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Welcome to Broken Watch Press, an independent press publishing the work of Hayes Brown.  After several years attempting to get a literary agent and/or publisher for my novel manuscript, I decided to start my own publishing company and pursue writing in much the same way that painters and musicians pursue their art.  The general goal is to develop a body of work along with an audience who appreciates it.

The past decade has been an informal education in books, writing, and indie publishing.  Like most writers, I love books and have a solid and growing collection, which I now realize serves as a source of inspiration for both my writing and publishing.  My collection is centered around the Beat Generation, with an emphasis on William S. Burroughs and Charles Bukowski.  Through book collecting, I have gained great respect for independent publishers, such as City Lights Books and Black Sparrow Press, the hundreds of little magazines that provided writers with blank pages to fill, and the independent booksellers that made these publications available to avid readers.

I have experimented with traditional book printers, on-demand publishing, and in-house production in issuing Broken Watch Press titles.  Although I appreciate many aspects of modern digital technology, I still enjoy the total experience of a book in my hands and consider a good book to be a worthwhile human artifact.  Consequently, I plan to steer my journey in words toward the book arts and publish limited edition, handcrafted books.  I hope you will be part of this journey.

Hayes Brown
Broken Watch Press