Publishing Portal--April 23, 2024

The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.

Last Comiskey

=Our newest book got a teaser in the Chicago Sun Times last week. Thanks to Jeff Agrest for this mention...First-time author Ken Smoller’s “Last Comiskey,” an adaptation of Matt Flesch’s 2023 documentary, will be released in May. It serves as a companion piece, combining Smoller’s photographs from the 1990 Sox season, content from the film and new material.

=So, who is author Ken Smoller, you may ask. 

    Ken Smoller (aka “Stadium Vagabond”) is a photographer and writer based in Brookline Massachusetts, with childhood roots in Chicagoland. In over three decades of extensive traveling, he has photographed more than 2,350 stadiums in 48 states and 24 countries. His mantra is that one of the best ways to understand the culture and fabric of a place is through its sporting arenas and stadiums. Today, Ken runs the “Stadium Vagabond” blog (www.stadiumvagabond.com and on social media @stadiumvagabond) to share his photographs and stories from years of sporting adventures around the globe. When he is not at the ballpark, Ken works as a commercial real estate attorney and lives with his wife, Jaime, and two sons, Simon and Charlie. He received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan. Smoller also spent his college summers back in Chicago as a vendor at new Comiskey Park during its first three seasons, and on Sox off-days at Wrigley Field and Soldier Field. Despite living in the Boston area, his sporting loves remain the White Sox, Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks.

=This week he appeared on WCIU, The U, with Kenny McReynolds.

EveryCubEver

=April (Opening Day), May (Mother's Day), June (Father's Day) and December (Christmas) are the four busy seasons every year for EveryCubEver. Two of those are coming up soon. If Mom and/or Dad are Cub fans, the all-new 6th edition is out now!

=This week in 2019, Rick Kaempfer appeared at the Orland Park Sports Card show to sign and sell the book. Randy Richardson was also there signing and selling his book Cubsessions. That's former Cubs catching great Randy Hundley in the photo with him below.

=This week in 2023, Rick Kaempfer appeared on the Andrea Darlas podcast to talk about it.

=This week's birthday boy (April 25), former Chicago Bull Dave Corzine, has a copy of the book.

=Two other significant birthdays this week are featured in the book, Hall of Famers Hack Wilson and Rogers Hornsby. They were teammates on the Cubs and hated each other. Rick's blog will feature their book write-ups on Thursday.

=Here's one more bonus Cubs feature. A home movie from this week in 1938. 

Monkey in the Middle

=Dobie Maxell was in the news this week in 2016. The Milwaukee Journal reviewed his book Monkey in the Middle and had this to say...

    There has been talk of turning "Monkey in the Middle" into a movie. The book opens with Maxwell sharing his rough start in life, which included having a drug addict mother who abandoned him and his siblings, and a father who was in a motorcycle gang. Maxwell was separated from his siblings — they have since reunited — and raised from age 5 months by his grandparents near 20th and Hampton.
    Maxwell calls himself a dented can and, sarcastically, Mr. Lucky. But he has made a life working on the radio in Milwaukee, Chicago, Reno and Los Angeles, and in stand-up comedy, now mostly as a regular at Zanies clubs in the Chicago area. He also teaches comedy.
    Maxwell's humorous approach to life comes through often in the book, even in his exchanges with federal agents and prosecutors. "I realize you're a comedian, but this is damn serious," one of them warns him.

=Just a year later, this week in 2017, Dobie threw out the first pitch at a Brewers game in Milwaukee.

 The Loop Files

=Two events coming up. May 1, from 7-8pm at the ELA library in Lake Zurich. Reserve your slot here. Here’s what the program says…

    Author Rick Kaempfer transports you to the good ole days of radio, the 1970s and 1980s, when “The LOOP”  reigned supreme, shaking up the airwaves and grabbing listeners with a unique brand of programming unlike anything heard before. Kaempfer shares stories from his book told through the eyes of those who were actually there.

=Also, May 11 at the Pollyanna Brewing Company in Roselle. I’ll be there along with fellow ex-Loopers (like WGN-TV’s Jeff Hoover) from 3-7pm signing and selling books. If you don’t have a copy of the book yet, or you’d like your copy signed, that will be a great opportunity. We haven’t had an event in that area yet.

=Two of the contributors to the Loop Files are celebrating birthdays this week. Happy birthday to Vince Argento (April 21) and Kathy Voltmer (April 27). Both contributed stories to the oral history. In the first picture, that's Vince on the far right. He and his wife Liz are among the couples who met at the Loop and later got married, just like Rick and Bridget Kaempfer (also in the photo)

=A frequent guest on the Loop, Mayor Richard M. Daley, is also celebrating a birthday this week (April 24). That's Hizzoner in a photo with Loopers Carol Harmon, Catherine Beckman, Colleen Colleton, and Sandy Stahl.

=One last Looper from this week. Former Loop program director Bill Klaproth's birthday is April 27. That's Bill in a photo with fellow Loopers Matt Bisbee and Rick Kaempfer.

Records Truly Is My Middle Name

=This week in 1954, Joseph Nye Welch appeared at the McCarthy hearings and famously declared, "At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" That wasn't just a crucial moment in American history, it was a crucial moment in John Landecker's life. Joseph Nye Welch is the grandfather of his first wife. He tells that story in this free excerpt from Records Truly Is My Middle Name. 

 

 

Cameo

=This week in 2018, while Rick Kaempfer was down in New Orleans making Cameo available in jewelry stores that sell cameos, author Beth Jacobellis was on the Patti Vasquez show on WGN Radio talking about the book.

Always a Pleasure

=Three of the people featured in Chuck Swirsky's book are celebrating birthdays this week. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver (April 25), the late Blackhawks great Tony Esposito (April 25), and Chuck's partner on Bulls broadcasts, Bill Wenningon (April 26)

The Balding Handbook

=This week in 2013, David Stern appeared on the Mancow television show on WPWR-TV. Who did he meet there? Chicago sportscaster Mike North, shown here taunting Dave with his full head of hair.

Brandwidth

=This week in 2018, Kipper McGee appeared on the Brandstorm podcast to talk about his book Brandwidth. 

 Inside Melania

=This week is the real Melania Trump's birthday (April 26). The fake one, Melania impersonator Lauren LoGiudice was in town recently. She does the world's best Melania impersonation, and wrote a whole book about it for Eckhartz Press.

 Best Seat in the House

=This week in 2015, Bruce Bohrer made the trek into enemy territory to promote his Cubs book about his years as a Wrigley Field usher. Penny Golden interviewed him on-stage at the Beverly Arts Center.

Turn it Up

=Bob Shannon's great book about radio personalities features an entire chapter about this week's birthday boy, the late Casey Kasem. Casey also makes an appearance in the Rick Kaempfer spy thriller set in 1976, Back in the DDR.

We Have Company

=Peter Frampton (born April 22) gets the full-chapter treatment in Bobby Skafish's great memoir about his rock and roll interviews...

Hospital, Heal Thyself!

=Congratulations to author Mark Taylor. We signed him to a deal at Eckhartz Press a few months ago, and his book was selling very well on our site. So well, in fact, that it caught the eye of a big publisher. When we sign our authors they maintain the copyright to their work, and we agree in advance that we won't hold them back if they get a better opportunity. That's what happened with Mark. He was very grateful for all we did for him...

“I was feeling pretty destitute when a friend referred me to Chicago’s Eckhartz Press in 2023. My first and only book, “Hospital, Heal Thyself,” had been rejected for several years by scores of publishers and book agents. They said it didn’t neatly fit into a marketing niche. Admittedly, it was a tough sell: part biography of Eugene Litvak, a math genius and Soviet émigré-turned- healthcare innovator, part jeremiad railing against a broken healthcare delivery system. But the very qualities that other publishers shied away from, Eckhartz Publisher David Stern embraced. He and his talented professional staff helped me to get my book into better shape and published it in early 2024.  

By mutual agreement, I maintained ownership of the copyright to my book. So when a large international publisher expressed interest in producing “Hospital, Heal Thyself” for a wider national audience, Eckhartz and Stern could not have been more supportive. He was kind, generous and totally helpful, a writer’s dream!  A few weeks later John Wiley & Sons, a publisher with deep contacts in business, academia and foreign language markets, agreed to publish my book. That never would have happened without Eckhartz’ help. I’m so grateful to David Stern and the Eckhartz staff for their support and assistance.”

 =Mark Taylor, April 2024    

Publishing Portal--January 2, 2024

 

The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.

EP News

*The Loop Files publicity tour continues

=Thanks to Pete McMurray and Steve Cochran for having me on WLS last week.

=The Chicago Writes podcast also features The Loop Files this month. 

=Thanks to everyone who bought it over the Christmas season. 

*A Peek Inside: Surviving Sue. Author Victoria Atkinson discusses the feedback she got at a recent book club event. Vicki also co-hosts a podcast called The Heart of the Matter.

*Eckhartz Press author Brent Petersen (Truffle Hunt) is featured in this month's Illinois Entertainer, talking about his podcast Destination Eat Drink.

*One of the questions I got asked quite often during my recent publicity tour: How do you choose the books you publish? We are a Chicago-based publisher, so we are looking for Chicago stories and/or Chicago authors. Our submission guidelines are posted on the website.

This Week in Eckhartz Press history

This week's look back at Eckhartz Press history gives some good examples of the type of stories and authors that we look for...

*In 2022, one of our top selling books was Chili Dog MVP, a look back at the magical 1972 White Sox season that featured the heroics of the great slugger Dick Allen. It was honored at the Book of the Year awards by the Chicago Writers Association that year.

*The Daily Herald featured the book this week in 2022.

*One of the other players featured in the book, the late Bart Johnson, was born this week in 1950.

 

*In 2012 we were a brand new company pushing our very first book. The Living Wills was a collaborative novel written by Brendan Sullivan and Rick Kaempfer using techniques we learned from the world of improv.

*We wrote it at The Catalyst Ranch, and they interviewed us this week in 2012 about our process.

*The Northwest Indiana Times also reviewed the book this week in 2012. 

*This week the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame celebrates its 10th year as a 501c3 Not For Profit. It's a great organization and we're proud to have the president and founder of the CLHOF as part of the Eckhartz Press stable of authors. Donald G. Evans wrote a wonderful collection of short stories called An Off-White Christmas.

*The notorious Chicago gangster Joey "the Clown" Lombardo was born on January 1st. Lombardo is featured in the pages of Mob Adjacent by Jeffrey and Michael Gentile. The Eckhartz Press book was a finalist for CWA Book of the Year in 2020.

 

 

*The former Chicago Daily News arts reporter (and Northwestern University professor) Jack Hafferkamp released his novel Sepsis via Eckhartz Press this week in 2017.

 

*In 2022, Eckhartz Press released Chuck Swirsky's memoir Always a Pleasure. It features some great stories about his life as a sportscaster, and some memorable photos as well. Here he is with this week's birthday boy Lou Holtz. 

*In 2018, Eckhartz Press released the final book from another great Chicago sportscaster, Chet Coppock. Your Dime My Dance Floor is a tour through the history of Chicago sports, told by someone who had a front row seat. This photo from the book features Chet with this week's birthday boy, former White Sox slugger Ron Kittle.

 

*In 2021 we released a book about all the American soccer players who had gone to play professionally in the Premier League. It's called Transatlantic Passage, and was written by Paul Banks. Here's what this week's birthday boy Dave Kerner had to say about it...

• “You’ll love reading about what it’s like to be a soccer (always going to be football to me!) fan from multiple perspectives. Thanks to Paul and this in depth look at the evolution of international soccer in the United States, in some ways negative for the men’s game, and in some ways positive for the women’s game.”

  Dave Kerner, Sports Anchor, WBBM Radio

 

And finally, this time last year I appeared on David W. Berner's podcast to tell him my New Years Resolutions. I vowed to finish a book I was writing about a certain radio station. For once, I lived up to my New Years resolution.

The Swirsk in Canada

The Loop Files: Chuck Swirsky

 

 I'm working on a special project this year about a certain radio station, so I've been going back into my files and pulling out some old interviews with former Loop colleagues and pals. I'll feature one a week here on the blog. This week it's sportscaster Chuck Swirsky. Swirsk is now the radio play-by-play man of the Chicago Bulls, but in the early 80s he was brought aboard the Loop from his previous radio home, WCFL. He wrote about that in his book, "Always a Pleasure" which was released last Christmas by Eckhartz Press. The following is a short excerpt of his chapter about the Loop...

With one eye looking to leave WCFL the timing couldn’t have been more perfect then to receive an offer from the hottest radio station in the country in 1980, WLUP FM, commonly known as “The Loop.” The station played rock and roll music featuring high energy personalities like the outrageous morning show duo of Steve Dahl and Garry Meier, who took radio to a different level, depending on how you define “different.”

      Dahl drew national attention when his Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park ended in a riot. The playing field was so unplayable the Sox had to forfeit the second game of a doubleheader against the Tigers. The station featured some of the best radio music hosts in the country in Sky Daniels, Mitch Michaels, and Patti Haze. News Director Tom Webb was terrific, as was news anchor Buzz Kilman.

     General Manager Les Elias told me his plans were for me to anchor morning and afternoon drive sports and eventually host a Sunday night sports talk show. I liked Elias very much, along with his assistant Greg Solk, a rising star in broadcast management. I was leaving a nightly sports talk show, navigating my way to a new world of sports on a rock and roll station. WCFL offered give me a two-year deal, but I declined.

     My first shift on “The Loop” took place September 22, 1980. I sat down in a small booth with a glass partition separating myself and the on-air hosts, in this case Dahl and Meier. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect, but it became very apparent from day one that they were not pleased I invaded their space. They would constantly interrupt my sportscasts and at times not give it back as they moved on to other things. In their eyes I was a nuisance. To a certain degree I understood where they were coming from. Steve and Garry were on the verge of overtaking legendary morning man WGN’s Wally Phillips for the top spot in morning drive ratings, and suddenly a new voice arrives taking time away from their show.

     I kept my head down and continued to report and cover Chicago sports. My Sunday night sports talk show took us to different venues around the city performing live from the “Thirsty Whale” to “Buffoons.” We did salute a “Buffoon of the Week” with a box of Lemonhead Candy sent to the recipient.

     On Friday, February 13, 1981, following my morning sportscasts, I hung around the station for 30 minutes or so, then grabbed the bus to take me home. To reiterate, this is 1981. No cell phones, Internet, social media. I returned to the station around 2:30 and saw our receptionist trying her best to answer calls at a frenetic pace.

     “What is going on?” I asked myself. I’ll tell you what was going on: Steve Dahl had been fired by Heftel Broadcasting for “continued assaults on community standards and repeated violations of company policy” (WLUP release).

     I was stunned. Meier was offered the opportunity to stay but declined. It was major news in Chicago. Like front page news. Dahl was a megastar. He was Howard Stern before Howard Stern. Regardless of if you found him to your liking or not, Dahl was a superstar in the industry.

Next week: Cindy Gatziolis

Chuck Swirsky Book Signing

RIP Bobby Hull

Sorry to hear this news. He was one of my heroes when I was boy. Even though I discovered as an adult that he wasn't exactly a real hero when it came to life, it's still sad to hear he passed away. This is Bobby Hull and Chuck Swirsky from Chuck's book "Always a Pleasure"...

The Eckhartz Bookshelf: Always a Pleasure

Our top selling book of last year's holiday season is still going strong. Chuck will be appearing at the Windy City Bulls game this weekend. Details in the flier below...

So, when you pull Always a Pleasure off the book shelf, what will you find inside it?

Always A Pleasure is a compilation of Chuck Swirsky’s life in and out of the landscape of sports broadcasting along with stories featuring personalities and life-changing experiences that have shaped who he is. Always A Pleasure will detail a journey from Virginia to Seattle, Ohio, Chicago, Detroit, and Toronto, that has enabled Chuck to benefit from the virtues of perseverance, passion, and positivity through the leadership and mentoring of others.

Here's what other people say about it...

• Having known Chuck since my days as a still-developing youth player in Toronto, where my dad was a member of the Raptors, I can attest to the fact that his passion for people and basketball is deep and sincere. Chuck’s unique desire to mentor young people, especially minorities and those of different cultures and backgrounds, will help inspire those who share the same dreams, dreams that enabled him to persevere to the top of his profession. I’m proud of Chuck, and excited that others can become enlightened by his exciting broadcasting journey, which includes nearly 25 years in the NBA and, of course, a trio of Curry family members shooting from the stars, just like him.

  --Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors, 2-time NBA MVP, 4-time NBA champion

• Basketball is about more than the players on the court or the fans in the stands. It’s also about the voices who add color to the game—play-by-play, night after night. And Chuck Swirsky is one of the legends responsible for the soundtrack of basketball. With passion that is always palpable, Chuck brings excitement every time he picks up a mic. Over the years, millions of fans have hung onto his every word, but what’s even more special about him is who he is when the mic is off. In my years in Toronto with Chuck, I never received a greeting from him that didn’t include an ear-to-ear grin. I feel lucky to have seen him continue to grow as a broadcaster when he and his family moved to Chicago. Chuck showed me that a team is only as strong as the environment surrounding it — a community that extends beyond the clubhouse. So thank you, Chuck—for your enthusiasm on great days and positivity on the rough ones. You made Toronto a great place to be in a great place to play. Oh, and thanks to your kids for always keeping those cookies around. Those were no joke.

  --Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat. 2021 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. 2 time NBA Champion.

• Upbeat, energetic and optimistic, Chuck Swirsky has enjoyed a court-side seat to the NBA’s — not to mention Chicago sports’ — greatest decades. First as a sports reporter/personality and later as the well-respected play-by-play voice of the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls, Chuck entertains and informs through his deep sports knowledge and unsurpassed preparation and work ethic. His distinctive voice and passion for people and the games they love has entertained millions.

  --Jerry Reinsdorf, Chairman of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox. 6 NBA Championships. 2005 World Series Champion. 2016 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

• Night in and night out there was no one who brought more heart and passion to the game of basketball than Chuck Swirsky. For ten years Chuck was the very soul of building fans who loved his unique style and upbeat personality. Nothing tasted better than his call to “bring out the salami and cheese Mamma”.. his special winning call. Chuck will always be a hero in Toronto.

  --Larry Tanenbaum, Chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Chairman of the NBA Board of Governors

• I have now worked with Chuck “The Swirsk” for 14 years. First and foremost, he is a good man, great partner and loyal friend. I have not met a person who is more knowledgeable of the game of basketball, past and present. His recall is nothing short of amazing! He always has an impressive fact or stat that is relevant to our broadcast. He brings his ‘A GAME’ every time.

  --Bill Wennington, Chicago Bulls : 3 time NBA Champion. Basketball analyst on Chicago Bulls Radio Network.
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Chuck Swirsky Book Signing

 Thanks so much to everyone who came out to the United Center last night for Chuck Swirsky's book signing. It was great meeting all of his fans, and experiencing the excitement of the live Bulls crowd. Bill Wennington stopped by. So did Score boss Mitch Rosen. Here are a few pics from the event...