Enter the Dragon

Forgiving readers,

We cannot resist the chance to reference Bruce Lee. We are just that kind of press. And with the year of the dragon newly upon us, a certain movie starring a certain kung-fu hero has been oft on our minds. And it’s no doubt on your mind too after reading the triggering title of this post. Go, watch it now. No one can resist the magnetic pull of Bruce Lee. We’ll wait.

Are you back? Oh good. Now that you have had your fill of battles in dazzlingly mirrored rooms, you’re ready to think about books again, of this we are certain. And how fortuitous that you are here with us! Because we are makers of books. And readers of books. And dreamers of books. We have been reading a lot of interesting things over the holiday season, trying to keep it warm and cozy and holiday-feeling, despite the unseasonably warm winter we have seen at our Toronto headquarters. (We’re not complaining in the slightest! We love a relatively painless passage through the darkest time of the year, although warm weather and lack of snow does make it hard to feel all tucked in to our book cave, whiling the dark days away with great works.)

(Yes, we have a book cave at Workhorsery HQ. Make of that what you will. )

Apparently, many of you got Kindles for the present-giving seasonal holiday that you celebrate. How do you like them? We certainly hope that those little devices were already jammed with great literature when you got your hands on them. We would be somehow disappointed at receiving an empty reading device. Almost like getting a beautifully bound pile of blank pages. (Of course, we know that it is much, much easier to fill a Kindle than to fill a pile of blank pages, but still, the feeling lingers.) If you are interested in filling that electronic memory even further, you might be relieved to know that both of our initial releases are available on Amazon (or on Smashwords if you are trying to free yourself from the clutches of the whispernet).

And if you can wait until spring, we will have something exceptional and new for you! We’re still fussing around with the various details (because we are nothing if not fussy and thorough when it comes to the books we offer up to you), but we can tell you right now we are so excited! We are working with an amazing author to bring you an amazing (and incredibly funny) book! This is the thing that we love best in this world. Well, maybe second best. The thing we love best is actually getting an amazing (and incredibly funny) book into your hands. Soon, patient reader, soon.

Seasons Change

Heartfelt reader,

Perhaps the title of this post brought a certain eighties’ classic to mind? Perhaps that was something you never wanted to remember, in which case we offer our most sincere and humble apologies.

But the point remains! The seasons are sadly changing. Already, the sweat-drenched days of summer heatwaves seem so far away, shadowed by the grey clouds looming outside our window and bring the chill of fall to our hearts. We cling to the hope that summer will resurge and make us regret putting all the fans back into closets, if only for a day or two, but the sinking feeling in our chest suggests that summer is gone, and all we have to look forward to are turtlenecks and scarves. (And some of us do look forward to those. Some of us are neck-covering people.)

However, all is not despair here at Workhorsery HQ. The end of summer also means the beginning of the great Season of Books, when every publisher releases all the books we want to read, and all the literary awards are given out. And this fall promises some particularly tasty treats. We wish we could add our own treats to that list, but we are still in the process. The process of soliciting, reading, responding. So many wonderful writers out there in the land of the falling maple leaf! We want to publish you all! But sadly, our resources are limited and we must be fussy. Even with our fussiness, though, we have found some magnificent works that we hope to share with you soon! In the meantime, tell us what fall releases have you particularly excited. We love to know what our readers are reading.

And if your shelves are soon-to-be-empty and you are feeling that rising panic at the coming lack of books to read with nothing making your heart beat faster on the fall releases list, you need to clear your schedule. The Word on the Street is only two and a half weeks away! If you haven’t been before, this year is your chance. And if you have been before, you already know why it is a book event that is not to be missed! The Workhorsery will be there again this year, proudly offering up our first two novels, You and the Pirates and Pitouie. And we’ll have authors Jocelyne and Derek with us for at least part of the day, so if you haven’t already gotten signed copies of their books, Word on the Street is the perfect time. But only if you are in Toronto. Our deepest apologies to all of you living elsewhere.

To make up for the fact that we never travel, a sale! Order You and the Pirates, Pitouie or both before September 26 and get free shipping to anywhere in Canada that is not Toronto! Plus your choice of the free swag we’ll have at Word on the Street:  an incredible handmade book cover or a selection of amazing Workhorsery pins! It is the least we can do for you, faraway readers. One day, we hope to see you in person, but until that fortuitous day comes, you will have to comforted with our non-traumatic works of fiction.

National News

Attentive readers,

If you read the papers (and who doesn’t really?), you may have come across an introspective piece on the Small Press Book Fair of Toronto. Our very own Workhorse Todd was interviewed, but the writer took the article in a different direction and Todd’s words of wisdom no longer fit the narrative. But it is still very exciting to see an event that we support so enthusiastically making a splash in the National Post. Our support is so enthusiastic, in fact, that we will be there tomorrow! From 11:00 until 17:00 and beyond! Because we would not dream of leaving without helping to clean up. We’ll have Derek with us from the opening of the doors until about 13:30, at which time Jocelyne will arrive and stay until the doors close. Both will be signing books! Pitouie and You and the Pirates! Why not stop by and chat with your new favourite authors? We promise they would be delighted to see you there!

And if you don’t follow us on Twitter (maybe you should?), you may have missed some treats that have tickled us lately. Like this massive crumbling story by Ryo Shimizu. We can only imagine what an amazing experience it must be to see this in real life rather than in photos on the interwebs. Maybe a trip to Japan is in order. Because there is also this house made of books to see. A whole house of books! Our fondest dream come true!

This is something we came across quite a while ago, but it certainly merits another look. The library is many things, something we have been thinking about a lot after the loss of the library in Slave Lake. A community without a library is just heartbreaking to us. Which is why we were only too happy to donate to the Slave Lake Book Auction, put together by the incredibly industrious Colleen McKie. The auction ended last night, but you can still help the library by going to their Canada Helps page and making a donation. Rebuilding a library is no small task, so if you have a spare dollar or two kicking around, why not help out a bookish endeavour?

The Falls

Sun-soaked reader,

If you are not in the southern Ontario area, you may not know that Saturday was a stormy day. Thunder, lightning, rain, everything you need for a turbulent romance between star-crossed lovers. But not necessarily the perfect weather for a book fair in a city on a waterfall. But we are delighted to have been a part of the first-ever Book Affair in Niagara Falls this Saturday, even with the stormy weather.

We met some really incredible people, even with the weather-induced low turnout. We happily spent a large portion of the day chatting with Karen Dales, vampire novelist and book fair neighbour.

Summer Is Upon Us!

Sweaty reader,

Did you notice how the sun came out recently? And is making things abnormally warm? Are you as happy about it as we are? We are twirling around Workhorsery HQ in bare feet and short skirts (those of us of the skirt-wearing variety, anyway), flipping through manuscripts and continuing our search for the next perfect book. Did you write a perfect book, by any chance? Perhaps you would like to send it to us. We’d love to take a look.

Or perhaps you are looking for a perfect book yourself, a little something to lounge with as you bask in the short-lived summer heat. Have you read Derek’s book yet? It is a twisty-turny road of improbable action. And Jocelyne’s book has all those cats, a whole army of them. Either one is guaranteed to liven up your long days and give you something weird to talk about at work. If you don’t currently own these treasures, we have a number of options for you.

The most imminent of which is the Book Affair in Niagara Falls this Saturday. Yes, we will be visiting your fair municipality for the first time ever! We are delighted to be able to spread our gospel of nutbar Canadian fiction to this city on the roaring waters. And of course, we want to meet you! Niagara readers, please stop by and say hello. We will be there, meeting and greeting from 10:00 to 17:00. We will even have author Jocelyne there to scrawl out mildly humorous remarks in her book for you. And we will have Pitouie waiting for you there, several copies even signed by Derek. Plus book covers and rambling stories about the publishing industry! Don’t miss this opportunity to meet your new favourite indie publisher!

It is really a month of book fairs for The Workhorsery. We’ll be back at the Small Press of Toronto fair on June 19 from 11:00 until 17:00 with both Derek and Jocelyne signing books, and then at the Ottawa Small Press Book Fair on June 25 from 12:00 to 17:00. So many chances to meet us! So come! Meet us! We would love to be met.

The Quiet of Fresh Snow

Hushed reader,

Did the return of winter surprise you as much as it did us? Or perhaps you are lucky enough to be somewhere far away from all this white stuff. In that case, we are deeply envious. Although we love many things about this northern country of Canada (especially its fiction!), we could do without the neverending arctic blasts. Especially when the rising temperatures of the last week had our hearts singing and thinking about spring.

The only thing that comforts us on these wintry nights is naturally books. Fortunately, we attended the Buffalo Small Press Book Fair this past weekend, so we were able to stock up before the blizzard. If only we had thought to stock up on groceries as well.

Book fairs are always a treat because of all the people we get to talk to. In Buffalo, we somehow managed to attract all the children yet again (the cats in our display are like a drug to them), but unlike other fairs, the children answering the sweet siren song of the plastic cats were working the fair. Or rather, their parents were and they were bored.

Lured in from across the aisle before the fair even started

Where Have We Been?

Stoic reader,

Before anything else, we have to say that our hearts are torn to pieces about the hydra-headed disaster in Japan. We Workhorses have many friends and family all over that wonderful island nation, and we are sincerely grieved by the terrible plight that so many of its people are now facing. We are doing all we can to help and we urge you to also do what you can. Here is a good place to start. And if you are on the ground in Japan, contact your city or town hall to see if they are collecting supplies like clothing and food to send north.

If you are looking for a little solace/distraction in the form of the printed word, we feel we would be remiss if we did not remind you of the Buffalo Small Press Book Fair taking place tomorrow from noon to six. We will be there, along with many other great vendors. And we will have You and the Pirates‘ Jocelyne Allen signing books all day. And signed copies of our most recent release, Pitouie by Derek Winkler. Lots to read! Lots to do! We were also thrilled to have a table at this fair last year, and to be honest, the venue alone is worth making the trip for. The Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum is breathtaking and oh-so-historic.

As to the question of where we have been, the answer is: Hibernating.  It has been too cold for us this year, so we gathered our blankets and snuggled in for the long sleep. You would think that this would mean you would see more of us here in this space (or over on Twitter) given that the Internet is such a perfect distraction for hibernating publishers, but the fact is we have been using our cozy retreat to focus on bringing you new books! We have been in other parts of the interweb, reaching out to writers all across this frozen land, trying to find that perfect novel to offer up to the world. We are truly single-minded in our dedication to the printed word. And if you are the writer of that perfect novel and you haven’t yet heard from us, perhaps you would like to take the initiative and contact us? We are eager to hear from all writers–published, unpublished, tall, short, pedestrian, driver, it matters not! We just want to see the beautiful things you have been putting on paper.

So Close to the End

Holiday reader,

How can it be the end of the year already? Are you asking yourself this panicky question too? Did you feel like you had more time to get more things done? We did too. We wanted so much to give you more new books to read!

We are pretty pleased with the one we did manage to bring into the world this year. Did you get a chance to read it yet? It’s called Pitouie and it is by Toronto novelist Derek Winkler. We think it is pretty clever. And also quite amusing in a chuckle-to-yourself-on-the-bus sort of way. It might even make you laugh out loud, although we hope you are reading at home when that happens. It is always awkward when you laugh out loud alone on public transit. The looks of pity can be a bit much to bear at times.

In any case, if you haven’t read Pitouie yet, you still can! There is still time before the end of the year! And even reading it next year is completely fine! We just so happen to be selling the e-book of Pitouie at 50% right now. Perhaps you are a reader of electronic books? Take a moment to visit Smashwords. If you enter the coupon code code WE39R, you can have a half-price e-book!

Or maybe it is You and the Pirates you haven’t read? You’re in luck! This half-price sale is for both of our books! Just go to Smashwords and enter the coupon code HZ33S for an instant transfer of You and the Pirates to your computer.

Whatever you are reading, though, we hope you are enjoying it. And if you are really enjoying it, perhaps you could leave us a comment recommending your find? We are always on the prowl for new books to fall in love with. Even though we have stacks of books waiting to be read in our homes and offices. We just cannot resist the siren song of a new novel.

Holiday Treats!

Festive reader,

We hope Santa or whoever brought you lots of treats.  To make your day even better, we have a gift of our own: Pitouie for free!

Yes, for free! Your eyes are not deceiving you! But only for one day, so hurry and go to http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/33601! Scroll down and choose your format, hit “Buy” and enter coupon code CN52Q, and you will walk away with a free e-copy of our second release, Pitouie by Derek Winkler. Wow!  But don’t delay! This deal is only good for Boxing Day (December 26, 2010)!

Now, we realize you might be away from these intertubes given the festive nature of the season, so if you miss this one-day special chance, we have another surprise for you, this one a little longer lasting. From December 27th to New Year’s Day, the e-books for both Pitouie and our first offering, Jocelyne Allen’s You and the Pirates, will be on sale at Smashwords at 50% (which means each book is just three bucks)! If you got an e-reader for Christmas, this is your lucky break! New books! From Canadian authors! Half-off! Wow!

For Pitouie, go to http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/33601, scroll down to choose your format, hit “Buy” and enter coupon codeWE39R. For You and the Pirates, go to http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/30856, and enter coupon code HZ33S.

And if you are like us and would prefer to feel the rough warmth of paper between your fingers, you can buy either book from us (http://www.theworkhorsery.ca/TheWorkhorsery/shop.html) and we’ll make sure it is autographed. *And*  we’ll throw in some other amazing fun stuff to thrill you in the post! Because we want your holiday season to be all merry and bright. Plus, we like it when people take our books into their homes.

Winter Tidings

Festive reader,

Have you finished all of your holiday shopping? No? Have you considered some fine Canadian fiction for that special someone? Order now and we’ll throw in a limited edition Workhorsery book cover. And until Christmas, you can get both Pitouie and You and the Pirates for just thirty dollars. Signed by the authors! Wow!

But maybe you finished your holiday shopping this weekend at the Small Press of Toronto book fair. In that case, we hope you enjoyed your time there as much as we did. The Grand Hall is such a delightful venue for book shopping. Did you meet our wonderful new friends from Inhabit Media?