Publishing Portal--November 26, 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.

Happy Birthday!

=Eckhartz Press children's author Ken Korber is celebrating a birthday this week (November 30). Ken has written eight books for us over the years, our most prolific author. Here he is with publishers Rick and Dave holding up a few of his covers....

=For more about Ken, check out this Q&A with the author.

I Bear Witness

=Don't forget that this Saturday (November 30) from 1-4pm Dan McNeil is having his book launch party at Bridges in Griffith Indiana (121 N. Griffith Road). He'll be signing and selling copies of his very timely book about Chicago Bears dysfunction. This photo from the book (Dave Wannstedt & Dan) was actually taken at Bridges.

The Flip Side

=We'll be getting the copies of this hot-selling book into our warehouse any day now, and will start shipping them out to the hundreds of you who have already pre-ordered it. The authors (Carl & Larry Rosenbaum, and Ken Churilla) already have their copies. 

 

=In the meantime, here's a free picture from the book. This week's birthday boy Howie Mandel (November 29) with Flip Side co-owner Carl Rosenbaum.

=Launch Party for the book is scheduled for Sat - Dec 7th from noon  to 3p at Garibaldi's in Hoffman Estates. 2346 W. Higgins Road.  It's actually next door to their former flagship store location. Come meet the authors, get a book signed, and get some pizza.
=Then there's another upcoming event for this book along with two other Eckhartz Press books. On Sunday December 8th, the authors of four captivating books will be answering questions and signing books at the Studio 64 room on the 2nd floor of the Arcada Theater noon and 2:00 pm. These books and their authors are:

Ø The Flip Side – Where Chicago Rocked by Flip Side record store chain founders and music entrepreneurs Carl and Larry Rosenbaum.

Ø The Loop Files – An Oral History of the Most Outrageous Radio Station Ever by Eckhartz Press publisher, writer and Chicago radio producer Rick Kaempfer.

Ø Doin’ the Cruise – Memories from a Lifetime in Radio and Rock & Roll by Legendary Chicago FM radio personality Mitch Michaels: 

 Ø 70s Chicagoland Rock Concerts by veteran rock concert photographer Jim Summaria and writer Mark Plotnick.

At 3:00 pm, The Ides of March will be performing on the Arcada Theater’s main stage. Purchase tickets and make it a day of great rock ‘n’ roll memories. The Arcada Theater is in St. Charles.

The Loop Files

=Last year at this time, Loop Files author Rick Kaempfer was all over the place. His first appearance (November 24) was at Blue Village Vinyl in Westmont. A bunch of former Loopers joined him there. (Mitch Michaels, Leslie Harris, Scott Childers, and Jeff Hoover)

=The same day Rick went to another former Looper's house, Leslie Keiling, and appeared on yet another former Looper's podcast, Garry Meier. Former Teenage Radiation drummer Gregg Potter was on that podcast too. You can watch it here.

=A few days later (November 29) Block Club Chicago profiled Rick and the book, giving it a tremendous review. That review was nominated for a Peter Lisagor Award.

=That same day Rick appeared on the WGN-TV Morning News. You can still see that here.

=And the following night (November 30), the official book launch party happened at Pippin's Tavern in Chicago. This is where a lot of Loopers used to hang out back in the day. Many, many of them turned out for the party. Thanks to Will Byington for hopping on the bar to take this photo of us.  

=And happy birthday to Looper and artist Tony Fitzpatrick. His birthday was November 24. Tony is also featured in the book. As is today's birthday boy (November 26) Roman Sawczak. Roman was the leader of Steve Dahl's band Teenage Radiation, and also later the producer of Steve & Garry's show.

Surviving Sue

=Those of you who have read Victoria Atkinson's book Surviving Sue know about her sister Lisa. She is one of the main characters of the book. Lisa is currently a resident at Clearbrook, and Vicki wrote a wonderful piece on her blog in support of that fine organization. You can read it here. Please consider giving to Clearbrook this holiday season.

Gel Strong!

=This week in 2016 (November 26), Mark Gelinas held the first of two book launch parties for his book Gel Strong. This one was at that Broken Oar Marina Bar & Grill in Port Barrington. Huge turnout. Great night.

Ike and Me

=Ryan Baker is celebrating a birthday this week (November 25). The Channel 2 sportscaster was kind enough to come out to Rich King's book launch party at Guaranteed Rate Field and interview Rich and Ike. The interview aired on Channel 2's morning show.

 Last Comiskey

=Thanks so much to Jim O'Donnell of the Daily Herald for mentioning that Last Comiskey is a finalist for CWA Book of the Year. 

Your Dime My Dance Floor

=Two huge sports stars were born this week, Joe DiMaggio (November 25) and Oscar Robertson (November 24). Chet Coppock knew both men and featured them in his Eckhartz Press book Your Dime My Dance Floor. This photo of Chet and Oscar was taken in the locker room following the Milwaukee Bucks championship in 1971.

Chili Dog MVP

=This week in 2021 (November 30) Chili Dog MVP authors Dr. David Fletcher and John Owens were interviewed by the Hall of Very Good.

=Because the book is about the 1972 White Sox, every single member of that team gets a mention in the book, including Jorge Orta, born this week (November 26) in Mexico. Jorge was very young in 1972, but went on to become a World Series champion (with KC).

Back in the DDR

=This week in 2022 (November 25), Podcaster (Destination Eat Drink) Brent Petersen interviewed Back in the DDR author Rick Kaempfer about the many foodie moments in his novel. You can listen to that here.

 
Truffle Hunt

=If that name Brent Petersen sounds familiar, you're right. He's also an Eckhartz Press author. This week in 2017 (November 30), he was following the war crimes trial from the Hague. The criminals on trial were the sorts of men portrayed in Brent's novel Truffle Hunt.  

 The Balding Handbook

=Author David Stern was at his guerilla marketing best this week (November 27) in 2012 when he was promoting his book The Balding Handbook. He went viral when he took out an ad for an obituary in a Seattle newspaper for Hedda Haire. Get it? Read more about that here.

Father Knows Nothing

=This week (November 30) in 2016, Rick Kaempfer released this video to promote Father Knows Nothing. The song lyrics appear in the book. The video makes it come to life. Ironically, the video is edited by Rick's son Tommy, the original target of the song. Vince Argento is the singer.

Cameo

=This week in 2018, Beth Jacobellis's Eckhartz Press novel Cameo became an e-book. Guess what? You can still get the e-book version here.

 Life Behind the Camera

=Nobody got bigger celebrity endorsements for his book than Life Behind the Camera author Chuck Quinzio. How does he do it? At the time of this photo, Rahm Emanuel was the Mayor of Chicago, and Chuck was a photographer for WFLD-TV, Channel 32. Rahm's birthday is this week  (November 29).

The Living Wills

=This week in 2011 (November 30), we released our first ever book, The Living Wills. We weren't expecting it to get such an outpouring of good reviews. Here are a few from readers...

 "I absolutely loved this book! I enjoyed everything about it - the characters, the storylines, and how it all fits together in the end. It took a few chapters for me to really get into it, and then I didn't want to put it down. I cried when I finished it, but mostly because it was over. The story illustrates how connected our lives really are to so many other people, and in ways that we may not even realize. I read Rick Kaempfer's first novel, "$everance", and I liked that one too, but this one was even better! I would love to see more books from this team of authors - keep it up, guys!!"

--Chocoholic mom

""The Living Wills" is a wonderful story of the meaning of family and friendship in life. This book especially strikes a chord if you're from Chicago, but I would think that any reader would identify with at least one of the main characters, their problems, joys and relationships. Highly recommended!"
--Dina S.

"I am an avid reader across many genre. I enjoy taking diverse ideas and rubbing them together to see how I might surprise myself and learn something new, feel something different. The Living Wills is a terrific story that does the same thing between its covers. I laughed, I cried, I thought deeply, and I have taken action based on the wonderful and realistic story. This is a magnificent book for adults and particularly those of us who are into the second half of our lives or who know someone who is. It gives new insights into how to measure the meaning of one's life - whether in its entirety or just two seconds."
--Gil H.

"I absolutely loved this book! I loved the characters, the storylines, and especially how the stories all came together at the end. I also laughed and cried, and was sad when I finished the book. I would love to read more books by these two authors. Keep writing, guys!!!"
--Carol R.

 

Publishing Portal--October 29, 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.

Happy Birthday Eckhartz Press!

Eckhartz Press was founded this week (November 1) in 2011. The name is a mashup of the first names of our co-publisher's fathers, Eckhard Kaempfer and Fritz Stern. The logo is a laughing E to remind us never to take ourselves too seriously. Since our first book The Living Wills came out in November of 2011, we've published over 100 books, including 14 Book of the Year finalists. Our books have been sold for movie rights, sold to international publishers, and featured by The Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun Times, the Daily Herald, dozens of magazines, nearly every Chicago radio and television station, hundreds of podcasts and countless blogs, websites, and on-line publications. We never would have believed it when we started this little boutique Chicago publishing company thirteen years ago. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to our success (especially our gifted authors!), but most of all, thank you to the readers who continue to buy Eckhartz Press books. We greatly appreciate you.

New Book Release!

=We have another brand new book available for pre-order beginning today. I Bear Witness by Dan McNeil. Almost 40 years have passed since the Super Bears shuffled into American consciousness and hoisted the trophy. Why? From Ditka to Eberflus, Walter to Caleb, I Bear Witness is your locker room pass to four decades of triumph, travail and tragedy. Through the eyes of insider Dan McNeil, a Chicago sports radio titan, this tells all on Team McCaskey's devolution to the NFL's most dysfunctional franchise. I Bear Witness is available for pre-order now!

Book Anniversaries

=It turns out that this week in history is a popular one for Eckhartz Press book releases.

+In 2013 (October 30), we released Chuck Quinzio's Life Behind the Camera. (Read former WGN-TV reporter Nancy Loo's article about the book)

 +In 2015 (October 31), we released Pat Colander's Hugh Hefner's First Funeral. (Check out photos from the book release party)

+In 2016 (October 27), we released The Scar Dance by William Mansfield. (Here's a Q&A with the author)

+In 2020 (October 28), we released Mansfield's follow up, his memoir The Most Beautiful Place in Hell.

+In 2022 (November 1), Back in the DDR by Rick Kaempfer was initially offered up for pre-order.

     

    

    

    

    

The Loop Files

=This week in 2023 (November 1), the Illinois Entertainer published a teaser about our big Christmas book, The Loop Files.

=Bruce Wolf had author Rick Kaempfer on his podcast to talk about the book (October 28), and the industry trade publication Morning Mouth also wrote a piece about The Loop Files (October 31)

 Records Truly Is My Middle Name

=This was a big week for John Records Landecker in 2017 (November 2). He was inducted in the National Radio Hall of Fame. Mike Dempsey was on hand to film it.

=Exactly four years earlier, John was on Chicago Tonight with Phil Ponce talking about his book on WTTW.

Joe Jackson vs. Chicago American League Baseball Club

=This week in 2023 (October 31), Dr. David Fletcher appeared on the podcast Byers & Company to talk about his new book about the Shoeless Joe trial. 

=He was also featured (November 2) along with co-author Jacob Pomrenke in this report on Fox-32 WFLD-TV Chicago. 

Death of the Angels

=This week (October 28) is National First Responders Day. Our late author Alex Burkholder was passionate about the work of first responders. His book Death of the Angels was about the famous 1958 fire at Our Lady of the Angels school, and the firefighters who were there that day were his heroes. When the book was released, on the 60th anniversary of the fire, we released it at a Chicago firehouse. 

Safe Inside

=This week in 2017 (October 28), Safe Inside author Lee Kingsmill appeared a book club in Northwest Indiana to read and promote his book. 

Talking Bout My Generation

=This week in 2022 (November 2), Treatment Magazine featured a nice article about Will Wagner's book Talking Bout My Generation. You can read it here.

EveryCubEver

=This week in 2019, Rick Kaempfer appeared on WGN Radio with Andrea Darlas and CBS-2's Brad Edwards to talk about his book EveryCubEver.

Chili Dog MVP

=A few weekends ago Eckhartz Press publishers Rick and Dave ran into the co-author of Chili Dog MVP, Dr. David Fletcher. It wasn't a chance meeting. Doc was kind enough to score these seats. It was Rick's first Illini game in 40 years. That Illini Dad shirt Dave is wearing was once the property of Rick's dad Eckhard. 

=The book Chili Dog MVP is about the 1972 White Sox, and it does feature everyone who played for the team that year including this week's (October 31) birthday boy Ed Spiezio. Ed's son Scott later played in the big leagues too.

 Mob Adjacent

=This week in 2020 (October 27), Mob Adjacent co-author Mike Gentile appeared on WGN Radio with John Landecker. You can still hear that interview here. 

 

Cubsessions

=Two of the famous Chicagoans who shared their Cubs love in the book Cubsessions by Becky Sarwate and Randy Richardson are celebrating birthdays this week. Happy birthday to former Chicagoan (and star of Bleacher Bums) Dennis Franz (October 28), and happy birthday to the man who has personally met seemingly every person to ever step foot in Chicago, Ronnie Woo Woo Vickers (October 31). Ronnie even came out to a few of the Cubsessions book signings...

Truffle Hunt

=One of the enthusiastic supporters of Brent Petersen's foodie novel Truffle Hunt is Vesna Plakinis. Vesna's birthday is this week (October 29). Here's what she had to say about Brent's novel...

• “Truffle Hunt” serves up a five-star gourmet feast of murder, hidden historical gems, deep family pride, a dash of humor and romance, topped with delicate slices of heavenly, golden truffles and a glass of nectar from the deepest Eastern European wine cellars. As a gourmand, mushroom hunter, animal lover and world traveler, I ate the delicious book up in just a couple of sittings. Now, all I need is a truffle hunting dog, a simian bartender, and I can I can bring the pages of this book to life in my kitchen!

  Vesna Plakanis, Owner, A Walk in the Woods, Nature Guide Service

 

Behind the Glass

=Yes, most of the people featured in Randy Merkin's book about Sports Radio are sports heroes. There are however, a few exceptions who rate their own chapter in the book. One of them, Henry Winkler, is celebrating a birthday this week (October 30). In the photo, L-R, John Jurkovic, Henry, Randy, and Carmen DeFalco.

The Radio Producer's Handbook

November 1, 2004, Bill Zwecker interviewed Rick Kaempfer and John Swany Swanson in the Chicago Sun Times. You can still read that interview here.  

International Authors Day

=November 1 is International Authors Day. You'd think that a boutique Chicago press like Eckhartz Press wouldn't have any international authors. You would be wrong. Brent Petersen (Truffle Hunt) lives in Portugal right now. Rick Kaempfer (Back in the DDR) and Felitzitas Sudendorf (A Reluctant Immigrant) grew up in Germany. Bob Boone (City U) was a teacher in Germany. Ann Wilson (In Small Boxes) grew up in Hong Kong. Chuck Swirsky (Always a Pleasure) is a citizen of Canada. Leonid Osseny, the illustrator of 1001 Train Rides in Chicago, grew up in Russia, and Everything I Know I Learned from Rock Stars author Bill Paige lives in Thailand.

Publishing Portal--February 13, 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.

Happy Birthday!

*Eckhartz Press author Janet Sutherland (Nose Over Toes) is celebrating a birthday this week (February 14). Back in 2019 she wrote an inspiring memoir about her recovery from a brain aneurysm. This photo was taken at her book launch party at Ditka's Restaurant in Chicago.

Happy Anniversary!

*This week in 2015, Brent Petersen's Eckhartz Press book Truffle Hunt came out. This is the photo of the first time he held his foodie novel in his hands. He has gone on to become a world renowned foodie podcaster and webmaster (Destination Eat Drink.)

*Close Encounters of a Chicago Kind

=Vicki Quade isn't just an Eckhartz Press author. She's also an incredibly hilarious playwright. Her claim to fame is the show Late Night Catechism, but she has done many more. Her Bingo series is really worth your time. Here's some more info about the newest one...

    Easter Bunny Bingo: Jesus, Resurrection, & Peeps!, which returns on March 1, just in time for the Easter season, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, Chicago.  Easter Bunny Bingo will run for five weeks only during the Lenten season, starting Friday, March 1, through Saturday, March 30. There is no show on Easter Sunday. Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. All performances are at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Ticket prices are $35, group rates available. For tickets, call the box office at 773-404-7336 or go to: https://www.greenhousetheater.org.

*Inside Melania

=Look who is coming into town! Lauren LoGiudice wrote a book for Eckhartz Press during the Trump years about her nationwide tour impersonating Melania. This time she is coming back to Chicago with a slightly different agenda.

*The Loop Files

=The Loop Files features some of Chicago's all-time broadcasting greats. One of those talented broadcasters is celebrating a birthday this week, Wendy Snyder. She tells some great stories in the book and also provided a few photos from her early days, including this one...

=Also, mark your calendar for this upcoming book signing. Bringing Mitch Michaels and John Landecker along too...

*Records Truly Is My Middle Name

=Speaking of John Landecker, when he published his award-winning memoir Records Truly is My Middle Name, he never dreamt that it would satisfy the final requirement for his college degree. Despite his Hall of Fame radio career, John had never gotten his college degree. His Alma Mater Grand Valley State University did some research into his transcripts and realized he just needed one more writing course. Writing a book certainly qualified. So, this week in 2018, John was awarded his degree. I wrote about that for Illinois Entertainer. This is John on graduation day.

*Oscars Biggest Mistakes

 =This is the busy season for Eckhartz Press author Eric Litt (Oscars Biggest Mistakes). You'll be hearing him doing interviews about this year's Oscars. In 2022, he was on WGN radio doing that very thing. By the way, he predicted all five of his categories correctly.

*Surviving Sue

=Eckhartz Press author Vicki Atkinson is very generous with the readers of her blog. She often offers additional peeks inside her book Surviving Sue. This one is called Healing Across Generations.

*Safe Inside

=This week in 2018, Lee Kingsmill was also making the rounds doing interviews, including WGN Radio. Lee (photo) is widely respected as a writer. Fellow author Michael Lister said this...

• “The best books expand our humanity by the vicarious experiences and opportunities for compassion they provide. Lee Kingsmill’s Safe Inside is just such a book. It’s rich and textured, filled with family dynamics, religion, sexuality, the refuge of the imagination, the sanctuary of movies, and most of all, the depth, truthfulness, and complexity of humanity.”

  Michael Lister, New York Times Bestselling author of Blood Work

*Protecting Children

=Eckhartz Press has a retired judge in our stable of authors. Judge Michael Bender's book Protecting Children came out in 2018 and was featured this week in the Chicago Tribune.

*Everything I Know I Learned From Rock Stars

=Author Bill Paige conducted hundreds of interviews with rock stars from 1975-1995. Two of them are celebrating birthdays this week, Peter Gabriel (Feb 13) and Gary Clark Jr. (Feb 15). Their stories are featured in Bill's timeless book.

*We Have Company

=Another great Eckhartz Press book about rock and roll is Bobby Skafish's acclaimed We Have Company. Bobby dedicates a chapter in his book to native Chicagoan, Doors organist Ray Manzarek. Ray was born this week in 1939. 

*The Living Wills

=When we formulated the story line of The Living Wills using improvisation techniques, Brendan and I were surprised that the actor Lorne Greene was referenced repeatedly. You never know what will come out in improv. In particular, this song became an important plot point. Happy birthday Lorne, and thanks for the subliminal inspiration. 

*EveryCubEver

=Deep into Cubs-land these days writing the new updated version of EveryCubEver. There are two entries that don't need to be updated, this week's birthday boys Barry Foote and Carl "The Iceman" Lundgren.

*The Balding Handbook

=David Stern's self-help masterpiece The Balding Handbook: Five Stages of Grieving for Your Hair Loss is sold out and out of print, but this tribute to Burt Reynolds lives on, and so does this song, Cueball Wizard, which came out this week in 2014...