Today's the day that The Gentle Art of Domesticity becomes widely and easily available via Amazon, Kobo, Nook and e-book stores. This is after a number of years of the hardback being expensive and difficult to find, and several publishing problems which were frustrating to watch from the position of author.
But now the book is mine again, and I am the publisher this time. It sounds grand, it feels grand, and I'm very happy to see it back on the bookshelf, even if that bookshelf is virtual. It would be very costly to reprint and I'd need to know there's a big demand for it to make that option worthwhile. While I appreciate many people love the feel and look of this title as a real book, I think it's better to republish it as an e-book and get it out into the world again rather than hold onto the idea of a physical book and have it hidden from view.
And I have to say I am pleased with the way it looks on a reading screen. I've worked with Acorn Digital Press who have done all the technical work, and from the start we agreed that the e-book had to look as good technically possible - with the added bonus of being able to adjust the font size to make reading even easier. As for the photos, they really shine and work well in this format as, of course, they were digital in the first place.
Although some authors might take the opportunity to edit when they are preparing a book for republication, I decided that the book needed to stay exactly as it was when it first came out. I have, however, taken the opportunity to make a few necessary corrections (typos etc) and add an index, but otherwise it's the original, UK edition.* (The book was 'americanized' for the US edition, unecessarily I thought, as I was and remain quite sure that US readers are more than capable of reading books by English authors exactly as they were written, but I didn't have a say in the matter.)
The e-book has a new introduction, the full original text, much-used and frequently requested recipes for rock buns, flapjacks, biscuits and more, an index and a search function so that you can easily look up, say, 'buttons' or 'quilts' or 'tulips', and an updated resources section with details of shops, books, websites, and sources of inspiration.
I'm so pleased that technology has made the publication of this book possible. It's a book with a history and a back-story of its own, and I know from what many people have told me that it has changed lives which is a pretty incredible thing for me to grasp. I'm delighted to republish it.
* there is only one edition of the e-book and this is the original, UK edition, so no matter where in the world you buy it, it will be the same edition, same text, same everything.
Is the US edition from Amazon the same as the UK one or is it the "edited" version? I see it's available on Amazon (for Kindle, though, which I don't use). I also see the US edition of the hardcover book is offered for sale on Amazon; has it not gone out of print? I'd also love to hear more about the differences in the editions.
Posted by: kayT | February 07, 2014 at 13:15
Congratulations on the republication and on your first Yarnstorm Press publication. I treasure my copy of this book, which I continue to find inspiring and cheering, and I will definitely be buying an electronic back-up so that I can have domesticity ever at my fingertips. I also find it surprising that the original publisher neglected to reprint it and really admire you for independently getting it back out there. Great work.
Posted by: Lucy | February 07, 2014 at 13:32
I am so glad that I am not the only one who feels that English bloggers/writers should not quite so patronising in their eternal "translations" for the US Readers.
Posted by: Gill | February 07, 2014 at 13:34
I love this book! I've had it for several years and still pick it up on a regular basis to flip through the pages and read certain passages. Always inspiring :)
Posted by: Juli Schuster | February 07, 2014 at 13:36
There is only one version of the e-book no matter where you buy it, and this is the original UK edition which was published in the UK in 2007.
It is not the US version (which actually only altered some of the English phrases and vocabulary) and there won't be a US e-book. So even if you buy The Gentle Art of Domesticity in the US eg from Amazon.com or the Apple iTunes store, it will be the original, 2007 English edition.
I do know there are a few hard copies around of the US edition with the different cover, but in fact this book, like the printed UK edition with the heart cover, is out of print. I now own the rights to the book.
Posted by: Jane | February 07, 2014 at 13:38
Fantastic initiative Jane, congratulations !
Posted by: christine Jacob | February 07, 2014 at 14:03
This is good news and well done. I have been wanting to read your book for a long time. I have just purchased the e-book and I can't wait to get home to find some quiet time in a corner...
Posted by: Elizabeth | February 07, 2014 at 14:52
What about the possibility, some day, of working with a print-on-demand publisher for those who might want a paper, rather than virtual, copy? There are some who don't own or don't care for e-readers, or who don't want to be tied to their laptop for reading a book.
I know here in the US there are a number of print-on-demand services, often for academic works that have limited markets.
Posted by: fillyjonk | February 07, 2014 at 15:09
Congratulations to you! I discovered your lovely book at my local library a couple of years ago, and was disappointed to learn that it was out of print. However, I don't use an e-reader; do you foresee making the book available for purchase in .pdf format at some point?
Posted by: Karyn | February 07, 2014 at 16:25
Really pleased it is available on iBooks as well!
Posted by: Carol | February 07, 2014 at 16:32
To buy the book with Amazon's 'One Click' option was a real pleasure. I did it even before getting to the end of your blog entry!
Thankyou!
Posted by: Emma | February 07, 2014 at 17:00
I hate and despise e-readers, so I'm glad my local library has a copy I can read whenever I want. But being the daughter of a retired publisher, I can fully sympathize with the problems of reissuing it in print. And I'm very glad you didn't do this nonsense of an "American" version. I hate picking up a British book only to find it's been Americanized. But then, I'm Canadian so maybe I'm biased.
Posted by: Kari | February 07, 2014 at 18:31
Congratulations. No need to go gently with this new venture, though Domestic Gusto might not have sold so well...
Posted by: Chloe | February 07, 2014 at 19:51
thank you! I've been looking frantically for the previous version. Now I'm glad that by reading your blog I find out more about your wonderful world of gentleness!!
Posted by: Patty | February 07, 2014 at 21:15
Thanks, Jane! I am excited to have the opportunity to purchase the digitial UK edition! xx
Posted by: Gracie | February 07, 2014 at 22:05
I am so happy to have an original version of the book, hard cover and all, and have read it twice already and will probably make it my annual summer read again this summer.
Posted by: Elaine | February 08, 2014 at 00:32
As soon as I found your book in a Midlands bookshop, I couldn't resist it and really felt connected to you as an author - leading me to your blog and from there to sp many other cool places on the net :).
In this digitalised age, I will also not be able to resist buying the ebook format, too, for handy reference...
Why or how anyone would Americanise this is beyond me, as a lot of its charm is your Britishness!!
Anyway, congratulations on the e-publishing of a classic under your very own steam!!
Posted by: Swissrose | February 08, 2014 at 09:04
I got this book in Past Times years ago with the aim of giving it to a friend for her birthday, but our car broke down on the way to hers in Brighton and we had to be towed back to Sheffield. So I kept it. And I am so glad I did, I love every page.
Posted by: Kati Palin | February 09, 2014 at 19:44
Congratulations on your own Press. What a lovely thing to own! And I am very pleased to now own a copy of the Gentle Art after downloading today. Very much looking forward to reading it.
Posted by: Sally | February 10, 2014 at 22:17
Does your book contain a recipe for the pink heartshaped dessert on the front cover?
Posted by: Nicky | February 11, 2014 at 12:24
it gets right up my nose when publishers americanise a british author. it spoils the flavor of a book. i'm perfectly capable of figuring out that pushchair = stroller and flask = thermos.
Posted by: roxanne g reynolds | February 11, 2014 at 12:37
This is wonderful news. How exciting!
Posted by: Jenny | February 11, 2014 at 20:30
Hello Jane,
I can only find Vintage Cakes on Kobo, not The gentle Art of Domesticity. Is the Kobo digital link to come later?
Regards, Keriann.
Posted by: Sweet Mary | February 14, 2014 at 02:58
Congratulations! It sounds amazing!
Posted by: Rialette Scheltema | February 16, 2014 at 15:54