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Publishing Proposal – Word Count: 2,586 words

Publisher: David & Charles

Section: Lifestyle

Series Title: More: The Foundation of Cosy, Colourful and Creative Homes
Subtitle: How to create a space that reflects your family’s personality and inspires you
Editors: Jessica Cropper at David & Charles

Extent: 144 pages Format: Hardback, A4 (297mm x 210mm)

Price
Hardback 16.99

Publication Dates:
- More Cosy- Kelle Hampton- September 2025 (Fall, lead-in to Christmas)
- More Colourful- Ola Zwolenik- March 2026 (Mother’s Day UK, lead-in to spring)
- More Creative- Kelly Mindell- August 2026 (summer to fall, lead-in Christmas prep)

Proposed Terms

Royalty: 10% of net receipts up to 3000 copies, each

Advance / Fees: £3000 / author
Territory: English Language (primarily UK and Commonwealth, North America)
Word Count: 15,000 words (photograph and design-heavy books)

Proposed Sales Forecast and Print Run

Initial Print Run: 5000

Sales UK Year 1: 1900

Sales International Year 1: 2800
Sales E-book Year 1: 200

Project Summary

For the last ten years, spaces that feel like a blank canvas, full of neutral tones of whites, blacks, and greys,
have been all the rage for everyone from celebrities to middle class homeowners. Now, that minimalism
aesthetic is starting to see its way out, with more designers using those blank walls to fill them with colour and
personality. In an Architectural Digest article on 2024 trends, there was a clear movement away from this
aesthetic, as they pushed jewel tones and even the use of the colour yellow will be on the up (Archer, 2023).
But who says the professionals get to have all the fun?

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These three creators -- Kelle Hampton, Ola Zwolenik, and Kelly Mindell -- have been attracting thousands of
Instagram and blog followers for years based on their colourful and creative spaces. Their spaces are reflective
of their own personalities and are full of intentional pieces and projects that find just the right balance between
sensible and sentimental. Not only do they share their spaces online, but they also share the how-to’s. With
these easy and affordable DIY interior design, party, and recipe tips, anyone can turn their house into a home
that is a part of who they are, not just where they live.

Who will buy this book?

All three of these interior design “influencers” have a known history of sharing DIY tutorials with their
audiences to help them achieve the same desired aesthetic. Their respective audiences are women ranging from
ages 25-50, usually also mothers, who are pulled in by their creative how-to’s and Pinterest-worthy homes.

That’s why these three are the best picks to create books that cross the line between interior design and crafting.
All three have different elements of craftiness worked into the nooks and crannies of their homes, whether that
be using miniatures to keep the magic of childlike whimsy alive for kids and teens alike, or creating the perfect
piece of wall art that ties a whole space together.

With David & Charles’ market already encapsulating crafty people of all ages, these books would sell well in
their typical points of sale, including Amazon and Waterstones stores. Additionally, with two of the proposed
authors being American and a large portion of David & Charles sales attributed to the US, there is great sale
potential for audiences in the UK and US alike.

Sales Handle

No more “sad beige” spaces allowed! Create a home that makes you and those around you happy with the help
of these three design and lifestyle influencers. Bring colour back into your everyday.

Key Selling Points

Affordability- The cost-of-living crisis and inflation is forcing people to make do in their spaces, regardless of
if they are their “dream” homes or not. This series will focus on affordable ways to bring these DIY projects
into the home.

“Girlhood” and Creativity- Recent trends in popular culture (music, movies, etc.) are all leading back to
connecting back to childhood joy and passions- utilising colour and creativity for the home through crafting
connects those childlike hobbies with adult hobbies.

Interiors after COVID-19- After the pandemic, people are much more aware of their spaces, especially with
many still working from home at least partially. Bringing colour and comfort into these spaces is something
people are more aware of now than ever.

Competition & Reference Points –

All RRP, ASP, value and volume data below provided by Nielsen BookScan, collected on 2 January 2024
(Nielsen BookScan, 2024).

The research on these below titles and all other similar titles was mostly conducted using Amazon and its
recommendations for similar titles, as this is a major way in which David & Charles plans out their sales, based
on conversations with Victoria Allen, an editor at the company (Victoria Allen, personal communication,

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January 8, 2024). The lifetime sales data are included alongside the first-year data to show the potential of the
series not only as in their initial years of publication, but also in their time as backlist titles for David &
Charles.

COVER TITLE AND RRP; FIRST YEAR LIFETIME

AUTHOR ASP SALES SALES
A Home for Every £29.99; £4,182.95; £4,182.95;
Season: A Month-by- £24.18 173 books 173 books;
Month Guide to **sales only Released
Decorating Your Space available for first September 2023
by Steffy Degreff 5 months**

NOTES: Debut book of American content-creator with largely American audience; over 1 million followers
across Instagram and TikTok; most like DIY + interior design theme that is proposed by this series. The
proposed series is a mix of American and UK-based designers to balance out these possible fluctuations of
Americans selling in the UK and UK-based designers selling in the US (which is where David & Charles
sells most of their books through Amazon and craft stores).

Home: The Way We Live £30.00; £12,031.09; £12,031.09;

Now: Small Home, Work £23.92 503 books 503 books
from Home, Rented **sales only Released 27
Home by Kate Watson- available for first April 2023
Smyth 10 months**

NOTES: Watson-Smyth is a popular interior design journalist also famous for her blog, Mad About the
House. This is her latest of five books. This book focused on creating multiple purposes out of small spaces
in light of the cost-of-living crisis in the UK. The proposed series will also recognize the cost-of-living crisis
and will also focus on sustainability in the offered DIY projects to reduce cost and environmental waste.

Mad about the House: £20.00; £93,990.99; £310,144.18;

How to decorate your £13.95 6,737 books 21,270 books
home with style by Kate Released 22
Watson-Smyth March 2018

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NOTES: Written as her interior design blog was #1 in the UK, this second book of her five releases was
published at the height of her interior design fame. This book goes over the basics of interior design within
the home for beginners. The proposed series would offer more DIY-based projects, especially those made for
children and families, to decorate a space.

My Hygge Home: How £18.99; £62,973.28; £183,415.82;

to Make Home Your £13.88 4,538 books 13,096
Happy Place by Meik Released 29
Wiking September 2022

NOTES: After seeing success with his other books on the “hygge” Danish lifestyle to improve happiness,
Wiking created this book to talk specifically about how colour, light and space create a cozy home. This style
is recognizable to many customers and both first year and backlist sales show that the “cozy” aesthetic sells.
This will be especially helpful for the first book in this proposed series, focused on a similar aesthetic.

Happy Inside: How to £20.00; £30,347.72; £79,400.03

harness the power of £14.19 1,998 books 5,195 books
home for health and Released 30
happiness by Michelle April 2020
Ogundehin

NOTES: Ogundehin is a magazine editor and interior design influencer; also co-hosts a home-renovation
show, “Save the Street”; book release mid-pandemic could have impact on first year sales. The
recognisability of this author as a TV presenter and “influencer” (163,000 followers on Instagram alone)
likely have helped this book to maintain consistent sales in the last 3.5 years.

Living Bright: £30.00; £22,798.58; £22,798.58;

Fashioning Colourful £25.16 906 books 906 books
Interiors by Matthew **sales only Released 7
Williamson available for first September 2023
5 months**

NOTES: Williamson teaches readers how to utilise colours within their home. Also features foreword from
Michelle Ogundehin, whose book is featured above. As of Dec 2023, ranked #14 in Amazon’s “Interior &
Home Design” book list. This boost from Amazon likely helps sales. Simliar to Wiking’s book above, the
success of this colour-based book shows that the colourful aesthetic is in high demand at the moment;
customers are open to learning more about colourful spaces in their homes.

Related Titles:

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After paging through the full 2023 catalogue of David & Charles, including their backlist, I found the following
titles to be the most similar to the proposed series for different reasons. Most notably, I found that most prices
for the comparative titles above are higher than the proposed £16.99 price per book for this series. This is based
on the prices of other David & Charles books, which rarely go over £15.99, even when they are hardcovers.
This book series will thus be on the higher end of the price point that David & Charles offers but will not be
completely inaccessible to their usual market of crafters.

NIFTY™ Clean & Organized: Money-Saving Hacks and Easy DIYs for a Clean and Clutter-Free Home! by
NIFTY™- This book was created and written by the popular company Buzzfeed and its cleaning section,
NIFTY™. The book offers home organisation tips for anyone to use to help keep their space neat and tidy.
Released 23 November, 2021.
- PRICE: £12.99 (Hardcover); LIFETIME SALES: £12,059.40; 2,011 books (Nielsen BookScan, 2024)

Zero Waste Series (Kitchen, Gift Wrap and Christmas)- Zero Waste: Kitchen: Crafty ideas for sustainable
kitchen solutions by Emma Friedlander-Collins and Christine Leech. This series are some of the first books
of David & Charles’ books to be specifically environmentally conscious. This book was the first in the series,
created to help bring more sustainable options into the kitchen for those who are environmentally conscious.
All solutions in the book are meant to be low-effort and low-budget, so a person can implement these changes
seamlessly into their homes. Released 11 May 2021.
- PRICE: £9.99 (Paperback); LIFETIME SALES: £981.08; 120 books (Nielsen BookScan, 2024)

Botanical Baking: Contemporary baking and cake decorating with edible flowers and herbs by Juliet Sear.
This book is very different from the proposed series in content but is more similar in design specifications—it is
of a similar, larger size as the proposed series as well as it being a hardcover. Released 22 April 2019.
- PRICE: £16.99 (Hardcover); LIFETIME SALES: £20,017.17; 1,590 books (Nielsen BookScan, 2024)

Reviews / Endorsements

“I am loving the embracing of bold, rich colors. After years of whites, beiges and greys we could all use some
color.”- comment by @itsheatherann on a video of Ola Zwolenik’s home on her Instagram account,
@thistimeincolour.

“Love the antique pocket door. This tour was so unique… it's a fun 2nd home with true character. So many
HGTV tours I click off as they are so cookie cutter designer similar, classically grand, outrageously expensive
and too formal. Thanks for sharing, love your enthusiasm!” – comment by @birdsongforest7950 on an HGTV
YouTube video featuring Kelly Mindell and her husband touring their vacation home.

“I have been a loyal customer of David & Charles Ltd for several years now, and I must say that their
commitment to excellence is unmatched. The attention to detail in their products is truly remarkable. I can
always count on them for high-quality items.” – review by Martin Tamayo for David & Charles on review site
Trustburn.

Design Specifications

Cover design:
- 157gsm matte art paper, 2.5mm grey board, matte lamination
- Matte finish with embossing for the title- on the upper half of the cover for Amazon and target markets
(including hobby and crafting stores in the US)
- Photography by author- interior photo of their home- can be messy, lots of colour

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- Title- red text, large over the photograph

Inner pages:
- 144 pages
- David & Charles uses wood-free paper, a matte finish
- Photographs for step-by-step instructions where needed for recipes and DIYs
- Directions on one side, images on the other for best readability
- Large text, sans-serif- easy to read from distance when following the directions to make craft
- Photographs always the focal point!
- Cohesive colour-scheme for each individual author that fits their brand and style

Contents for Kelle Hampton’s ‘More Cosy: Prioritising Comfort and Joy in your Home Year-Round’
I. Introduction
a. About me and my “soul house”
b. The Cosy Bible: the 8 basic rules of cosy homes
II. FALL
a. Introduction to chapter- Crafts for back-to-school and
You’ve Got Mail movie night
b. Campfire Night Light Place Setting
c. Recipe- easy caramel pop tarts
d. Party- Halloween/Harry Potter Night
e. Recipe- Fall Wassail
III. WINTER (Hampton, 2017)
a. Introduction to chapter- the Sixteen Phases of
Christmas and the dreaded January 2nd
b. Dyer ball snowman ornaments
c. Party- the North Pole Party
d. Stress-free gingerbread house
e. The world’s best sugar cookie recipe.
IV. SPRING
a. Introduction to chapter- The ultimate flower
arranging guide
b. Ribbon wand for kids
c. Fabric bunting (Hampton, 2020)
d. Miniatures- DIYing a dollhouse
e. Creating a cosy study space for kids
f. Cosy, inside and out: My relationship with sidewalk
chalk
V. SUMMER
a. Introduction to chapter – Camp Bliss
b. Party- S’More Wars Night
c. Cosy, inside and out: Summer fairy houses
d. The Bucket Lists.
i. Summer Bucket List

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ii. Road trip bucket list (Hampton, 2019)

VI. Conclusion
a. Final Challenge – document your life
i. Photography tips
ii. Displaying your photos year-round
1. Designing a staircase gallery wall
2. Slideshows
3. Create a yearly photo book tradition

Images taken by Kelle Hampton, retrieved from blog website

kellehampton.com.
(Hampton, 2020)

Editor

Jessica Cropper has been an editor at David & Charles for four years, first in a Managing Editor role prior to
becoming a full Editor. She also has experience with publicity and marketing from her previous roles, which
will bring her an advantage while managing three social media influencers. She has a passion for non-fiction
books, especially those that tie to sustainability and affordability. With her role at David & Charles, she is also
well-connected to freelance designers, copyeditors, proofreaders and more, and has skilled experience serving
as a liaison between these freelancers (Jessica Cropper, n.d.)

List of Contributors

KELLE HAMPTON is a writer, mother, blogger and lover of enjoying the small things. She is known widely
by her loyal blog and Instagram followers for her cosy home and her love of twinkle lights in every room. She
is currently living in East Lansing, Michigan, USA.

Kelle’s Instagram account, @etst, and account data as of 9 January 2024 (Hampton, n.d.)

OLA ZWOLENIK is an advocate of everyone using colours and bold patterns in their homes. She has hundreds
of thousands of followers across different platforms, and photos of her home can be found all over Pinterest
interior design pages. She lives in Southeast London, UK.

Ola’s Instagram and TikTok accounts, @thistimeincolour, and account data as of 9 January 2024

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(Zwolenik, n.d.)

KELLY MINDELL is a mother and interior designer from California, USA. She began her blog and company
Studio DIY in 2011to share more about her home and crafting projects with her many followers across
Instagram and Pinterest. Most recently, she and her husband were featured on HGTV’s YouTube channel for a
tour of their vacation home.

Kelly’s Instagram and Pinterest accounts, @studiodiy, and follower data as of 9 January 2024.
(Mindell, n.d.)

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Works Cited

Archer, S. (2023, December 26). 5 Interior Design Trends That Will Define 2024. Architectural

Digest. https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/interior-design-trends-2024.

Cropper, J. (n.d.). Home [LinkedIn page]. LinkedIn. Retrieved January 8, 2024, from

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacropper/.

Hampton, K. (2020, November). Dryer ball snowman ornaments. Kelle Hampton.

https://kellehampton.com/2020/11/dryer-ball-snowman-ornaments/.

Hampton, K. (2020, June). Summer fairy houses. Kelle Hampton.

https://kellehampton.com/2020/06/summer-fairy-houses/.

Hampton, K. (2019, March). Lessons learned from sidewalk chalk. Kelle Hampton.

https://kellehampton.com/2019/03/lessons-learned-from-sidewalk-chalk/.

Hampton, K. (2017, November). Make It: Cozy fall campfire night light/place setting. Kelle

Hampton. https://kellehampton.com/2017/11/make-it-cozy-fall-campfire-night-lightplace-

setting/.

Hampton, K. [@etst]. (n.d.). Posts [Instagram profile]. Instagram. Retrieved January 9, 2024, from

https://www.instagram.com/etst/.

Mindell, K. [@studiodiy]. (n.d.). Posts [Instagram profile]. Instagram. Retrieved January 9, 2024,

from https://www.instagram.com/studiodiy/.

Mindell, K. [@StudioDIY]. (n.d.). Home [Pinterest profile]. Pinterest. Retrieved January 9, 2024,

from https://www.pinterest.com/StudioDIY/.

Nielsen BookScan. (2024). Period timelines. Retrieved January 2, 2024.

Zwolenik, O. [@thistimeincolour]. (n.d.). Posts [Instagram profile]. Instagram. Retrieved January

9, 2024, from https://www.instagram.com/thistimeincolour/.

Zwolenik, O. [@thistimeincolour]. (n.d.). Videos [TikTok profile]. TikTok. Retrieved January 9,

2024, from https://www.tiktok.com/@thistimeincolour?lang=en.

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