Editor and writer Lauri Hornik went in search of a psychological well being e-book that didn’t exist. Something that was relatable, freed from the standard jargon, and will assist younger folks with plenty of questions safely navigate their psychological well being. Something that would present them “where to start.”
When Lauri couldn’t discover a e-book fairly like this, she teamed up with Mental Health America and artist Gemma Correll to create “Where to Start: A Survival Guide to Anxiety, Depression, and Other Mental Health Challenges.” Since its launch in 2023, 1000’s of copies have been offered, and it was lately featured alongside Lauri in People journal.
With an esteemed profession as an editor, Lauri lately shaped her personal imprint, Rocky Pond Books, at Penguin Random House, the place she focuses on publishing genuine and hopeful psychological well being tales for youths and youths.
To rejoice the paperback launch of “Where to Start,” we sat down with Lauri to be taught extra about her profession and the way the e-book got here to life.
Mental Health America: Could 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 youngsters’s e-book writer, and I’ve apprenticed my means up – which is how editors do it, actually. They begin as an assistant, and so they observe their supervisors, after which progressively provide you with their very own approach. I believe each editor has a unique course of, however primarily what an editor does is locate initiatives to publish, develop these initiatives with the authors, and if it is a image e-book, then with the illustrator too. Also, to be the advocate for the e-book in-house, to gross sales, to advertising, after which type of the clearinghouse for all the data transferring ahead.
For discovering initiatives to publish, there are one million alternative ways to do it. “Where to Start” was a e-book that I very a lot wished existed when my daughter was in center faculty and past. So I began fascinated by, okay, who can be scripting this e-book? Where’s the most effective content material? And I used to be so admiring of Mental Health America, and after I was digging by the web site, all the data that I actually want I had discovered on the time was there. So that appeared like a pure match. I used to be thrilled after I acquired the possibility to collaborate with you on it.
Mental Health America: You lately launched an imprint at Penguin Random House with a deal with 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 wished them to be informational and in addition present consolation to folks going by troublesome emotional issues.
I felt a lot of the books revealed for youngsters had been about youngsters observing psychological sickness in others reasonably than being within the perspective of somebody struggling. The norm was usually about dwelling with a dad or mum who was depressed, for instance. So I wished my books to supply rather more firsthand expertise.
Even with image books, which I do lots of, I goal to introduce coping strategies for youths aged 4 to seven. Certainly, youngsters that age are contending with anxiousness 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.
Mental Health America: And you named the imprint Rocky Pond. What does that title imply to you?
Lauri Hornik: Rocky Pond was my childhood swimming gap after I lived in Hollis, New Hampshire. It’s the place we went in the summertime. It was a pond with a raft. So the emblem could be very a lot a drawing of Rocky Pond and the raft that we might swim out to. When I used to be attempting to think about what to name this imprint, I noticed 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 beneath the raft. So if we had been going to swim to that raft, it was a really courageous factor. What if the snapping turtle acquired ya? So, it was about pushing by discomfort. And exploration—and undoubtedly childhood.
Mental Health America: There are many books with psychological well being themes that do not have comfortable endings. But you are in search of tales which might be comforting and finally strike a theme of hope. Why is that this particularly necessary to you?
Lauri Hornik: Yes, that’s completely a purpose. 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 a youngster make sense of an expertise. They supplied a really genuine expertise, however the steering and the mild contact wasn’t there. So I’d love for the books I publish to supply some steering and hope to readers who’re simply in the beginning of attempting to determine what is going on on of their heads and learn how to transfer ahead by wrestle.
Living 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 adverse. There’s loads of richness that comes from pushing by an expertise like that as nicely.
Mental Health America: What was the method like collaborating with Mental Health America on writing “Where to Start”? How did you resolve what assets you wished to incorporate?
Lauri Hornik: Well, 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. If you are feeling like one thing is off, should you’re battling one thing and you do not fairly know what, if you do not know learn how to speak about it. This e-book is about what may be occurring and learn how 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 understand – so not that stuff. That’s for one more e-book. And I believe all of us agreed that was the way in which to go. And that is very a lot the language on the Mental Health America web site, so we had been completely taking the tone, the content material that was already there.
Mental Health America: This e-book was written for teenagers and younger adults, however many older folks 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 much wider viewers than what it is marketed for. When the folks at Penguin had been determining learn how to greatest place the e-book, there was lots of dialogue about whether or not or to not embody the phrase “teen” within the subtitle, and it was MHA who felt that “teen” shouldn’t be included as a result of lots of the first viewers for this e-book can be twentysomethings. It’s undoubtedly broader than simply teenagers.
But the preliminary inspiration was that it might be for even 12-year-olds, youngsters once they’re first beginning to expertise signs—that usually begins in center faculty. I wished the e-book to work for center faculty and past.
Mental Health America: You’ve revealed many several types of books, a few of them image books, and “Where to Start” options paintings by Gemma Correll, a longtime accomplice of MHA. Gorgeous, humorous, relatable illustrations. They actually deliver an additional bit of sunshine to the e-book. Can you speak about that collaboration and share your ideas on together with illustrations in younger grownup books?
Lauri Hornik: Gemma’s cartoons had been one of many first methods I discovered Mental Health America and one of many first items in attempting to determine what this e-book ought to be. I completely wished paintings that might be one other expression of the expertise of psychological sickness that’s accessible, that feels good, that appears like, “Oh, this person gets me,” and “Yes, that’s me.” Gemma is the grasp of that, so it was a thrill to have her be part of the mission. And I believe paintings of that kind in a e-book could be a shorthand of expression and a means for a reader to really feel a fast connection to the e-book.
Mental Health America: Thousands of copies of “Where to Start” have been offered up to now, many straight from the Mental Health America retailer. What do you assume is resonating a lot with readers?
Lauri Hornik: It was a e-book that was actually wanted and that did not exist but. People hear about it and see that is the content material they have been needing. They’ve been attempting to seize it from varied spots, and now it’s all on this good, compact, fairly e-book. It additionally has worksheets, that are very useful too. I believe it is a e-book that when the one that wants it hears about it, then it is an apparent selection.
“Where to Start: A Survival Guide to Anxiety, Depression, and Other Mental Health Challenges” is on the market to order at Mental Health America’s retailer and wherever books are offered.