One question project: Réka Szentirmay
What inspired you to choose setting up a publishing house over the self-publishing route for your book?
I have always wanted to be a writer, ever since I was a young child. I have been publishing shorter pieces of many kinds since my early teens and I also had the opportunity to make publications for others. At the age of 38, I decided that I needed to make my first very own book before I turned 40. I felt some sort of a need for tangible proof of having achieved something in life. (Just another existential crisis.)
I immediately started on a piece about my mother, but after two years, I am still in the research phase. It is definitely going to be out one day, but we aren’t there yet. I dropped the deadline of publishing before my 40th. Now I am going with the flow of creating something slowly while enjoying the process—instead of stressing about a date that would only matter to me.
Since 2022, I have been working with students of photography. During the course, they have to produce a body of personal documentary work and, by the end of the semester, each of them is to present a complete hand-made photo book that tells a story. It is such a rewarding experience, seeing these talented artists becoming book-makers in a few months’ time, showing off the most poignant publications during the final presentation of their work. I have met wonderful souls and beautiful stories—stories that must be shared with the world. I imagined a time when I could be part of a series of publications made by these students, accessible to the whole wide world.
In 2023, I became the art director of Word Up Pages. I learnt that publishing is for sure a lot of work and requires many skills, but it is far from the impossible peril I had imagined it to be. Then I thought: why wait for someone else to solve this puzzle? Let’s just do it myself. But then, whom to publish first? I needed a book I could freely experiment with, without risking anyone else’s money, sanity and creative freedom.
I had one project quite complete in my mind: one about my father’s passing exactly a decade ago. The timing was just perfect.
I had a rather firm idea how the book should look. This is always a double-edged sword, a firm idea. A lot of the work was done indeed, but what if only the idea is great? What if the executed version turns out weak and needs to be completely reworked? That wouldn’t render the project impossible either, but I wanted to publish on 26th August 2024, the day he would be turning 85. So there was no time to waste. By the end of April, the first draft was with people whose opinion I trust the most. I found the perfect printer by the end of May and the first proper dummy was on my desk by mid-June. Some minor things had to be changed here and there, but the idea behind it seemed to work just fine. It is now being printed and it will be available from 26th August, as planned. It is a book that scares me quite a bit; it is deeply personal and I am still worried how my family will react. My father himself, however, would be flattered. And for this very work, that is what matters.
I have learnt quite a few lessons, and there are many more to come. But I am certainly ready to take on publishing for others. I cannot wait to make them feel as proud as I feel right now.
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On Fading Away will be launched with a casual meet-and-greet on 25th August 2024, Sunday, between 17:00 and 19:00 in the private bar of Pacific Amsterdam. Join us to flick through the book and drink to the memory of the man who inspired it.
Yellow Stairs Publishing is all about creating gorgeous yet affordable photo books, bringing you personal stories from all over the world. Inspired by the classics and zines alike, the aim is to embody independent, slow publishing at its best, where sustainability is non-negotiable. Through small-scale production and eco-conscious choices, Yellow Stairs’ books are not only beautiful but also gentle with your budget—and the environment.
About Réka:
Réka Szentirmay (1984) is an ever-curious explorer of documentary photography and media archaeology with a background in journalism, social sciences, and photography. In February 2024, she founded Yellow Stairs Publishing, embarking on a lifelong dream of making books. Her first volume is coming out on 26th August 2024: On Fading Away is an experimental photo book about a father-daughter relationship, pain, and coming-of-age.
If you want to be part of this project or know someone who would, please go here.