Following a successful crowdfunding campaign in November 2022 securing over £5000, Things I Have Loved – A collection (sort of) by Sophia Hembeck has sold over 400 copies on its release day (14th February, 2023 / Valentine’s Day). With over 300 pre-orders, it was already foreseeable that the poetic memoir would sell well upon release. „I am ecstatic. For a micro press, in the genre essay/memoir, it’s absolutely astounding.“ Hembeck says.

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Things I Have Loved is the second part of the Things-Trilogy, Hembeck started writing in 2020. The first book Things I Have Noticed – Essays on leaving/searching/finding follows Hembeck’s various moves across the globe and coming of age stories. "If Things I Have Noticed was about growing up and finding myself Things I Have Loved is about the things that were gained/missed/lost along the way." ​ Told through objects Hembeck has loved, she is weaving a narrative that examines the themes of love, longing and self-worth. By diving deep into memories of her own life, pop-culture and (lost) objects she is getting to the core of how we love and why.

 

Each title is printed in one colour throughout the book and illustrated with monochrome imagery giving the books a distinct artistic feel that goes beyond the standard paperback print of commercial publishers. The first was printed in blue ink with cyanotype prints. Things I Have Loved is red with red riso-printed photography. The third one, Hembeck still keeps under wraps.

 

Muse Letter Publishing was founded by Hembeck in 2020 as a lockdown project, using her substack newsletter and social media platform to crowdfund printing costs and expenses. „It’s a great way to gauge interest and a safe way to get pre-orders without the risk." Having sold over a thousand copies of her first book already Hembeck’s micro press is growing steadily. „I basically tripled pre-orders with my second book, so we’ll see where this one will go.“ She is also planing to eventually publish other authors in the genre memoir/essay and poetry in the future.

 

 

Sophia Hembeck is a writer and visual artist based in Edinburgh. Her newsletter, The Muse Letter, has thousands of subscribers who patiently await their weekly email. Newsletter topics range from personal essays, to interviews with other creatives and artists and it has been recommended by popular names including Pandora Sykes and Jo Elvin.

 

Muse Letter Publishing titles can be ordered from Waterstones and any local bookshop via Gardners. It is stocked in selected bookshops in Edinburgh, Berlin, Madrid and Zürich.