What It's Like To See Your Book For The 1st Time
As my dad’s girlfriend flipped through the pages last night she incredulously asked, “You wrote all these words?”That’s when it hit me what a monumental undertaking creating this book has been. A little over a year ago writing a book was just a pipe dream. I was fed up with my cupcake shop—at wit’s end almost. A lot of tears were involved. I even ran away once. I was torn between closing the shop, selling the shop, or expanding the shop (with the hope that expanding would make me happier—a bit like when people have babies with the hope that it might save their marriage). Then a thought occurred to me in early June: maybe I’ll write a book. And on June 19th, 2012 I had the first draft of my book proposal completed. Today, by some miraculous nature, I am holding a finished copy of The Dollop Book of Frosting: Sweet and Savory Icings, Spreads, Meringues, and Ganaches for Dessert and Beyond
which looks incredible in person. Kudos to my publisher, Adams Media.
It’s a bit surreal flipping through the pages of my own book.
My own book.
Even saying those three words out loud feels like I’m talking in my sleep. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet that this book I’m holding is something I wrote or at least that it’s an actual real book.
All I keep envisioning are those books we wrote in grade school with the cardboard covers wrapped in wallpaper. I vaguely remember illustrating my story with crayons. I think there was a dog involved.
I recall the sense of pride at seeing my wallpaper and duct tape covered book perched on a library shelf and being amazed that I was able to check it out of the library with a real library card.
I’m wondering if I’ll feel the same way when I see The Dollop Book of Frosting perched (face out, hopefully) on the Barnes and Noble cookbook shelf.
To think that I wrote every word, created every unique recipe, and designed and styled each photo with the extraordinary help and guidance of the most wonderfully talented photographer, Matt Wittmeyer (I really can’t express enough what an utter joy he was to work with and how psyched I am to hand deliver him a copy of our book today!), is overwhelming.
Along the way I strongly doubted that this day would ever come.
I wondered what I had gotten myself into.
The cookbook writing process is quite a feat. An exhilarating, terrifying feat.
A feat that I’m so proud and thrilled to have accomplished and share with you.
And one of these days I’ll tell you exactly how I did it.
Because I firmly believe that you can do it too.
Are you dreaming of writing a book? What kind?
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