Hello, thank you for responding to my post. I appreciate it. To answer your questions, my hope is to produce a book similar to the one I wrote, Dimensional Cloth: Sculpture by Contemporary Textile Artists, which will be released in June (2018) by Schiffer Publishing (Pennsylvania). In that book, I interviewed 78 artists and included their "stories" along with one to five photos of their artwork. I provided very little commentary as I believe the artists and their work speak for themselves. However, for this next book, which I'm hoping Schiffer will pick up, as well, I will write an extensive introduction about loss and grief and art. I was a psychotherapist for 25 years and have been in therapy myself - I grew up with a severely mentally ill mother. When I was forced to retire in my 50s due to surgery for scoliosis (one of 3) that left me with chronic pain and fatigue, I turned to writing and fabric art. I'd been a traditional quilter for years, but never found it satisfying - it wasn't until art quilting came to the fore, and most recently 3D fabric art, did I find my niche.
Unfortunately, there is no monetary compensation offered to artists contributing to my book. In fact, I will not be paid either. Publishers of nonfiction no longer pay for manuscripts, and royalties from sales are usually about 25 cents to a dollar per book sold. Since these sorts of books don't sell the way popular fiction does, we're not talking much money. Most authors/writers these days have other jobs to pay their bills.
Lastly, if Schiffer doesn't pick up this next book, I will look for another publisher. I have found that it's not possible to produce a beautiful book, in terms of showing full-color artwork, through self-publishing. If I can't find another publisher, I'll end the project.
My purpose in writing this book is to showcase wonderful art and also to engender compassion and appreciation for those who suffer either with "physical" and/or "emotional" pain. It's not easy being a sensitive person in today's culture.
If you have other questions or concerns, please let me know. I'm happy to try to address them to your satisfaction. - Andra