From proposal to production in 48 hours -- that was the schedule for Bruce Ackerman's The Case Against Lameduck Impeachment, an instant academic book from Seven Stories Press.

The house signed up the 15,000-word legal argument and shipped it to the printer two weeks ago, just 48 hours after receiving an e-mail from the author's agent. About 20,00 copies will be printed. The book will be in stores this week.

Seven Stories felt the issue's timeliness necessitated a hurried schedule. But despite the acceleration, Seven Stories' publisher Dan Simon said he d sn't feel like he made a "spontaneous or impetuous decision."

Seven Stories will initially distribute the book -- a part of the Open Media series -- to members of Congress but is hoping for a wider reach. "Our initial goal was that this be read by opinion makers," Simon told PW. "That's the first step. But this is something we hope the man in the street will consider a must-read." He added that, as with past Open Media titles, he was angling for up-front displays at independents.

The Open Media series began as an independent venture that "appeals to people's sense of common sense," according to founder Greg Ruggiero, and is now published under the aegis of Seven Stories. Ackerman's book is the eighth under this joint venture.