We’ve dropped a few mentions of working on the book lately, so we figured it was about time for another post about the process. Our post two months ago mostly covered the journey to getting the book deal and the beginning stages of writing, but now we’re really in the weeds of things so there’s definitely more to share… and we don’t have to use pics of Burger to illustrate it this time! Sorry Burger.
At the time of our last book post two months back, we had turned in our 160-ish page completed outline and were beginning to coordinate the design process with our publisher. If you recall, the book is a compilation of 250-some ideas for “how to show your home some love” (everything from small art projects, little tweaks, and quick ideas to bigger makeovers involving paint & furniture). Things were trotting along nicely and our publisher, Artisan, was trying to figure out whether to keep our Fall 2012 release date or hold off until Spring of 2013. Sherry and I begged for the earlier date and they agreed – but it meant putting the pedal to the metal. So we buckled our seat belts…
- In a matter of two weeks (the two weeks that happened to fall over Christmas and New Year’s) we had to turn our finished outline into a completely written book. Yikes. But we put our heads down and two dizzying weeks later we had the manuscript done. Phew.
- When we turned the manuscript in to our publisher, she took the next week to read the entire thing and we braced ourselves for edits or rewrites.
- She finished without any major edits (really?!) so it went off to a copy editor – someone who would read it for nitty gritty stuff like grammar and punctuation. It spent a week or so there before coming back to us.
- As you saw in last Monday’s post, this baby arrived last Saturday as a hard copy. Our manuscript now officially lives as a printed document that has our publisher’s edits and the copy editor’s notes marked up in different colored pencils. Our task was to use our designated blue pencil (they included it in the FedEx box) to respond to any questions, agree (or disagree with) all edits, and make any final changes. Scary. Especially because as a single-spaced, single-sided document it’s 375 pages long. We thought it was really funny because we assumed it would all be done via email, so getting a giant chunk of paper overnighted to our house felt sort of official and old-fashioned, but that’s apparently how it’s still done these days! It’s actually a lot easier to absorb the info and catch errors while “really” reading it (as opposed to reading it off of a computer screen) so it ended up being really helpful.
- Once again, we hunkered down and plowed through. It was due back to the publisher by yesterday so we overnighted it to them on Saturday afternoon. Bless Sherry for having the focus to sit down for two days straight and do pretty much nothing but focus on that. It’s how she spent all of last weekend while I watched Clara (and did kitchen stuff while the bean napped).
- After 16+ hours (broken up over two days) just to read through the thing, we then scrambled to fill in some gaps and rewrite some sections just to further explain a few projects/ideas in the remaining four days. Then back to the publisher it went…
But the manuscript is only half of the book process adventure right now. It’s probably less than half, actually. Maybe a third? Because what’s really keeping us busy is prepping for the photo shoots that began yesterday morning. So here’s what’s been going down on that end of things:
- With the 250-ish ideas we’re including, about 100 are going to be photographed. Another 100 will be illustrated and the remaining ones are pretty self-explanatory tips that make sense without an image. So that means 100 of the projects/sets need to be done so we’ve got something to actually photograph. Can we say yikes again? Anyone with a blog knows that churning out enough projects to keep things interesting (maybe 3-4 a week?) is a pretty substantial task. But completing 100 secret projects on top of that? Crazytown. But things are really exciting and fun in Crazytown so we totally can’t complain. Or sleep. But sleep is so 2011. At least that’s what we’ve been telling ourselves as we whirl through projects into the early morning. At least we got to knock out a bunch of them leading up to the shoots, so some are already waiting in the wings to be shot.
- We didn’t really start full force on all of the projects until after the manuscript was turned in for the first time after New Year’s (we didn’t want to do a project that we or the publisher decided to later kill for some reason – but we did churn out a bunch that we knew would stay in). Not doing them all with a lot of lead time beforehand did mean that for those remaining projects, we did only have about 30 days to do them. Eeks. So on pretty much any night over the past month you could find us painting, hanging, sewing, cutting, and shopping for up to five projects. And that pace will continue for the next three weeks until shooting wraps (since many things have to get shot as “before” and “process” pics before being completed). But it’s fun because we’re transforming some pretty ugly things, like this old rusted thrift store table:
- As much work as it’s been, we’re not doing it completely alone. Our publisher hired a producer to help keep things organized (100 ideas doesn’t just mean 100 photos, since many have a before, process, and after shots attached to them – so it’s a lot to keep straight and schedule). We also have someone who has been a big help when it comes to gathering supplies for us. Sometimes it’s faster for us to just grab things while we’re out and sometimes we email her and say “ahhhh, can you help us get blank by such and such a date so we can sand and paint it in time to shoot it? Thanks!”
- And of course we’ve got a pro photographer who’s going to make everything look prettier than we ever possibly could with our little Nikon. So our “crew” of helpers aren’t exactly elves who do all the projects at night (we wish!) but it certainly takes a load off to have such a great team. Since we’re ultimately the people who have to choose all of the items, do all of the projects, decide what rooms/corners to shoot all of the photos, and style all of the shots, we’re still burning the midnight oil.
- As for where things for the book are coming from, we have a pretty modest book budget so we’ve been stalking craigslist, thrift stores, and even borrowing items from some of our favorite stores with their blessing (they’ll be returned in three weeks when shooting wraps). The nice thing about a modest budget is that it keeps us honest (there are a good amount of under $50, under $25, under $5, and even some free projects in our book, so that’s pretty exciting to cheap-os like us). And yes, sometimes Sherry gets hyper when we’re picking out accessories (our aim is to style things so they look fresh for you guys, since reusing all the things we already have around our house that you’ve seen a million times would be kind of stale).
- And our house? Well, it’s a mess. We’ve got projects at mid-completion here and there (we need to save some that are halfway done to shoot progress photos, so we can’t just knock them all out at once). We’ve got tons of thrifted furniture piled in the sunroom just waiting for a makeover. There are a bunch of fabric and frames and accessories stacked on the dining table. Paint cans pepper the floor. We even have frames missing from the hallway where we’ve repurposd them for book projects. Nothing is sacred. Haha. Again, in a word, it’s a mess. But it’s pretty exciting chaos.
- Being the over-sharers that we are, we’d love to tell all of the details of every project right now (#ohmanit’skillingus). But I’m not sure our publisher would be very happy with us ruining the surprise. So here are a few hint-y sneak peeks:
- Our guestroom has kinda become home to all of the completed projects. The dining room is home to all of the things in progress and the sunroom is where we’re housing all of the things we can’t touch until before photos are taken. Here’s sort of what they look like (well, as much as we can show ya)…
- So that thing that Sherry mentioned at the end of yesterday’s post that lasts three weeks is some pretty crazy-but-exciting book photography. Most of it will be going on from 8:30am to 6pm four days per week for the next three weeks, so nearly our entire February will be spent on a photography set. Well, actually the set is our house for the most part – so it’ll be three weeks of being in our house-turned-photo-studio. We finish just a few days before flying out to Oregon for the Portland Home & Garden Show, so it will definitely be a jam-packed month. Thank goodness it’s only 29 days long!
- Yes, we’re pretty much hosting a little crew of people in our house for the better part of a month so we’ll have to tell you how that goes! They’re all awesomesauce so far, and yesterday we banged out a ton of before photos and as soon as they left we were painting and upholstering and doing all the things we can now do since those “before” shots are in the can. Gotta tell ya, it feels good to get this thing going – and we already can’t wait for the book to be out so we can spill the beans about all these secrets. We’re taking lots of behind the scenes photos to share with you guys this fall when it comes out!
Update: Lots of folks are asking what we’ll be doing with all those secret projects/items once the book is shot. We’re actually hoping to do a charity auction/giveaway with some of them (not sure how shipping will work though) and some items have to be returned, etc. Maybe one or two especially sentimental ones will stay at our house, but they’re all “bonus” projects (we didn’t “design” any of them to fit into our house, which is actually really freeing since we can have fun with lots of color/fabric/textures, etc) so it should be fun to see where they end up!
So our apologies to anyone who left a comment yesterday and took a little longer than normal to see it pop up or get a response! We’re definitely juggling things over here when it comes to keeping the blog and the book (and the bean) attended to. And as nuts as the next month is going to be for us, we’re so grateful for the opportunity and so excited to share the whole crazy journey with you guys as we go. Anyone else dealing with someone visiting them for weeks on end? Or keeping 100+ secrets that are slowly burning a hole through their brains? Tell us about it. Or just tell us how crazy our house looks. Go.
Psst- Thank goodness our bean sleeps the night away so we can get stuff done (check out her technique over on Young House Life).
Becky says
I can’t wait for your book to come out…hurry already!
Kristen @ Popcorn on the Stove says
I knew that teaser you left yesterday was the photo shoot!!! How exciting!! How you’re going to manage the blog & all those secret projects (along with your regular activities around the house) is beyond me. I hope everything it a lot of fun and it all goes well! :)
PS – So glad you pushed for the earlier release date… I can’t wait to grab myself a copy!
Amanda @ Our Humble A{Bowe}d says
Wow, that is crazy crazy crazy! Good luck and we can’t wait to read the finished book, of course we’d still like to see/hear more about the process, though. :)
julie g. says
Congratulations and thank you for sharing this amazing experience with us commoners! I think your readers would probably agree to give you a few posts off don’t you think? Are grandma and grandpa on Clara duty or is she a member of the crew?
Penny says
Haha, Clara would be a great crew member with those tape-measuring skillz of hers! :)
Amanda Nowak says
Gah! So exciting! :) You guys sure have been busy. I’ve already let my husband know that I want one for Christmas… or the day it comes out :)
Debra says
Wow – I am so happy for you guys. You took a really big leap when you both decided to stay home and make this awesome blog a full time thing, and it’s wonderful that it has opened so many doors for you. Can’t wait to buy it :-)
Jenn @My Southwestern Life says
Ahhhh! I am so excited for the book! I’m even more excited now since you said that most of the projects are budget projects.
Angela Lang says
so excited for your book to come out! i plan on buying a few copies for housewarming gifts as well ;) super happy that life is good for the petersiks :) :)
Andria says
You guys are so amazing! Crazy, but amazing. Good luck with everything…can’t wait to buy the book. :)
Andrea says
I’m in awe! How do you guys do it? I’m exhausted just reading about it. Good luck to you both on the book and hope your endeavor is super successful. God bless!
Lauren says
Wow. That is all. Just Wow. (In a good way.)
Katy says
Oh goodness! My bf’s flight got cancelled and he stayed with me for two extra days, does that count? It was stressed driving him to the airport every day and then picking him back up an hour later. It also meant my Lego Cake wasn’t perfect. http://thefirstapartment.blogspot.com/2012/01/lego-cake.html
But somehow, I think you guys might have bigger challenges then me right now. Best of luck to you!
~Katy
YoungHouseLove says
Aw I love your lego cake!
xo,
s
John@Our Home From Scratch says
Must. purchase. now. If I was the publisher, I would totally mess with you guys… my first comment would be “This isn’t about the civil war at all!”
Can’t wait to see it!!
Melissa Breau says
Awesome! Had a suspicion that was what Sherry was referring to… gotta admit I love the teaser photos that show the rooms but really don’t. Can’t wait to see the big unveil this fall!
(BTW good move on your publisher’s part to let you publish them—the secrets might have made you burst by next spring!)
Paige says
so exciting!! can’t wait for the book to come out. Question…all the projects that you’re doing…are they for your home?? Did you purposely plan projects that you wanted to do for yourself/your home?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no, since they have to stay secret until the book comes out in the fall (and we shoot all angles of most of our rooms all the time) they’re just bonus projects that we think will be the most helpful for folks trying to spruce up their house!
xo,
s
NYer says
so just wondering what will happen with these projects afterwards? craiglist? an auction for your fans? Monday Fab Freebie raffles? congratulations! we’re all so happy for you!
YoungHouseLove says
We actually added an update to the bottom of the post about that since so many folks have wondered! We’ll keep you posted after we finish shooting and talk it through with the publisher!
xo,
s
Devon @ Green House, Good Life says
Perhaps a fundraiser for one of your favorite charities? (I vote for St. Jude’s since my friend’s little boy is getting treatment there right now.) I’m sure you guys could figure out a good way to organize it, but maybe you can auction one item per day/week/whatever based on some kind of vague description (no pictures to spoil the book surprise), subtract shipping costs, and donate the rest?
Meredith says
Oh. My. God. I’m a busy girl and you guys absolutely put me to shame. LOVE this post, though! And the book is officially one of my things to look forward to in the fall! (Every month has a couple, and one of the biggies for me is the Olympics, so I’m pretty excited that there will still be the YHL book post Olympics).
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Meredith!
xo,
s
Andrea says
Way to go Petersiks!!! You’ll rock it all out awesomely like you always do! Can’t wait to actually get to see these projects!!! =)
India says
Ohhh my gosh – can’t wait! Hopefully it’s not too hard for us Aussies to get ourselves a copy! =) yay YHL! xx India.
YoungHouseLove says
We’re hoping to get it to everyone internationally on Amazon! Will definitely let you know!
xo,
s
Pati says
I am hoping for international delivery also! :)
Carla says
Same here (:
michelle says
it is all soooooo much work!!! I will buy the book for sure!!! can’t wait!
Nikki says
Yeah, you guys are definitely the business! Loves it! Can’t wait to score the book.
Amy says
Good luck, guys! It’s going to be awesome. I am eagerly awaiting it to be available for pre-order on Amazon!
Candice says
I’m so excited for y’all! Can’t wait to get the book when it comes out and finally see what you’ve been up to. I’m sure it’ll be awesomesauce. ;)
knack says
I wanted to cheer at the end of this post! I cannot even tell you how much I can relate….as I am working on my first book as well! The next thing for me is to get that big stack of paper and blue pencil in the mail :) ….and finish up all of the styling and photographs by February 20th!
Can’t even tell you how encouraging it was for me to read this post!
Best of luck to you all……strength, and a beautiful book in the end! Can’t wait to buy it!
Best,
Barb Blair
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so exciting! Congrats!
xo,
s
Robin @ Our Semi Organic Life says
That is all so exciting! I know this is your first book but you make it all seem so glamorous and fun! Sure sounds like you know what your doing!
Petra says
AMAZING! I am so excited for you all!
Melanie @ Mailbox Journey says
This is really freakin’ exciting! Did you ever think in a million years that this is where you would be today after writing your very first blog post!?
YoungHouseLove says
No idea!!! So crazy.
xo,
s
Amy @ The Button Casa says
That all looks fun, amazing and completely exhausting. Congratulations!!!
Melissa says
Have you mentioned where the turquoise and green pillows are from? Love them! Good luck these next few weeks!!
YoungHouseLove says
Those are old pillows from West Elm and HomeGoods and one is even made out of napkins from Crate & Barrel! Haha.
xo,
s
Sarah says
your. life. is. crazy.
Kate says
This is SO exciting! I can’t wait to buy a copy.
I’m curious…what will you do with all of the projects that you complete?
YoungHouseLove says
We’re trying to work out some sort of giveaway! Shipping might be really hard, but we’re crossing our fingers!
xo,
s
Robin @ Our Semi Organic Life says
I’m sure some of us would love a local giveaway! I’ll meet you anywhere if you giveaway some furniture!
Devon @ Green House, Good Life says
At least the manuscript was English — I proofread my husband’s dissertation (multiple times) a few years ago, and it was all engineerese. I had to keep asking him if words like “blif” were real words or typos.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- blif is now my word of the day. I will try to insert it naturally into conversation without knowing what it means…
xo,
s
JennyB says
for example:
“I can’t wait until we get this bliffin’ book finished!”
Couldn’t resist! Can you tell that all of your readers are seriously excited to get their hands on that book:) Congrats on cranking it out. I’m exhausted just reading this post and seeing what all you’ve been doing–whew!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha. Exactly! Perfect use.
xo,
s
Amy @ this DIY life says
Looks like fun! Can’t wait for the book :) Keep up the good work!
Monika says
I do not know how you guys manage all that plus keeping up with your blog and the kitchen. Have you secretly cloned yourselves? Well, can’t wait to purchase this book and thumb through it. It will be SO exciting, especially knowing all the background. Clara is so sweet, sleeping like an angel btw.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, we’ve been looking into the whole cloning yourself thing. So far, no dice. Anyone have tips on that? Haha.
xo,
s
Monique says
No tips on cloning yourself but if you needed a virtual assistant… that could be another story. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Monique!
xo,
s
Liz says
Yay for coming to Oregon!!! We’re big fans out here, too! I hope you guys have time to get outside of the city while you’re here. You should try to make it to Multnomah Falls if you can, and/or the coast. But definitely bring your rain coats :) At least, that’s my unsolicited advice!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Liz! We can’t wait to explore!
xo,
s
Heidi P. says
You should DEFinitely go to Multnomah Falls and the coast AND Mount Hood. Also, there’s a place in downtown Portland, called Pioneer Courthouse Square and if you stand on a certain spot and talk, it’s like you’re in a tube, where you can hear yourself… it’s called the echo chamber. It’s pretty sweet.
How’s Clara navigating the craziness? I know Jason would be having a hay day destroying expensive equipment! It’d be all hands on deck chasing after him and keeping everything safe!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the Portland suggestions! Clara’s spending a fair amount of time with her grandparents this week. But naps (like the one she’s currently having) are a big help too!
-John
kaysie says
Such wonderful news! Can’t wait to see the finished product resting proudly on my coffee table one day soon!
Vanessa says
Ummm -I am already waiting in line to get my book signed and I have pre ordered one million copies to give away on my blog.
Can. Not. Wait.
I write that alot to you guys…I really need to work on my patience.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you’re so cute.
xo,
s
Lindsay says
You people are AMAZING! And I am sooooo excited! Keep on keepin’ on!
Claire says
I can’t imagine how busy you’ve been and are going to be. It sounds insane! Make sure you take care of yourselves – if you get sick it will totally slow you down!
I’m so excited for your book – it may be my go-to Christmas gift for all my design-minded friends and family this year!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Claire! We’re trying to eat our veggies and drink lots of water! It’s like we’re training for a race. But it’s of the painting/sewing/sanding/crafting variety. Haha.
xo,
s
Amanda says
Sewing, Sherri? I take it that you and Oh Brother are on better terms these days? lol
I’m GEEKY excited for your book. I already told my husband we’re buying it and he rolled his eyes. Apparently in his mind, me buying a DIY book equates to more work for him. =)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- there’s a little bit of sewing going on but it’s not what you think. Haha. How’s that fora cryptic clue. Let’s just say it doesn’t involve a sewing machine! Although I would love to get Oh Brother out again someday- maybe to make a beanbag for Clara’s closet!
xo,
s
Sara says
I am so excited, especially because a Fall release means that my x-mas shopping is basically done. YHL books for everyone!!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Sara!
xo,
s
Lori B. says
Sooo exciting!! You guys are nothing short of amazing! When can we pre-order? :-)
Maureen @ This (Kinda) Old House says
Woohoo! SO excited for this book. That’s kinda cool having these people around for a month, but probably exhausting also. Do they bring in catered lunch and stuff for you guys? I’m not sure why this was my first thought, but it was. LOL I am really excited for you guys! This must be all so surreal!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- sometimes we put out food and sometimes they run out for stuff like Subway. Haha. Gotta keep our energy up for shooting! Haha.
xo,
s
Julie says
I have an insatiable appetite for the blog, and I can’t wait for the book. But I worry about you guys. Are you getting enough rest? Drinking enough fluids? My mama instinct comes out when I read about all the hard work you’re doing. Please take care of yourselves so we’ll have years of younghouselove to come.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- yes! We’re chugging water and doing morning stretches! It’s definitely nothing we could sustain for three months, but we can live through three more weeks!
xo,
s
Urban Wife says
Yet again, proof that you guys are pretty much amazing! Seriously. Mad props for doing how much you do and still blogging and doing everything else that life is about. I am seriosly giddy about the book and its’ forthcoming arrival!!!!
Urban Wife says
*seriously
{Grammar queen here…it was bugging me!}
Emma says
Congratulations!! I’m so proud of you guys and I absolutely positively cannot *wait* to read your book. How on earth do you manage to keep this blog updated with great posts every day? I think we (your readers) will totally understand if tomorrow’s post is about making the perfect bowl of macaroni and cheese (from a box). Good luck!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Emma! We just try to keep going! There’s definitely something to be said about momentum- we just try to keep rolling!
xo,
s
Emma says
You guys are awesome! Keep up the good work :)
Julie says
Wow, what a fun and crazy process. Thanks for taking us all behind the scenes. I can’t wait to have that book in my hands!
Linda says
Wow, so impressive and intensely creative! Do you think you will need to do any editing after the projects are complete to tweak instructions?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we get to do some retroactive editing just to tweak tips slightly, but no more main editing (of the intro, titles, conclusion, chapter intros, etc). Thank goodness for that!
xo,
s
Julie says
Ok! I’m sending you extra energy and hugs. Right now.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Julie!
xo,
s
Meaghan says
Wow, it looks like you guys are working so hard – great job! I hope you will keep your commitment to more travel time and have a nice, relaxing vacation coming up :)
I’m going to buy your book for all my friends and family. I think you should get extra copies because I’m sure it will sell-out!
Heather says
Are you keeping the finished projects? Will they be incorporated in your house (and eventually unveiled in your blog)?
If you are doing 100+ projects, there has to be something you love and want to keep.
YoungHouseLove says
We’re hoping to do a giveaway with some of them and some items have to be returned, etc. Maybe one or two especially sentimental ones will stay at our house, but they’re all “bonus” projects (not made to fit into our house, which is actually really freeing since we can have fun with lots of color/fabric/textures, etc). Should be fun to see where they end up!
xo,
s
Ellen says
My parents are in town for 6 weeks to help with the baby, which is awesome because, hello, help with the baby… and also the fact that they aren’t staying with us! (They rent an apartment 10 minutes away…)
The book projects (as much as we can see) look awesome! Will you do anything with the final products? Will they all stay in your house, or can you raffle them off to lucky readers?
YoungHouseLove says
We just added an update to the bottom of the post about that! Hope it helps!
xo,
s