Turning Your Career Into a Book (with Alexandra Gater)
In this episode of “Writer’s Digest Presents,” designer and author Alexandra Gater discusses the process of turning your career into a how-to book.
Publishing has long been the answer to the "how" question of our hobbies, but writing about what you do for a living is a very different task than doing what you do for a living.
In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," Michael Woodson chats with interior designer and author Alexandra Gater about the process of writing her how-to book, Own Your Space, where she offers advice for other professionals looking to write their own books, the importance of the proposal in nonfiction writing, her literary agent experience, and more.
About the Author
Alexandra Gater is a stylist and home decor expert, connecting with millions through her home makeover videos on YouTube. She makes design accessible for renters and homeowners alike and believes everyone deserves to live in a beautiful space that feels like home, no matter their budget. Alexandra started her career as the Home Editor for Canada’s iconic lifestyle magazine Chatelaine, and her work has been featured in Apartment Therapy, Clever by Architectural Digest, and Domino Magazine. She lives in Toronto.
From the Episode
On Following The Proposal
"The hardest thing for me was—it was all in my head, and I was like, How do I get this down on paper? And Paige, my agent, really helped me with that initial proposal, and to be honest, putting in all that work for the proposal made writing the book so much easier. I followed that proposal section by section, so I did a lot of the heavy lifting prior. It's actually how I approached essays in university—I would think a lot about my essay, and then I would write it in a condensed amount of time."
On Literary Agent Green Flags
"My biggest green flag was honestly just the vibes were it. Her initial email to me was ... it was so clear that she was a viewer of my content, that she understood my brand. She wasn't like, 'You should write a book!' she was like, 'Have you ever considered writing a book?' And then when I got on a call with her, she was just so warm, so lovely. I could tell she really knew her stuff. And I think green flags are just feeling like that person has your back and understands the industry much more than you do."
On Believing In Herself
"I think it can be really easy to feel super disheartened in any industry having someone tell you, no. I think for me, I've always been like, No I can do it. I think that belief in myself has gotten me pretty far. Some would say it might be delusional, but I'm truly like, 'I can do this, and I really want to do it.' Writing a book, if you don't have any interest in that, would not recommend, because you gotta be in it."
