My book – the final countdown!

A glimpse of the front cover artwork

The final proofs have been checked and signed off … and now my book – ‘QUILLING – THE ART OF PAPER FILIGREE’ – is going off to print, ready for worldwide publication in July 2019!

This photo shows the quilled piece which I created especially for the photograph on the front cover.

Apart from a brief outing at the Quilling Guild‘s Celebration Weekend last year, I’ve been keeping it largely ‘under wraps’ until now.

The time has now come, I feel, to tell the whole story of how the idea of the book first came into being.

It had never been my intention to write a book, as I am always kept busy in my role as Editor of Quillers Today magazine for Guild members, in addition to my own quilled projects. Out of the blue, however, I was contacted by the Commissioning Editor of the UK-based Crowood Press at the end of February last year, stating that they wanted to commission a practical book on quilling – and would I be interested in writing it for them?

At first, I hesitated. The requirement for 25,000 – 30,000 words and 150+ photos sounded like an awful lot of work on top of all my other commitments! As an experienced freelance writer, however – (my past career for many years) – I knew that I could do it … but I felt equally clear about the the only type of book I’d be prepared to write.

My book would have to be different from all the other project-based books that currently proliferate in the crafting market. It would be a comprehensive ‘how-to’ guide presenting every aspect of quilling in all its inspirational variety. It would deal with hands-on practicalities in a very detailed way, seeking to encourage readers’ own innate creativity through the mastery of technique.

I shared this viewpoint with the Editor, who replied reassuringly that “it seems we both want to publish the same book”!

I was hooked. I brainstormed a synopsis for the work over the course of a weekend, and from that point on – once contracts had been signed – the book literally powered its way out of my head like an express train!!

It took me nine months in total, with several weeks’ break during the Summer which were taken up fulfilling various arts festival and other commitments.

The writing was completed just before Christmas 2018. I was told that the manuscript would be passed to a Copy Editor who might suggest changes or raise queries if anything didn’t make sense. There were none! My copy and photographs were passed straight through to the typesetter without any requests for alterations. When the layout came back to me for proof-reading, the corrections needed were minimal. Such a smooth passage through the production process has boosted my confidence no end! Now the files are being passed to an overseas printer, and I must wait patiently for delivery of the printed books which will eventually arrive in the UK by container ship, in time for publication in July.

Once published, it will be available to order (internationally) through the publisher’s website, as well as being sold through bookshops. I will share more information about this just as soon as I am able.

Meanwhile, patience (tempered by a degree of trepidation!) is the order of the day.

I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every minute of the process. This book means more to me than all the brochures, newsletters and PR features I wrote throughout a lengthy freelance career in marketing, most of which now lie forgotten in a box, unlooked at and unloved. Quilling has undoubtedly become my life in recent years … and this book will surely be my legacy.