Karen Chase's Bonjour 40 Follows a New Standard in Publishing

My pal Karen Chase, who used to run a design studio in Roanoke and has moved that to Richmond, has a new book that is causing a stir. It's not so much the content of Bonjour 40 (A Paris travel log: 40 years. 40 days. 40 seconds.) that is causing people to stop and look, but how Karen put this book together and is marketing it.

Let's say up front that the book is quite good.

No mistake: Bonjour 40 would, I think, be a hit regardless of who published it and designed it. But Karen did all that, in addition to providing the prose. Bonjour 40 began as a blog for Karen's friends, recording the 40-day vacation she took in Paris as her 40th birthday present to herself. Then it blossomed, as only it can in the hands of an artist.

Her photos are striking and her stories revealing of a marvelous time in a sparkling place.

Karen's marketing, creation of an e-book (which she says is selling 200 copies a month, quite a nice number) and general understanding of who buys books and how they are bought are all impressive.

If this is where we're going, I like it and I think the ride will be fun. Imagine following Karen on her bike through the streets of Paris. You have my permission to ride a Vespa (but you can't have Audrey Hepburn on the back; she's with me).