It’s Mighty Ugly Book Day!

Make It Mighty Ugly is out today! If you preordered it, hopefully that means you have it in your lovely hands right now.

Here’s all there is to know about the book, so far:

Library Journal gave it a starred review, saying, “Werker provides a thoughtful look at the internal voices that keep people from expressing their creativity in a book that will work well beyond the crafting world; anyone needing to identify their own blocks will find this inspiring title useful in their own lives.” I also did a Q&A with LJ. (If you’re a librarian, I’ve put together some info on how to lead a Mighty Ugly workshop at your branch.)

I spoke with Sean Cranbury about the book, including the harebrained manner in which it came to be. I also did a reading, so if you’d like a bit of a preview packaged neatly in my very own voice, well, there you have it. A bit more of a preview is the list of links I compiled from things I mention in the book.

Several people have asked me where they should buy the book so it’s most beneficial to me, and I love them/you for asking. Truth is, it doesn’t matter at all to me. Support your favourite bookseller, whether it’s your local indie (ok, especially if it’s your local indie), Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Chapters, or whatever. If you’re a library-book-borrower, borrow it from your library (libraries buy their books, see, so library demand actually helps authors and publishers tremendously; also, libraries are a cornerstone of civilized society, so). If you’re a borrow-it-from-a-friend-when-they’re-done-with-it reader, awesome. Just read it. That’s what it’s all about. And if you get something out of the book, please tell other people about it.

(If you’re into ordering the book online, here are some handy links: IndieBound, Powells, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Chapters.)

I’m told the book is also available in e-format. I couldn’t find it in the iBooks store just now, but perhaps that’s because I’m in Canada? It’s certainly available on Kindle. If you can find the ebook in other formats/through other sellers, please let me know and I’ll update this post!

The idea of Make It Mighty Ugly is based on one I explore through workshops, which are inherently social. Reading is a solitary activity, naturally, but I put together a book-group guide because it might be super awesome to work through the book with a bunch of other people. If you have thoughts about this book-group idea, please share! And I’d be happy to Skype into a book-group gathering, so if that’s appealing, let me know.

I’ve done a couple more blog/podcast interviews that haven’t come out yet; I’ll let you know when they’re up. If you have any questions about the book, let me know in the comments!

Throughout the book are quotes and anecdotes from thirteen people I interviewed about their experiences of failure, fear of failure, creative block and other demons. I chose them because I admire their work tremendously, not because they’re famous (most aren’t). All are smart, accomplished and creative, and all were extraordinarily generous with their answers to hard, uncomfortable questions. They are: crochet artist/designer/author Allison Hoffman, journalist Ann Friedman, jewelry designer Betsy Cross, sewing designer/author Betz White, filmmaker Faythe Levine, actor/artist Jasika Nicole, cartoonist Joel Watson, illustrator/educator Kate Bingaman-Burt, artist Kirsty Hall, author/entrepreneur/coach Lauren Bacon, artist/author/designer/activist Noah Scalin, artist/maker Rachael Ashe, writer Rachael Herron, artist Sonya Philip, and artist/illustrator Stacey Rozich.

And finally, the book tour. In October, authors Leanne Prain, Betsy Greer and I will be doing events, signings and workshops in San Francisco, Oakland, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, Philadelphia. Boston, NYC, and Washington, DC, all hosted and/or moderated by incredible local artists/makers. (We’ll also hopefully do a live event online for all you folks in between; stay tuned for more on that!). Some of the events and all of the workshops require advance registration or tickets, so please be sure to check out the details sooner than later! I’m dying from excitement about meeting you face-to-face.

I’m more proud of this book than anything I’ve ever made. I think you’ll enjoy it, or at least get something valuable out of it!