I went into publishing for very idealistic reasons: I love discovering new writers, I love well-made books and I love the process of trying to turn a good story or set of stories into something great. But for every day I ponder a new manuscript or edit a writer's work, there is at least one matching day spent shuffling boxes around in the warehouse, paying bills, making offers to new writers, etc. etc. In fact, when I'm honest about it, I admit that more than half my time is spent on such busy work. No question.

It can be dangerously easy to lose your focus when you spend a day rifling through reports on all the books you had returned that month or trying to figure out if and when you can pay a bill. But then, almost without fail, something will happen to set you back on track.

This morning we got one of those somethings: A note from a reader. It read, in part:

After making it last as long as possible, I finally finished Kuhaku last night. Thank you for producing this fascinating little book. The stories, illustrations, binding, paper, fonts, just the feel of the book in my hand—all made the experience of reading Kuhaku one of life’s sweet joys ... How refreshing to find a small publisher such as Chin Music who is meticulous in producing a beautiful product, yet lively and offbeat. I wish you great success!

Now that warms the cockles! Thanks to everyone who has worked with us this year or supported us by buying our books. We know the world needs more, not less, small press, and we're excited to know that when we least expect it, we may be making a connection with someone we've never laid eyes on. That's magic!