Editor and writer Lauri Hornik went searching for a psychological well being e-book that didn’t exist. One thing that was relatable, freed from the same old jargon, and will assist younger individuals with plenty of questions safely navigate their psychological well being. One thing that might present them “the place to begin.”
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 Anxiousness, Melancholy, and Different Psychological Well being Challenges.” Since its launch in 2023, 1000’s of copies have been offered, and it was just lately featured alongside Lauri in Individuals journal.
With an esteemed profession as an editor, Lauri just lately 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 teenagers and teenagers.
To have a good time the paperback launch of “The place to Begin,” we sat down with Lauri to study 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 speak concerning the position of an editor within the creation of a e-book?
Lauri Hornik: I began as an editorial assistant proper out of school at a kids’s e-book writer, and I’ve apprenticed my method up – which is how editors do it, actually. They begin as an assistant, and so they observe their supervisors, after which step by step provide you with their very own method. I feel each editor has a special course of, however primarily what an editor does is use 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 and marketing, after which form of the clearinghouse for the entire info transferring 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 serious about, okay, who could be scripting this e-book? The place’s the very best content material? And I used to be so admiring of Psychological Well being America, and after I was digging via 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 received the prospect to collaborate with you on it.
Psychological Well being America: You latterly launched an imprint at Penguin Random Home 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 teenagers and teenagers 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 individuals going via tough 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 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 a whole lot of, I intention to introduce coping methods for teenagers aged 4 to seven. Actually, children that age are contending with anxiousness and grief. I’ve revealed a lot of books about these subjects for younger children 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 may be very a lot a drawing of Rocky Pond and the raft that we might swim out to. After 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 below the raft. So if we had been going to swim to that raft, it was a really courageous factor. What if the snapping turtle received ya? So, it was about pushing via discomfort. And exploration—and positively childhood.
Psychological Well being America: There are various books with psychological well being themes that do not have comfortable endings. However you are searching for tales which are comforting and finally strike a theme of hope. Why is that this particularly vital to you?
Lauri Hornik: Sure, that’s completely a objective. 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 teenager make sense of an expertise. They provided a really genuine expertise, however the steerage and the mild contact wasn’t there. So I might love for the books I publish to supply some steerage and hope to readers who’re simply in the beginning of attempting to determine what is going on on of their heads and tips on how to transfer ahead via wrestle.
Dwelling with psychological sickness is one thing so many individuals do, and it is one thing to cope with, however not one thing that’s fully destructive. There’s loads of richness that comes from pushing via an expertise like that as nicely.
Psychological Well being America: What was the method like collaborating with Psychological Well being America on writing “The place to Begin”? How did you resolve what assets you wished 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. In case 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 tips on how to discuss it. This e-book is about what is perhaps happening and tips on how to discuss 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 may cite research, may go into the science, you recognize – so not that stuff. That is for one more e-book. And I feel all of us agreed that was the best way 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 much wider viewers than what it is marketed for. When the individuals at Penguin had been determining tips on how to finest place the e-book, there was a whole lot of 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 a whole lot of the first viewers for this e-book could be twentysomethings. It’s positively broader than simply teenagers.
However the preliminary inspiration was that it could be for even 12-year-olds, children after they’re first beginning to expertise signs—that usually begins in center college. I wished the e-book to work for center college and past.
Psychological Well being America: You’ve revealed many various kinds of books, a few of them image books, and “The place to Begin” options paintings by Gemma Correll, a longtime accomplice of MHA. Beautiful, humorous, relatable illustrations. They actually convey an additional bit of sunshine to the e-book. Are you able to discuss 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 Psychological Well being America and one of many first items in attempting to determine what this e-book must be. I completely wished 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 undertaking. And I feel paintings of that kind in a e-book generally is a shorthand of expression and a method 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 offered up to now, many straight from the Psychological Well being 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. Individuals 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 useful too. I feel it is a e-book that when the one that wants it hears about it, then it is an apparent selection.
“The place to Begin: A Survival Information to Anxiousness, Melancholy, and Different Psychological Well being Challenges” is out there to order at Psychological Well being America’s retailer and wherever books are offered.
