Well, 2014 seems to be starting out much the same way as 2013 ended…very, very wet and windy. It’s definitely time to ‘batten down the hatches’ and play with the beads. Aside from Christmas preparations, that is exactly what I’ve been doing. My latest book, ‘Beaded Clasps’ is about to be published! It is currently on pre-order here and I think the publication date is going to be around 27th January.
I started this project back over the summer, spending a few months just playing around with clasp designs. The project came about after a conversation with a friend, Karen, at GJ Beads whilst I was teaching there back in June 2013. We were talking about books and all things beading and somehow or other the conversation turned to the absence of a book about beaded clasps. Karen had been looking for a pattern for just a clasp to use to complete a project and had really struggled to find one, so knowing how I love writing beading books, she suggested that it might make a good topic. Well, I didn’t need a lot of persuasion! The bead stash I took on holiday in July included several tubes of galvanised delicas in various different colours and I spent my beading time playing with different stitches and different ideas for making clasps. I came home with a stack of little beaded clasps, plus some beaded clasps attached to simple jewellery and a whole lot more ideas to try out. Gradually, all those ideas have shaped themselves into a book that includes 7 different standalone clasp designs plus ten complete bracelet or necklace projects, some of which develop the basic clasp designs and some of which included beaded clasps that are a little different. I used this as an opportunity to explore the different ways in which a clasp can be incorporated into a design – do you want it to be the focal feature, or to blend in so seamlessly that it is unnoticeable, or perhaps to complement another element in the design?
I’ve really loved doing this project – it has broadened my own horizons and made me think more about the clasps that I use. It has also highlighted how many projects I’ve already made using beaded clasps, especially disguised magnetic clasps and I just know that it’s going to keep me thinking in the future. I’m sure I will come up with different ideas that I wish I’d used in the book. The tricky thing is knowing when to stop – I hope I have managed to write something that is going to be a ‘go-to’ resource for basic clasps and more ideas and I’m really looking forward to seeing how everyone interprets their clasps. However, for me, this is probably the worst point of writing a book: the manuscript is now being printed, so there’s nothing I can do to change it and my head is full of doubts as to whether I’ve done justice to Karen’s idea or written anything ‘good enough’! I’m incredibly grateful though to a group of people on Facebook: I was trying out a few cover ideas and I posted some of them on there to see what kind of reaction they would receive. I was completely overwhelmed by the response I received and the generosity of everyone in sharing their opinions and giving me some amazing advice. I tried to take it all on board and have ended up with a cover design that nobody has seen in the publication process, so I hope I’ve done it justice!
I am planning to publish an ebook version of ‘Beaded Clasps’ as well – I have found that some people just love print books and will always want that format, regardless of price. However, as I outlined in my series of blogs about my publishing experience, the escalating printing costs and advent of ebooks has changed the publishing market. I also know that some people would prefer the ease of storing and the lower cost that ebooks offer, so I thought it would be a good idea to try offering both options. I’ve returned to the Blurb ‘publish-on-demand’ model for this project, so I shouldn’t end up with another living room full of boxes of books, but this has had an impact on the price, although it is also making it possible for me to publish the same book in the two formats. With every new book I write, I learn a few more lessons and I hope I continue to grow, so I want to finish with a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me so far and continues to offer me so much support – I know I wouldn’t be here without you!
I wish all of you a very Happy New Year and hope that 2014 brings good health, happiness, peace and lots of beads!
