Tag Archives: making a book

Learning From Wilsonia, Part V

While working on The Cabins of Wilsonia, I took 2 friends for a short driving tour of the cabins. One of them laughed at me when I said for the fifth or sixth time, “This is my favorite cabin!” She wondered how many cabins could possibly be my favorite.

There was a pattern. All of my favorites had shingle siding. Have a look at a few:

Look what happened to my own drawing studio as a result:

My studio as it looked while I was working on the book.

My studio as it now looks.

If you would like to see my studio and 14 others in Three Rivers alone, Saturday and Sunday, April 14-15, is the South Valley Artists Studio Tour.

For tickets: http://www.artsconsortium.org/sovast

The Blog Awakens From a Coma

The Cabins of Wilsonia was published and arrived in December, 2014. After about a year, this blog went into a coma. A series of phishy sounding emails arrived, which caused me to make one of those long-waits-on-hold type of phone calls, and as a result, this blog has been revived!

Just over 3 years after receiving the book, I’m happy to resume writing about it.

I sold enough to cover my expenses; thank you for asking.

Many of the original drawings remain; again, thank you for asking. You may email me at cabinart at cabinart dot net (written that way for web security purposes) if you are interested in a particular cabin drawing. Why email? Because the contact form is not working, and I’d rather write a blog post than make another one of those long-waits-on-hold type of phone calls.

(Yes, I assume a great deal about the thoughts of my readers. Don’t worry–I am not a mind-reader.)

There are still books available, now at the bargain price of $50, including tax and mailing (in the USA only). This is the page for that transaction.

The process of publishing the book was HUGE. It took four years, and in another post I will list the things that came out of the experience.

Incompetence and Awkwardness Corrected

I kept emailing the Wilsonia cabin owner to inquire if the Post Office had forwarded my incorrectly addressed card.

Nope.

Finally, I asked if she’d like me to copy the sketch and email it to her. Being a gracious and understanding customer, she was agreeable.

Well, oops.

I drew the wrong side of the cabin. She wanted the front, I drew the back. I didn’t look at the photos she sent me, only looked at the ones I had taken. Knowing that more living happens on the back side than the front, I just wasn’t really paying attention.

Holy cow.

What a gracious and forgiving customer, who kindly let me know that wasn’t the view she had asked for.

That’s the reason I do sketches! Let’s get it all figured out at the small scribbly stage before I pour hours into the precision and detail that make up my pencil commissions.

Quickly, I did 2 more sketches for her. Fast. Immediately. Scanned. Emailed. Red-faced. Git-er-dun. Giddy-up. Hubba, hubba, hubba.

She preferred the extra width showing in version B, and you can believe I got on it, immediately without delay!

NEWS??

Today I went digging around in my old emails and paperwork from the printer. I found what I think is the name of the binder. After Googling it and finding a phone #, I called the place. OF COURSE there was an automatic phone answering system, which listed names that meant nothing to me. The last choice was “zero”, so I pressed that and got some dude’s voicemail.

I left a message with my name and number, asking him if I had a book in his bindery and asking him to call me back.

Silence.

Suddenly, I had an email from the so called “customer service” representative. It said this:

The binder just called and said they plan to ship books on Friday. I’ll let you know when I have confirmation.

Coincidence? Probably not.

A sure thing? More will be revealed. . .

The Cabins of Wilsonia may arrive before Christmas.

2 News Items About The Cabins of Wilsonia Book

Are you wondering why I have been silent? Easy answer – I had nothing to report.

Now I have 2 things to tell you and one reminder.

1. The book printer agreed to have the book binder ship directly to me. The proposed date of arrival at my studio is November 21. Time will tell. . .

2. The book printer is sending me the cover sticker. According to UPS tracking, it will be at my studio on Wednesday, November 12.

After the books arrive, I will order shipping boxes and then will apply the cover stickers and sign books and ship to those of you who pre-ordered, Lord willing and the creek, et cetera. . .

Nope, you don’t get to see what it looks like until it is in your hands! Maybe I will post a picture of one on this blog, but I think it will be more fun for you if you first see it when you open your box. (I don’t know about you, but I certainly could use a little fun around here!)

The reminder: The early bird price of $70, including tax and mailing, is good until November 19. You can mail a check made out to Cabin Art, P.O. Box 311, Three Rivers, CA 93271 or use the Paypal button here and your Paypal account.

The early bird price is now expired. The book is now $86, which includes tax and mailing.

Book Report

Sometimes, no matter how much planning is done, no matter how many assurances are given, things don’t go right.

The printer said it would take about 6 weeks to produce the books, so when I sent the final product off on July 18, it seemed reasonable to expect that we’d have The Cabins of Wilsonia in hand by mid September.

After receiving the book, the printer told me that they cannot bind my book and will have to send it to an outside source for that very important step. That added some time, but they could not tell me how much longer.

A few weeks ago, the printer notified me that the outside binder will not have the books finished until November 19. The printer needs to do one final step before shipping them to me, and then it will be a minimum of 5 days in a truck before the book arrive in Three Rivers.

My idea is to ask for the binder to ship directly to me and allow me to complete that final step. If they agree, that should put the book in your hands around Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, I don’t know when the books will be ready or in your hands. All I can offer is one of my favorite cliches: “More will be revealed in the fullness of time.”

The good news is that I have reinstated the early bird price of $70, which includes tax and shipping. This price will be good until November 19. If you would like to pre-order a copy of the book, the check can be made out to Cabinart and mailed to P.O. Box 311, Three Rivers, CA 93271.

When things don’t go my way, I often reassure myself that no one died and no one got cancer. Thank you for your kind patience and please administer dark chocolate.

**Preorder your copy of The Cabins of Wilsonia using Paypal via this Add to Cart button:**

Preorder price has now expired. It is $86, including tax and mailing.

Waiting for Wilsonia Wearing Worrying Wondering

This cabin looks worn out. I thought it belonged to the Park Service, because many of the neglected cabins do. It doesn’t. It is in some sort of family dispute.

I am in some sort of delivery dispute. The book The Cabins of Wilsonia WILL be delivered, but no one can say when.

Here is what I’ve been told:

1. It went on the press on the night of September 11. (Don’t know how long on the press)

2. It will go to an outside binder, but no one can say how long that company will take. No one is saying where that company is, so there is no information about shipping to and from them either.

3. There will be work done to finish up the cover back at the printer. No one is saying how long that will take.

4. It will take about 5 days in a truck after that.

I spent 3 years making something, and then turned it over to strangers far away who will turn it over to other strangers even further away. I don’t remember the stress, angst, and flat out anxiety of this part from my other book. But, my other book was printed in California, it only took a year to do, and I had a partner to share the burden with.

Am I beginning to look like the cabin in the drawing above? Don’t answer that, please!

Full Price

Pull up a chair.

The pre-order price for The Cabins of Wilsonia expired. The new price is $86, which includes tax and mailing (within the USA). If you are someone I see regularly, deduct $5 because instead of putting it in a fancy-pants box and taking it to the Post Office, I’ll simply place it in your hands.

What It Is and What it Isn’t

What it is:

The upcoming book The Cabins of Wilsonia is an album. It is a collection of pictures designed to show the overview of a cabin community. It is pictures of the typical, pictures of the unique, word pictures of cabin life expressed in stories from cabin folks. It is designed to show the many architectural styles within the community. It is a medley of little details, such as the way the sun lands on something ordinary and makes it beautiful. It shows things that are ordinary to cabin life that may be unusual in “normal” life. It is a picture of cabin life in the 20th century. It is pencil drawings made from photos that I spent days and days shooting, editing, cropping, choosing, and three years putting together. It is the celebration of a very special treasure of Tulare County and Kings Canyon National Park.

What it Isn’t

It is not a directory of cabins. It is not a comprehensive, all-inclusive list of every cabin. It is not a history book. It is not a complete representation of every one of the 214 cabins in Wilsonia. It isn’t photos. It isn’t a list of cabins that used to be there. It isn’t a collection of cabins that currently belong to the Park. It isn’t a hastily thrown together piece of work.

And it isn’t yet in our hands.

Who Wants a Book About Wilsonia?

When someone wants to self-publish a book, one of the biggest puzzles to solve is who will want to buy the book. If someone wants to publish a book traditionally, that is probably the most important question too.

Let’s answer that question about The Cabins of Wilsonia, an upcoming book about cabin life in a mountain community, told in drawings and quotations from the residents.

1. People who love Wilsonia

This could be people who have visited, who have a cabin, who used to have a cabin, who have friends with a cabin or who wish they had a cabin.

Surprising fact: many cabin folks have asked if their cabin will appear in the book. If it doesn’t, or if it doesn’t appear in the way that they think it should, they are not shy in letting me know they will not be buying a book!

2. People who love cabins

Did you know there is a website of beautiful cabin photos called “cabin corn”? (Not really called that, but I didn’t want to type the second word which actually begins with the letter “P” – you figure it out!) There are people who just love cabins and small homes and mountain living.

3. People who love pencil

This book will have 276 pencil drawings. There are people who love to draw, people who love pencil drawings, people who love detail, drawing students past and present.

4. People who love local information

There are people who buy all books of local history. The Cabins of Wilsonia is not yet a history book, but it will be some day. It is a look at life today in a cabin community in Tulare County. The folks who collect information about this place we live are likely to want this book.

5. People who love me

Ahem. This last one is a little embarrassing. However, my friend Mark used to tell me (because his Dad used to tell him), “If your friends and family won’t do business with you, who will?”

And now you know who comprises the market for the upcoming book, The Cabins of Wilsonia. Do you fit into one of these categories?