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Write your First Craft Book

I have been a professional, free-lance creative designer for five years. Before that, I was stuck in a office and miserable. Every little thing I did at "work" became a distraction to my ideas.

So, I quit. I wrote a book. I had NO idea what I was doing and it was extremely exciting. I sent the rough draft to three publishers (this is called simultaneous submission) and right after I was contacted by two of three, I cut my first contract as a designer.

Shortly afterwards, I found SCD (the society of creative designers). SCD has since been absorbed into CHA (the craft and hobby association) Designer Section, but it is the only venue currently available that supports the craft and hobby industry and free-lance designers.

To write a book you need an idea. To get a contract, you need an original idea. Do your homework first. If you are a painter and want to write about "faux painting" put a twist on it that makes it better than current similar products on the market. If you are scrapbooker, you will be working for free because there is competition just to get published for "free". I am paid to write articles and create original designs, and you should be too.

After you have your new book idea and have finished your research, you will need to submit a query to publishers in the industry. You can check out the local Writers Market at Barnes and Noble or do it on line (you will have to pay). You can also go to the library and make a list of publishers that produce the craft books that you enjoy reading. Make sure that you research the "footprints" - smaller companies that publish under the hat of a larger corporation ( Example: C& T publishing is part of Watson-Guptil). Visit their websites for their suggestions.

You can send a single query letter and wait for a response, or you can send simultaneous submissions. If you chose the later, you will need to tell the editors that you are doing so. In my case, it made them act faster. In some cases, the editor will be old-fashioned and "put off". You have to check the publishers website to get a feel for their requirments.

If you can get interest, you will need to prepare a proposal. I have created an easy to use, universal proposal for all creative designers to use. Check the resource box for further information and have fun creating your new book !

Craft-e-books: https://www.craft-e-books.com/Business_Titles.html

Article Source: http://greatarticlesformoms.com

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