We promised you guys a post all about the whole book-deal process back in March (when we spilled the beans about our upcoming book here).
And the only reason I can think of that it has taken us this long to write is because we’ve been so busy actually writing our 260+ page book behind the scenes along with juggling the bambino and the blog and all of the projects that go along with those things. Haha. So forgive us for the delay. Many of you guys expressed an interest in how it all went down (a few years ago we never would have known how to navigate the waters of book proposals and agents and potential publishers to somehow “land” a book deal), so we’re happy to share. Here’s how it all happened, in bullet form (with photos of Burger acting out our emotions, naturally):
- About two years ago (after blogging for about two years) we were contacted by a few agents & independent publishers about a potential book deal.
- We went crazy for the idea (we love to write and share our projects).
- We chatted with John’s sister about the folks who contacted us (she works in NYC with a large magazine publisher – so although she doesn’t do books she knows who’s who for the most part).
- She gently explained that they were a bit less “legit” than some other folks that we could potentially work with if we held out, so we decided to just wait and see what happened.
- We sort of forgot about it.
- About six months later (a year and a half ago), we were contacted by a NY/Boston literary agency (Zachary Shuster Harmsworth) – so we asked John’s sister about them and she got really giddy and said they were highly recommended (their agency just emailed us out of the blue asking if we would like to pursue a book).
- Uh… yes! We got excited. And naturally, we dove right in.
- We immediately started working with an agent to put together a book proposal (this is what they send out to potential publishers to “shop” around a book idea and see who’s interested).
- A proposal is typically 70-150 pages, so it takes a while to put together. The process starts with a book outline and you write an intro and a conclusion and explain why your book would be different/fun/exciting. You basically plead your case.
- It took us a year to complete our book proposal. Not lying. It was a ton of work! And we kept tweaking things until we loved it (no sense in pitching a book that you’re only feeling so-so about, so we took our time developing something that we thought was fun and fresh and exciting).
- After a year of work on that 100-ish page document we got to a place where our agent thought it was time to send it out. So she did.
- Then she had a baby. So another agent took over after the “pitching” process. That was a little nerve-wracking but it was such an exciting time so we tried to just remember to breathe and eat and stuff. This was our nervous face:
- It turned out that after our literary agency pitched our proposal to about twenty publishing houses, seven of them were interested in bidding on our book. We were crossing our fingers for one or two (which we heard was typical – hey, you only need one!) so it was an insanely exciting and unbelievable reaction. We still get glassy-eyed when we think about that day.
- After publishers indicate that they’re interested, there’s an “auction” (yes, it’s sort of like ebay – haha) and they each extend a bid about what they want to do/pay (everything from a book advance to royalties is indicated in their bid along with where they “see” the book going – so one publishing house might indicate that they see a giant expensive coffee table book while another wants a smaller less expensive handbook).
- It was super helpful to learn which publishers wanted to do big expensive books and which ones were more of a small shop atmosphere who do a more customized look at a more affordable price point while believing in a lot of collaboration (obviously that type appealed to us a lot more).
- By the end of auction day our heads were spinning as we compared the offers and picked a publisher. Our pick? Artisan/Workman. Workman is a huge publisher who is known for all sorts of best-selling books (like What To Expect When You’re Expecting) – but Artisan is their smaller boutique agency that manages a much smaller volume of books per year in a real hands-on way that’s full of collaboration. They understood that we didn’t want to create a giant $50 coffee table book and that we just wanted something fresh, fun, and affordable – and full of great ideas and great photos.
- They actually offered us a two-book deal, which is especially encouraging because they were saying “we have faith even before your first book comes out that it’ll be great and we’ll want to do a second book with you” – so yeah, we were over the moon. We have no idea what the second book will be about (since we didn’t touch on that in the proposal) so it’s nice and open-ended now. Which we like (who knows what we’ll want to write about after the first book comes out).
- About eight months ago we all signed on the dotted line to make things official (which is actually when we shared the book deal news with you guys – we couldn’t wait!). Then we… you guessed it… dove right into writing the actual book.
- After about seven months of nearly nonstop writing (behind the scenes while we continued to blog and love on Clara), we handed in our 100+ page manuscript outline, which felt pretty darn good. Although it’s around 120 pages now, when the tutorials and photos are added it should hit the 260+ page mark. This momentous hand-in day was over a month ago. We’re currently gearing up for the photography stage (working on the book’s layout, fleshing out all the tutorials, and beginning to secretly complete and shoot hundreds of projects with a pro photographer).
- We’re also coordinating with a few other guest bloggers who we’d love to feature (you know we love to share the love slash eye candy).
- Let’s just say we completely understand why the title of “author” is a full time job. It has been kind of crazy being stay at home parents to Clara, keeping up with the blog and the projects that we share, all while writing a book and doing secret projects for the book behind the scenes. But we couldn’t be more excited to see how it all turns out! And when we’re done we’ll probably sleep for at least five days straight.
- The book is slated for release in the fall of 2012 (although there are occasional murmurings of the spring of 2013). Isn’t it amazing how much longer books take to make than blog posts? Especially since most of the content is already completed and the release date is still a year (or more!) away. All that pro photography and layout and production stuff takes time though, and we’re sure it’ll be well worth the wait!
As for what our book is about, the concept is that it’s an idea book. A giant compilation of over 250 ideas for showing your home some love (our tentative title is actually Spruce: 257 Ways To Show Your Home Some Love). The number might change as we continue to execute the projects that we have detailed in our manuscript (some might be awesome and lead to other ideas while some might fail – so it’s flexible). We just want it to be a fun book that you can flip through to see tons of numbered ideas, and then you can start on any page and do any project in the order that it appeals to you. Informal just felt right to us, and the idea that every project or suggestion could be altered a bit (so everyone can do their own spin to fit their house and their style) seems fitting.
A decorating bible with explanations about boxpleats and start-to-finish home staging, it’s not. It’s more of a spark. A starting point. A junkload of ideas to pick and choose from and adapt to fit your home. Some are more involved, some are super easy. Some are free, some might be something that you have to save up for a little to take on. Basically it’s the blog. Only a book. And instead of getting a post or two a day, you get 250+ ideas with photos and checklists and tutorials and illustrations (along with a lot of extra tips, sidebars, and commentary) and a little dorky humor a la us.
Oh and virtually all of the 250+ projects/photos/illustrations will be new for the book – so it’s nothing regurgitated from YHL or anything. Some of the ideas might be the same (ex: paint a piece of furniture or reupholster a bench) but those general concepts had to be included – so we decided we’d execute them in a fresh way (instead of seeing the same bench that I painted three years ago for the blog, you might see a dresser painted in a completely different way that we secretly completed this winter). Sure it’s extra work, but we really want the book to look fresh and be full of different “takes” on a ton of decorating ideas – both classic and unexpected (and pretty much everything in between).
So there it is. A big ol’ rundown of the book process, what we’ve been up to, and how it all went down. I would definitely encourage anyone who is looking to be published to work with an agent (if they don’t email you, I’d definitely try emailing them a proposal to see if they’d like to take on your project). Let’s just say that I can name fifty times that having an agent to help navigate the contractual terms, timeline, and general process came to the rescue – so it’s definitely something we probably couldn’t have gone without.
Does anyone else out there have publishing tips to share with others who are hoping to get into author-ship? Has anyone actually tried to author a book in the past? Any self publishing experiences to share (we were too scared to go that route, but hear it can work too). As for book ideas, waaaay before John and I were bloggers we tried to write a proposal for a hilarious pet naming book (say the people who named their dog Hamburger) but after realizing how much work it was… it just sort of fizzled out. Maybe someday we’ll give it another go. We owe it to Burger. Haha.
Update – Some of the most frequent requests that we get are for info about professionally blogging (how we made our site, how we grew our following, how we make money, etc) so we shared all of the details about how we started a blog, grew our traffic, and turned it into a full time job.
Carrie says
SO excited for you guys (and us the readers)!!!
The book is going to be awesome! Congrats! :D
Heidi P. says
After reading a lot of the comments, I can’t remember what *I* was going to say about this post! Ummm…
First, so cool. Over the top cool.
Also, crazy that there won’t be any repeats from the blog to book. As if diy half demo-ing your kitchen isn’t a full-time thing by itself!
3: My cousin is an illustrator and crafty MacGyver (http://creativelychristy.blogspot.com/). Too bad for her that you’ve already found one you like :(. (Have you seen that Halloween peacock outfit for a little girl on pinterest? That’s hers.)
Anywho. You guys are mind-boggling-ly productive and awesome.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh I love that costume! So cute!
xo,
s
Annie says
I’m SO excited for the book to come out!! I can’t wait to buy a copy. I will be anxiously awaiting its release. It’s like the whole Twilight Saga having us wait a year or more for its release…haha :) Which considering I love the TS, it means that your book is going to amazing and definitely worth the wait :)
Kirsty says
Awesome! I’m so excited for you guys! I hope the book lands here in New Zealand otherwise I will definitely have to stalk Amazon for a copy! x K
Judy says
That’s so funny…I used to work in the same building as Zachary Shuster Harmsworth in Boston. Such a small world! They were great over there!! They had construction going on at one point in the office next to theirs and it amazed me that they could still edit books!!
Can’t wait to get your book!!
YoungHouseLove says
So funny. What a small world! The girl who “discovered us” and approached us about the book was from that office!
xo,
s
Lisa says
I am soooo excited about your book and even more excited now that I know that it’s not just stuff you’ve already done. I’ve been following your blog for almost a year, but have delved into a lot of your older posts (it’s like candy). There are a lot of bloggers out there writing about decorating and DIYing, but you two are both informational and funny. Love it!
Michelle says
Yes please do a book tour! Come to Newport Beach, CA! Well if not the beach by our house, I guess Orange County will do lol
Beano Wagner says
Man! I gotta admit I was totally relieved when y’all said that the book would contain mostly NEW (aka not previous blog entries) ideas for those of us that read you’re blog daily, and sometimes even on the weekends-just to make sure we’re not missing anything :)
I know what’s on my Christmas List 2012/2013! Keep up the good work!
jane davila says
Congratulations! I am eagerly anticipating your book and love that your voice will be coming through!!
I agree with Linda about how much of the success of your book falls on you as the author(s). There are lots of interviews, demos, signings etc, and the more you can do to get the word out there, the better your book will do. I’ve had 3 books published so far and am working on the proposal for book four now. I was shocked, when I first started, to discover that the publishing process is 18-24 months long. Now that feels normal and just about right.
The most fun thing was holding the first copy of that first book in my hands (after all the hard work and staying up so many late nights). I still get goosebumps thinking about it. The next most fun thing was watching the “numbers” on Amazon to see the book’s ranking. Way more fun than watching the stock market ticker. heehee.
My books are how-to books also and getting the “step-outs” and finished pieces ready for photography is a killer. I think that was more time-consuming than the actual writing.
And writing the second book is cake compared to the first one. Cake, I tell you!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks for all the advice and insight Linda! And congrats on your books! So cool to hold it in your hands- we can’t wait for that moment!
xo,
s
Emily says
I love you guys, and can’t wait to buy your book!!
Sara says
WOW! I can’t wait to buy the book and read it! I’ve never been this excited for a book release!!!! I’m not even an avid reader of books, buy I am an avid DIYer. I’m seriously so excited :) Yay!
Stefanie W. says
That is wonderful for you guys – but I must admit: I spent more time looking at the adorable and silly pics of Burger then reading the post!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, he’s totally the star of the show.
xo,
s
Henry Flores says
I’m going the self publishing route. Initially I printed the book using Blurb, but found it to be too expensive to print and sell while still making a profit. So instead I went on to print my book using a company called Toppan Printing Company, which made the printing costs a lot more economical to me. They did offset printing which made the photos look amazing; a lot better than what Blurb was able to do. My book is currently sponsored by the Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Los Angeles and is being sold on Amazon.com. All this took over a year to make it a reality. Publishing a book is a very long process! It has 60 pages of written stories and 60 pages of pictures. The book is called “A Day In The Life Of The Paparazzi”. The hardest part about the self publishing route is the upfront costs that I must take on and all the advertising I must do on my own, but overall it is worth it.
By the way…My wife and I love your website. We visit it daily and have used a number of your tutorials while remodeling our home. :)
http://www.henryflores.com
YoungHouseLove says
So cool to hear about your process. Thanks for sharing!
xo,
s
Gayle IdeasWoman says
My daughter would like to write a book, so thank you for sharing this detailed info.
I believe the key to your success is your honesty and that is the reason I keep coming back to your blog every day. I will be buying your book!
Come to Australia; we may be so far away, but we love renovating.
YoungHouseLove says
We’d love to make it out to Australia someday! Man that would be so much fun. Ever since Oprah went we’ve been dying to go! Someday for sure…
xo,
s
Elizabeth says
Congratulations guys! I can’t wait for my copy!
Brenda C says
Congrats! How exciting. My sister is trying to get a book published, I know how overwheling it can be (and satisfying).
Can’t wait to see you in the bookstores.
And congrats to Burger as well.
jbhat says
I’m thrilled for you and glad to hear that the content will be fresh–but sheesh! I don’t know how you do it. I truly do not.
xoxox
jbhat
Nora says
Congratulations on the book deal! I can’t wait to order it. Is it just me or do you have more than 24 hrs in a day? You guys really pack of lot into one day!!
Liliana says
Wow, congratulations! Love Burger’s pictures!
Its really nice to see how successful you have been. Its also nice how down to earth and unselfish (always sharing and being honest) you guys are, you rock!
Can’t wait for the book (s)!
~ L.
Ali says
Super fun! I’ve been published before, but as a contributing author in a book of many contributors, so I didn’t have to do much other than write and sign some contracts. :)
Kath says
So happy for you!! I can’t wait to buy it!!
Nicole says
Congratulations to you, John, Clara and Burger, very exciting news. xxoo
Becky says
Love.It! You two deserve all the best. Besides your wonderful home/decorating blog, I am also awed by your marriage. For young kids, you two seemed to have managed the biggest problem, money and how to spend it. I’m sure there have been a few shoes flying through the air, doors being banged, but it seems like you two are on the same page – equal goals for family and life. Good Job!!
P.S. Maybe this could be the focus on book #2??
~Becky in California
YoungHouseLove says
We definitely can disagree like the best of them! But there’s no denying that at the end of the day we’re both on the same team (and are usually just frustrated by situations, not really each other- for example a stressful day or a leaky pipe). When it comes to being on the same page about money we’re so lucky to be the kids of frugal dad who taught both of us to never buy things we don’t already have money in the bank for. Definitely so happy to have such awesome role models!
xo,
s
Sarah says
Here’s the thing… this is absolutely wonderful news and I really can’t think of anyone who deserves it more than you guys. One true fact we can’t deny is… some (not all, but a some) of your books will sell solely because your fans want nothing more than to see you be crazy successful. I feel this may have something to do with the whole “let’s do two books instead of one thing.” You rock… just sayin. =)
HollandPhotoArts says
Such exciting news, Sherry & John! Congratulations and hopefully now you can get a little sleep. Wow, that sounds like an incredible amount of work to add to your already full time jobs, but we can’t wait to see the fruits of your labor. Oh and if that second book does happen to be about crazy pet names, Burger could definitely illustrate! Cheers…anne&bill
Bernadette says
Just wanted to jot down my prediction that your entry area console table is a super secret, super awesome book project!
Brittany says
OH MY GOSH! I just realized that ya’ll first posted about your book on my 4 year wedding anniversary!! This has to be a good sign. ;)
Jenn Rush says
Great post! It was interesting to read from a non-fiction book perspective. I write fiction, and when you first break into the field, you have to have a completed manuscript before even signing with an agent. I had the good fortune of selling five books this year (to Little, Brown and Dial), so I know how exciting this must be for you guys! And my first one comes out fall 2012 too!
Best of luck to you guys!
Stacey says
I am so gonna ask my man to gift me your book when it’s released! I wonder how much it will cost by the time it gets to a book shop in South Africa?! Thank goodness you didn’t go the $50 coffee table book route!!!
Kandy says
I am sooooo excited about your new book!!! Just wish it was coming out sooner! I love to read your blog every day and really am inspired by the great things you’ve done! Plus you are such a cute family! Reading your blog got me started reading LOTS of decorating blogs, especially many of your links. It’s addicting!
Morgan says
Can’t wait to read it! And cannot believe you have 272 additional projects (besides everything you share here) waiting to be revealed. And all in your home? Where are you stashing these projects?
YoungHouseLove says
It helps that some of the 250+ projects will actually be illustrated, so we aren’t doing allll of them (although we’re doing a ton of them because we love glossy pics and want to be sure all the projects actually work when you do them- haha)! We like that some of the steps will be more easily explained in an illustrated format, and it means that the book will have a fun mix of photos and cool illustrations (we’re trying to get an illustrator that I love to come aboard for the project!). Cross your fingers for us! We’ll hopefully find out if we get her within a few weeks. She does work for Real Simple, so she’s amazing!
As for where we’re stashing the secret stuff, our playroom and basement have been working so far since we rarely photograph those rooms!
xo,
s
Morgan says
That makes so much sense! I love the idea of illustrating out the steps – that in itself seems like a ton of work but yay for professional illustrators. Fingers crossed!
Lilly says
Wow I”m so excited for you guys, I really love you guys. I mean seriously I read your blog eeveryday sometimes twice. It may sound ridiculous but ur a part of my everyday life (except for weekends but that doesnt mean I dont think of u guys on the weekends too. lol) I talk to my family about ur blogand show them pics and they are like “who the heck is that little girl in the monkey suit” My husbands probobly sick n tired of hearing about u guys, when I tell him that I want this new “idea book” he’s gonna flip like “more projects, NO, NO, NO…” yea right like I’m gonna let that stop me. I know he secretly loves all ur great ideas because thanks to ur great diy tricks we have changed our house around and the process has been fun and cheap, and we love our home more than ever. Before ur blog I bearly knew how to hold a paint roller and now everybody comes to me for ideas and stuff cause I’m a pro (lol). So thank u guys and the best of luck even though u don’t need it cause u guys are already blessed (Knock on wood). Can’t wait for my hubby to buy me ur book.
Daniela Conn says
I can’t believe we have to wait a year to see all the things you have been keeping from us! :) Up next, HGTV’s “Design on a Sherry and John Dime?” Can’t wait for the book!
Cindy says
Congratulations! You two are are so young and creative, what a great progression in your careers. I really enjoy your blog and all of your tips and ideas. And I’m sure I’ll love your book too!. Way to go!
Marian says
SO exciting guys! I can’t wait. I love the idea of putting the book on a Pinterest wish list so far in advance. Thanks for sharing the process, but do you guys ever sleep? I can’t imagine doing double projects. Well If anyone can get it all done and raise a well adjusted, happy little girl, it’s you two. Congratulations! What an exciting period in life to be living.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Marian! We’re definitely busy (and don’t get much sleep) but we’re so excited about everything, so that keeps us going!
xo,
s
Maria says
I know it’s still super far away, but have you thought about a book tour yet?
YoungHouseLove says
We’d love to do one! We’ll keep you guys posted!
xo,
s
Arati says
When and where can we pre-order?
And is Burger getting a book too? He is adorable!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, Burger and Clara will definitely work their way into our book! As for where and when you can pre-order we’ll keep you guys posted (we know it’ll be on amazon, just not sure when)!
xo,
s
Ali says
I thought I was the only person who censored my dog’s pictures!! :)
Sarah says
I was actually thinking this morning when I was getting ready for work that you guys should so write a book… wish granted :)I cannot wait to pick up a copy!!
Emma says
This is just a dorky comment here…mostly because I am still laughing at myself!
While reading this…I could not figure out if the picture of Burger that is censored was meant to illustrate the word excited or “sleep for 5 days straight”!
I actually snorted while reading it…
Oh, I am a dork! Thanks for the laugh!
YoungHouseLove says
Bwahahahahha. Hilarious! That was a shot of Burger sleeping. Although I can see what you mean about the excited thing. Haha.
xo,
s
Lauren says
I have been reading your blog for over a year now and I just love it! This is my first comment but I just had to say that I am over the moon for you both about this book! Cannot wait until fall of 2012 (or spring of 2013)
xo,
L
JoDi says
So excited for your book to come out! It’s awesome to see good things happening for really nice hardworking people like you! I rarely buy books; I usually borrow from the library, but I CAN’T WAIT to buy your book and try out the fun projects!
Harriet says
That’s so exciting!! :) I’ll definitely be buying a copy… my husband and I are actually in the process of scoping out houses and hoping to buy in mid- to late-2012. Perfect timing!!
Trude says
That’s so amazing you guys! Love, love, love to see my favorite bloggers, like you and Grace over at Design Sponge, getting published. You’re the hardest working and most deserving! Can’t wait. :)
Sarah says
My goodness, I am so excited for your book (to be honest, I’d buy it even if it had some of your old projects in it, because you guys write so well, and it’s always so humourous). I’ll be signing up for the pre-order list as soon as it’s announced! (and congrats on finishing your first book, that must be such an amazing sense of achievement!)
manyhatz! says
I just stumbled onto y’all three days ago, and wow(!) am I excited! We’re just now finishing the looong process of purchasing our first (hopefully last) home! (short sales are anything but!!!) Since we’ve been renting the past 13yrs., a lot of times we were limited on what we were allowed to change. Finally, we can flesh out all our ideas in our own home! (along with snagging some of y’alls!) The book is so timely, and I’m definetly thinking gift ideas for several friends…As DH said yesterday,snooping around your site (skeptical about my gushing about y’all) “wow, I really CAN do that myself’!
*camp1899* says
got a little behind on a few of your posts and just had time to read this one top to bottom and wow, what a process!you guys have a little magic dust spread around you i think.. congratulations! tiffany
mai-ling says
Congrats to you both!
Yes it’s hard when working on a book, it’s
like a 3rd FT job … and takes up a lot
of thinking time.
I’ve been working on my massive two volume
book for almost 5 years now. It’s historical
writing on the subject of magic and the magician…
my father.
And although it more about interviews and finding
leads to that to other leads. I find that just
writing and writing does help. It’s an entire
type of technique.
I’ve got a couple of publishers lined up but I
also have a few readers available to give me
their opinions and anything to add.
One of my friends just recently published a
500+ page book on the history of Bozo the
Capital Clown and the ephemera associated to it.
That was a feat and he’s still adding to it.
He’ll never be finished.
Good Luck!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- that’s amazing! Good luck with your book! It sounds so interesting!
xo
s
Allison says
How do you keep the new projects secret when every room in your house is “public”? Where are you hiding this painted dresser?
YoungHouseLove says
We thankfully have the basement and the playroom which we never really photograph- so they’re great rooms for hiding stuff!
xo
s
Karen Burgess says
Congratulations, guys! For all of us bloggers/writers out there who are working on books, pitching books (nonfiction, or in my case, mysteries!) it would be great if you could say a little bit about your advance, what the print run will be, etc.
I’ll definitely buy your book, your blog is awesome and I love the way your personalities come through. It’s not just the info, it’s the panache.
YoungHouseLove says
As far as we understand, it’s a pretty standard thing in the industry (not much room to negotiate unless you’re Stephen King or something) to get an advance that is paid out in a few installments as you write/complete the book and then to get a small percentage (around 5-7% of the profit of each book after the publisher makes back their money on the advance they gave you). So many authors don’t get royalties for a nice long time while the publisher keeps 100% of the profit to recoup the advance that they laid out, so it’s good to know going into it. We knew nothing about that stuff beforehand, so that’s where a literary agent really came in handy! As for the print run, we don’t have any idea but that’s another time when a literary agent helped protect us with contract stuff (she knows what those numbers should be and negotiated things we didn’t even understand – haha). Hope it helps!
xo,
s