On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we’re talking about craft publishing with my guest, Jennifer Keltner. Jennifer is the publisher and chief visionary officer at Martingale, a leading craft publisher. Many well-known sewing pattern designers have books out with Martingale including Sara Lawson, Pat Sloan, Angela Walters, Christa Watson, Amy Smart, Vanessa Christenson, Amy Barickman, Joanna Figueroa, and more. Martingale also publishes knitting, crochet, and general craft books.
Jennifer oversees the content, direction, sales, and marketing of all Martingale products. I met Jennifer at fall Quilt Market where she was hosting Schoolhouse sessions for the Martingale authors. After watching how dynamic she was I knew I wanted to talk with her further and I’m so pleased she agreed to be on the podcast.
In this conversation, we take a deep dive into craft book publishing. We discuss what makes a craft book excellent and how an aspiring author can know if an idea is book-worthy. Jennifer explains the role she feels that books play in the current craft publishing landscape where so much content is available online for free.
I ask Jennifer to explain exactly what you should do if you have an idea for a book and would like to submit it to Martingale. We discuss some specifics of an author contract including why Martingale does not offer its authors advances on future royalties and why they don’t include a right of first refusal clause. We also talk about best practices in marketing and promoting new craft titles. Toward the end of the show, Jennifer supplies her email address and invites you to get in touch with her about your new book ideas.
And, of course, I ask Jennifer to recommend great stuff she’s loving right now. Jennifer recommends:
- wool applique
- living in the Pacific Northwest (where she is a fairly new resident)
Keep up with Martingale on their website and send them a message on Facebook.
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Today’s episode is sponsored by Larissa Davis Creative.
Larissa Davis, former art director of Quilting Arts, Stitch, Cloth Paper Scissors, and Modern Patchwork Magazines, loves collaborating with crafters to present their art in unique and thoughtful ways. Whether you need help with a web site, logo, enewsletter, ebook, or photoshoot, Larissa will bring your creative vision to life so you can keep crafting!
Learn more at LarissaDavis.com.
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This was a fascinating podcast. I think anyone who is involved in art and craft has a lot of passion for their projects. It’s great to hear from someone who respects that passion, but can also kindly remind people that there is a time to set the emotion aside. As my daughters get older, I sometimes have to preach this lesson. Thanks for another great podcast!
This was such a fun interview! Although I’m currently working on my third book with Martingale, I still learned a few things about them I didn’t know 🙂 Thanks for having such great guests on your show!
What a great episode! So much food for thought, and I truly appreciate her honesty and lack of sugar coating at various points.
Thank you for listening. Jennifer has so much wisdom to share.
Very interesting podcast. I am not planning to publish a book but if someone does this is probably super helpful.
I generally find your podcasts very interesting. I have given up my own craft business over a year ago, but still love listening to the tips from your podcasts. Thank you
Thank you so much.