Happy New Year!

It's been a pretty exciting 2011 for us here at Katherine Press.  And we've got big stuff coming up in the 2012: more issues of the Katherine Press Review, some great novels, and podcasts!  Thanks for being such great readers and thank you for all of your support.  Stay safe tonight, and we'll see you in 2012!

Season's Greetings

The holiday season is well under way and people seem to be scurrying around trying to fit as much as possible into each day.  One respite I find is turning on the lights on our tree at night and enjoying the peace that comes along with the quiet.  This becomes a time for reflection, a time for slowing down, a time for me. 

Katherine Press has many exciting things brewing for 2012, but as I reflect on this year I am very proud of the Katherine Press Review.  We have so many talented authors who have contributed and it is a joy to be able to share their work in our monthly review free of charge.  I have heard from readers who sneak in a story at work, read when their babies are napping, find the stories inspire creativity, or use the review during procrastination.  Regardless of how or when you read, we are grateful that you are taking the time to enjoy the stories we offer.

We, at Katherine Press, are wishing you a very happy holiday season with time for peace and reflection.

Emily Lahut

Publisher

Katherine Press

November/December Release of the Katherine Press Review

We are excited to release yet another issue of the Katherine Press Review.  There are three wonderful stories to delight in over the next several weeks.  We are also offering an excerpt from The Last Bridesmaid by our very own Inga Gardner.  Our website has had a bit of a makeover so be sure to check out our new page for books.

Emily Lahut
Publisher
Katherine Press

A Day Of Thanks

Here in the United States of America we gather for Thanksgiving.  This day traditionally celebrates the skills the Pilgrims acquired from the Native Americans in order to survive on the gifts of the land.  The Native Americans suffered greatly from European settlement however their giving nature is at the heart of this holiday.  We can look at the roots of this day to remind us the true spirit of giving and nurturing the survival of others.  We should honor the Native Americans by being thankful of the gifts in our own lives.  This is a time for us to acknowledge that we owe at least part of our survival to those around us.   We give thanks to the people who accompany us through life, giving us the skills or support to get through every day, every challenge.  These are the people who love us, the people who help us, and the people who nurture us.   To me this is the holiday that brings people together.  It is the holiday that reminds us we are not alone.  It is a time to celebrate humanity.  Happy Thanksgiving.

Emily Lahut

Publisher

Katherine Press

We are gearing up for our next issue of the Katherine Press Review and we can't wait to share more great stories with you.  Even though the next issue is called the November/December issue, we will not be skipping a month of the review.  As Inga stated in the last blog, we are just changing the name of the issues so when the review is released it will reflect the name of the upcoming month.
I continue to be impressed with the quality of submissions we have been receiving.  There are a lot of amazing writers out there.  Keep the submissions coming.  Remember we are looking for poetry, short fiction and personal essays for the Katherine Press Review (800 - 5,000 words) or for e-book publication (5,000 - 30,000 words), and novels.

Emily Lahut
Publisher
Katherine Press

Programming Note

We just have a couple, quick updates about some of the upcoming issues of the Katherine Press Review:

Each issue that we've published, we've titled the month it came out.  So, the issue published on September 20th was called the September issue and the issue published on October 18th was the October issue.  We've found that this has caused some confusion.  Monthly magazines traditionally publish the month's issue before the month begins (so, November's issue would come out at the end of October). 

To make things a little clearer going forward - and since we already publish at the end of the month anyway - we're going to follow suit.  The next issue, which will be published on November 29th will be called the November/December issue.  The issue after that, published December 27th, will be called the January issue and so on.  This change only affects what the issues are called and we will continue to have an issue every month with no breaks. 

The only other thing we wanted to mention is that we are going to be standardizing the publication dates of the review so that people know when to anticipate them. From now on, issues will be published on the last Tuesday of the month. 

As always, if you have any questions you can feel free to email us at KatherinePress@hotmail.com or by going to our website, KatherinePress.com, and filling out the Contact Us form.

Has reading aloud with friends become a thing of the past?

One of the many pleasures in my life is watching my friends and family read to their young children.  We put so much care into the choices of stories we read to these impressionable minds and the tone in which we present the stories.  They soak up the words, characters, and the plots asking us to read them over and over until they can “read” them back to us from memory.  As we get older we seem to gravitate to the television in order to share the experience of stories instead of reading them to each other.  But I believe there is immense value in reading to each other throughout our lives.  I have delightful memories of my parents loading us all up into a canoe so my mom could read us The Secret Garden while we leisurely paddled around a lake.  Later, when my sister and I moved into an apartment together, with no television, we entertained ourselves by reading books to each other.  Steinbeck was a favorite to read aloud.  A book I have read over and over with friends on traveling adventures is A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole for its bizarre humor that you just can’t help but share with the people around you.  I have even earned a good scolding at a campground for laughing too loud while a good friend of mine read me excerpts from a David Sedaris book.  And what romantic hasn’t read poetry to their lovers?  I am getting warm fuzzy feelings recalling these times but it occurred to me that I have not shared a book or story with someone in this fashion in quite a while.   I wonder… has reading aloud with friends become a thing of the past? In this modern time when everything moves so fast and time seems so hard to come by, we should still be able to find the time to at least share short stories with each other.  If you don’t already do this, give it a try.  We would love to hear about your experiences.

Emily Lahut

Publisher

Katherine Press

Seeking longer submissions

We are always looking for submissions of all kinds from talented writers, but what we haven't received much of is medium lenth pieces.  We've gotten a ton of short stories (which have been so much fun to read through - thanks, guys!), and we've gotten several full length novels.  However, we've gotten almost no 10,000 to 40,000 word pieces.

I'm beginning to think that maybe people just don't write novellas anymore.  And I understand why: up until now there simply hasn't been a market for them.  However, e-books mean that we don't have to print in larger volumes, and can sell pieces that are going to retail for $2.50 a piece.  Considering how busy we all are, it would be nice to have some pieces that can be read in the span of a few hours or a day or two.  Nothing against full length novels - goodness knows I love them.  But it would be great to see some medium length pieces as well. 

If you've got a piece like this kicking around your hard drive, go ahead and send it along to us at KatherinePress@Hotmail.com!  We can't wait to read them.

Inga Gardner
Editor

October Issue of the Katherine Press Review is up!

The October issue of the Katherine Press Review is now up and, if we do say so ourselves, it's a really good one!  Here's the letter from the editor that accompanies the issue:

Welcome back to the Katherine Press Review!

By far one of the greatest and most unexpected pleasures of editing the Katherine Press Review has been the sheer amount and quality of the writing talent that is just... out there.  It's not even hiding; it's just waiting to be noticed.  This issue is a perfect example of some of the wonderful writing that only had to be discovered.

Take Isadora Gruye's 3C.  By the end of the story, I was literally in tears.  And yet there were moments when I laughed out loud.  Stories that can do that to a reader and not feel remotely manipulative are a rare and wonderful treat (on a related note, Ms. Gruye has completed a novel and I would be lying if I said I wasn't kind of dying to read it).

On the other hand, I wasn't sure how I felt about If You Knew Mary, Rehka Ambardar's story of expats in Sri Lanka.  I knew I liked the setting and I knew I liked the idea of the story, but as I was reading it, I wasn't sure whether I liked the story itself.  In the following days, though, I found myself thinking about the titular character, thinking about her as though she was someone that I, well, knew.  A story that stays with you for days after you've read it is a story worth returning to.

And of course, there is Shelley Burbank's unspeakably delightful I Was Never That Fond of Kafka.  It should surprise exactly no one to learn that I am a bit of a literature geek.  Mashing Kafka-esque themes with chick lit was truly inspired and I can only say that I wish I had thought of it first.  And if you're not a literature geek and have never read Kafka, don't be put off: the story is funny and charming and weird and absolutely wonderful.

I would love to say that my editing had anything to do with the strength of this issue of the Katherine Press Review, but all Emily and I have done here is recognize that these were talented writers and give them a forum.  I will be very surprised if these writers don't turn up again in settings much more prestigious than ours.  Honestly, though, and I think I speak for Emily here as well, we're just thrilled to be a part of these exciting writers' careers.

Happy reading! 

Inga Gardner
Editor-in-Chief

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Also, if you were unlucky enough to miss the September issue, don't worry: you've still got time to read it before it disappears into the internet ether.  Click here to check out our previous issue.

*cough* *cough* *achoo*

On a note completely unrelated to anything, it's cold and flu season again so (at the risk of sounding like your mom) make sure to wash your hands and take your vitamins.  Emily was laid low by a nasty respiratory infection and I got gut punched by a bit of stomach flu unpleasantness.  We're both either mended or mending, but damn this is not an auspicious start to the season. 

Okay, carry on.

Inga Gardner
Editor

New Amazon Kindles!

I'm not going to bother pretending that Amazon's announcement of a whole line of Kindles today is not super exciting.  There's a $79 Kindle.  Granted it has ads, but still!  There's a Kindle Touch!  And, most knee-quakingly exciting of all, there's the Kindle Fire.  Even the name is exciting.  And it's $199.  I was pretty much resigned to not getting an iPad until the price came down and everyone else already had one (you know, like it was with the iPod).  But $199--that's, like, affordable.  And it uses Cloud computing, which the nerd in me absolutely loves.

But more than that, this is a step in the right direction: toward getting everyone reading on e-book.  Yes, I know, there will always be the paper snobs who go on about the feel of books and the smell of books.  And that's fine.  But the Kindle (or the Nook, or the Sony eReader or whatever) is light and convenient, it's easy to read and it makes books accessible anywhere and everywhere.  What's not to love about that? 

More than that, I was out walking one of my dogs the other day and a neighbor was coming back from the bus stop with her third grade daughter.  "Feel this," my neighbor said, holding up her daughter's book bag.  It was so heavy.  I'm a grown woman and I wouldn't want to carry that bag every day.  I can't imagine allowing my third grader to carry that.  $79 is a step in the direction of children using e-readers instead of text books.  And saving a few third grade backs (not to mention a few million trees) sounds like a really, really good thing.

Inga Gardner
Editor

What do you think?

In the coming months, Katherine Press has got some great stories and essays lined up for publication.  Emily and I really can't wait to share them with you, and we think that you're going to find them interesting and thought provoking.  So, at the outset, I wanted to invite you to share your thoughts on the writing we publish.  If you have a strong reaction to any of our stories -- positive or negative -- we want to hear them.  You can leave them in the comments section below, leave them on the comment page of our website, or email them to KatherinePress@hotmail.com.  Any really interesting or thought provoking letters, we'll publish here on the blog. 

Thanks and happy reading!

Inga Gardner
Editor
Katherine Press

Fiction is like a spider's web, attached ever so slightly perhaps, but still attached to life at all four corners. Often the attachment is scarcely perceptible.
Virginia Woolf

Our first issue is live!

The September issue of the Katherine Press Review is now up at KatherinePress.com!  And don't think that just because you already read the sneak peek that you've seen it all--oh ho ho, you haven't seen anything yet!  Not only do we still have the three great stories we featured before (Hush, The M-Word and Striking out in Paris--and if you haven't read them yet, you really should), but we've added two new stories: Deadline by Cherie ter Bogt and Saturn Cafe by Natasha Gold.

There's lots of exciting stuff coming up in the next couple of weeks, so definitely stay tuned!  If you haven't already, make sure to join our mailing list to stay on top of all the big stuff we've got going on, and be sure to like us on Facebook to get notified not only of new issues, but also of fun contests and up coming events.

Happy reading!

The transition into Autumn seems to have started here in New Hampshire.  As the days get cooler I find myself getting cozy in my big chair with my e-reader trying to catch some sunlight peeking in through my windows.   I now wrap my hands around a warm cup of tea or coffee instead of the iced beverages that accompanied me in my summer reading outside.   We have some great new short stories for our first Katherine Press Review which will be released next week.  We at Katherine Press always look forward to reading new submissions so keep them coming.

Emily Lahut
Publisher

Katherine Press Review now live!

Today, the Katherine Press Review Sneak Peek of our September Issue went live!  It's been crazy and exciting and exhausting and... well, we wrote a whole letter about it introducing the Sneak Peek (click here to read the original):

It was only about six months ago that we decided to start our own chick-lit publishing company.  Both of us felt that we needed a new challenge and an opportunity to be really intellectually stimulated, and boy did we get it!  Starting this company, going through the submissions, making really tough decisions about what to publish, and then getting those pieces in shape for publication has been one of the most rewarding projects either of us has ever worked on.

And it doesn’t end here!  On September 20th, we’ll release the entire first issue of the Katherine Press Review right here on KatherinePress.com.  Every month after that, you will find another issue of the Katherine Press Review full of great short stories and essays.  Also coming in September, you can read the Katherine Press Review on your e-reader or mobile device for just 99 cents a month if you subscribe via Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  Subscribers won’t just get the stories and essays featured here on the website, but also get poetry—and we promise, we have got some great poetry coming in the next couple of months—as well as longer excerpts of the novellas, novels, and memoirs we’ll be publishing in the next year, and occasionally even a special bonus story!  More details will be available here soon, or click here to sign up for our mailing list.

Speaking of novellas, novels, and memoirs: we’ve got an exciting list of releases coming up in the next year.  In December, we’ve got The Last Bridesmaid, by our very own Inga Gardner.  In June, we’ll have the first in a rollicking new series, starting with The PMS Detectives: A Family Affair by Amber Gillet .  In between, we’ll be releasing some shorter pieces for individual sale.  As always, we remain committed to bringing you the best entertainment at a great price.

Thank you so much for joining us for this sneak peek and we look forward to seeing you again in the months to come!

Sincerely,

Emily Lahut, Publisher
Inga Gardner, Editor

July 27, 2011

What is chick lit?  There seems to be a variety of definitions for the chick lit genre, so I would like to clarify our vision for Katherine Press.   Chick lit tends to depict women between the ages of 20 and 60 and touches on the complexities of life and women’s psyche in a humorous or lighthearted way.  Our vision for Katherine Press is to publish a broad definition of chick lit for our readers.  We would like to have a balance between humorous and touching writing.  We are hopeful that our readers will appreciate diversity in age, race, gender and sexuality in the writing and the authors.  Our intended audience is mostly women who enjoy stories with a personal tone.

Emily Lahut, Publisher

Wishing Everyone a Safe and Happy Holiday!

Katherine Press wishes a happy belated Canada Day to our Canadian readers and writers, and a happy 4th of July to those in and from the United States.  Be safe out there!

New Online Home

Hi everyone!

Katherine Press is now at our permanent online home: http://www.katherinepress.com/.  In just a little while, we'll start having our monthly review posted online, full of great fiction and essays, all offered completely free of charge. 

If you'd like to be on our mailing list to receive a notification when the new review goes up or to be informed of great offers, click here.

And of course we're always looking for great new writers to showcase to our readers.  If you have something you think we might be interested in, click here.

We've been receiving all sorts of great submissions over the past few days.  We never imagined that there would be so many great writers submitting so much great stuff! 

Thank you guys, and keep it coming.  Our first issue is going to be terrific!!

Get your submissions ready!

Katherine Press is currently soliciting short stories and personal essays for publication in our upcoming online review at KatherinePressLLC.weebly.com.  We are looking for stories with all kinds of different tones, whether funny, touching, sad, or strange. 

We always pay for accepted content, regardless of whether it will be sold through an online retailer or given away for free on our website.  Our review will be geared mainly towards fans of "chick lit" and related literature, but we are open to any piece of quality writing that might appeal to our readers.  Click here for submission guidelines.

Welcome to Katherine Press!

Welcome to Katherine Press, soon to be your go-to for the best in e-book and web based chick lit!  While we're busy gathering the best fiction and personal essays the web has to offer, we'll be updating this blog regularly.  Make sure to visit here for news about upcoming offers, promotions, and the work we're doing.  Feel free to comment with questions and suggestions - we look forward to receiving your input!

Also, check out the new blog from Inga Gardner, one of our co-founders!