The World of a Book

Checking in progress for Unease at Times Printers

Dear Reader,

Have you ever walked into a bookshop, picked up a book and admired its cover? Flipped it open and felt the texture and weight of its paper? If you have, like you, we at Ethos know that reading a book goes beyond the words on a page; how the book looks and feels is an important part of the experience too.

That's why recently, after a busy first half of the year, we were glad to catch up with one of the printers who produces our books, Times Printers. They took us around the production floor, showing us the different processes for offset (using printing plates) and digital printing. They explained to us factors that influence how a book turns out—like how widely it can open and how neatly a cover's flaps can fold and sit.

We had a long discussion on how we could improve some things about our books—what that would translate into in terms of production. I was struck anew by just how much goes into each book: from the moment a writer pens the first word, to the moment a book makes its way into the hands of a reader. The editing, proofreading, typesetting and designing, selection of production specs, printing and binding, then marketing and event planning (not to mention the accompanying discussions and debates)—all these are steps that are part of a book's lifecycle.

Speaking of a book continuing its life, since its release in April, Teo You Yenn's Unease has spawned a public forum with Academia SG, "States of Unease", which will take place next Friday (24 July). As tickets are sold out, we are making a livestream available for those who would like to tune in. After all, readers are also an irreplaceable part of a book's lifecycle; without readers, books would not have reason to exist.

So thank you, dear reader, for being a part of the world of each book.

Warmly, 
Cassandra 

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