The story behind Snail Books and a life of writing at a human pace
While some people find careers and callings they love, many of us compromise—taking jobs to make a living, then finding time in the quiet hours and retirement to practice our art and satisfy the soul. Such is life in a capitalist society, where every act must be counted in dollars.
At 59, I have not quite finished my day job, but I’ve begun what will become my retirement passion: writing and publishing. I recently released a book, The Divine Mind, the first title from my own small press, Snail Books. This essay introduces me as an author and publisher.
My name is John Miedema. I live with my wife in Alcove, Quebec, a lovely rural village in the Gatineau Hills. We share our home with two dogs and love tending fires in our wood stove. I take cold plunges in the river with Wakefield locals throughout the winter. Our adult children live nearby.
I have been writing all my life. I grew up in my father’s print shop, and as a boy I started a family newspaper writing neighbourhood stories. In school I wrote plays and kept journals. I’ve often joked that university ruined me as a writer, forcing me into an academic style. Still, I published several research articles, a patent, and a book.
That first book was a small success. But let me back up. After completing an undergraduate degree in psychology, I worked in social services. The work was meaningful, but the pay was too low to raise a family. I pivoted to information technology, where I spent the next decade. Mid-career, I used a corporate tuition program to pursue a Master of Library and Information Science part-time, hoping to move into library work.
As part of that program, I researched the benefits of reading at a voluntary and reflective pace. I published them as a book, Slow Reading. It came out just as the Kindle was hitting the market and it became a modest hit. I was interviewed by international publications and invited to speak. I did not leave IT but was surprised that the library degree made my technology work more interesting —more on that below.
What finally cured me of academic writing was when I stopped writing altogether for a few years and took up illustration—painting, life drawing, and comic art. It taught me to think more visually and creatively. I attempted several graphic novel projects, but I’ll admit, I was never very good at them. Writing is my stronger art.
I still want to complete what I call a “worthy work of art.” Eighteen months ago, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. My health is good, but the diagnosis was a memento mori—a reminder to get moving. It sharpened my sense of purpose. I realized I no longer wanted to postpone what mattered most: to create something lasting, honest, and fully mine. I set aside illustration and returned to writing. This past year I’ve written many online essays on politics, philosophy, and technology. I began to consider what books I still wanted to write, which ones I could finish, and how I would publish them.
This is where my library degree and technology career come together. After completing the degree, I worked with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital humanities, and language models—tools that now seem perfectly suited for independent authorship and publishing. That’s why I launched Snail Books, with The Divine Mind as its first title.
I plan to keep doing this part-time until I retire, and then continue as a retiree. I’ll still spend much of my time enjoying life with my family and in the natural beauty of Alcove and the Gatineau Hills. For years I counted hours, projects, and pay. Now I count pages, walks with my dogs, and the turns of the seasons in Alcove. Perhaps that’s the truer arithmetic. Snail Books is my attempt to live by it—to make art at a human pace, where the soul can finally catch up with the clock.
Last Updated on December 6, 2025 | Published: October 5, 2025