I’ve had so many “how-did-I-get-here?”
moments over the last few months—I mentioned my disbelief to my copy editor and her response was,
“You
got here with hard work and integrity. This is where you were always
destined to be! Hang in there, and be yourself, as you happen to be a
very special publisher and person. You’re going to wow them!” The
pitches I’ve received make me giddy, sweaty, and proud to have even spun
into the stratospheres of these incredible individuals. We still have a
handful of breath-taking “possibles” for our Fall 2018 roster; here are
some awesome titles we’ve already signed . . .
SUMMER 2018
I wrote about the incredible acquisition backstory of
I Ran Into Some Trouble earlier,
and here’s the cover reveal! The famed typographer and poster designer
Wes Wilson, who knew Peggy Caserta from the Haight-Ashbury days, created
this mind-blowing cover for the memoir. I still can’t believe it, if I
have to be honest. As a graphic designer turned publisher, this is
beyond my wildest dream. Peggy keeps reminding me that when we met, in
January 2017, and she mentioned Wes in her stories, I gasped. I almost
felt the synapse in my brain sizzle. She tells me I whispered, “I’d kill
to have him design your cover.” And here we are. We’ve moved the
publication date of this one up to Summer of 2018, to coincide with the
docudrama.
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As
I scrolled through the email for this pitch, first I got excited about
another “eco fiction” angle—our last was a family drama about
fracking, and
Meltdown
is a thriller about a nuclear power plant—and the writing itself is
powerful and poetic. Then I saw that the book was edited by Richard
Marek, the publisher and editor of
Silence of the Lambs and the
Bourne Identity.
Cool. At the end of the pitch was more about the author. He’s provided
music and sound mixing for Snoop Dogg, Amy Winehouse, Patti LaBelle,
Kylie Minogue, and Seal as well as television shows including “Curb Your
Enthusiasm,” “True Blood,” “Last Comic Standing,” “The Maya Rudolph
Show” and several dozen award-winning feature films. His artist created
this killer cover illustration, and he has some incredible blurb-writers
lining up. Cool. Cool. Cool.
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SPRING 2018
Outside Myself is
by Kristen Witucki, one of the most incredible authors I’ve had the
privilege to publish. Kristen has been blind since birth and writes
about her perspective in this young-adult novel that will charm all
ages. Impeccable timing aligned Kristen’s proposal with my “Applied
Ethics” class in graduate school—we’re releasing accessible editions
through Bookshare, distributed to their half-million visually-impaired
members, for free. To think about a Wyatt-MacKenzie book in braille
makes me so happy. We have two professional narrators and the audiobook
is sounding sensational.
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The Wealthy Teacher
is our fourth book with the Kofke family. Danny has done well over 500
media appearances, talking about simple ways to be more financially
secure. I love his books, this one returns to his roots—the topic he was
published on many years before I met him, helping his fellow teachers.
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Beyond the First Draft was agent-represented, and I liked it from the first line of the pitch:
How often do writers say, “What’s wrong, and how do I fix it?” Writing
instructor, novelist, and writing coach, Laurel Yourke brings together
years of thought, research, and experience and synthesizes concepts from
her own writing “bibles” in this helpful how-to. Laurel is the
originator of UW Madison’s renowned annual “Write by the Lake Retreat,”
an enormously popular writing conference, currently expanded to fourteen
sections with two masters’ classes. Next year it celebrates its 20th
anniversary.
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And finally, I could not turn this one down. I just wanted to look at the folder with the title
You Are Not Crazy
on my hard drive every day. Psychotherapist David Klow brings deep
insight, wisdom, and warmth as he helps readers find new understanding
about themselves. Through a series of heartfelt letters to his patients,
he relates timeless information that normalizes life’s struggles to
readers who reap the rewards of a therapist from their
own couches.
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I’m
excited as the advance review copies of these titles start circulating,
and we’re circling the wagons for the Fall decisions . . . that we will
surely share on a future post.
