Kim Werker

2025 continues to 2025

a baby is reading a book with his eyes closed while sitting at a table . ALT: a baby is reading a book with his eyes closed while sitting at a table .

We've had a BUNCH of new books come in the last few weeks that I've been slacking on telling y'all about.

Let's fix that with a thread!

All of these books (and so much more) are available at microcosm.pub

My kid, having the growth experience of being a Canadian Yankees fan, has gone outside to play catch with his dad and is anticipating a brutal day at school tomorrow.

And with Yom Kippur on the horizon, I absolutely characterized this project as probably the most Jewish thing I've ever created.

Just led a Mighty Ugly session (online) for the first time in years, and it was just lovely to revisit these ideas I love so much. What an unexpectedly delightful break from all the spreadsheet wrangling.

We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.

Today is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and here are some of the books that are continuing to shape our thinking and understanding around the process of reconciliation. We have the great honour of listening to and learning from these authors at this year’s Festival.

Knit One, Revise Two: What Being a Knitter Taught Me About Writing | Jane Friedman Knitting and writing both teach us that mistakes can be instructive. Every dropped stitch, every tangled subplot is an invitation to learn.

Any writers out there who also knit? How do you handle messing things up?

You'll enjoy this from @nitacollinswriter.bsky.social.

Whoa! @woodvinewrites.bsky.social just told me about this, and it's made my day!

Not to be an absolute contrarian, but sometimes you really do want to meet your heroes.

Poster on the glass front door of a bookstore for BC book launch of Anna Hunter's book, THE TRUE COST OF WOOL.

Over the top of a book display including a copy of THE TRUE COST OF WOOL, about 40 people are listening to an author wearing a buffalo plaid shirt.

Seen over the top of a blurred stack of books, a woman in a plaid shirt is giving a talk to an audience not quite visible behind the books.

An author takes a selfie with a crowd of about 40 people behind her in a bookstore.

Such a fabulous BC book launch for THE TRUE COST OF WOOL, by @longwayhomestead.bsky.social! Thank you, Iron Dog Books for being amazing hosts and Baaad Anna's for staying open late, and to all the wool lovers and curious readers who came out!

‘Nickname’ is not ‘nick’ + ‘name.’

It was originally ‘ekename.’

‘Eke’ was the Middle English word for “also” or “in addition.”

Since ‘ekename’ began with a vowel, people used ‘an’ before it.

Over time, 'an ekename' became 'a nickname.'

2025 Exhibitors Open to all Badged Attendees ​

Very excited that our books will be at the PNBA Fall Tradeshow in Spokane! Huge love to @everickert.bsky.social and Thornapple Press for inviting Nine Ten to share their table (#27!).

(I won't be there myself, which makes me especially grateful for this arrangement.)

www.pnba.org/2025-exhibit...

This one? Mostly vibes.

There's literally no way to know until I know.

Before this book, I've trusted my gut while erring on the side of caution.

For this book, caution is making my gut clench. Vibes are telling me to go big.

What a thrilling ride.

By the end of this week or early next I will need to decide: IF, and HOW MANY.

Mostly based on, like, vibes.

For our previous 6 books, I have based print runs on pre-sale demand, sales infrastructure on release, other wiggles-fingers factors, and a bit of vibes.

(Hundreds versus thousands of copies means two different printers, two different quote systems, and different expectations of turnaround times.)

1) I've reached out to all of my wholesalers, sales reps, and the author to ask that they let me know if they start hearing buzz ASAP so I can track and plan.

2) I'm printing a few hundred more copies of the book.

3) I'm getting a quote for a few *thousand* more copies of the book.

I've long known this challenge might come. It's a very good one to face. (BTW the book really is fabulous. It's extremely nerdy. I love that this is the one that's busting my chops.)

So here's what I've done, feeling great relief because biz prof tells me I'm being smart:

If I keep my initial print run modest based on existing pre-release demand—even if I put in another modest order for books this week as I intend to—and I am WRONG, then loads of people who learn about and want the book will have to wait to get it, shops will be frustrated, no good will come of it.

And so I am facing a dilemma (biz prof: it's a complex Newsvendor Problem): If I print a TON more books in advance of release so there's lots of inventory for the when the book comes out and after and I am WRONG, then my tiny press will be in big-time debt for a very long time.

This week I'm like, "OMG it's quite possible that once this book starts winging its way into readers' hands, it will not simply be a satisfying of initial demand. If people indeed love it, it could be just the start of far, far bigger demand."

Because people getting a look at the book are saying very, very good things about it. They are likening it to classics.

Before last week, I was like, "Ok, pre-orders are strong. This will be my largest initial print-run for a black-and-white book."

This book's pre-orders, in just a few weeks, have surpassed even our most successful Kickstarter. That was one thing. But then advance PDFs of the book started going out, and I started to hand my one printed sample to people, and their responses made my Spidey sense go AWOOGAH.

...how a book sells once it's out. Pre-orders help, for sure. It's part of why I rely on them—not only to cover printing, but also to get a feel for interest/demand. Which brings me to this particular book that's consuming my every waking moment right now.

You want specifics? One of the things that is both thrilling and baffling about publishing is that every new book is a gamble. For a small press without the option of doing a massive promotional campaign (which isn't a guarantee of sales but certainly helps) there's nothing to do but wait and see...

Every small-business owner facing massive uncertainty in a new product should have the good fortune to live with a business prof whose specialty is, among other things, demand planning and inventory management.

YouTube video by Lionsgate Movies The Long Walk (2025) Official Trailer - Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson

Y'all. Last week I saw The Long Walk and I cannot stop thinking about it. It will ruin your life. Don't look away. youtu.be/vAtUHeMQ1F8?...

Absolutely. Phillip Seymour Hoffman's was the only celebrity death that ever gutted me. His kid leading this particular film as this particular character was an absolute mind-fuck on top of the movie itself. I was a goner from the jump.

The rest of the audience consisted of 8 other people. Six I didn't notice after the lights dimmed. Apparently, so my friend tells me but I was so consumed by my own despair that I didn't notice, a pair of teenage girls sobbed throughout and questioned their every life choice.

It's a goddamn masterpiece and also the saddest movie I've ever seen in my life.

I can't stop thinking about it.

Very glad we went. Also still repentant.