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73 W hen Monique Simpson arrived to her new home in Sillim-dong, she set out to discover all that the area had to offer. In the few months off after her completed work contract before returning to the U.S., she decided to put her findings into written form: Simpson wanted to create a mysterious world set in Sillim’s adult entertainment area. Unfortunately, between Seoul’s writing clubs and an array of book agents stationed locally and abroad, few parties were im- mediately taken with Simpson’s unique style. After dealing with the frustration of continuous rejection letters from established pub- lishing houses, she decided to take matters into her own hands. She and Jill Moreno Ikari, a friend and former university classmate, have established bruinbutterfly, a startup indie publishing house. Their first venture into publishing has come in the form of “Seoul Nights,” the product of Simpson’s vision. Groove Korea: When did you get the inspiration to start something as bold as an indie publishing house? Monique Simpson: Being in Seoul was a great boost to the en- trepreneurial spirit that I didn’t realize I had. I saw how Seoul was like the Promised Land for people who had an idea for a business. Many foreigners create programs, films, theater performances and so forth, (but then) “Seoul Nights” was rejected for more than six months by publishers. You reach a point when you have no choice but to do the typical “hero/heroine journey.” What is the idea behind the publishing house, and w hat do you hope it will achieve? The idea behind bruinbutterfly is to combine elements of sociol- ogy, travel and creative writing to produce edutainment for readers with international and urban interests. I would like to tell unique stories that reflect social issues, and I hope to use some of the profits from the book sales to donate to charities that are working to improve the issues written about. I think that’s the next step in journalism and literature — authors bringing attention to problems — but we also need to contribute financially to the solution if we are really seeking change. Being based in the U.S. and having an American editorial board, how to you plan on reaching an international audi- ence? The Internet is where the majority of books are sold, so of course that is the foundation of bruinbutterfly. I hope to raise funds in or- der to publish the books and to work with bookstores in the coun- tries that are featured in the novel itself. For example, “Waiting for God,” another one of our potential books, is set in Laos but has characters from Korea, Japan, Ecuador and Chile. Lastly, good literature has a way of finding international readers. (Our com- pany) may never become Penguin or Random House, but it can contribute to the literary world and the greater social improvement of a few places. You were the one who conceptualized “Seoul Nights,” but the fnal product was written by Ze lé Roi. How has lé Roi further developed your initial idea, and how much input did you have in how it was written? I wrote a rough draft with notes and ideas, though I was aware that people didn’t like my slow pace of telling stories. Book agents told me that the idea was good, but the writing style was not for them. Ze lé Roi has a style that’s fast-paced and has cultural ref- erence and sarcasm, which also fits modern times. I had to take my ego out of the mix and step back from the project. That was the only way for this project to succeed. What’s the next step for bruinbutterfly? We are selling previews of novels to try and raise money and gain attention. It’s a slow process and each step is a new lesson. We’re also doing a Kickstarter campaign this summer and hiring an outside editor and book designer. I want to grow bruinbutterfly into a small business that tells interesting stories, makes a profit and contributes financially to community groups. MorE INFo j bruinbutterfly indie publishing Website: bruinbutterfly.wordpress.com