Saturday, November 1, 2014

New version of The Divided Heart on its way...

I think I can now safely announce that The Divided Heart has found a new publisher and, all things going to plan, will be reprinted and back on bookshop shelves in April 2015!

Independent publisher Affirm Press have taken it on, albeit with some significant changes -- all involving a very tight deadline.

Hardworking editor Aviva Tuffield and I are currently working on the new edition, which will feature updated content and additional interviews.

It's very tempting to tell you which artists I'm set to meet next week, but I don't want to steal the book's thunder, so you'll just have to wait till the book is released next year.

It all feels very exciting -- and such a relief to be able to tell people who ask me how/where they can get their hands a copy that it will be back in print soon...

Also, for me personally, it will finally free me up to pursue some of my other writing more wholeheartedly (no pun intended!). For quite a while now, every time I've tried to sink into a new project, I've felt this pressure to put that energy into getting The Divided Heart back into print as a first priority.

The combination of kids and full-time work means I still have very little time around the edges for creativity, so it's all too easy for unfinished, long-term projects to use up the space that might otherwise go towards new work. (All part of the complex discipline required to make art, I know!)

So not only is it lovely to get this chance to breathe new life into what really has been my passion project for some time now, its reissue might finally give me the space and time to follow it up with some new writing (I hope).

The great gift of writing this book has been the incredible community of creative people it has connected me to. As I've said many times, the letters and messages I have received from readers over the years have been so insightful and moving, I've felt that any one of their writers would have been worthy of an interview for the book itself -- if only it could be endlessly expanded. Which it has and will continue to do in other forums.

Thank you for staying connected with this blog and with The Divided Heart. I'll be sure to keep you posted on its progress...

6 comments:

Sam said...

Yay! That's wonderful news! I managed to get a copy of the original from the library and I just loved it. Looking forward to the new edition. Best of luck with it.

Kate Moore said...

Awesome. My copy travelled far and wide and I hope it's enjoying life in the hands of a creative mother somewhere because it never came home. Are pre-orders to come? I will be putting mine in.

Rachel Power said...

Thanks so much. No word on pre-orders yet, but will let you know... x

potter ponder posy said...

how wonderful! I can stop guarding the copies i have with my life ;o)

Rachel Power said...

Ha ha - that's a lovely comment. But I'm afraid you'll still have to guard those copies, as the new one is not going to have all of the same content! Sorry...

Unknown said...

Hi Rachel, I heard you discussing The Divided Heart on the radio the other day and would like to get a copy for a mate asap. Can you recommend any Melbourne book shops that have the original edition in stock? Cheers, Tameka