A slight exercise in revision
Kickstarter, take two
Well, we said we'd share our Kickstarter pre-launch page with you in this edition of our newsletter, but... we can't. Turns out that Kickstarter declined our project, a not uncommon phenomenon. But they did so gently and with a recommendation, so we are taking that to heart, and repositioning. We are writers and editors; we know about revision.
There is no change to our mission or our process, but here's the challenge: we cannot yet tell Kickstarter, or you, exactly what books we will be publishing. However, Kickstarter is about a final, tangible product. Which we shall have—many of them!—but part of our whole approach is to minimize our financial risk so that we can take a chance on books we believe in. And so that means raising the funds before we select the books. Because we do not want to commit to authors and accept their precious work, the result of years of craft and dedication, only to not be able to bring them out into the world in the way that we promised.
What we do know and can tell Kickstarter is that:
we shall be running a respectful and responsive submissions process that guarantees a response to every query
we are offering publishing opportunities to un-agented authors in addition to agented ones
we shall work collaboratively with our authors and provide them coaching and supports
we will be putting out important, thought-provoking books that might take artistic risk or blur genres, and that invite engagement
these books will be ready to launch in 12 months instead of the usual 18-24
we will be offering many ways for readers to connect directly with our authors
our books will never be out of print
we will be running classes and multi-day workshops
we will be building a community
and we will be selling our books in innovative ways and places.
Kickstarter has suggested that we tweak and resubmit our project, so that is what we are doing. This time around, we are being clearer about the actual products and services we'll be offering, and when, even though we cannot name the specific books yet. We are stating that we will publish three books per season, two seasons per year, and that we will be running at least two 5-day workshops per year, and two classes per month. In addition we are estimating the number of public book events we will be running.
Meantime, here is this months' reading wrap-up, with a couple of recommended reads from Henriette and our intern, Sydney.
Henriette:
It took me a long time, but I read Zadie Smith’s The Fraud, her foray into writing historical fiction (which is notable, since she’s said she doesn’t like historical fiction). It’s a bit of a challenging book (I found) to get into, as there’s a sense that you need to already know what the fraud in question is about. A Claimant to an inheritance, and the questions as to the possible fraudulent nature of that claim. But then, as I read on, I found that the—to me—slightly less than clear presentation of those details suited the narrative, as the question of fraud becomes more general. The fraud of the institution of slavery, which rests on the lie of one kind of person being unequal to another. The question of the fraud of the novelist William Ainsworth (a historical figure), who wrote third-rate volumes and may (or may not) have come to understand that sub-mediocrity. And for another character (essentially the central character of Mrs. Touchet), the fraud of living a certain way without claiming possession of the life one should be living. I recommend the novel, if for no other reason than the opportunity to spend time with Smith’s narrative voice, an omniscient one that is mobile and wry and regularly intelligent.
Sydney:
This month, I read Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger for my book club, and I really enjoyed it. It was not something I would normally pick up for myself, but I’m very glad that I did. It takes place in India, following the life of Balram, a self-made businessman who becomes a driver for a rich family in New Delhi in order to make a good living. An epistolary novel, Balram details his rise to power over the course of seven letters, making for a fast paced read. Throughout, his voice is strong, matter-of-fact, and in some cases darkly funny, which balances out the brutality and corruption of the world he describes. USA Today compares Adiga’s novel to Richard Wright’s Native Son, which I read a couple months ago for a college class. I think it is an apt comparison; both books are provocative and blunt, and they are doing similar work in exposing stark economic inequality in their respective societies. In Adiga’s case, he illustrates inequality between India’s poor and India’s super wealthy.
Keep at it!