Chin Music Press

If you're looking for something so bright that it's going to make your blog glow, then look at my new favorite small press. The book industry seems to be fighting itself right now to stay afloat. Why did I say seems, it doesn't seem. It is fighting to stay alive. Anyway, one bright star in all this mess is Chin Music Press.

So far as I can tell, they've published 3 books. Wait, let me start at the beginning. A few months back, we had an event with Jason Berry (author of LAST OF THE RED HOT POPPAS)and since it was a dark and stormy night and not a soul was alive except for a few liberal ghosts that haunt Manuel's Tavern, we got to talking about the technical/design aspects of his book that would have gone ignored if a crowd showed. What I like about Chin Music is that in addition to great content, the design staff has it going on. Is it goin' on? All 3 titles so far are stunningly gorgeous and intensely different. Berry's book, to start with, has a dust jacket that unfolds to become a poster of one of the characters. Not only that, but the poster's otherwise blank spaces are filled with wonderful little extras. Once you open the book, you will marvel at the quality of not only the exquisite endpapers, but also every other page in the darn thing. I know what you're thinking, expensive small press book, right? You've never been so wrong in your life. If you go to their website you can see that it's a normal price for an exeedingly above-normal book. Also, if you feel like you don't really want to shell out $25 for the book, you can get slightly-marred combo packages for cheaper than that!

What I really love is the first book they put out, KUHAKU. The design is so good, you can just smell it and you might even want to eat it. Once you're done reading and absorbing every nook and cranny of this little treasure, go to the website and it will explain what all those nooks and crannies mean.

It's like a neverending easter-egg hunt where YOU actually are the one finding all the eggs. Everyone wanted to be that brat.

Also check out DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO MISS NEW ORLEANS?, published by none other than Chin Music Press.