The Editor’s Run. Make it count, make it last!

The Editor’s Run. Make it count, make it last!

from July 12, 2025 on

No, it is not about the editor running away, but running towards.
I thought a lot this year about how the very things we love become one with our mental identity, but also with our physical presence, in good ways and in bad ways.

As independent artbook editors part of a self-publishing structure (in a limited circulation language), we do everything ourselves, going through all the stages of the book cycle: research and editing work, fundraising work, collaboration with artists, archives, libraries, galleries, museums and other art institutions, writers, designers, translators, printing workshops, and ultimately, carrying, distribution and selling work.

The carrying work to make the book go from the self zone to the others’ zone appears to count a lot in my case, as with time it arrived to unable me to run as much as I wanted, because of back issues. The books I work for have shortened my runs from marathon to 10k or half-marathon. No more marathon blues for me, the runners know what I am talking about.

But how to describe these books of ours that now also reside in my back: they uncover things, they bring context to artists’ work, they are memorable, they look beautiful and are a pleasure to find on bookshelves. Also, it’s not easy to make them happen, funds are low and costs become even higher this year with VAT increasing for books.

While I mark this autumn 15 years since my first marathon, I thought of celebrating books and runs together for 3 months, between July 12 to October 12, 2025. As we run towards new books and series projects to come out this and next year at the Institute of the Present’s P+4 Publications, I call on those who love books to contribute with a donation to this effort, as they can, so that we continue bringing new books to life. You can also continue to buy our books, the funds raised go into our next titles. Gifts from our previous editions are waiting for supporters.

I plan to count about 300k in the 3 months until October 12, when I will run 10k relay marathon together with fellow artbook lovers Cristina Bobe, Suzana Dan and Germina Ion, for whose involvement and commitment I am deeply grateful. Multiplying each kilometer of these 300k through your contributions will make everything count.

P+4 next publications include:

> Karton Tandem, a magazine for photography and literary experiment
> The Editor’s Run, a messy newspaper with a first issue on real and imaginary illnesses of the artbook editor
> Ștefan Sevastre, artist publication
> Timelines, a pocket-size series dedicated to case studies from Romanian recent art

Make books count! Make art publishing last!

Thank you,
ștefania ferchedău