cannot keep up with my appetite for such. Seriously–can you do a new book every month?

    But that is the selfish me. The real me (I like to think the selfish me isn’t the real me) is relieved you are pacing yourselves a bit, and consciously finding ways to make it work for your family. I was (selfishly) disappointed but (really) relieved when you geared down a bit on the blog, too, with Teddy’s arrival. My oldest is 3 months younger than Clara, and my daughter will be two next month. It is so hard juggling it all, and making sure the moments are quality. I was overwhelmed sometimes by all you were doing, and worried about you burning out. I hope that NEVER happens.

    Anyway, you guys and your family are a joy and inspiration. I look forward to all that is to come, and thank you for sharing it with me.

    Reply

  20. Meredith says

    Um, I really, REALLY want it to be “The Secret of the Ooze.” That’s just too good to pass up. And I’m sure Ninja Turtles can be incorporated into any good design scheme…

    Reply

  22. Molly | Awfully Big Adventure Blog says

    Ahhh!! Love the plan for Book 2- so smart! I live in a teeny apartment and am constantly trying to find smart, stylish ways to store everything with 1) no pantry and 2) very little closet space. Oh and 3) a 45 pound dog and all of his accessories. You guys always have such smart, thoughtful solutions- very excited to gobble this book up!

    Reply

  25. Sarah says

    So excited to get your second book! I love your first one and have given it as gifts too. So.Excited.For.More!!!

    And I need to think about which room/project would make a good submission just for fun!

    Reply

  26. Nancy says

    Yay for a second book! My first thought – instantly!! – was “I hope it’s about decorating.” 2015 can’t get here quickly enough.

    Reply

  27. Sarah says

    Yay!! I’m so excited about this book! I love love love your first one and know I will devour the second. Your mock covers are totally awesome btw!!

    Reply

  28. Hillary says

    Thank goodness. I love the inspiration pictures from pinterest and Houzz but if I see one more foyer or mudroom with a pair of Hunter boots, an umbrella and an empty tote bag, I will scream! I am really proud of my ikea hacked mudroom lockers I built from some of those inspiring pictures, but it has 12 pairs of toddler shoes, a Ninja Turtle Hoodie, and a Lego town that I am “not to touch!”. I can’t wait for REAL living inspiration!

    Reply

  29. Christine says

    One suggestion: how to work with special family furniture passed down to you that is not of your taste. We recently lost our mom, and our dad isn’t doing too well. One of these days, my sisters, brother and I will have to divide up the family household. It includes formal bedsets, secretaries, and marble-topped tables… things none of us really would choose. However, these pieces have been handed down to my parents, and family history is very important to us. We can’t stomach the thought of just giving them away, and would like to work with them in our own homes. We all have space constraints, as none of us have the rambling old farmhouses of our grandparents and great-grands. And then there’s the style thing. my husband and I just bought a 50’s modern. My brother and his family rent. My sister and her husband have a pretty minimalist style. My other sister keeps her kayaks in her living room. I think many people face this same issue, and I’d love to see what some of them have done with family furniture. This has turned into a loooong post! Can’t wait for book #2.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I’m so sorry for your loss and send lots of love to your family, Christine! And I love that as a topic to address in the book – it’s definitely a challenge many people face!

      xo
      s

    • Sally says

      Great idea. I just got some furniture from my grandparents – awesome mid-century modern stuff. But I also have some traditional pieces from my other grandparents that is beautiful, quality furniture with history. I need to make it work with my IKEA stuff!

    • betsy vuillemin says

      Christine- I just wanted to say you are absolutely correct about not just giving away special family furniture. When my grandfather died, my grandmother immediately sold her house. She divvied up what people wanted, and sold the rest of her stuff. i was too young to recognize that I would potentially want some of her stuff one day. She spent the rest of her years traveling to each of her 7 kids homes.

      She has been gone for 11 years now. She was the reason I finally bought my home. I was too scared to do it as a single, 29 year old. But, it was all she talked to me about the last few months of her life. I finally was able to pull the trigger about 4 months after her death. How I wish so many of the things she sold, had been kept somewhere in storage, or a basement. I would have loved to have had many of the sold items for my house.

      Now that i’m all teary eyed, I hope you will consider at least storing stuff, even if it isn’t to your taste. In a few years you may find the perfect spot, or someone else in the family may love one of the items.

      My thoughts to you during this difficult time.

    • Kayakgirl73 says

      Yes please on the inherited furniture that’s not your style yet you can’t part with it.

    • Lynne says

      Christine, this is a great suggestion, but I’m sorry for the loss that lead you to make it. This is something I think about a lot too. I need to get my Dad to write down the history of all the heirloom furniture, so I can keep track of which branch of the family it came from. I have no kids, so I’ll be reaching out to all my cousins to make sure everything stays in the family.

    • Kate says

      I second, no, third, no wait, let me just say I agree with this suggestion!!! It can also include suggestions for incorporating tacky items the new husband can’t part with…ahem!

    • Rosie S says

      Yes, Christine, that is a wonderful idea, ways we can implement some projects to honor family memories! Great topic!

    • Stephanie says

      I love this idea as well. We have several pieces that have not only been in the family a long time, but that my grandfather built. Definitely can’t get rid of, but not quite our style. Would love to see a section of the book dedicated to this.

  30. Sarah says

    I would love to see a reader submitted blog post of how other people have incorporated your book one ideas into their own home. Just a thought…

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Love that idea! We actually invited people to upload their projects inspired by the ones in the book here. So much fun (we left the uploader tool open for a year):

      xo
      s

  31. Mary Kaye Peterson says

    Hoping you come back to MN. I wasn’t yet following you you were at the Mall of America so missed it. :( Second time’s a charm???? :)

    Reply

  32. Renee says

    Congrats to my fave bloggers on this newish venture. You two work incredibly hard and are amazingly professional and delightful. Can’t wait to pre-order this new gem!
    xoxo

    Reply

  34. AnnF says

    Fantastic, another good read to look forward to :) Congrats and good luck with everything again.
    [p.s. finally got to try Sherry’s recommended edging paint brush–it made cut work easier and I wound up with the best results I’ve ever had!]

    Reply

    • Lynne says

      Yes! I just finished painting a room and was thinking the same thing. I love the short handled brush I got after reading Sherry’s suggestion, it makes such a difference! Thanks YHL, you are such a great resource!

  36. Treana B says

    I actually love all of the not covers, so as you’re brainstorming ideas– don’t just knock those off immediately (copyright advice not included in previous statement).
    Let all of the “is my house good enough to submit” insecurity begin… :)

    Reply

  37. Cara Barbieri says

    Any need for a half bathroom? I completely diy’ed mine back in March, but its pretty much the only room that’s photoshoot ready. Though the family room could be ready with a few tweaks… ::Gears turning:: lol!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’re definitely open to just one room (or one area of a room), especially if it demonstrates a great solution to a problem or a super personalized project that makes your house feel like home!

      xo
      s

  39. Allyn says

    You should definitely write a book called Chamber of Secrets, and detail all of the ways you can have a secret room in your house. Revolving bookcase, etc… Because that would be extremely practical for all of us still disappointed that we didn’t get an owl for our 11th birthday.
    I’m sure it’d be a bestseller.

    Reply

  40. Kristen O. says

    Congratulations on your second book project. I LOVED your first book and am so happy that you are doing a second one. Best of luck to you. And if you could squeeze in a stop in Central Florida, I would be one happy reader. We have beautiful beaches and fantastic food. I would be happy to give you a tour. ;)

    Reply

  41. Tiffany says

    LOVE the cover ideas, you have really taken it to a new level. I’d have to go with the Sister Act cover, John, Paul, George… and Ringo!

    Crazy pants excited! best of luck!!!

    Reply

  42. Sarah says

    PLEASE PLEASE come to Montreal on your book tour! You can stay with MEEE (and re-do my house while you’re about it, ok?)
    Hahaha just kidding, I promise I’m not a crazy stalker; just one of your many Canadian fans. :-)
    Super excited about book 2!

    Reply

  43. Amanda says

    Those book covers were a great start to my day – thank you lol. The day is a little brighter when you have an excuse to reference Whoopi Goldberg. Congratulations on the second book! I love the concept; it sounds like something everyone can relate to :)

    Reply

  44. Meredith M. says

    This is so exciting! Now I cant wait for next year. Also I love all your cover options…some excellent choices ;) I know you said the tour part is way down the line but going to go ahead and make a request that you come to St. Louis if you do tour! We would love love love to have you here!!! Hope you both and the kiddos are doing well, good luck with the photography and writing :)

    Reply

  45. Kirsten says

    It would be great to see ideas for attractive childproofing. For instance, what gates can you use to block stairs workout looking hideous? Or how to safely hang pictures over a crib?

    Reply

  46. Julie says

    We have a family of 11 living in a smallish house with almost all hand me down furniture. That is why I love your blog. You inspire me everyday to use what I have beautifully.I love how you make it practical to make a house a home. I am so looking forward to your next book!

    Reply

  47. Krissy says

    I’m so excited for book 2! Your first book is the only one I’ve ever actually purchased for my nook, the rest of my books are all just library borrows.

    We are currently working on finishing up our screened-in porch turned office/mudroom/gun room. Have any room in your book for redneck style? LOL

    Reply

  49. Meg says

    So glad to hear details of book 2! And I love the idea- its so fun to get a little peak at how real people with families and pets really live…

    Reply

  50. Anna j says

    Haha, those covers. I can show you guys my awesome Pinterest board , “cozy home.” Wish I could be a part of it, but either way so excited you guys are doing another book. Hopefully I can catch you guys on the tour… DENVER!!!!

    Reply

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