The Homely Year

THE HOMELY YEAR
hullo W & P. appears as though you haven't visited your website in a year or so. But, all interesting stuff. I would recommend that you space out your lines a bit and paragraph and divide. Otherwise a good read. Here's hope that you might take a look at my book if you have the chance. LLL

W & P have backed this book as soon as I saw and read part of it - just my cup of tea as I am in tune with seasons and cook and bottle accordingly - would buy this if I saw it on the bookshelves. Best wishes Balepy (Freckles the Fawn)

Very attractively done! What a lovely cover and homely pitch. Shame about the photographs and costings. Best of luck finding a publisher to get this interesting work out there.

Best Wishes

Alexander

I'm backing this - what I've read is a refreshing and practical read. Kim & Aggie eat your heart out! I love to observe the seasons in some way, though fail miserably (mostly), but it's still nice to have something to aspire to ... I also like the references to pre-Christian origins of festivals such as Easter which accords with me, and of course Beltane (May Day). I bet Samhain (Halloween) has a good section all of its own! Now it's the pumpkin, but in my day it was the turnip that had to do for the faces. That was a hard job (for my mum - I was too young).
Don't give up, have you tried another agent? I have been there with agents (with fiction) and it is very disheartening, but the backing fand comments rom Authonomy readers can only be good to show there is a market out there (what publishers are looking for in this day and age). Good luck

This book really chimes a chord with me as I firmly believe in using locally grown and seasonal produce. Dividing my time between the Cotswolds and Spain, I'm lucky in that I have great access to excellent food. Your message is timely - I do think more people are thinking like this, not just because of the thrift side of things, but because sustainable living is simply part of the zeitgeist. What is even better is that you aren't po-faced and worthy about it - but make the whole process huge fun.
I'm hopeful a publisher will see the value of this soon and am happy to give you my backing.
Jared
Mummy's Boy

I want this book.
I won't do half the things in it, but I like to think I would.

This looks like it could be fabulous! I haven't had time to give it more than the briefest of scans, but I'm definitely backing it. Living in the suburbs of Leeds, it becomes easy to drop away from the seasons, but I fight that wherever possible. Let me know how you get on with publishing. Ben

i need this book.....On my shelf.
Pity Authonomy doesn't allow illustrations.
I live with a group of friends and we try to grow
conserve, recycle, etc, but I can see most families
have no choice with both parents working.
All the best...................mikey The Free

Some nice thoughts.
I don't know if I can live more simpler myself.
I don't even bother buying clothes at charity shops. I just wait for christmas.
And food, well, i leave that to my mom.
And my friends buy all the dvds i watch.
And i get all my goods of freecyle.
I've a garden.
And i live in a caravan, even at -13.

Still, i really liked what i read.

BACKED

Hi Margaret and Noreen,

This is an excellent book and just has to be published. With the illustrations included it's going to be a best seller. The only suggestion I would make is to shorten the introduction a little.

If you can't find a traditional publisher (- and I can't understansd why they wouldn't want this), have you though of self-publishing? Lulu.com or createspace for example. These do it yourself books do well on those kind of sites.

Ron

I give books like this as presents and they are always well received. Don't give up, a discerning publisher will nibble on this eventually. Jim D Serpent's Blood

I found this very readable and I could see it getting published in a large colour edition, where the text is merely complimenting some stunning photos. Shelved.
Frank

I love these how to books. Little tips that will help me get along just a little easier.
These are the types of books I inherited my interest from my mother for.
This one is geared for women older than me but a terrific idea and it is pulled off well wtih the right amount of quirk and entertainment.
Backed
T.l Tyson-Seeking Eleanor

Not my kind of book but very interesting. So much so that I will read more. Perhaps you could take a look at my book although it is totally diferent to yours. Three Stayed Home is a WW2 adventure and love story, my first in fiction. I hope you like it, JohnJ

i think this is a superb idea for a book and it's also nice to see a good factual book for a change as i have read through loads of goblins etc lately... well done with this.. i have a readers digest yearbook which is something similar but I'm not sure if you can buy it anymore and it's very expensive anyway.
Good luck with this, backed with pleasure.
Chris (inside out)

Hello, What an absolutely brilliant book. The Natural Year. I wish everything was natural by the way. We are so used to racing around at top speed, that we fail to notice things that are always there (hopefully).
On my SHELF. Good luck with it.

Phyllis Burton
A Passing Storm (Perhaps you would have a look at it).

Oh I love this! I have written a lot of non-fiction books and one in particular - The Natural Year - is very much along these lines....ie that we should live in flow with the natural rhythms of the year, eat seasonally etc. That book is sadly out of print now but I still hold firm to the principle and love the way you make this topic easy and accessible.
How come I haven't seen your book before? Yup, I would definitely self-publish if your agent can't get a deal for this...but oh how irritating.
Are you flogging the blog on Twitter, Facebook etc?

Love it. Backing it wholeheartedly.....and wishing you ALL the best with it.
Jane
WALKER

This is a timely and well-written topic. I love the bits of poetry and literature scattered throughout.

You need to, at the very least, self-publish this book to get it into the waiting and eager hands of not only authonomy readers (see your comments for all the requests!) but the public at large.

It would be a shame to keep this a secret. I shelved this book on the pitch, and glad I did so. It's rotating out now, but will remain on my watchlist. I see big things ahead for this one!

Best of luck.

Christina-Marie Wright
(Miranda Writes)

W&P
I need a copy of this book for my wife. She's about to retire and said she wants to spend the first six months Cleaning! I loved the read also, makes me relish the relish so to speak. So many memories when we raised chickens and rabbits, grew huge gardens and orchards, picked, froze and canned our own food. It was a lot of fun and I miss it. I also miss those real wood fires we had in the winter.You're right it was a mess but it brought a wonderful feeling into the house. Great memories. Thanks.
Steve Ward
Test Pilot's Daughter: Revenge

Please could you send me a message when this book become available to buy, I would like a copy.

Andrew

this is a winning book, timely, i think, a modern beeton, modern in the right way, and beeton too, as some of beeton, if i remember, was decidedly odd . .

what a shame you are not world famous fell climbers or 20th century writers - then we could all purchase hard copies of your book !

well, keep at it, i think you are doing all the right things, you just need to get lucky with a recipe or an event or something that takes off - often this comes right out of the blue - and publishers, with their eye perhaps rightly on the main chance, will soon see which side their bread's buttered on!

shelved, and wishing you good luck,

freddie
("honour")

I garden; I grow flowers, herbs, vegtables and grapes. I make my own bread and wine and I quilt. And i love your book, both in concept and execution. Well done!

How could a publisher not put this out? With appropriate photos and illustrations, it will be something Martha Stewart Omnimedia would love to have! Nice combination of prose, recipes, and tips. An erudite tabletop book, for sure.
Stuart Phillips

I like the idea, and I agree with the concepts. I spent my time with your chapter 4 - and the recipe's looked great. I will say though, that I wanted a more empowering and positive tone. I thought the opening paragraphs in particular could have benefited from "and here are a few simple things you can do". You have that as you read on, but I'll be frank and say that the begining of this chapter feels more like the authors have a soapbox, than a voice for change. It wouldn't take much to make this positive rather than preachy. I saw it in other chapters, but I think that you'll get farther with your target market by showing them what they can do - rather than telling them what's wrong.

Hope that helps. Best of luck,

What a fabulous book this is! Packed with information, much of which has been forgotten or ignored. Estate agents ought to be made to include a copy of your book with each house sold, rather like Gideon Bibles in hotel rooms. I've already learned (or been reminded of) a whole wealth of useful hints and tips. And in these recycle-conscious days, it's so right that we should be using home-made cleaners instead of buying expensive and environment-damaging sprays and chemicals.
I'm lucky enough to be living in the country and am able to make use of the local free berries, fruits and mushrooms etc. Now that it's harvest time, you've re-inspired me to go and see what I can find.
Brilliant book, deserves to do very well.
Shelved.
Cas.
KING'S ENVOY

The Homely Year

Hi Wainwright and Priestley,

Your names alone should win you a publishing contract and I am not surprised in the slightest that an agent snapped you up. This will absolutely make it, a bible for home enjoyment, money absolutely not required to help us enjoy our lives more, I hope it is okay but I have borrowed a few recipes from here. Great stuff, to be backed with pleasure shortly - Andrew W.

(Sanctuary's Loss)

I can't understand why your publishers pulled out of 'The Homely Year' at the last minute. I like your introductions before you get into the practicalities, and there's plenty of good stuff in here for everyone. I've copied your lemon cake recipe and left it where my wife will find it [I hope that's not a breach of your copyright!]., and in anticipation it will taste as good as it sounds, you've got my backing.

Oh ladies...so annoying t have my tomato crop decimated by the late blight this year. Reading this makes me even more annoyed. Luckily our beans/cukes/melons/etc all did well otherwise. Love that you've made it your focus and promotion. Wish we had a CSA that was closer...but luckily we have several farmers markets to take advantage of.
Sorry...not directly about your book...which I've enjoyed and noted a few things to put into practice. Didn't see mention of Tung oil for hardwood floors...if you haven't given it a try I recommend it...natural and been used by the Chinese for centuries. Anyway...best of luck with this! I only wish Auth let us have pictures because I bet your book would really zing with the right ones.
-=Bradley

This makes a pleasant change from all the heavy fiction on here, and it's a subject very dear to my heart. Maybe the current economic difficulties and the save-the-planet campaign will persaude today's younger generation to stop throwing away, and to 'make-do-and-mend' , which was how I grew up in the early post-war years. So for topicality and usefulness, your book ticks all the right boxes, and I wish you great success. Backed with pleasure. Tony.

Hi W&P, I've just had a look through your book and I think its a great idea, very well researched. Its a perfect time for a book like this with people actively looking for ways to cut down spending and also turning back to the simpler things in life. I think a lot of us lost our way in the boom and are now taking stock and turning towards this type of living. Being a graphic designer, I can help but notice that this book lends itself really well to a handmade type look a textured feel to the book, something that people will want to pick up and look through, mark it if they want. Note sections could be handy, make the book look used through the design. Have a look at some of the Jaime Oliver books, he has this kind of home made feel in some of his books and it works great. Hope I'm explaining myself. I've put your book on my shelf, I think its a great idea!
Helena (A Load of Rubbish)

The Homely Year - W & P

This gets a whirl on the rotating bookshelf because it's well written. If it isn't published for Christmas, let me make a suggestion. Break it up into 52 parts. Get your agent to syndicate it to local newspapers. Include a hook: ask for the best home-made wax polish recipe, for example; generate correspondence, show editors that people are reading it. Try local advertising tie-ins -- no editor can refuse!

Just ideas. No royalty. Good luck.

Ann

PS Make sure the illustrations are high-res and non-copyright

Very well presented book, girls.

...this book urges you to create and cook, grow and bake... haha, now if only I could stay away from Authonomy I might actually accomplish some of these things!

....Any knickknacks have to go... I still have stuff I'd brought to Canada in 1971!

This would be a great book, not just for young women, but for men, as I think the young men nowadays are amazing, regarding cooking, and fathering, etc. :o)

Now if I could stop being such a procrastinator, I might have a tidier house, home-baked goodies, and socks with no holes in them!

All the very best with this. :o}

Will shelve it.

Cáit ~ Muckers ~

I think my wife would love this! Can't believe its not been published, I can really see this on the shelves! Good luck girls its well worthy! x

A fascinating, entertaining and (as has been said) timely idea for a book. Can't believe everyone's too chicken to publish it!

Since I now live in California rather than Britain, some of the advice in the book (particularly the foody bits) would have to be adapted, but there's no reason why one couldn't live more in harmony with the seasons just about anyplace (anyplace that actually has them, anyway!). I have some reservations - my wife and I almost invariably kill anything we try to grow ourselves, I'm all thumbs and it takes my wife six months to knit a scarf - but we do have plenty of farmers' markets around here, at least one of them year-round.

Life is a constant struggle to slow down and this enchanting little book might just be the brake we're all looking for.

Backed.

Well a sort of Mrs Beatons guide to everyday life and labour!
My compliments on the easy to read style and the pleasant optimistic content.
love it!
best,
Fred

Girls

Fabulous....A combination of How Clean is Your House / Delia Smith & Champneys Wellbeing..

There is a book on the market at the moment called 'Detox Your Finances' its a self help book for girly girls who find themselves in serious need of a few hints and tips on how to manage the money they dont have.....
This was a brave thing for a publisher to take on....... My point is, that if you look into who did take it on, it might be a lead for you.

I do think 'Homely Year' is a terrible title....Sounds like a self help for members of the Residential Care Society .

'Detox Your Finances' looks like the latest Sophie Kinsell book, pink and trendy......A must have. Buy a copy, follow the format, see what you think....If you're serious about publication I think you need to 'trendy up'

Even Jamie Oliver promotes his books in a different way......'Feed the family for a Fiver' bla bla.....You need a hook for people to buy.......Of course you may not be interested in publication, to have written it is a great achievement, you might be happy with that alone......But in todays credit crunch, I think non-fiction domestic 'help and advice' books need to scream 'buy me I'll save you a fortune'

I'll spend thousands to save hundreds.......Best of luck with it.....Shelved.

What a wonderful idea! Helps the non homey, clueless types such as myself get in touch with their homey side and become useful!


Backed

Jo

Hello Noreen & Margaret. I knew I would love this book! And seasonal is SO back in fashion. My favourite bit in the book is the charity shop section, (I'm an addict) but the rest is a close second. I would love to see the photographs you have in the book., I bet they bring it to life with a capital L.

One little pick. I agree with another reviewer regarding your title. Needs more Ooomph! How about: Seasonal Sensations. Grounded & Growing. Thrift: A fun guide to life in the green lane.

Just ideas... I had fun thinking the above up. Hope you don't mind. really good luck with getting this placed. Backed! Nicky.

I would definitely but this, if not for me then also as a gift idea, I love this sort of stuff. I wish you the very best of luck with it. :)

Right you two. First off, great idea, shame about the pitch. It really needs to be tighter, a little more 'oomph' and a sexier title to get it rammed home to those marketing geeks, that they'll sell it like hot-cakes. (No doubt you have a recipe for those somewhere!) All things 'thrift' are pretty much in at the moment, but it's the approach and angle on it that will make or break this kind of non-fiction book.
Firstly, of course, if it's illustrated, that's money. Editors have tight budgets so they're going to be wary from the moment they get it plonked on their desk. Secondly, it's a little text heavy, and like someone else commented, bullet points and text boxes are what sell books these kind of books these days. (I'm afraid). Cut the text, especially prune those opening paras, even if it makes you squirm.
The market for 'growing your own' , home-baking, getting back to nature etc is a much younger one these days- you're not aiming at little old ladies in knitting circles (because they know how to do all this), you're aiming at the career woman, the family woman, the whatever domestic goddess woman who wants to take a break from the usual supermarket spin and enjoy herself by doing something her great aunt used to do - well, great aunt used to do sex, but modern woman has enough books about how to do great sex, but you're telling her how much fun and excitement she'd get out of doing thrifty stuff . So you're selling 'homeliness' and the seasons, which is lovely, but a bit tame in its current format.
So you get an agent who loves it, but a publisher who won't quite go the whole hog and publish. Find yourself a sexier title - a sexier agent - I don't know. Off the top of my head, 'Thrift for all Seasons' , ' An Almanac of Pleasures', 'The Thrift Factor' - play with some words, ideas, and throw some humour into the baking tin. In the UK, our Delia does a nice job of this 'homely' stuff, so do most TV personalities - because they're TV personalities - so you have to be different as you're unknown. You have to transform this simple book into a catchy thing on the shelf. These days I'm afraid it's not creative editors who make or break a book, it's the damned marketing and sales people who go to the buyer for Smith's or Waterstones or wherever, and say, look at this - and have only the time and inclination to describe the book in one sentence, two at most.
The strap line, I'm afraid, is 'king' these days. So be a little 'holier than thou,' don't be all twee and afraid of ramming your message ' home,' because that's what sells. I want to help you guys to get this published, and that's my personal opinion based on my own experiences with non-fiction. Of course you don't have to listen to a word I say, but think about it. Meanwhile shelved with mouth-watering pleasure.

Hi there,

I've been looking through this and I can see that you have a very warm, friendly book that I'm happy to back. It's completely out of my sphere of knowledge, so I can't offer anything constructive beyond a giant pat on the back!

All the best,

James

This is great. personally I agree, the 'forgotten pleasures that i haven't forgotten is blackberry picking - look forwqard to its weeks in advance, and there's something very Christmassy about lighting a fire in the fireplace holding a broad sheet newspaper over the opening until the flames have caught.

Having said that Spring is, I agree the best time of year. I hope your book gets published, we need to take a step back. Just one thing, I don't like the font colours you've chosen for your subject highlights - too wishy washy - would a dark blue be better?

Rob

Hi there,

I loved this, it's as others have suggested a really down to earth, homely sort of a book that makes you sigh contentedly both at things remembered and at things you know no matter how well intentioned you are you'll never get around to! Reading this made me think of all the things my Mum used to do when I was little and when I have kids I'll do with them but would never occur to do them off my own back. I suspect that it's losing something from the restrictions of it being set out out in the Authonomy format as I can see this being loaded with pictures and perhaps a more of a dipping in and out type format but ultimately really enjoyable and crammed with things to make you think, 'Aaaaahhh' I should really get around to that.'

Best of luck!
Edd

Hi N and M,
I was really surprised when I started reading this - pleasantly! I do spring clean, with the windows open to let in the fresh air, and its very satisfying. I like some of your tips and will give them a go next year.
I especially liked the tips for cleaning things, and am going to try some of them too.
I loved your story about the Jackdaw! In my job, I was called out many a time to 'rescue' a bird behind a fire. It was usually Jackdaws. Always used to advise the owner of the chimney to get some wire put over the top so the birds couldn't go down it again.
Anyway, I enjoyed this and shall continue to read what you have uploaded.
Shelved, and thank you, janie.

Hi N & M,

I think you have a winning concept here--very down home, sort of an updated Hints from Heloise and The Joy of Cooking with a dash of Martha Stewart thrown in for good measure!

I think where you could rise above the others is with your narrative. In Ch1, the introduction, with long paragraphs is a lttle off-putting. I would love to see this more in the style of Erma Bombeck, who famously takes every day events and celebrates the humor and the irony in them. Use that as sort of short stories between the recipes and hints and ideas for creating table arrangements. The way it reads now, it's more of a dissertation and I'm afraid too many will just skim it.

As an example, the part about spring cleaning--nothing fun about that! Not a lot of fun to read about either! But tell us a story and we're more likely to listen. The bird comng down the chimney was a great bit but told in real time--even better! What I'm saying is that I think you need to insert yourselves as characters in order to make the long passages of narrative more interesting and also set your book apart from others in this genre. I could be way off base but that's just what occurred to me as I read.

I'm going to back this later this afternoon when my shelf rotates. Good luck! ~Barb

This is a unique and informative book. The type I would give to someone as a wedding present. Definitely worth a spin on my shelf.

Amanda

I have not , so far, found any other books like this here on Authonomy, but they are very popular in the shops. I should think this should sell well too. There's a lot more to it than just recipes.
Good luck with it and best wishes. Phil. (Hallam's Ghosts)

I entirely agreewith the sentiments expressed here. BADD

In this time of artificiallity, being entertained by TV rather than talking to friends and playing fun games like cars and chess and board games, we have lost the art of communication and how to enjoy life.

Your book emphasises that it is often the simpliest things that bring the most pleasure and are better for our health. And your ideas a great for mental health too.

On my WL.

Peter.

Hi Noreen and Margaret

This is a book which makes me sit up with interest.
Why?
It is written by people who are proud of their roots (literally) and want to promote it.

Having moved to Galiica i can fully appreciate the joy of using what has been provided in the immediate vicinity, but also promoting it. The words 'visiting a friend with a basket of bulbs...than just taking flowers and chocolates.' is so true....i am curently going through 3 jars of kiwi and orange jam a month my Spanish cousin makes from their local produce.

You also speak of ideas that my father (he was a cobbler who fixed the local shoes) would pass down to me...soap or candle on those troublesome drawers. You make me want to go and buy a tool-belt! (Yesterday i built our soon to born child's cradle....i stood back proudly).

Only quibble is that the text was very faint for me at this stage of the book.

Great ideas ladies....and on my shelf...one that i prepared earlier ;)

Much appreciated

Ed Quinn (Donkeys kill more people)