Like Christmas and my birthday

I really love my day job. Publishing a book is a long cycle (ask any author) but there are two days I love the most: The day a new manuscript arrives, and the day a finished book comes back from the printer. Last week, I got both! First, Perfectly Paired: Designing Jewelry with Polymer and Metal Clays arrived from the printer. Here's the cover:

This book is a perfect balance between metal clay and polymer clay. Both are fully featured in every project. The book is written in such a way that if you have experience in one but not the other, you'll be able to learn what you need to know without wading through a lot of information you may already know. It's an intermediate-level book, but an ambitious beginner will do just fine. I really enjoyed working with Patti Kimle on this book. We met two years ago at the Bead&Button show to talk about her proposal, we met last year to exchange the projects, and this year she'll be doing a book signing! Check out Patti's blog here, and her etsy shop here.

The other great thing that happened last week was a big box came from Kim St. Jean with projects from her book, Mixed Metal Mania, which is my next big project. Before we saw the projects, the art director, Lisa, and I were brainstorming cover ideas and thought maybe a single image would be good. Well, after we opened the box, Lisa walked away with about 10 cover candidates. Our cover meetings are next week, so I can't wait to see what she comes up with. I can't tell you much more about this book, but let me say that if you like Kim's style, you'll love this book. Kim has a way of making a copper cuff bracelet look like supple leather. Can't wait to dive in and learn how she does it!

In the meantime, there's a long stretch between the day a manuscript arrives and the day the book comes from the printer. That's when the editing takes place, and the design and layout, and the proofreading, and so much more. My current in-the-works project is Lacy Wire Jewelry by Melody MacDuffee. When I edit a book, I have the opportunity to sort of get inside the artist's mind, and understand where the creations come from. I am having a delightful time with Melody's book. If you like filigree (but don't like soldering) this book is for you. If you think filigree is a little frilly, don't worry. Melody does some great work with heavy copper wire and beautiful Krobo beads. See Melody here, and learn more about Soul of Somanya, too.

Do you have a book idea? As an author and an editor, I can tell you that it's a wonderful experience to bring your idea to life. I'd love to hear what you're thinking about!

And I'm finished...

More than 30 projects, 18 alternates, and months of work fit into a suprisingly small tote bag and was safely delivered on time this morning. The new book is called Back To Basics: Stringing Beaded Jewelry, it will be available in the spring of 2010, and it's the first book in an exciting new series from Kalmbach Books. And, for sticking with me during this process, I think you deserve a sneak peek:

What do you think? The cover meetings start tomorrow, so as soon as I can share a copy, I will.

The final stretch

Well, it's a short to-do list, but the tasks seem large ... by this time on Tuesday everything will be safely delivered to my editor (hard to imagine right now!)

So, what do you think?

I have a love/hate relationship with magazine subscriptions. Sometimes, I crave reading material, and I love cracking open a new issue and seeing what's going on. I keep back issues and read them again. I sort them by month instead of year, and have been known to consult with seven or eight seasonal issues when planning a special party or event. In busy periods of my life, though, I hate the guilt I get from hearing "read me, please read me" every time I walk by. I don't like the clutter of a stack of unread magazines. I don't like the stress of knowing that there are more than "10 ways to simplify my cleaning routine" and I'm too busy to read them, let alone put them in practice!

I finally freed myself by letting all my subscriptions expire. The hardest to let go was Martha, because I've been a fan for so long. And I was quite worried I couldn't live my best life (or even aspire to it) without my monthly pep talk from Oprah. But I did it... I let them go. And all of a sudden, I had time on my hands and nothing to read. When the band-trip fundraising form came home from school I was an easy sale ..."oh, all right. It's for a good cause, after all." I carefully made my choices, looking for good content and refreshing ideas. Home Companion, Cottage Living, Domino, O at Home ... and one by one I got the thanks-but-no-thanks notes. They've all gone under. The irony is that one consolation prize is a subscription to MSL. I guess it's a good thing, after all.

That's my personal story. Professionally, I wouldn't be where I am today were it not for hobby publications -- both magazines and books. That's why I found Jennifer Perkin's recent post so interesting. Do you think the blog-o-sphere is undoing the print world? Do you read blogs or other online content more or less than print magazines? What about when you want to do a craft project? Do you do a quick online search, or flip through back issues? What about books? I'd love to hear your opinions.

Grace

I just finished reading Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott. Talk about someone who brings art to her craft! I don't agree with her politics, and I don't share her religion, but I found something meaningful on nearly every page of her book. So while I continue my own somewhat crooked path toward living with grace and with faith, I find reassurance in her words. This is one trip that is more about the journey.