Editor and writer Lauri Hornik went in search of a psychological well being e-book that didn’t exist. One thing that was relatable, freed from the standard jargon, and will assist younger individuals with a number of questions safely navigate their psychological well being. One thing that would present them “the place to start out.”
When Lauri couldn’t discover a e-book fairly like this, she teamed up with Psychological Well being America and artist Gemma Correll to create “The place to Begin: A Survival Information to Nervousness, Melancholy, and Different Psychological Well being Challenges.” Since its launch in 2023, 1000’s of copies have been bought, and it was not too long ago featured alongside Lauri in Folks journal.
With an esteemed profession as an editor, Lauri not too long ago shaped her personal imprint, Rocky Pond Books, at Penguin Random Home, the place she focuses on publishing genuine and hopeful psychological well being tales for youths and youths.
To have a good time the paperback launch of “The place to Begin,” we sat down with Lauri to be taught extra about her profession and the way the e-book got here to life.
Psychological Well being America: May you describe your background in publishing and discuss concerning the position of an editor within the creation of a e-book?
Lauri Hornik: I began as an editorial assistant proper out of faculty at a kids’s e-book writer, and I’ve apprenticed my manner up – which is how editors do it, actually. They begin as an assistant, and so they observe their supervisors, after which steadily give you their very own method. I feel each editor has a unique course of, however primarily what an editor does is locate tasks to publish, develop these tasks with the authors, and if it is a image e-book, then with the illustrator too. Additionally, to be the advocate for the e-book in-house, to gross sales, to advertising, after which form of the clearinghouse for the entire info shifting ahead.
For locating tasks to publish, there are one million alternative ways to do it. “The place to Begin” was a e-book that I very a lot wished existed when my daughter was in center college and past. So I began enthusiastic about, okay, who could be scripting this e-book? The place’s the perfect content material? And I used to be so admiring of Psychological Well being America, and after I was digging by means of the web site, the entire info that I actually want I had discovered on the time was there. In order that appeared like a pure match. I used to be thrilled after I bought the possibility to collaborate with you on it.
Psychological Well being America: You lately launched an imprint at Penguin Random Home with a concentrate on psychological well being tales. What was your inspiration?
Lauri Hornik: The inspiration was completely wanting to place out extra content material for youths and youths primarily about psychological sickness and the psychological sickness expertise – and wanting these books to be very genuine. I needed them to be informational and in addition present consolation to individuals going by means of troublesome emotional issues.
I felt a lot of the books revealed for youngsters had been about youngsters observing psychological sickness in others fairly than being within the standpoint of somebody struggling. The norm was typically about residing with a dad or mum who was depressed, for instance. So I needed my books to supply far more firsthand expertise.
Even with image books, which I do numerous, I purpose to introduce coping methods for youths aged 4 to seven. Definitely, youngsters that age are contending with nervousness and grief. I’ve revealed various books about these subjects for younger youngsters as a result of they assist make sense of those difficulties, and adults of their lives can use the e-book to assist steer them.
Psychological Well being America: And also you named the imprint Rocky Pond. What does that identify imply to you?
Lauri Hornik: Rocky Pond was my childhood swimming gap after I lived in Hollis, New Hampshire. It is the place we went in the summertime. It was a pond with a raft. So the brand could be very a lot a drawing of Rocky Pond and the raft that we might swim out to. Once I was attempting to think about what to name this imprint, I spotted that piece of my childhood and my teenage years was actually consultant of coming of age, of turning into extra courageous.
For one factor, the rumor was that there have been snapping turtles underneath the raft. So if we had been going to swim to that raft, it was a really courageous factor. What if the snapping turtle bought ya? So, it was about pushing by means of discomfort. And exploration—and undoubtedly childhood.
Psychological Well being America: There are numerous books with psychological well being themes that do not have comfortable endings. However you are in search of tales which are comforting and in the end strike a theme of hope. Why is that this particularly necessary to you?
Lauri Hornik: Sure, that’s completely a aim. One factor that led me to that was what my daughter, as a younger teenager, was selecting to learn. She was studying grownup books that weren’t aimed toward serving to an adolescent make sense of an expertise. They supplied a really genuine expertise, however the steering and the light contact wasn’t there. So I’d love for the books I publish to supply some steering and hope to readers who’re simply at the start of attempting to determine what is going on on of their heads and the best way to transfer ahead by means of battle.
Dwelling with psychological sickness is one thing so many individuals do, and it is one thing to deal with, however not one thing that’s completely damaging. There’s loads of richness that comes from pushing by means of an expertise like that as effectively.
Psychological Well being America: What was the method like collaborating with Psychological Well being America on writing “The place to Begin”? How did you determine what sources you needed to incorporate?
Lauri Hornik: Nicely, there instantly was a choice to not be very heavy on jargon, to be very, very clear and use plain language as a result of the e-book is supposed to be the introduction, step one. Should you really feel like one thing is off, when you’re scuffling with one thing and you do not fairly know what, if you do not know the best way to speak about it. This e-book is about what may be occurring and the best way to speak about it and who to speak about it with. So, simply making that language actually accessible and clear.
An grownup nonfiction e-book about psychological well being would possibly cite research, would possibly go into the science, you realize – so not that stuff. That is for an additional e-book. And I feel all of us agreed that was the way in which to go. And that is very a lot the language on the Psychological Well being America web site, so we had been completely taking the tone, the content material that was already there.
Psychological Well being America: This e-book was written for teenagers and younger adults, however many older individuals discover a lot to narrate to in it. Can the viewers be even broader than you supposed?
Lauri Hornik: I completely agree that it interprets to a wider viewers than what it is marketed for. When the individuals at Penguin had been determining the best way to greatest place the e-book, there was numerous dialogue about whether or not or to not embrace the phrase “teen” within the subtitle, and it was MHA who felt that “teen” shouldn’t be included as a result of numerous the first viewers for this e-book could be twentysomethings. It’s undoubtedly broader than simply teenagers.
However the preliminary inspiration was that it will be for even 12-year-olds, youngsters once they’re first beginning to expertise signs—that always begins in center college. I needed the e-book to work for center college and past.
Lauri Hornik: Gemma’s cartoons had been one of many first methods I discovered Psychological Well being America and one of many first items in attempting to determine what this e-book needs to be. I completely needed paintings that may be one other expression of the expertise of psychological sickness that’s accessible, that feels good, that looks like, “Oh, this particular person will get me,” and “Sure, that’s me.” Gemma is the grasp of that, so it was a thrill to have her be part of the challenge. And I feel paintings of that kind in a e-book could be a shorthand of expression and a manner for a reader to really feel a fast connection to the e-book.
Psychological Well being America: Hundreds of copies of “The place to Begin” have been bought thus far, many instantly from the Psychological Well being America retailer. What do you suppose is resonating a lot with readers?
Lauri Hornik: It was a e-book that was actually wanted and that did not exist but. Folks hear about it and see that is the content material they have been needing. They have been attempting to seize it from numerous spots, and now it’s all on this good, compact, fairly e-book. It additionally has worksheets, that are very helpful too. I feel it is a e-book that when the one that wants it hears about it, then it is an apparent alternative.
“The place to Begin: A Survival Information to Nervousness, Melancholy, and Different Psychological Well being Challenges” is on the market to order at Psychological Well being America’s retailer and wherever books are bought.
