Behind The Scenes on Vogue Living

Confession. I love Vogue Living. I really do. It's the Sydney Opera House of interior design magazines: surprising, refined, a little edgy (I love the way it always curves off in unexpected but joyous directions) and distinctly Australian. It also has a cheeky spirit wrapped inside that taut, dignified body. You could almost say it's the Hugh Jackman of glossies, but let's clear the screen of magazine analogies now.

Many years ago I did a lot of writing for Vogue Living. Correction: I did a lot of secret writing for Vogue Living. Unfortunately, I had a full-time journalism job so I had to do it under a pseudonym that was as faux as the leopard print cushions in the rooms we shot. But I didn't care. It was my dream magazine. I was just grateful for the opportunity.

I remember going along to shoots with the best photographers and stylists of the day – including Earl Carter – and seeing how the pros made magic. It was like seeing what went on inside the top hat of interior design.

So it was interesting to receive Vogue Living's email launching its new Before + After 2102 issue. In this email, VL offered a little editorial tease by (very kindly) allowing a behind-the-scenes peek at at a photo shoot of a Sydney penthouse apartment.

I have to say VL: I love you, I really do, and it breaks my heart to say this, but it wasn't your best story. Or, as they say in fashion, "it wasn't your best angle". At the risk of upsetting those involved (my sincere apologies; I know how difficult it is doing these shoots), this is what I would have loved to have seen instead...

Here's the 'before' shot of that enviable harbour view.

Here's the after:

Are you thinking it's like 'Where's Wally?' too? Okay, it's apparent that a few outdoor chairs have been moved but apart from that, I can't see much of a difference at all. 

What I would have LOVED to have seen is the space BEFORE the VL crew came over: the sports socks and coffee cups scattered here and there, the old Sunday newspapers strewn on the coffee table, the empty wine glasses from the big night before (lipstick stains still attached), and the sexy evening dress thrown over the Egg chair after that great big AFL footballer/banker/visiting Hollywood movie star carried the owner off to bed! (Can't quite see if it's an Egg chair from here, but go with me on this.) 

THEN, I would have loved to have seen how they arranged the floral display (how they even chose the flowers for this space!), how they got the wine stains off the chair, and why they choose what they did for the table scape. 

That would have been a real 'before' and 'after', don't you think? 

And what I really, REALLY would have loved to have seen is how the photographer lit that seemingly dark room and then managed to shoot it with the sunny view outside (all very difficult to do). 

Here's the crew making the bed. Now this is nice. A lovely taupe linen throw, artfully folded and draped just so. But here's what I want to know: What was on the bed before? Was it the Ikea sheets? The hand-made crochet rug? The big hairy dog? Or the AFL footballer/banker/visiting Hollywood movie star?

And what about the artwork? I've worked on shoots where the crew has come in and taken everything away. I mean - Every. Single. Piece. And then replaced the lot with David Bromleys and interesting indigenous paintings.

Also, I like how they've removed their shoes. Very respectful. I notice things like that.

Here's a shot of the crew shooting and observing. This image doesn't tell me a lot. Who chose this for the spread? It shows the bridge and the placement of the apartment, but where are the pix of everybody frantically cleaning the place, styling the corners, moving the furniture? That's what I would have loved to see.

Ah, here we go. Now we're getting there. 

But what about the next shot to this sequence? The styling of the table? The polishing of glasses. The breaking of glasses... 

That would have been better...

Here's a pineapple. 

That banana looks a bit old and cruddy. Helen Redmond (VL editor) doesn't normally allow bad fruit through the Quality Control. (Once I heard her say: "I want six perfect potatoes!" And I just knew they had to be per-fect.) Where's the shot of someone checking the mouldy old banana and taking it away?

Here's the room where the pineapple went. I know what I'm thinking. What are you all thinking?

Okay, so it's a lovely kitchen. (I LOVE a monochrome cooking space.) But not sure about the pineapple people??? It looks like one of the free fruit bowls hotel managers sometimes leave in my room... 

I would have done a tower of chocolate aubergines. Or even an artful display of white ones? 

And why can't they put people in shots anymore? I just find these spaces so empty, stagnant and devoid of life when there's no human movement through them... I know it's a signature look of another interior design magazine (which we won't name here), but can't we show some human life? Even just a pair of shoes on the floor? Just to show somebody lives here?

Apart from that, it's beautiful.

Here's some people looking at a laptop screen, probably to check the images and composition as they go along. 

I know. I'm thinking the same thing. Where are the shots of someone on their hands and knees cleaning the floor? And wiping the table? And sweeping the leaves from that extraordinarily large Fig tree in the background?

Ah, HERE we go! Look at that! Piles of cushions! Now we're seeing the dirt. 

I want to see the BAGS of cushions being brought into the apartment, the TRUCK outside, the REAL styling going on. I want to see the staff laughing, and swearing with exhaustion, and talking about the bad date they had the night before, and why is that AFL footballer still in the penthouse bedroom...???

I'm not a big fan of big, iron-and-steel, bridge-y things in my photos. But that's just me. 

And I'm thinking this terrace needs some 'fluffing'. It needs Faux Fuschia in there to overcushion it. Even one would be nice. Or perhaps some funky lemon, lime and bitter glasses? Or perhaps the AFL footballer leaning over the balcony, sans his robe? (Oh! Did I say that out loud?)

But you know what? It's still a great story, despite my tongue-in-cheek remarks. I think there should be more 'before' and 'after' images like these in magazines. But REAL ones. 

Yes, we even want to see the cleaning lady! And could someone bring that AFL footballer back into shot, please?

{All images via Vogue Living. Buy the latest issue for more insights and loveliness.}

How To Get A Book Deal

I would like to sincerely apologise for the short notice of an interruption in scheduling, but this will be my last post for a week or two. Unfortunately, there are two books that need to be written, and they're not, because someone is p-r-o-c-r-a-s-t-i-n-a-t-i-n-g. (Who said that?) I would offer the argument that I'm renovating. But there's no excuses for tardiness, so off I march to the literary coal mine again.

But while I'm away, knee-deep in archives and cross-checking quotes, I'd like to leave you all with a little inspiration. Namely, the idea that you, too, can get a book deal. Truly. It's not as difficult as you think. I've had 18 published. And I'm far from being Alain de Botton. At the recent ALT summit, Design Sponge's Grace Bonney, Chronicle Books editor Kate Woodrow and several others spoke on a packed-out session called From Blog To Book. If you're interested, Chronicle Books has posted some info in its Storify blog – storify.com/chroniclebooks. Many of the pointers were fairly imperative – such as doing your research into the competition; making sure your book has a point of difference; researching publishers' list to find the right publisher for your project; pitching it in 10 words or less, and so on. These are valuable tips. But I thought it might be helpful if I showed you how I got a heel in the door.

So here, for those who are interested, are some of the things that helped me. And of course if you have any questions, please just email me. I'm always, always happy to help.

10 STEPS TO BECOMING A PUBLISHED AUTHOR 
(GOOD OR BAD)

{Image of Osa watching NYC mayor Fiorello LaGuardia sign a giant mock-up of her 1940 book I Married Adventure via NYT Pictures}

1. NEVER, EVER, EVER GIVE UP. Ben Slbermann, the creator of Pinterest recently said: “People succeed because they don’t stop". He could have been paraphrasing Churchill. Never give up. If you really want a book deal, you WILL make it happen.

Case in point. Years ago, I had an idea for a book on country houses, but nobody wanted to publish it. Finally, one publisher agreed to see me. Problem was, she was in Sydney. And she was about to go on her first holiday in 10 years. "You have 15 minutes," she said. So I took the day off work, flew to Sydney and got a taxi to the North Shore. I didn't realise it but the driver dropped me off a kilometre short of the location. So I hailed a hatchback, thrust $20 in the young driver's face and pleaded for him to take me up the road. He did. I walked in, made the pitch in a somewhat breathless voice, and told the story of the taxi as an ice-breaker. She laughed. I walked out with a two-book deal ten minutes later. The lovely guy was still waiting in the car park. I gave him $40. And flew back to Melbourne two hours later, still shaking from nerves. That was my harrowing start to this new career. My advice: Do whatever you have to do to get the deal done.

2. FIND A REALLY, REALLY GOOD IDEA. Don't copy what others are doing. The publishers will have already seen 100 proposals like it. Remember when Tuscany memoirs were all the trend? (Under The Tuscan Sun) And then tart-noir novels? (Adventures of a London Call Girl.) And then 'list' books with elegantly simple covers? (Schott's) And schnovels? (Self-help books disguised as novels.) Not to mention Expat Memoirs. (Eat Pray Love) And books about maps. And Darwin. And now Diana Vreeland... Step ahead of the curve. Study bestseller lists, but try to think up something different. Something innovative. Something that's never been done before. (I predict that books showing garden designs and plans will be coming back in. But maybe that's just wishful thinking...)

GREAT BOOK CONCEPTS (AND BOOK TITLES / JACKETS / THE WHOLE BIT):

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Beautiful book, with a beautiful name.  The Architecture of Happiness. Always love Alain de Botton's book titles. 

The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet. Ingenious. 

The Chemistry of Tears. Peter Carey's latest.

Etcetera. Sibella Court's springboard to a great publishing/design career. I Married Adventure. No wonder it sold 500,000 copies in the first year.

3. TRY NOT TO USE THE 'MEET PITCH'.  As in: "XXX book is The Da Vinci Code meets The Sex Diaries". Really. Try to think of 20 other words to describe your story. 20. You should be able to do that.

4. PREPARE YOUR PROPOSAL WITH THE SAME METICULOUS ATTENTION TO DETAIL THAT YOU'D DO IF YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE ABOUT TO WIN AN OSCAR. See that one-page synopsis you've done? Now elaborate. I usually do a short synopsis and a two-page one. Plus a rationale (why it will sell), a description of market competition and why this book is different, a description of potential readership, marketing ideas, a bio (add quirky things – they'll give the pitch personality), a full table of contents, a completed first chapter (sometimes three chapters) and any ideas for design/style. 


5. WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW. Writing is difficult enough. Don't make it harder by tackling a strange subject. Write about what you love. It will make your writing life easier.

My first book idea was a novel set in the world of magazines. But then Bridget Jones came out. And (much later) The Devil Wears Prada. I couldn't compete, nor did I want to. So I shelved it. And decided to write about something I really knew: London and Paris. Over 3 months I wrote an outline of a memoir. I pitched it to Kay Scarlett at Murdoch Books. Amazingly, she accepted. It sold out in the first 3 weeks. No one was more surprised than I was. But it just showed: Write what you know.

6. DON'T ALWAYS TARGET THE BIG PUBLISHERS. India Hicks got her publishing start with a small-ish London company, Pavillion. I don't know how many times this book has now been reprinted.

7. OFFER IDEAS FOR DESIGN, AND EVEN JACKETS, WITH YOUR PITCH. If you're creative, do some mock ups. If not, find a friend who can. Anything that shows the commissioning editor or Acquisitions Committee what your idea will look like will help.{Image via Book City Jackets and littlecommas.wordpress.com: aren't these jacket beautiful?} 

8. MOCK UP AS MUCH AS YOU CAN TO ILLUSTRATE THE IDEA. Here are two pages from a book I pitched to a publisher several years ago. You don't even need to use final text. Just throw some jabberwocky copy in. It's the 'look' they're interested in. I use InDesign, but you can use any medium.

9. FIND SOMEONE TO SEND YOUR PROPOSAL TO. Don't just send it into the receptionist. Find  an editor. One tip is to look at books you like and see who published/edited them.

10. DON'T WORRY ABOUT AN AGENT UNLESS YOU'RE OFFERED A MOTZA ADVANCE. I've never had an agent. I would have made more money if I had but then they would have taken 20 per cent. Use a lawyer who specialises in contracts. They'll charge you $600+ or so, but it's still cheaper than an agent. In saying this, lots of authors like having an agent to do all the work.


PS Apologies to those followers who have been getting these posts emailed to them twice. It's a glitch and I'm trying to rectify it now. I do hope you'll bear with me.

Illustrating Chanel

For the past five months I have been working away in my library writing and illustrating two books. One of them is a book that looks at the real story behind the novel Picnic at Hanging Rock (and believe me, there is a real story, and a scandalous one too!). The other is an illustrated guide to Chanel, entitled How To Live A Beautiful Life. While the first book was both an eye-opener and a sentimental literary trip down Picnic lane, it was the second one that really captured my heart. 

Chanel has become Big Business in publishing circles. Everyone wants to write books about her, film movies about her, or simply idolise the iconic black and white logo and the gorgeous collections produced from the prestigious French fashion house each year. As such,  there are already  a couple of beautiful Chanel books out there, including Justine Picardie's impressive biography. However, I wanted to do a book that was like Chanel's own diary or fashion notebook. The idea came from a Chanel press release I received many years ago; a press release that was so extravagant it took my breath away. Chanel produces these extraordinary designs on August 19 every year in celebrating of Miss Coco's birthday. Each year the Chanel team comes up with ever-more fanciful ideas for press releases and each year beauty editors ooh and aaah over the stunning results. Quite frankly, I don't know how these release can become any more gorgeous. Unless they sent a couture Chanel gown out with them. 

Anyhow, the 2005 press release (which was so beautiful it was featured in Vogue, above) inspired me to do this book. And so for the past few months I've been trying to think of ways to illustrate it. Without using the name, the interlocking Cs, or any photographic images of the collections, all of which would be illegal. Somehow, I found a way to illustrated it, mostly via the marvellous medium of college. The art materials and manuscript have now gone off to an editor I know, for her to mull over them and offer her professional thoughts. In the meantime, here are some of the discarded "off cuts" from the creative process!

Excuse me, Karl, It's up the Back...

For a few thrilling minutes, I was beside myself with excitement. I had heard through a Paris-based editor that Karl Lagerfeld had bought a copy of my Design in Black and White book. He had also decided, she said, to stock it in his 7L bookstore in Paris. This was, as you can imagine, astonishing news. I was so touched that I was almost speechless.

Then I saw this...
Somehow, I don't think he'll even notice my little book.

(Via The Selby)

PS Seriously Karl, this is not a good system. How are you going to find anything in this library? I'm worried for you. If you need me to re-organise, I'm more than happy to...

Vogue: The Covers

Christmas has come early to our household this year. Last week, I received my first gift, and what a gorgeous gift it was! Entitled Vogue: The Covers, it's a enormous new tome filled with the best Vogue covers of the last century. If you love Vogue, photography, magazines or simply fashion, then think about putting it on your Christmas Wish List as a last-minute edition. (Abrams, $70)

Here's a glimpse at some of the lovely pages.

Behind the Scenes on a Book

Every now and then someone kindly asks me to speak at an event, festival or function. Whenever I do these public speaking events, I always shorten the speech and leave 20 or 30 minutes at the end for questions, because I think it's important for the audience to ask the questions they want to know the answers to, rather than hear the long drawn-out speeches we authors think they should listen to! Curiously, many of these questions revolve around publishing: conceptualising a book project, getting a book deal, and then writing/producing it after the contract's been signed. It's amazing how many people want to know about the process that goes into creating a book.

So each week on this blog, I'm going to write about the 'flip side' to books. If you have any questions, please do just ask me. But to start off, I'm going to jump in the deep end and answer a query from a friend who wanted to know how authors/photographers structure their working lives, particularly if it involves working on an illustrated coffee-table book.

Naturally, every person, and every book, is different. But for my recent Paris book, Paris: A Guide To the City's Creative Heart, Plum's lovely publisher, Mary Small, and I got together in her office at the very start of the production process (this was before a single word had even been written) and planned the structure in detail.  We worked on a concrete contents list, and then worked through that, planning sections, chapters, headlines, the ratio of photos to copy, the look of the design, and even the proposed colour palette for each of those sections/chapters. With Paris, I suggested colours for each arrondissement, such as black and gold for the 1st, pink for the 6th and so on (I knew these colours were dominant in these arrondissements). Once Mary and I had agreed on these colours and the overall structure and feel of the content and design, I then flew to Paris to photograph it.

Now before you think I just wandered around Paris and clicked a few shots here and there, let me reassure you that it was a little more professional! I had 10 days to shoot the whole book,: 6000 photos in total. (These would later be culled down to 1000 or so for the final submission.) And Plum's photography brief was as comprehensive – and as extensive – as my Learning French phrase book!

Each day I set out at 8am, with my newly charged battery, my Canon camera, a tripod and just two lenses (I like to work light; it's easily when you're traipsing around on cobblestones!), and I worked through The List. Each day I traversed the various arrondissements, shooting street signs, doors, markets, courtyard and colours, among a hundred other things. And each night I would go back to the hotel, cull the photos and download them onto a Mac laptop, and then back them up on a portable hard drive. If I hadn't finished the list from the previous day, I would have to return to that quartier and do it early the next morning before I started the next day's shooting schedule. Everything matters when you're working on such a tight schedule, so rather than sit down to lunch, you find somewhere you have to shoot and order an entree there, then shoot it – and the cafe – before you grab a couple of bites and then rush off to the next thing. You shoot constantly, when you're walking over bridges, through streets and markets, taking short cuts through parks and even when you're waiting at traffic lights! And you always look up. In Paris, some of the best photographs are those above head-level – the ornate balconies, the architectural details, the signs, the rooftops, the skyline...

It's completely exhausting, of course, but it's also wonderful. Writing and shooting a book on Paris is one of the loveliest things an author or photographer can do. And I'm very grateful to the Plum girls for commissioning this one. It was such a joy to do.

From this, above (the photographic brief), to this, below... 

Day One, Photograph #1 (the first night in Paris)

And then to this... 

Day Ten (the last night in Paris), and the 5,942th shot...