Anyone familiar with the editorial process knows the unique pleasure of finding that rare manuscript that keeps you up at night. The one that has you pacing in your office, waiting for the agent to call, hoping that some other press with deep pockets hasn’t (yet) recognized its brilliance and its beauty. There just isn’t anything in this business that compares. Reading two such manuscripts back-to-back is like winning craps on the hop, letting it ride, and winning again (for those keeping track, and whom might not have the same gambling problems I do, I’m quantifying this feeling as a 225:1 payout). If you think I’m exaggerating, ask anyone who’s worked in acquisitions. Needless to say, the mood is pretty jubilant around Tin House headquarters.

We’re pleased to announce the addition of Christopher Beha and Leni Zumas to an already stellar 2012 lineup.

Chris Beha is the author of The Whole Five Feet, a memoir about (among other things) his journey through the Harvard Classics. He’s also the co-editor, with Joyce Carol Oates, of The Ecco Anthology of Contemporary American Short Fiction, and works on the editorial staff of Harpers. You’ve likely read his work in The New York Times Book Review, The Believer, Bookforum, and Tin House, but we have the distinct honor of publishing his first work of fiction, Whatever Happened to Sophie Wilder.

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Leni Zumas is no stranger to lovers of short fiction–her debut collection, Farewell Navigator, garnered praise from Joy Williams, Karen Russell, and Miranda July, and gushing reviews from The LA Times, Paste, and The New York Observer, among others. If she’s not a household name now, it shouldn’t be long (if there’s any justice in the world). We couldn’t be more excited to publish her debut novel, Fingers and Names.

Stay tuned for more about these  and the rest of our forthcoming titles.