On Tuesday, September 10, 2013, AIGA/NY kicked off its Fall 2013 Breakfast Club series with AIGA/NY Breakfast Club: Every Trick in the Book featuring Julia Rothman. Board Member Jesse Ragan introduced Rothman as an illustrator, author, and designer with a wealth of knowledge to share.

Rothman began by recounting how her own first book project, The Exquisite Book, came into being. “It was just sort of a dream project I had in the back of my head,” she explained. A friend with a connection at Chronicle Books helped arrange what Rothman initially thought was a casual introduction to a few Chronicle editors and staff. Once they arrived, however, Rothman and co-author Jenny Volvovski quickly realized the publishers were expecting a conference-room presentation of their book idea. Rothman had no choice but to dive in, sharing her project plan and winging details that weren’t fleshed out. She must have impressed the editors even in her unprepared state, because 2 months later, Chronicle made an offer on The Exquisite Book.

Rothman admitted that while she was preparing this Breakfast Club presentation, she found herself wondering about the moral of that Exquisite Book story. Why, exactly did she feel so compelled to share it as part of her talk? “I think it’s that if you reach the right people and get out there showing you have passion,” Rothman explained, “then people will see that and get excited too.”

Next, Rothman shared details of how to write a proposal and get a book published.

For the proposal, Rothman suggested using tone that’s both casual, as if addressing a friend, and also formal. “Describe what it’s going to be, and say it as if the book is going to exist,” she said. Include any ideas you have about the format, and be specific about your audience. For example, “it’s girls, [age] 25 to 35, who shop at Anthropologie, and read the New York Times a little bit… okay, you can basically describe yourself,” Rothman joked. She stressed, getting very specific helps the editor picture who will buy the book.

Rothman stressed the importance of building a social media following, and listing this in your proposal. A Twitter or blog followership creates a de facto audience, and many publishers won’t look at an author who doesn’t have one. Rothman recommended sharing your own credentials and any awards you’ve won. “This is not the time to be modest,” she insisted — the editor will use whatever information you list in selling you to the publisher.

Rothman also recommended including sample designed pages. Even if the final book comes to look completely different from your submission, these samples help the editor picture a finished product.

Rothman then described how advances and royalties work: an advance is upfront cash, and royalties are earned as a percentage of sales after enough copies are sold to cover the advance. Rothman stressed that even though it can take a long time to begin earning royalties on a book, “these are passion projects that get your name out and lead to other things.”

Once the contract is signed, it’s time to actually create the book! Rothman recommended designing the book yourself or working closely with a designer friend to ensure that your vision is realized. She also stressed the importance of keeping to a schedule, since procrastination can easily catch up to you on this kind of big, long-term project.

Rothman recommended being proactive about marketing your book when it’s published — the publishing company’s busy marketing staff may not be as thorough or enthusiastic as you are. Rothman suggested sending personal notes accompanied by copies of the book to bloggers you admire and respect. If a well-read blog features your book, you’ll be rewarded with an instant spike in interest and sales.

The talk concluded with a Q&A session, and with an opportunity to look through the the four books Rothman has produced so far. “You do it one time, and you learn what you’re supposed to do, and the next time it’s easier,” Rothman said. Thanks to Rothman’s many words of wisdom, the Breakfast Club attendees know a bit extra — and have a bit less to learn — about how to publish a first book.

Additional Information:
Julia Rothman
Julia Rothman’s books: The Exquisite Book, Drawn In, Farm Anatomy, and The Where, the Why, and the How

Event Details:
AIGA/NY Breakfast Club: All the Tricks in the Book

Event Photos:

Click here to view all photos from AIGA/NY Breakfast Club: Every Trick in the Book on Flickr. To view additional photos, or to contribute your photos, visit our AIGA New York Flickr group.

Special thanks to contributing writer Karen Vanderbilt for the AIGA/NY Breakfast Club: All the Tricks in the Book event recap and photos. Karen can be found at karenvanderbilt.com, @k_vanderbilt and Studio Kudos.