Well, I knew there would be a next book. I just didn’t think it would be so soon! Still feeling the affects of my last book writing binge, I get the call. The Publisher ask; “We want you to write an eco-friendly gardening book. Will you do it?”
“When’s it due I ask”, expecting to get a reasonable response (one year would be a reasonable response). “We need it before Thanksgiving so you’ve got about four months. Will that work for ya?”
“Can I think about it for a day?” I inquire. 24 hours later we were finalizing the vision and details for the book. Thankfully this would be a book of tips and no pictures. I repeat…NO pictures. That was a huge relief and a big time saver and a huge factor in my deciding to go ahead with it under such a short deadline.
Actually, it was quite amazing that I got the call to begin with. Ironically, I had been working on a similar idea that I was about to call them about. I was preparing to suggest that I write a book on eco-friendly gardening and that we should get started on it right away.
However, my idea did include pictures and would have taken much longer to write. So, in the interest of time and in deference to my publisher’s good judgment, I agreed to proceed with their version of the idea and next thing I know, I have another book due before Thanksgiving.
Now, is this enough time to write an 80,000 word book? It’s been done before in less time (but not by me). Certainly I could use more time, but…would I really use it? Probably not. It simply means that now, EVERY day counts. Will this be a good book? You bet it will! In fact it will be an excellent book. The title is; The “Green” Gardener’s Guide; Hundreds of tips for Creating an Eco-friendly Garden.
I know this will be a good book because I’m passionate about the topic and I’ve lived these tips for years. And it will be more than just tips. Those that know me know I can’t just list the tips without going into an explanation on each one as to why this tip is important. So, don’t expect a bunch of fluff just because there are several hundred ideas. There’s real meat in these chapters.
I’ve got a little less than a week to write each chapter but I’m actually looking forward to this assignment. My hope is that this book will inspire gardeners and non-gardeners alike to think a little bit more on how they can reduce their footprint on this earth. Gardening is a great place to start. I’ll keep you posted on how it’s going.
If you care to suggest any of your favorite tips for creating an eco-friendly garden, I’d love to hear about them. In fact, I’d greatly appreciate it. Even living as an eco-friendly gardener, I could always hear some fresh ideas. Thanks in advance!
JL