Blog Entry
An even dozen: slow books in a fast world
Bruce Rutledge
June 29, 2011



We're days away from the launch of our 12th book, Hurricane Story by Jennifer Shaw. We're kicking it off on July 7 (Japanophiles, you know that's a special day: Tanabata) at one of the truly great indie stores in New Orleans, Octavia Books. Be there at 6 to meet Jen.

The book has been getting good buzz, and Rob Walker posted his foreword on the Design Observer blog today. We're psyched about this launch. But we're not banking on massive sales in the first few weeks — if that happens, great, but let's be realistic. Not every book can be Go the F**k to Sleep!

This marks the 12th title we've published in six years. Ponder that for a moment. Publishing houses that are considered "small" publish that many titles in a season. We decided long ago to take it slow -- to give every book its due, and to make sure the production and sales efforts were up to our standards. It seemed a natural approach in this digital age.

We used to call ourselves "the antidote to the Kindle." But once we started selling ebooks for the Kindle it seemed hypocritical to keep that motto, so we switched to "curiously bibliophilic." However, I still think we offer an alternative to the quick download, the fast read, the antiseptic reading experience. Hurricane Story is a perfect case in point. It will take you all of an hour to read every word in the book, and yet the images and the story Jen Shaw tells will linger for a long, long time.

If you've read this far, you know that we save the best for last. We honor people who read to the end. Jennifer Shaw is offering an original autographed print from the book for one lucky person who pre-orders with us before July 5. You'd typically have to pay about $500 for a print like this. You get a chance to win it for $18. And here's the thing: We're a small press, relatively unknown, forging our way in the marketplace. Yes, we've received some orders, but let's face it: You have a much better chance winning this contest than you do most raffles and contests. Be a big fish in a small pool and order now.

Happy 4th! We'll announce the winner on the 5th.

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Lee Witte
Congratulations on your dozen-th book! Love Chin Music Press!