Always Open to Great Stories

I heard the rumble.

“Are you crazy? Only an idiot would open a publishing house. How will you compete against the millions of books out there? You’ll never find an audience.”

Apparently, I wasn’t listening.

After all, my plan was flawless. I would explore the world for unique stories by brilliant authors. And each book would be beautifully crafted. Certainly there’s a yearning for quality reading.

“One other thing,” the experts whispered. “If you are going to plunge into this thing, make sure you focus on one genre only, two at the most.”

Oops ...

Since 2016, Hidden Shelf has published historical fiction, women’s literature, Black history, absurdist fiction, war, romance, psychological thrillers, true crime, mystery, young adult ... even a book about dogs.

And now our latest release, Beauty in His Time by Candace Leon, adds the genre of Christian literature to the Hidden Shelf library.

I first met Candace at a writing conference in West Virginia. She presented an interesting story and I suggested she submit a prospectus. Several weeks later, I was mesmerized by the manuscript.

The Overview was Strong

The coming-of-age memoir of a young Jamaican immigrant—a stranger in many lands—facing the challenges of race, identity, and belonging while finding God in the most surprising and beautiful places.

The Writing was Brilliant

Here’s her introduction:

There is something unnerving about opening a letter you once wrote but have no remembrance of having penned. Not knowing the place it will take you, the memories it will conjure, the feelings it will evoke.

Tucked among a stash of paperwork in my mother’s office, I discovered a weathered envelope. All else faded to quiet shadows and whispers as I brushed my finger across the yellowed paper. My eyes traced the trails of ink my pen made in the softened paper years before. My handwriting was different then. It was neat and fresh, each loop doing a lighthearted twirl across the page. I allowed my finger to pass over the address and the stamp.

From India.

I paused again. My carefree handwriting was not much different than I was then—eager, free, and oh, so wide-eyed. The return address seemed so distant from my present, and in that brief moment, I smelled the moss clinging to the trees and heard once again the patterned drops of the Monsoon rains falling from the corrugated metal rooftops. Inside the envelope was a letter I wrote to my parents while living in India, a place that added indelibly beautiful pieces to the mosaic of my life.

To tell you this story, I must take you closer to the beginning of my journey, to a jewel of an island in the Caribbean Sea.

A Field of Dreams

The 1982 novel by Canadian author W.P. Kinsella—Shoeless Joe—spawned Field of Dreams (1989). Great movie that would also inspire my answer to those who warned against starting a publishing house.

“Build it and they will come.”

Yes, the market was congested with millions of books, but I had the concept that would certainly draw an audience of serious readers.

Unique literature, beautifully crafted.

– Robert D. Gaines

Read more about Beauty in His Time →

Until next time,

Robert D. Gaines

Founder, Publisher, Reader, Author

Hidden Shelf Publishing House

Unique Literature. Beautifully Crafted