Hardcover. Trade paperback. Mass market paperback. When you think about books, there's a pretty good chance one or more of those formats come first to mind. People are increasingly thinking of digital books too, downloadable PDFs or print-on-demand, but I suspect these remain a minority.
I just want to draw your attention to one particular book that doesn't fall under any of these formats.
The Emerald Ballroom by Andrew Fort is a limited-release, unique format for an utterly wonderful book. The books is presented in a series of chapbooks, each an individual chapter. The chapters can be purchased individually or in a complete collection gathered in a velvet-lined cloth box.
The presentation is beautiful, but the novel itself is the real treat. It is the tale of Anna Roebuck, a dancer in search of a famous yet missing dance instructor in a strange city. She finds herself lost in a strange world of violent art, aimless Puritans, and crossword-obsessed language theorists. It is at once introspective and farcical, full of suspense of delightful word play. It's a must-read book in a must-have package.
There aren't many of these books available, but I heartily recommend it. Not all great reads come in the traditional formats, and The Emerald Ballroom is a prime example.
3 comments:
Sounds like a neat concept, not one that would suit all books, but some.
This is interesting, Bill. How did you come across this format?
Well, it was easy for me to find. Andy is a friend of mine!
But it's still a great book.
He has the problem that it's not easily categorized, and so hard to market. The easiest way to describe it is "Pynchonesque," and that's not completely inaccurate. But it's not just a Pynchon wannabe.
His hope is to develop a little interest through the micro press approach and see if he can turn that into a larger publishing opportunity.
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