There has been plenty of progress on my forthcoming gardening book, Garden Envy, and I thought it was time for an update.
My draft went through three peer reviews which resulted in some changes. Editorial updates suggested by the staff at University of South Carolina Press involved reorganizing several chapters and trimming material that didn't strengthen the book. I suspect that there will be more tweaks ahead, but the biggest changes are likely complete.
In the past two months, I have uploaded the book’s 300 photos to a shared Dropbox and re-shot several that were of marginal quality. I wrote Alt Text for every image so readers with vision disabilities can access the content through screen readers that read the descriptions aloud.
One time-consuming task was securing written permission for every photograph taken somewhere other than my own property. That meant sending letters explaining the project, permission forms, prints of the applicable photos, and stamped, self-addressed envelopes. Two locations (both arboreta in a nearby town) appear so often in the book that I created an online gallery for the owners rather than attempting to print every image. Many of the respondents included personal notes with their signed forms. The messages were encouraging and heartwarming.
Reviewing those photos came with an emotional price. Many were taken at my former home. Its acres of historical garden are now part of an apartment complex. Several photos were taken at the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge in Lake Lure, NC. The original flowering bridge was swept away by Hurricane Helene in September, 2024. It is now being rebuilt with new plants, generous donations, and lots of volunteer labor. Time marches on.
Since day one of writing this book, I have been capturing random marketing ideas and dropping them into a document. When I received the Press’s Marketing Questionnaire, I was able to complete most sections without too much effort, but sorting my own mish-mash of thoughts took longer than anticipated. In retrospect, I should have taken the time to sort my ideas into categories like suggested publications, potential speaking engagements, garden-theme conventions and the like. Hindsight, as they say, is crystal clear.
This week I also posed for a series of author photographs and sent my favorites to the publisher. Their staff selected one that will appear in future marketing materials. I'm much more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it, so this part of the process made me unreasonably nervous. The session was planned for outdoors, and naturally the wind decided to howl that day. The photographer patiently waited through brief moments of calm and somehow managed to keep me from looking like Hagrid.
I have learned much about the publishing process, and there is plenty more ahead. Working with the team at University of South Carolina Press has been a pleasure. They have been patient with my mistakes, encouraging throughout the process, and never made me feel rushed when deadlines approached. I hope to repay their confidence by being the best author they've worked with, and I look forward to the day when Garden Envy is finally in your hands. Projected release date is spring of 2027.