[-empyre-] publication

[Emmett Stinson]

Dear Matthew:

There are several interesting issues in the model you¹ve raised, and I¹d
love to hear more about a few of them:

1) Can you say more about your Œbootlegging¹ model and how it works? You say
that you are publishing works by authors who are locked in to other
exclusive deals. Are their works either a) out of print or b) printed in
expensive editions aimed at libraries? Effectively, what¹s the advantage
that you are offering?

2) From the photos of your books online, it looks to me like you have
cleverly used the POD technology available to create beautiful books that
have an intentionally Œhandmade¹ aesthetic. It strikes me that with the rise
of digital publishing technologies we see an increasing print fetishism
(e.g. the relentless formal innovation of McSweeney¹s print delivery, the
increasing prominence of zine culture, etc.), which is also mirrored in the
contemporary resurgence of lo-fi recording in indie music culture precisely
at the moment where almost anyone can afford the technology to produce
Œprofessional¹ recordings themselves. It seems to me there¹s an obvious
Benjaminian reading (i.e. the aura of objects is actually a function of
reproducibility), but I was wondering if you have thoughts about this.

Best,
-- 
Emmett Stinson
Lecturer, Publishing and Communications
School of Culture and Communication
The University of Melbourne
Parkville, Victoria, Australia 3010
Ph: 613-8344-3017 

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