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).
Zara says
I live in Asia but I’m sooooo buying your book! Love u guys!
Emily @ Door 13 says
Ahh can’t wait! You guys are machines! All the best during the process.
Jenny says
How exciting! Can’t wait for the book!
Amanda Stanford says
Hi Sherry and John, I don’t know if it has been asked such a lot of comments I havn’t read them all. When will your book be available to buy and will it be available to buy in the UK, would realllllyyyy love to read it :) x
YoungHouseLove says
The release will be happening this fall (exact date, TBD – but October-ish?) and it should be sold on Amazon.com so hopefully you’ll be able to order from there!
-John
JessiBee says
You guys are AMAZING! How is it possible to accomplish all of the “regular” projects that you accomplish…and run a blog…and write a book…? It’s crazy! Awesome crazy!
BTW that picture of Burger with the photographer is…the best!
betty in munich says
Wow, just wow….you guys just put the bar up a notch in the number things that you can get done when you put your mind to it. My head is spinning thinking how you worked on the book, worked on the kitchen, et. al. in the last few weeks and how busy the next month will be. Again Wow!
Tracey says
Whew! I’m tired just reading all that is going on in your house. We are all excited for you and can’t wait to get that book in our own hands. You both must be so proud and exhausted. It’s all worth it though.
maria says
Omg I would go cray-cray with that many people in my house for a month! I am super excited for your book though, and watching the process is getting me even more stoked!
Katie @ Lovebird Productions says
Y’all are awesome! I am amazed at all that you do but I know it is all worth it. You may be running on coffee and Diet Coke right now but think of all the blessings this book will bring. Add best seller to y’alls awesome resume!
P.S. I added meeting you and John to my list of things to accomplish by 30. I am 24 so 6 years is enough time. Right? :)
SarahCC says
I am so buying your book!! I cannot wait for it to be published! Yay for you – congratulations!
Rachel says
Wow, I don’t know how ya’ll do it! You will definitely need a vacation after all of that!
Maria says
Reading this post stressed me out. I need a Prozac.
Kidding. I love the inside scoop! It will add a new level of appreciation when I purchase the book for myself, my brother, my mom and everyone else on my Christmas list.
Hang in there!
Jana says
I cant wait to get my copy of the book and dive into some DIY stuff!!
Julianne says
You two really are incredible. I can’t imagine how you’re functioning without sleep to do all these projects. Interesting to think how not having to fit items into your own house’s decor can open up the possibilities for projects.
You’re going to have a mad dash of readers to book stores to buy this book when it comes out!!
Emily @ NewlyWife says
You both continue to amaze me. Keep up the great work, but more importantly, don’t forget to take some time for you and your family. Can’t wait to pick up the book. Hopefully you come to the San Francisco Bay Area for a signing! :)
Randi says
I have no idea how you’re doing it all. Be careful to take care of yourselves so you don’t burn out!
Samantha says
So happy for you guys! I can’t wait for the book!!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Samantha!
xo,
s
Kelly says
The fact that you are writing a book with 250 projects and hosting a photo crew in your home for a month while simultaneously remodeling your own kitchen and writing 8+ blog posts a week and raising a toddler and enjoying the holidays and managing more than 3000 comments a week makes me want to thank the good God for what I thought was an insane life but I now realize is more like a tropical vacation with a few small and meaningless tasks each day.
Can’t wait to get my copy.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Kelly! A lot of the projects in the book aren’t going to be shot so that saves us (and some are such simple little ideas that they don’t even need images). Whew. But yes, we’re busy and grateful and tired-yet-wired! Hah. You know how everything is funny at 2am and you get all giggly? We’re pretty much in a constant state of that. But it’s nice because there’s lots of laughing! Haha.
xo,
s
Anna Malek says
Super excited for you guys- that book is gonna rock! You guys keep a crazy pace and it’s so fun to watch. Looking foward to reading about all the projects you’re banging out. Good luck!
CampDallas says
We sold our first house, have found nothing new to purchase (or a rental figured out, for that matter) and close on Feb. 28th. Yeah, I’m sooooo stealing your “sleep is so 2011” line.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, so exciting! Have fun!
xo,
s
Amy B. says
This is so exciting, you guys! Can’t wait to see the book.
I’d totally pay shipping, were I to win a YHL-revamped object/project.
Please bottle your energy and focus — I’d pick up some of that, too,
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Amy!
xo,
s
Kristi says
WOW!! YURRAH! YEAH! You two are absolutely amazing! The hubs and I changed a showerhead last night and I was proud to get that done. I can’t imagine doing what you do in a day: take care of Clara, take care of Burger, blog, respond to posts (THAT is so awesome that you are able to keep up with this!), post to Facebook, probably tweet (I’m not on Twitter), kitchen rennovations, book stuff, and this is on top of eating and showering, etc!! It’s admirable! (or you really have cloned yourselves or really are aliens)
Congrats on the book – I know I will be first in line to buy a copy/pre-order on Amazon – and possibly follow you on your book tour. People follow bands…why not follow authors! ha ha! I could be your roadie! Fetch you beverages, watch Clara, run to Home Depot for you. It could be a great working relationship. Ha ha!
But seriously – way to go! I hope you all take a nice, long, lovely, family vacation when the book is complete! You deserve it!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love it. Now I want to be your roadie.
xo,
s
kaylan says
do you have anyone babysitting the bean even a few hours a day? i can’t imagine keeping up with all of the work and her needs, although i’m sure she’s completely charmed the camera crew!
YoungHouseLove says
We’re so happy to have John’s parents nearby so they can grab her for a few hours here and there! It totally takes a load off and it’s so good for her to get a break from the chaos! Thankfully she’s social most of the time so she likes the crew (and knows all of their names) so that’s lots of fun! This morning she looked up from breakfast and said “Oh hi Susan” as she came in the door, which was hilarious because it was just so nonchalant. Haha.
xo,
s
Erika says
I cannot wait for your book to come out so i can order it :)
Bethie says
Wow. And I thought I had a lot going on! Congrats to you both! I can’t wait to order a copy!!
LauraC says
I just informed my husband that every female in our family would be getting your book for Christmas this year! (He rolled his eyes.) I hope when this is all over, you don’t add anything more to your plates to replace it. As in R.E.S.T.! Take a breather!!!
On a separate note, we’re going to try Ana’s hack of your Lack floating shelves, as IKEA doesn’t carry the length that we need. https://www.younghouselove.com/2010/04/build-it-with-ana-floating-shelves/
Excited to see how they turn out!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh good luck! We’re excited to see how you fare since we’ll be building kitchen shelves soon! Keep us posted!
xo,
s
Kim says
You guys are simply amazing. I almost didn’t want to leave this comment so that you wouldn’t have to take the extra time to approve it because I know you’re SO busy but I just had to pipe in with the fact that you are an inspiration!! Clearly, you must be Katy-Perry-Alf-Mork-Twin-Peaks-awesomesauce-crazytown aliens to be able to do all you do, especially raise an amazing daughter in the midst of it. Keep doing what you’re doing, it matters to us readers!!
YoungHouseLove says
Bwahahaha. Thanks so much for posting that. I laughed out loud and read it to John (who is covered in sawdust and had a great laugh).
xo,
s
Samantha says
First – you guys are amazing.
Second – this is so random, but I happened across a photo of the chair from this blog post in my daily Pinterest browsing: http://www.brittanymakes.com/brittanymakes/2012/01/gild-a-chair-in-gold.html
– and I immediately recognized it from your behind the scenes photos. I’m pretty sure it’s the same chair you’re shooting the ‘before’ of in this post (I assume), but with a different seat. How funny! I’m sure you’re doing something just as awesome with it!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s hilarious! Same exact chair! Got ours from a local thrift store!
xo,
s
Shelley says
I was just telling a friend the other day how exciting and completely exhausting blessings can be! So excited to see the book. Good luck surviving the process :)
Jana says
Wow. I don’t know how you guys do all that you do! Suddenly I feel like a lazy person. :) Thanks for the update on your book. It’s cool to get a behind-the-scenes peek. I’m looking forward to Fall!
Mary Jane says
Wow! I feel stressed out and overwhelmed for you guys…. I hope you are hanging in there juggling everything, its all very exciting, good luck to you!
Kate M says
First, I can’t wait for the book! I’m so excited to see what you guys have been working on.
Second, I live in Seattle and am so, SO excited that you are coming to Portland! I am definitely going to try and make it down while you guys are there. I keep checking the Portland H&G site to see the schedule, but they haven’t posted anything yet. I’m curious if you guys know which days you’ll be presenting and/or meet & greeting?
YoungHouseLove says
We hear we’ll be there all day on the 22nd (Wednesday) so here’s hoping we can bump into you sometime that day!
xo,
s
sylvie says
That fabric on the guest bedroom duvet is lovely. Any chance you could share info on that one? It’d be tough to wait ’til fall to find out, all the while hoping it’s still available!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s actually not a duvet- it’s just fabric draped over the bed for an in-progress project. We got it from a local fabric store called U-Fab if that helps!
xo,
s
Sally says
That all sounds so exciting. Just wondering when ya’ll get to sleep:)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, next month!
xo,
s
Sara says
So excited for the book! I’m so glad you guys didn’t push out the date! I have big plans to give this thing to EVERYONE for Christmas! :)
Thanks for always being an awesome inspiration!
lydia k. says
You guys are amazing. I just wanted to tell you that. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Lydia. You’re amazing too.
xo,
s
laura says
So excited to see a book update! I’m hoping we’ll have info that we can pre-order a copy when the time comes?? Pleeaaasse??
Good luck…it’s going to be awesome and I can’t wait!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we’ll share that as soon as we know something! Might be sometime this summer?
xo,
s
Sara says
Idea: Why don’t you guys do a month of reader re-designs to cut yourselves some slack! I’m stressed out and tired just thinking about the stress and exhaustion you must be feeling… mixed in with all the excitement!
Trude says
You guys are crazy for doing it all so quickly! But it wouldn’t be you guys if you didn’t. :) I’m so excited and thrilled for you (in a non-stalker-y way) and can’t wait for the book! Hopefully you guys will have time for a nice long vacay before the book tour, you deserve it!
Laura Theobald says
Ya’ll have way more energy than I could ever have myself. I feel lazy just reading this lol. Can’t wait for the final book!
Annie says
I am a daily reader (especially now that I am a stay at home mom), but I usually never comment. Just wanted to say your work ethic is inspiring. Maybe it will motivate me to get my butt back in gear and do some projects. Good luck with all your projects….i can’t believe how you juggle everything. I can’t wait to get my copy of the book this fall! :)
Jamie@WrightHouseAffairs says
Yowza! This would be incredibly demanding WITHOUT a wee one running around…I don’t know how you do it! Can’t wait for the book though :)
Allyson says
As a fellow Richmonder a great place to find great thrift purchases is Clash and Trash in Glen Allen. Not sure if you’ve been there before, but if not check it out!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that place! And we did snag a couple of things from there… :)
-John
Julie says
Wow! You guys must be insanely busy! I wish I was your boss, I’d totally order you guys to stop posting for a week or so and deal with all the other stuff. Have you ever thought about giving yourselves a “break” for a week or two and posting projects from the archives? I know I’m one of like a billion readers, but I would actually enjoy that. I know you guys are overachievers so it would probably make you feel lazy, but I haven’t been reading since the very beginning and haven’t gone through all the archives so I’d totally love it.
Also – I totally dig the edits on paper. I’m a lawyer and I ALWAYS print things out and mark up by hand before a final draft, it’s amazing what you skim over on the computer for some reason.
YoungHouseLove says
We are actually thinking about taking our first week off from blogging ever (in 4+ years!) after we hand in all of our images and finish the kitchen. So there will be about a month of crazy work and then some sleeping at the end of that hopefully! Haha.
xo,
s
Laura says
You’ve got awesome time management skills! Was there ever a thought that maybe doing the kitchen renovation in the middle of all this was not the best idea? How did you squeeze that in too? Congrats to you both! Can’t wait to see the book!
Kirpi says
You guys are awesome! Can’t wait for the book! But like others said, take care of yourself! I think we readers will all understand, if you slow down a bit on the blog. After all, it is in our interest, we will get the book in return! :)
Brittney says
Holy cow, how do you guys handle all of this plus clara! Nerdy question – as a graphic designer, I know how important file organization and management is, so how the heck do you organize all your pictures? By date, or by project…?
YoungHouseLove says
We organize all of ours by project, since on any given day we may shoot befores for one projects, the during for two more and afters for another. So when we upload iPhoto put everything automatically by date, but then we resort by project so that when it comes time to edit our photos we’ve got the complete story in one spot. Hope that helps!
-John
Karen says
Congratulations! What a relief to be in the final stages (but daunting to be facing the photography stage)!
I’m assuming your publisher is taking care of hiring an indexer for you (probably already chosen, in fact), but if not… pick me! pick me! I linked this comment to my website, which makes me sound like an academic geek and does not let on to my crafty geekiness, which is what makes me the perfect indexer for you guys.
I hope you’re getting some rest these days!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Karen! I think they’re using someone in-house but I’ll double check and let you know if the job is still available!
xo,
s
Theresa says
Good luck!! Love your blog and I’m sure the book will be superb!
Cassi says
I am so excited for you guys! Who knew one little blog would turn into a freakin book deal! Awesome! Can’t wait for it to come out! I don’t know how you do it all, and STILL look crazy cheerful… you guys are amazing! :)