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Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Book Launching: Introducing A Guide to Northeastern Gardening and the Story Behind It

A Guide to Northeastern Gardening
All my life I have been an avid gardener and my passion for everything green had led to me start up a landscape design business 20 years ago. The idea of writing a book came to me when I decided that I wanted to share my gardening experiences on a much grander scale and have a legacy to leave behind.

I had some extra time in my life starting in the winter of 2013, after retiring from a career as an educator for 32 years. The writing process started off with an online publishing program that offered writing templates and advice. After two years of composing the book, I finally decided it was time to publish and found that the e-book version was doable, but the production costs of the printed version were way higher than I had anticipated. I published the e-book on a website called Blurb and hired a computer technician to convert the manuscript for the amazon kindle, which published in 2015. My frustrations of not being able to produce the book in print continued to eat away at me, as I had already vested so much time into this endeavor. As time went on I would get numerous requests for a hard-copy form, but had to continuously apologize that it was just not doable, and continued to investigate.

Thanks to my stubbornness and determination, I proceeded to entirely re-write the manuscript in a word format which could be published in print at an affordable price. After numerous visits to the mailbox awaiting proofs, stomach dropping moments when I would find that one error, and after an uncountable number of revisions, I finally was able publish my book in print. After the long journey, I am thankful that I had the drive and willingness not to give up, and hope that my readers will find the book to be useful to them in their gardening endeavors.


A little bit about the book:

A Guide to Northeastern Gardening is a comprehensive guide of valuable information on plants hardy in a range of zones from 3-9, and gardening techniques backed up by my own personal experiences as a professional landscape designer, along with answers to frequently asked questions. Learn about landscape design principles, butterfly gardening, deer resistant plants, long blooming perennials, globe and weeping evergreens, flowering trees and shrubs, native plantings, shade gardening and more. Whether you are a novice or experienced gardener, A Guide to Northeastern Gardening will help you to create your own dream garden. Come along on my journey into the world of gardening!

A little bit about the author:

Lee Miller is a professional landscape/garden designer involved in the horticultural industry since 1996. Having started a gardening blog in 2010, she is the author of over 150 articles on general gardening, landscape design principles, gardening tips, planting, pruning, garden maintenance, feature plants and more. Her published book, A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, is an accumulation of information touching on a wide variety of gardening topics, all backed up by her own personal experiences.

A preview of my book is now online at Amazon and it is FINALLY available in printed format as well as kindle edition. I hope you'll take a look and share this with anyone you know who may be interested in this publication. My heartfelt thanks go out to you for your support! Now..I feel published!

A Guide to Northeastern Gardening: Journeys of a Garden Designer on Amazon 

All the best and As Always…Happy Gardening!

Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening,© Copyright 2016. All rights reserved

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46 comments:

  1. Dorothy BordersFebruary 16, 2016 at 3:25 PM

    How wonderful! Congratulations on your persistence and your success in publishing the book. I'll definitely have to check it out.

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    1. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningFebruary 17, 2016 at 9:16 AM

      Thank you so much Dorothy! It was a long process, but I am glad to have endured, and now it is finally completed!

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  2. La Petite GalleryFebruary 16, 2016 at 9:26 PM

    Congrats. I have to get deer resistance plants my arborvitae trees
    that were so tall and lush have been eaten so bad they look like spiral
    macaroni's I guess even the spray didn't stop the deer. I'll have to look for the book. Good luck. yvonne

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    1. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningFebruary 17, 2016 at 9:20 AM

      Thank you Yvonne. Deer are beautiful animals but can be a real nuisance when it comes to your garden. Arborvitae is considered "deer candy" to them, but there are many beautiful trees, shrubs and perennials that that deer don't care for.

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  3. UnknownFebruary 17, 2016 at 2:13 AM

    Hurrah, this is the thing which I was searching for, what a cool stuff it is!!! http://www.treesurgeonsuttoncoldfield.co.uk

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  4. Endah MurniyatiFebruary 17, 2016 at 3:15 AM

    Congratulation! And I love to see your day lilies

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    1. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningFebruary 17, 2016 at 9:24 AM

      Thank you Endah. Daylilies are wonderful favorite of mine as well,and certain types will bloom all summer long.

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  5. kateFebruary 17, 2016 at 5:51 AM

    A link to the amazon site for your book might be helpful in this post, to make it easy for everyone to go get it... http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Northeastern-Gardening-Journeys-Designer/dp/1519671202/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

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    1. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningFebruary 17, 2016 at 9:30 AM

      Hi Kate. There is a link in the last paragraph that I highlighted, but thank you for pointing that out, since it may not be so easy to see. I added another link on its own after that...thank you! Happy Gardening!

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  6. Julie February 18, 2016 at 5:36 AM

    Congratulations Lee.. it's looks great. Good luck for lots of sales :o)

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    1. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningFebruary 18, 2016 at 9:28 AM

      Thank you Julie! I tried to incorporate a broad range of topics, so I hope my readers will find the information to be useful.

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  7. DonnaFebruary 21, 2016 at 2:15 PM

    Lee this is wonderful...I loved reading your journey. Can't wait to read the book!

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    1. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningFebruary 22, 2016 at 11:45 AM

      Thank you so much Donna! I hope you enjoy the book and would love your feedback.

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  8. debsgardenFebruary 21, 2016 at 7:37 PM

    Congratulations, Lee! I admire your commitment and hard work to accomplish this! Best wishes for great success!

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    1. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningFebruary 22, 2016 at 11:49 AM

      It's such a wonderful feeling now that it is published and I am glad I hung in there. Thank you for your kind words and support.

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  9. DebbieFebruary 21, 2016 at 8:15 PM

    WoW!!! How very exciting for you. Congratulations!!

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  10. Pam's English GardenFebruary 22, 2016 at 1:18 PM

    Well done, Lee. I congratulate you on your hard work and persistence. Look forward to reading the book. P. x

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  11. UnknownFebruary 22, 2016 at 5:29 PM

    What an exciting journey. Congrats on your book! Will your book also tie in with commercial landscaping?

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    1. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningFebruary 22, 2016 at 7:09 PM

      Thank you Evan. To answer your question, I have been a landscape designer for twenty years and use all of the plants and techniques I have discussed in my book, so absolutely it can be used with commercial landscaping!

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  12. Sue LinkFebruary 24, 2016 at 5:06 PM

    Congratulations Lee! I'm so happy for you. I'm so glad that you pursued the idea of having your book published in a hard copy. Personally, I would want a hard copy because that's like a reference book that you want to keep referring to, and making notes in the margins and highlighting important stuff!! Looking forward to getting a copy! Good luck to you!

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    1. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningFebruary 25, 2016 at 11:57 AM

      Thank you Susan! I know I would want a gardening book in print as well, for all the same reasons, and have several to prove it! Your words are encouraging, and make all the time and effort put into the print version worth the while. Thanks for the moral support!

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  13. Laurin, Thrifty Artsy GardenerFebruary 26, 2016 at 8:32 AM

    Congratulations and great job persevering!! I love the cover.

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    1. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningFebruary 27, 2016 at 3:45 PM

      Thank you so much Laurin! The cover was a big decision, so I went back and forth with some of my favorite photographs, and went with that one. Thanks for the positive feedback...it is appreciated!

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  14. AnonymousFebruary 26, 2016 at 10:56 AM

    Wonderful your work is in print. I like having a book rather than reading on an iPad. Good luck with sales.

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    1. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningFebruary 27, 2016 at 4:34 PM

      Thanks so much Donna for the good wishes and confirming my thoughts. As an avid gardener, I too enjoy going to my bookshelf on a regular basis. There are numerous photographs throughout the book, so I figured it would be more user friendly as a reference in printed format. Now there's the mission of trying to get the word out about the publication so that readers know about it!

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  15. UnknownFebruary 29, 2016 at 3:54 PM

    Congratulations, Lee!!! What a wonderful achievement! Best of luck with the launch!

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    1. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningFebruary 29, 2016 at 5:59 PM

      Thank you Heather. I am very excited that other gardeners can benefit from my book. There was a time when I had to learn everything, and now I can share my knowledge with others!

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  16. Terri SteffesFebruary 29, 2016 at 4:40 PM

    Wow, what a thorough plan for gardening! That's quite a feat to publish! I love the photos and especially seeing you in it. Let me know how I can help promote.

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    1. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningFebruary 29, 2016 at 6:27 PM

      Thank you for your kind words Terri. Right now its a matter of getting the word out so I would greatly appreciate it if you could let any of your gardening colleagues know about the book. I tried to include a vast variety of information in it, so there's a little something for everyone. Thanks for your support!

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    2. Terri SteffesMarch 6, 2016 at 6:11 PM

      Shared on my gardening page!

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    3. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningMarch 6, 2016 at 6:45 PM

      Thank you so much for your support. I appreciate it!

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  17. CarolMarch 1, 2016 at 11:17 AM

    This looks like a wonderful book for those in the Northeast. I will suggest it to my sister who lives in Maine.

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    1. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningMarch 2, 2016 at 6:33 PM

      Thank you Carol. The plants discussed in the book are hardy in a range of zones from 3-9. I believe Maine would be anywhere from zone 3 to zone 6a, depending on where she is located.

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  18. UnknownMarch 2, 2016 at 7:48 PM

    Congrats on the book! Great guide for anyone in the Northeast

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    1. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningMarch 3, 2016 at 10:33 PM

      Thank you Renee. I tried to include information that will go beyond the northeast as well so that gardeners can use the book as a resource. The principles of landscape design discussed can be applied anywhere.

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  19. HELENEMarch 5, 2016 at 9:19 PM

    Congratulations! Well done! I know how much work that lies behind a book, not that I have published any for sale, but I have self-published a good few books through Blurb and I know how incredibly many hours that lies behind every book I have made. http://www.blurb.co.uk/bookstore/detail/1322545-kew-gardens
    Good luck with your book!

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    1. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningMarch 5, 2016 at 9:54 PM

      Thank you Helene. It is a tremendous amount of work and editing but very satisfying to finally have the book completed and published. The process from start to finish took about three years, but I was determined to make it happen!

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  20. Sara - Villa EmiliaMarch 6, 2016 at 4:36 AM

    Congratulations and well done, Lee! The book looks beautiful and very interesting, a must for those that live in your gorgeous region.
    Your blog is wonderful as well, lovely photos and very useful texts.
    Happy Sunday!

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    1. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningMarch 6, 2016 at 12:24 PM

      Thank you Sara. I am enjoying all the wonderful photographs on your blog, and even though you are in eastern Finland, it's interesting to see that you have a lot of similar plants to what we have here. Have a great rest of the weekend!

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  21. DeniseinVAMarch 18, 2016 at 6:32 PM

    Hi Lee, congratulations on your wonderful book. An achievement to be proud of for sure. Great post!

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    1. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningMarch 20, 2016 at 2:24 PM

      Thanks so much Denise! It was a lot of work but I am glad that I can now share my horticultural knowledge with others.

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  22. UnknownMarch 21, 2016 at 1:14 PM

    Congrats on the book! A gardener can never have to many gardening books with great info!

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Thank you for visiting. I love reading your comments and knowing you have been here, and will try to reciprocate on your blog. If you have any questions I will try my very best to answer them. As always...HAPPY GARDENING!