I’m excited to share the cover of Beyond Belief, the book I’ve been researching and writing, and a little of the story behind it - launch date set for 4 March next year.
Now, I realise in itself perhaps a cover isn’t that exciting - and as they say, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. For me, though, there’s a coming together of many years’ work, ideas and practices, somehow captured in the imagery of the book.
So this post is firstly a quick celebratory ‘here’s where I’m at’ and then a brief glimpse at the meaning behind the cover and what lies within.
From an Idea to a Reality
Seeing the design of the cover, now displayed for preorders on Bookshop.org, Amazon and Waterstones, feels like a significant moment - it really is happening!
Around seven years ago I decided to step away from a busy Head Coach role in order to develop Confidence-Centred Coaching as a concrete ‘something’ - not just an idea that I had in my head or a distinctive practice I was tentatively developing in my coaching, but something real and effective to share with others.
And now not only is there a cover, but a contract signed with a super publisher, Alison Jones’ Practical Inspiration Publishing (runaway winners of this year’s Business Book awards); a text being finalised ready for typesetting; an uplifting Foreword by Cath Bishop (of The Long Win fame); beautiful illustrations created; permissions for epigraphs and other art work secured; endorsements coming in… and more.
the meaning of Symbols
The imagery of the cover also has a special significance for me and that I hope others will warm to.
There’s a nod to the logo design I used for my private coaching business, ZigZag Alive and that I carried over into Confidence-Centred Coaching.
The name and symbol comes from a recognition that our paths are rarely straightforward or easy to navigate, taking many twists and turns and occasional new starts. I want to seek out and nurture those moments when we truly feel alive and well in whatever our endeavour might be and to help those I coach find their moments of magic - the difference between going through the motions of living and of feeling wholly alive that is at the heart of the zigzag philosophy.
Working with the publisher’s commissioned designer and project manager, we also wanted to avoid the conventional look of sports coaching books. These typically have an action shot - a swimmer, rowers or footballer in full flight - or maybe a serious looking coach instructing a group of attentive players. Alison pointed out that these risk narrowing potential readers down to those following the depicted sport, when we want to open up to and reach coaches of all sports, coaching all ages, abilities and ambitions. Beyond Belief is also - as the blurb says - a book unlike any other coaching textbook or manual. So no sense in following convention - but what to convey?
Fluency, Attunement & connections
And here’s where the different approach to coaching that is set out in the book comes in.
In essence, the book explores confidence in coaching as about how we as coaches and those we coach can find an easy fluency; be wholly attuned, mind and body to ourselves and others; and a depth of meaningful connections. By chance, when I was working through how best to express these ideas to the publishers’ designer, I came across this beautiful painting by a friend and fellow cold water dipper, Amy Frankie-Smith. There’s something I find very stilling and calming, a light fluency and sense of discovery - all relatable to the ideas of flow and the magic of the moment that Beyond Belief explores. As I said, not your conventional coaching book.
I sent it through as part of the cover design brief, emphasising I was after something with a simplicity and cleanness to it; nothing hyped up or over-energetic; at ease with the beauty and boldness of the ideas and ambitions explored in the book. And that, at least to my eyes, is what we now have.
Big thanks to all at Practical Inspiration Publishing, Lizzie Evans at Newgen, designer Karl Hunt and Amy .
Check out Amy’s site if you’d like to bring some of her beautiful artwork into your home.
And look out for more news on pre-orders, launch events and more.
With kind permission of Amy Frankie-Smith