Sometimes it seems like everyone wants to be an author...why is that?
And what does it mean to be an author if you’re a designer? Do you have to be a writer too?
In my latest podcast interview, originally recorded for the HOW Design Live podcast, Bridget Watson Payne, Executive Editor in charge of art and design books at Chronicle Books, answered these questions and many more:
- How she chooses which books to publish -- and which to make into notecards!
- How she likes to be pitched and what should be in a book proposal?
- Should you self publish or go the traditional publishing route?
- What is a book these days anyway?
- And, in the spirit of my latest popular post, Am I Ignoring Her?, whether she ignores people who pitch to her.
If you like what you hear, you'd probably like this year's Creative Freelancer Track (yes, it's back) of HOW Design Live. I invited Bridget to speak on this topic. Here's the blurb:
Should You Become an Author.
Dreaming of seeing your work published in book form? Art and design book editor Bridget Watson Payne will help get you closer to that dream, demystifying the publishing industry and explaining how designers go about being the authors of books. Learn how to develop your best idea, craft a book proposal, get in touch with a publisher, connect with your book’s audience, and so much more! A talk followed by an interactive activity, this presentation will help get you ready to take your project idea to the next level.
Key takeaways
- Insider industry knowledge that demystifies the publishing process
- The confidence to brainstorm book ideas and decide whether authorship is for you
- A clear understanding of how to pitch book projects to publishers and hone an elevator pitch
This is an important topic because writing a book is one very effective type of advanced content marketing and content marketing is the future of marketing.
I can tell you from my own experience, being the author of 7 books in the last 20 years tends to be a very impressive calling card.