I wrote a ebook!
In the event you observe Tradition Vacationer on Instagram and Fb, chances are you’ll already concentrate on this. I shared updates about my writing journey there and may need spammed you a bit over the previous month with posts and tales concerning the ebook launch occasion and the place you could find my ebook.
On this article, I want to share extra about my motivation, writing course of, and the explanations behind writing Following Van Gogh ebook.
How did I determine to jot down the Following Van Gogh ebook?
All of it started with a visit.
In 2019, I launched into considered one of my all-time favorite journeys. Over the course of two weeks, I travelled from Amsterdam by means of the southern Netherlands, Belgium and into France, visiting areas linked to the life and work of considered one of my favorite painters, Vincent van Gogh.
Previous to this journey, I had already labored as a visitor information on the Van Gogh Museum for just a few years, researching and exploring the well-known painter’s art work intimately.
I used to be at all times fascinated by the unbelievable selection in Van Gogh’s work all through his ten-year profession. The colors, brushstrokes, and topics different broadly relying on whether or not he was residing within the Netherlands or the south of France. This led me to marvel if these have been influenced by the areas the place he lived throughout his portray profession.
I delved deeper into his life by studying the letters he wrote to his brother Theo, searching for out the areas he talked about, and in the end creating an itinerary to observe in Van Gogh’s footsteps. Lastly, I spent two weeks exploring locations related together with his life and work.
⤷ Learn extra: Van Gogh areas within the Netherlands, Belgium & France
How did I observe in Van Gogh’s footsteps?
I started my journey within the Netherlands, dwelling to the 2 museums with the most important collections of Van Gogh’s art work: the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo.
Subsequent, I took a practice to the Brabant Area within the south of the Netherlands, the place Van Gogh was born and started his portray profession. It was right here that he created works equivalent to “The Potato Eaters”. Whereas I used to be there, I recognised among the earth pigments, numerous shades of brown and gray, that he utilized in his work from that interval.
From Brabant, my journey continued to Belgium, particularly to the Borinage Area. Van Gogh spent a few years there earlier than totally dedicating himself to artwork, throughout which era he preached and lived amongst coal miners, trying to brighten their harsh lives.
I additionally visited Antwerp, the place through the course of two months, Van Gogh attended artwork classes on the Artwork Academy, making it the one place the place he obtained formal artwork training.
His creative journey reached new heights after he moved to France, which was my subsequent cease. In Paris, he was launched to trendy artwork, resulting in a major transformation in his fashion. He then traveled south to Arles, the place he developed his distinctive fashion and created a few of his most well-known work, together with “Sunflowers” and “The Bed room”.
Nonetheless, it was additionally in Arles that his psychological sickness started to manifest, ultimately main him to spend a yr within the asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. From the window of the hospital one early morning, he painted “Starry Evening”. The ultimate two months of Van Gogh’s life have been spent within the small village of Auvers-sur-Oise.
Visiting all these areas allowed me to understand Van Gogh’s artworks in a totally new gentle. I got here to grasp that he was way more of a realist than I had beforehand thought. In Paris, I may recognise the distinctive color of the sky present in his work, whereas in Arles, I used to be captivated by the skinny, curly clouds that appeared to have been lifted instantly from his work.
⤷ Learn extra about my journey on this hyperlinks:
Impressed by a visit
That journey was so inspiring that it sparked the concept for me to jot down a ebook about it. Initially, I considered making a journey information to assist fellow travellers who wished to embark on an identical journey.
However then I believed I might be a bit extra inventive and write a fictional story impressed by the journey. And ultimately, I did that!
I used to be taking part in with the concept of writing the story for just a few years, however it appeared like such an enormous process that I saved suspending it. Though I gathered notes and wrote quick paragraphs ever since I returned from the journey, I in the end made the choice in November 2023 that it was now or by no means; I wanted to make the leap and write the ebook.
I had a sense it was the appropriate time to start out that huge venture. However little did I do know I might transfer nations, dwell in three cities and 4 completely different homes through the time I used to be writing my ebook.
Properly, when is the appropriate time to jot down a ebook, anyway?
To publish or self-publish a ebook?
After I started to suppose significantly about writing my ebook, Following Van Gogh, one of many first dilemmas I confronted was whether or not to pursue conventional publishing or to self-publish.
Initially, I believed that going with a conventional writer could be your best option. Nonetheless, I felt hesitant as a result of I apprehensive that, as a debut creator, I’d battle to discover a writer or safe a very good publishing deal.
However, once I thought-about self-publishing, I used to be involved that my lack of expertise in fiction writing and producing a ebook would end in a last product that wouldn’t be the very best.
Finally, I selected a center path and determined to work with a self-publishing company. I partnered with Storyhouse Works, which provided a spread {of professional} providers, together with an account supervisor, illustrator, editor, and structure designer. I even had a writing coach who was immensely useful through the early phases of writing the ebook.
Moreover, they acted as a liaison by arranging the printing, distributing my press launch, and reaching out to the media to organise my ebook launch occasion.
This feature required a monetary funding from my facet as a result of I needed to pay for his or her providers. Nonetheless, I hold the copyrights possession and the ebook gross sales income.
I additionally helped myself a bit with masking among the prices by working the crowdfunding marketing campaign on voordekunst. Apart from many personal backers, Het Cultuurfonds Noord-Holland additionally supported the marketing campaign, endorsing my ebook in an early stage that approach. It saved my motivation excessive, as nicely.
What did my writing course of appear to be?
Ultimately, it took me a yr and a half to jot down my ebook which was lastly revealed in June 2025. Firstly, I labored with a writing coach who helped me construction the story, create the storyline and develop the characters.
Throughout these early days, I additionally started collaborating with an illustrator to design the ebook cowl and a map, because the story includes quite a lot of touring. Though originally I believed it may be a bit early, it was top-of-the-line issues to do, as a result of having a ebook cowl in entrance of me helped a lot with the motivation through the prolonged writing course of.
Someplace across the center of the writing course of, I began working with an editor. Though the concept of writing a ebook in English (as a non-native English speaker) sounded nice originally (nicely, I’m snug writing all of the articles on Tradition Vacationer in English, so what may go improper?), I rapidly realized that writing fiction in a second language was a totally completely different problem.
That’s why it was considered one of my most essential necessities for this ebook to have a native-English talking editor. She labored wonders with my story, reworking my generally clumsy sentences into stunning prose.
As soon as the primary draft was full and edited, I despatched it to 4 beta readers. Their suggestions was invaluable and helped me make some last changes earlier than publication.
After that, the ebook went by means of one other spherical of modifying and was lastly able to be despatched to the structure designer. This step was some of the exhausting elements of the method. When the designer returned the structure, I needed to meticulously test it for any errors we would have neglected. And, oh boy, did I discover errors! We went by means of this course of 5 occasions over the course of three days, and at one level, I may hardly take a look at the manuscript anymore.
So, if you happen to occur to search out any grammar errors or typos within the ebook, please don’t deliver them to my consideration!
After all of the revisions and checks, the ebook was lastly able to be despatched to print!
What’s the Following Van Gogh ebook about?
Following Van Gogh is an artwork crime novel that follows a Van Gogh Museum information as she embarks on a journey from Amsterdam to France, visiting areas related to Van Gogh. Alongside the way in which, she will get concerned in uncovering a prison group that has been stealing art work from European museums, galleries, and personal collections.
Every chapters begins with a paragraph devoted to Van Gogh’s life, intertwining the historic and up to date plots that approach.
How are you going to get a duplicate of the Following Van Gogh ebook?
Are you curious about studying the story and questioning the place to get a duplicate of Following Van Gogh? If you need a signed copy, you’ll be able to order it instantly from me by sending me a message by means of the Following Van Gogh ebook web site.
In the event you’re within the Netherlands, you could find Following Van Gogh in numerous museum retailers and bookstores in Amsterdam and Haarlem, together with the Rijksmuseum, The American Guide Centre, Scheldema, Pantheon, or the Catnap Bookstore.
For these residing exterior of Europe, the best choice is to order it by means of Amazon by following this hyperlink.
You can even discover it as an e-book on nearly all of platforms.
Writing the Following Van Gogh ebook took plenty of time, I felt the most important imposter syndrome ever whereas writing it, and it was one of many hardest issues I’ve ever completed. Nonetheless, sharing that story with the world, listening to folks shopping for extra copies as a gift for his or her associates after they learn it, and telling me they searched the work and areas I discussed within the story on-line, made all of it value it.
Do you’ve got any questions concerning the writing course of or my ebook? Put them within the feedback!
