Some people (mostly regular visitors to the site) have been asking me, "So what's the deal with you losing TheGline.com and moving to GenjiPress.com?" Some of this has been discussed in the About Me page, but I thought some description of what Genji Press itself is would be worth bringing up.

I'll be posting a version of this to the FAQ section of the site and updating it from time to time, but for now I thought I'd post this to the front page as well for comment.

What is Genji Press, exactly?

Genji Press is my own personal imprint, an ægis that I will be using for books of my own creation. Since I'm discovering that most of what I want to write and publish centers around Japan or Asia / the Far East in general, I chose a name and an image (the Genji clan crest) that seemed fitting.

Everything that is published through Genji Press is my own creation -- not just the writing, but also the artwork, typesetting, layout, the whole package.

Why did you start doing this?

I started Genji Press for a few reasons:

1. I wanted an outlet for my work where I had complete creative control, so I could publish what I liked without having to deal with the whims of the market or worrying about what would be popular or not.
2. I wanted to reach the audience of my choice directly, again without worrying about marketability.
3. I wanted to demonstrate that self-published work could be of high editorial, artistic and literary quality.
4. I wanted to have fun doing all of the above.

With the advent of print-on-demand publishing, it's become not only possible but easy for me to make all this happen at minimal cost to myself. I can sell individual copies and still make a profit, although I do make a bit more if I manage to sell in volume.

Will your books be available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.?

Yes. My strategy is to issue a standalone, direct-print edition first, leave that in print for about a year, and then replace it with a barcoded version that is available through major online retailers. I do this because barcodes are expensive -- $100 or so for each book -- and I want to make sure the content and design are both "locked" before committing myself. I will post notice of when the barcoded versions are available.

[If you have other questions, don't hesitate to post them here so I can add them to the FAQ.]