Issue #432
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Writing a Pilates Book
Part 1
by Eme Cole
If only I had a nickel for every Pilates professional who has said to me: “I have always wanted to write a book, I just don’t know where to start…” Hopefully, this article will be the push you need to finally write that book! Even if you don’t aspire to write a book, perhaps you’ll read on for inspiration and to fully appreciate what goes into it.
Back in the early 2000’s I attended several Mind Body Spirit Pilates conferences and soaked in the endless creativity. I was so desperate to remember every new and innovative Pilates exercise that I began documenting them. At first, I wrote down descriptions, but I couldn’t always dictate the full execution. Then, I had my mom come to my Pilates studio and take photos of me doing the moves- as that is how I learn best. Before I knew it, I had compiled over one thousand exercises. In 2005, I decided to share them with our community. During the span of two years, I created several photo encyclopedia reference guides and self-published them on Amazon. I have since sold over 3,600 copies and received residual income of $40,000. Granted, that’s spread out over nineteen years, so I won’t quit my day job!
It feels great to find a way to share the knowledge that we acquire in this industry. I love helping clients through Pilates practice (day job), but I also take pride in being able to help enrich the craft of my colleagues (side hustle). It is my intention for this article to further share the wisdom I have gained.
In the publishing world, you essentially have two options: use a traditional publishing company, or self-publish. I chose to self-publish, but I will first speak briefly about what I know regarding pursuing a publishing house. To start, you will need an agent to pitch your book to publishers. Most publishers are overwhelmed with submissions and will only consider works presented by agents that they trust. Once you sign with an agent, they will (hopefully) land you a publisher, and that publishing house will proceed to edit, revise, publish, print, and market your book. Sounds ideal, right? Here’s the catch, if they pay you an advance, your future sales will first pay back that advance. Furthermore, once they take their cut of each sale, you will be left with an approximate 5% profit. Therefore, if your book retails for $20, you will receive $1 for every book sold. What a publisher will tell you is that they’ll be more successful at getting your book noticed and that 5% of $100,000 is better than 100% of $0. My opinion is that the Pilates industry is too niche to successfully attract an agent and publisher. But it has been done, and if you prefer that route, I would suggest looking at some very successful Pilates authors’ books to determine what publishing house did their print, as well as which agent they thank in their acknowledgments. That’s a good place to start shopping out your book ideas.
I have an entrepreneurial spirit, meaning the traditional path is rarely the choice for me. This is my independent publishing process:
1- conceptualize an idea
2- research
3- outline the content
4- develop the content
5- edit the content
6- have several beta readers review the book
7- revise
8- complete cover art
9- submit to an online publisher
10- plan a marketing campaign
Once you have an idea, do thorough research to ensure that it hasn’t already been done. I have purchased almost every Pilates book that is in print for three reasons: I want to support other Pilates professionals/authors, I want to learn without the expense of traveling and attending conferences, and I want to know what is and isn’t already being written about. Furthermore, research every angle necessary to ensure that you have expert-level delivery of the information.
Outlining is great for establishing order for your content. Be sure that it makes sense chronologically, and that it consistently keeps the reader engaged. I typically spend months expanding upon an outline before forming sentences. Transitioning into the development of content is the hardest part. The best advice I have heard for this is to “write a shitty first draft” (excuse my French). Just write it all down. Microsoft Word works well for textbooks. Apple Pages is fantastic for organizing a lot of photos in a book. Next, during the editing, you can make it flow and sound good. I use Grammarly to further edit the spelling and grammar. I also read my books aloud several times. Where you place your commas tells your reader when to breathe. I believe it is easiest to assign placement of commas while reading aloud. After that, brace yourself for the brutally honest feedback you may receive from your chosen beta readers. It can be heart-wrenching to realize that your project is not yet perfect, but better to find out now, versus in an unkind book review. If developing your content wasn’t the hardest part, I can assure you that the revision phase will be. Grammar, context, and flow can be subjective, and accomplishing the perfect delivery requires finesse.
I think that most Pilates instructors are naturally creative because you have to be to customize client routines, right? Sadly, creativity does not always equate to artistic skill. Since the majority of people judge a book by its cover, this is arguably your most important challenge. For my newest book (debut fictional novel about a Pilates instructor who overcomes a mountain lion attack): ‘The Roaring,’ I found Dreamstime helpful for stock photos and images, and Befunky offered clever photo editing and graphic design. Furthermore, apps that use artificial intelligence are significantly increasing the options for creating beautiful cover art. If this is out of your comfort zone, I recommend hiring an artist on Fiverr to affordably convert your vision to reality.
Tune in next week for the completion of this article where I will discuss publishing options and marketing suggestions!
Eme Cole earned a BS in Kinesiology, an MS in Exercise Physiology, and received her comprehensive Pilates certification from The PhysicalMind Institute in 2002. She owned a Pilates studio in Chicago for 12 years, during which she self-published 7 ‘Pilates Expanded’ manuals on Amazon. After selling her studio she moved to Colorado, became a certified Emergency Medical Technician, and invented/patented the ‘Pilates Unfold,’ which is a reformer and tower unit that folds up to the wall like a Murphy Bed. Eme recently opened a Pilates studio in Snowmass Colorado, serves on the Aspen Writers Network steering committee, and just published her first novel: ‘The Roaring.’ She can be contacted at www.PilatesExpanded.com.