New Cooperative Press Book Builds on Revolutionary Publishing Model

Heather Ordover, writer and host of the CraftLit podcast, and Shannon Okey, of Cooperative Press and Knitgrrl, have teamed up again for their second book in Ordover's series, What (else) Would Madame Defarge Knit?-28 more patterns and essays inspired by classic literature. The book combines stunning knitting patterns with thought-provoking essays and woodcut-style artwork, all based on the great characters of literature.

The book's release at the end of this month heralds a major step for the two entrepreneurs who brought it to life. "I'm particularly proud," Ordover said, "to be able to build upon the revolutionary publishing model we began with the first book-paying designers a royalty instead of a flat fee, and printing a craft-based book in the US rather than China-but this time with the addition of color photography in the print copy as well as online." Okey adds, "It's also nice to know that we can release a quality book while reducing our carbon footprint by staying with the North American printers we use."

The book employs the Internet as a vital content-sharing tool. While the book is available in print, purchasers are encouraged to bundle print with a digital copy of the book at checkout. The digital version contains live links to websites with unique and regularly updated content unavailable in the printed book. This means that instead of a clumsy glossary or pages of step-by-step instructional photos, Okey and Ordover are able take readers directly to video tutorials, online stores for specialty items, and fun recipes related to the characters that inspired the patterns. Readers of the print copy can easily type in a brief URL and find their way to a webpage containing the book's links, organized by page number. Readers simply click the links and are taken directly to the helpful sites.