How to Write an Interior Design Book

Want to turn your interior design know-how into an actual book?

You’re not alone.

Publishing is on the rise in the interior design industry with more designers than ever getting their content onto shelves. The interior design market is expected to be worth $134 billion this year. With more people getting into the interior design industry than ever before, there’s a growing need for quality information and advice on interior design trends.

Publishing a book about interior design isn’t like doing interior design work.

In fact, it’s a completely different skill set. From writing content that resonates with readers to finding a publishing platform that works for you. The good news is that anyone can self-publish a book about interior design using something like an AI story generator if you have the know-how.

This guide covers everything you need to know about writing an interior design book below.

Types of Interior Design Books

Before you start writing your interior design book you need to figure out what type of interior design book you’re planning to create.

The categories are as follows

Portfolio books are pretty self-explanatory. These books focus on your best work with an emphasis on high-quality images and project details. Portfolio books are also referred to as coffee table books. The interior design industry is one of the main buyers of coffee table books because they help to establish the brand.

How-to guide is a good option if you want to go down the instructional route. These books can contain anything from interior design tips to decorating hacks. Whatever you choose to write about, how-to books are a great opportunity to share the tricks of the trade with others.

Design philosophy books tend to explore the inner workings of the author’s creative process. As you can probably guess, they focus on the interior design philosophies and ideals that the author upholds. Design philosophy books often have a personal touch. However, if you have an interesting approach, there’s no reason why you can’t write a book that shows your methods.

Design trend books capture the current design zeitgeist and give readers a peek into what’s popular. As Vogue’s interior designers, “quiet luxury” will be the interior design trend for 2024 with brands leaning towards more classier as opposed to loud luxury brands.

Writing Interior Design Content

If there’s one thing that’s certain about writing interior design content that sells, it’s this.

Interior design books that cover techniques and principles readers can use right away tend to do well. They can also be marketed in a unique way. Interior design content should avoid being overly wordy and use clear language. Make sure your interior design book has structure and good writing. Think of it as a branding exercise.

Always start with your unique perspective and edge.

What do you offer readers that no one else does? Maybe it’s an in-depth guide to a niche style or a particular part of the design process. Whatever your specialty, that’s what will hook readers and give your book an identity.

Try to anchor your content in specific projects.

Real-life examples are one of the best ways to keep readers engaged and interested. Go through your design process from start to finish for each project. And, by all means, don’t shy away from the “messy middle” stuff – it’s what your readers will be looking for in your book.

Try to write at a Grade 6 to 8 reading level. Your aim should be to sound professional, not clever. To this end, you should use short paragraphs.

Of course, your interior design book will have many visual elements. These shouldn’t just be an afterthought. Each image or visual element should have a purpose. For example, to demonstrate scale, show color harmonies or show off a specific design principle in action.

Traditional vs. Self-Publishing

Now, here’s where things get really interesting…

Self-published books now account for more than 50% of sales in Kindle’s Top 400 Books. A growing number of interior designers and other creatives are also turning to self-publishing to get their content out there.

While there are some benefits to the traditional publishing route, it’s a far more long-winded and drawn-out process than self-publishing. Traditional publishers have greater distribution networks. However, you’ll have to hand over a lot of control, and your royalties will be lower. Another drawback is that it can take years for the book to come to market if you go the traditional publishing route.

Self-publishing is more straightforward and hands-on. You have full control of the process. This method is also more flexible, and your royalties are much higher. More and more interior designers are self-publishing content as they find the creative control empowering.

In terms of stats:

Book publishing sales in 2024 increased by 6.5% to reach $14.18 billion. This is good news for interior designers hoping to break into the industry. However, most self-published authors need around 8 books under their belt before they see major success.

A hybrid publishing method is often the best approach for interior designers. In other words, self-publish first and go traditional later if the self-publishing route is a success.

Print-on-demand is also more common now than it has ever been. With POD, interior designers and authors don’t have to make a huge upfront investment. As such, you don’t need warehouses full of inventory either. Instead, each time a book is ordered, a fresh copy is printed.

Digital books provide another opportunity for authors to reach potential readers. From ebooks to interactive PDF files, you can include a range of visual and video elements. These can include video tutorials and room tours to clickable shopping lists of products featured in the book.

Selling Your Interior Design Book

The best way to create a buzz for your interior design book is to start well in advance of the release date.

You already have a ready-made audience in your existing clients and followers. Start small and work up from there.

Consider keeping followers updated on your book-creating journey. Behind-the-scenes peeks at the design process, cover art and featured projects all make great content that can be shared across social media channels.

Use your existing portfolio to your advantage.

If you’re anything like most interior designers, your portfolio is likely bursting at the seams with great projects. Each one represents another opportunity to mention your new book. It’s an easy and effective way to spread the word.

Interior designers can also partner with brands and influencers in related industries. Furniture and home decor retailers, paint manufacturers and fabric companies all want great content to share with their audience. What better way than to collaborate on a project around your new book?

Interior designers and design book signings are a little different than your typical book signings. Try partnering with a local furniture retailer or showroom. The goal is to create an immersive experience rather than a signing in a book shop.

Interior designers often have a number of other media opportunities open to them post-publication. Local television programs need guests and experts to chat to. Magazines want new voices to feature. Podcasts need interesting guests and interviewees. Your book can help open these doors.

Conclusion

While writing an interior design book may seem like an impossible task. The truth is that all you really need is the most important ingredient: your own unique style and experience.

Interior designers are in demand, and it is continuing to grow as a market. The good news is that the interior design industry is also benefitting from the explosion of self-publishing content and material. You really do have the opportunity to reach anyone, anywhere in the world with your book.

Start small, if you need to.

You can always self-publish an ebook focused on your specialty area. Or create a coffee table book featuring your best projects. You don’t need to write the next industry bible on interior design on your first attempt.

The most important thing is to get started. Pick the interior design book type that you like best, work out your content and then set a timeline. Even bestselling authors started with a blank page and an idea.