Congratulations to Rose Marie Werner who followed her quilt research passion and published
State Bird and State Flower Quilts! I recently asked Mrs. Werner to share her experience with you:
Tell us about your quilt book: State Bird and State Flower Quilts is an outcome
of my research of 20th Century quilt
patterns and quilt kits. In the book I have compared 37 sets of quilt
blocks with either flowers, birds, or both. I have also included some of
the history behind state birds and state flowers and information on
each state's choices. The book was written primarily for quilt
appraisers, quilt historians and collectors, but the general public may
also find this information interesting. It is a documentation of a bit
of
Americana.
What motivated you to tackle publishing yourself? Was it a complicated process? In the past I had
contacted publishers about publishing some of the
research I have been doing. The whole process of putting together a
book proposal and meeting the differing requirements of each publisher
was very time-consuming - time I would rather put to doing research.
When I found and read How to Self-Publish Your Own Quilt Catalog,
I realized that it was possible to publish the research myself.
I tried
two companies. The first company seemed more interested in selling me
help with formatting and editing and I became frustrated when I ran into
unfamiliar terms or processes that I didn't understand. I laid the
project aside for nearly a year and then went to CreateSpace.com.
It was more user-friendly and offered tutorials throughout the process.
Because I did the formatting and editing myself, I did not spend a
penny until I purchased a proof copy for $5.00. (All the
self-publishing sites will sell formatting and
editing for
someone who does not want to do that themselves.) It was not
a complicated process (especially with a guidebook to follow) once the
Word document was finished. My book has a lot of pictures, so I had to
learn how to work with them. Once I uploaded the file to CreateSpace
they told me what issues I needed to address and offered tutorials in
doing that. It wasn't long until I had a proof in my hands.
How did it feel when you first held a copy of your book? Seeing the book
for the first time was so exciting! There was MY NAME on the cover of a BOOK! Books have always been an important part of my life. I read nearly
every book in my elementary school library and have continued to read
all my life. Now I am a published author. It is still a little hard to
believe. I'm already thinking about which other parts of my research
could become a book.
What an inspiration! And, it is a cool book. I have a few Ruby Short McKim, Colonial Pattern Co., Modern Handcraft, Laura Wheeler, McCall and even Aunt Martha patterns - just not any about State birds or flowers.
Mrs. Werner's book includes all those pattern makers and more.
Enjoy!
