Writing a book for publication, like most creative activities which are destined to be shared with others, involves work that you do on your own combined with input and expertise from others.
Publishing any book successfully is a team effort where each person contributes their skills and experience to the shared objective of reaching as broad an audience as possible.
Writing the book is obviously just the very first stage in the process and writers sometimes don’t realise how crucially important creative partnerships are to the success of any book.
So I would like to draw your attention here to the importance of working with people who share your values and who can become your creative partners for many years to come. These might include a writing ‘buddy’ or group, coaches, mentors, agents, publishers, designers, marketing and PR experts …
The picture above shows me with Rob Loxston and his daughter Bella (standing on a chair) at the recent exhibition where his own book My Furry Brother was launched.
Rob is an immensely talented illustrator and graphic designer, and also an extremely valuable member of my creative team.
Originally he designed some book covers for me when I was still working at Random House and then he did the cover for my own book which I love.
Since then we have worked together on a whole range of projects including bookmarks, business stationery, pictures for my website, the whole design from my Online Masterclass … and now he is working on my new ‘emerging vision’ project.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Rob for the superb work he always does for me and to congratulate him on the publication of his own book which he has written, illustrated and published himself.
If you would like to see more about his work, you can do so on his website www.robloxston.co.uk and see also www.myfurrybrother.co.uk.
This just goes to show that when you find the right people to work with, you can form creative partnerships which last for years and which can be enjoyable and rewarding for all concerned.
So I invite you to take this opportunity to review your own situation and assess whether you have the right creative partners to further your objectives with writing your book.
Perhaps this is a good time to let the people you already work with know how much you value their contribution.
And if you have yet to find the right creative partner(s), take heart that it is worth making the effort to do so to support your path to long term successful published authorship.
I’d love to hear about your valued creative partners so do feel free to share your comments below.
Tags: creative, creative partners, team
