Asian Scrapbooking

Just because sometimes it is fun… here are a few sneaks from layouts that will be featured in Chapter One of the book.

Color.  Without giving away to much of the books contents, because after all, I want it to sell. The first chapter of the book is about color and in particular, Asian colors.  Color combinations that are seen more commonly in Asia and perhaps not associated with Occidental scrapbook styles.  The chapter is sub-divided into sections covering China, Japan, SE (Tropical) Asia and India.  Each subsection will have probably 8-10 layouts featured and will be a visual treat.  My goal is to have both simple and easy to reproduce layouts as well as more complicated and involved layouts and projects that will challenge the intermediate scrapbooker.

In any event, the chapter is about 70% drafted and I have about 75% of the layouts I want.  Time to start working on the next section on Motifs!

just a cross post to the Far Flung Blog today… but the book is coming along great.  More later this weekend.

So, I thought in the overall scheme of things I would make a list of companies that make Asian Inspired products. Many of the products will appear in the book in some form or another. To make it easier for searching I will divide it by product.

Charms

Far Flung Craft (that’s me btw!)

Imaginesce

Fabrics

Far Flung Craft

EQuilter

Patterned Paper

Imaginisce

Sassafrass Lass-Scrumptious and Blue Boutique

Rusty Pickle (link coming soon)

Scenic Route (The Laurel Line is very Japanese)

3 Bugs in a Rug (Check out the Coco Line and the Full Blooms Rub Ons for examples)

Die Cuts with A View Far East Stack (also sold individually)

Luxe Designs (Check out the Hoodie and Sarong Lines)

Basic Grey (Thanks Lynita this was just still pending)

    Here is some of the Perhaps Line:  Gretel Sari

    The Phoebe Line: Pacific Heights (love that paisley)

   Scarlet’s Letter : Recognition (WHAT COLORS!)

  Blush Line:  Cherish

Well, apologies for the lack in posts… but here is what is going on.

1. We have an editor.  The book will be written in Singapore, design work is being done by girls from the US, Australia, England, Taiwan, Malaysia and of course here in Singapore.  My editor, from Tuttle Publishing is located in Vermont.

2.  We have a working title-Scrapbook Studio, Asian Style!100 All- New Asian- inspired Ideas for Beautiful Scrapbook Pages.Of course this title may change and the fact is that there will be more than 100 projects (My current count is going to be around 200 or so… but we will see!)

I was supposed to be in the sun today, basking on the beach in Phuket.  Suffice it to say, well, that did not happen.  So, instead I am sitting here, paying bills and catching up on personal business that tends to slip when you bill 200 hours a month on your 9-5 job, try to run a business and write a book.

 Today, I will finish the outline and try to work up a budget for the expenses that need to be paid.  I need to figure a per layout cost.  That includes cost of materials, cost of shipping the layouts to me, plus return to the creator.  Cost of “big ticket” supplies such as stamps and tools that I want to have used.  I also need to factor in the cost of a copy of the book for each of the contributors and a big old fat box of goodies that they will get to create with.  I plan on buying the goody box when I am back in the States in January so that I can send out uniform products to everyone of the contributors for key projects.

One person told me she budgeted US$10 per layout, but that is not clear if that means total supplies or shipping too?  I assume only supplies if we talk 2 sheets of cardstock, 2-3 patterned paper per layout plus embellishments.  WOW… Doesn’t that seem like lots.  I have never really caculated out these costs before.

 It is back to work and more to come when I get the outline cleaned up.  No time for blogging today!

So, I have done three versions of the outline, two were submitted and the first was only a working concept before it got dumped.  I met with the publisher last week and at this point we are fine tuning the draft outline. The bulk of the outline stays, but it gets smoothed out, the details fine tuned further and the overall concept cleaned up.  The process from the date of my first contact until now has been 3 months. 

It is anticipated that we will sign the contract the first of December at which time I have to go forth and get the book and all images in by June in order to make the  cut off for a Fall 2008 release. Of course, as with all things,  Fall 2008 release means actually hitting the shelfs of the major big boxes in Fall, but the book is actually published and in the catalog Spring 2008.  So, the total process of producing this book is going to be in the 1.5 year range.  Not for the faint hearted eh?

OK, Yikes..I had a big post and then I lost it. I am new to wordpress so I screwed up something. Anyway… I will post it again when I have time to retype it. Long store short I am meeting with the publisher today to discuss this version of the outline. I hope that we are able to finalize the details today.

Thanks Jonathan for the invite to open a blog over here!  I currently have two blogs, one is for the business at FarFlungCraft and the second is my personal blog Simple Living Singapore about simple living, decluttering and living lightly on the land.

 So, this blog is going to be about Asian Scrapbooking.  Interesting title?  Well, let me tell you why, this is the working title of a book that is to be published in early 2008.  The working title will probably be “Asian Scrapbooking” and it will be a chockablock full of exciting techniques and inspiration from Asia and beyond.  The publisher is a very well known Design and Lifestyle book publisher and the target market will be the intermediate scrapbooker.

I always wonder what goes into the publishing of a book, so here you have it.  An insiders view of the publishing world from a total outsider.  I have never thought of doing my own book and here I have the opportunity.  So, if you feel so inclined, sit down grab a cup of coffee and read along with me as I draft, write, design, craft and finally publish a book on Asian Scrapbooking.