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Small Presses, Big Spirit

In celebration of National Small Press Month, we put aside the big guns and get up close and personal with the indies. But don’t let the name “small press” fool you—they can be exactly the same size as a big publishing house—it’s not about the size, it’s about the spirit. And if there’s one fact we’ve learned from creating this issue, small presses are brimming with it.

If you’re interested in learning what the differences are between small presses and big houses, we covered it last year in our Small Presses Create Buzz issue. So, to save you from repetition, those who are interested, follow the link, and then come back here and join us.

This issue highlights several groundbreaking presses that tap into niche markets. Their specialties allow them to forge new paths for untold stories. They provide homes for homeless work, literary stages for unique voices, and special attention to burgeoning authors. I believe it’s safe to say that they play the most important role in the publishing industry by introducing new work.

So, let’s hear it for the indies! This is their month. And as a writer, it’s your month too. By learning about how small presses think, what their editors are looking for, and educating yourself about the publishing process, you are one step closer to your goals. And have we got a great issue for you!

A big, warm, thank you goes out to our freelancers and staff members:

To Marla Cordle, and her wonderful interview with her publisher, Leigh Collett, of Resplendence Publishing. Marla has been a long-time reader of WOW!’s, a previous flash fiction winner, and an author interviewee for her latest book, Silencing Sarah. Although Marla is a seasoned fiction writer, she admitted that she’d never considered doing any freelance writing before. So, when I asked her if she’d interview someone from RP, she said she’d be willing to give it a shot. Talk about pulling off a fantastic interview! On her first try, no less. She totally captured the WOW! spirit and brought out the best in her interviewee; and we’re very proud of her. You’re going to love this interview.

And to Suzanne Kamata, a second-time freelancer for WOW! She interviewed Wendy Nelson Tokunaga in July’s issue, and now she’s done it again in an inspirational interview with Lucia Moreno, Editor of Topka Press, a children’s book publisher located in Spain. Suzanne is always such a pleasure to work with, and this interview is truly unique.

Another thank you goes out to a WOW! regular, Beth Morrissey, for her informative piece on How To Write for Skimmers. This article is very timely, and a good reminder to tighten our work.

C. Hope Clark has a fantastic article this month that I urge you all to read: Recognizing When Small Press is Best. As an author, deciding which publisher to go with is important, and Hope is here to help you field that decision. She even includes a fun quiz!

To Del Sandeen for her feature interview with W. W. Norton Editor, and author, Jill Bialosky. I admit, we gave this interview to Del at the last minute, and she pulled it off. Now we get to find out what one of the bigger small presses is looking for in submissions. Great job Del!

And to Margo Dill, who’s now become an expert at the 20 Questions Column. This month, she interviews author Jennifer Cody Epstein about her publishing journey to success! Take a bow Margo!

To my fabulous interviewee, Brooke Warner of Seal Press—thanks Brooke for taking us up on the interview last minute! You’re a trooper, and I’m proud to say, a new dear friend of WOW!’s. Ladies, this interview rocks! Be sure to check it out.

Announcements:

We now have feed. RSS feed, that is. You’ll notice there is now a little orange RSS button at the top of our address bar. Now you can subscribe to our website by clicking on that icon and read the latest blurbs in your favorite reader.

As you know, our Winter ’08 contest is now closed and in the judging stage—we wish all of you who entered the best of luck as we turn the entries over to our guest judge for the season. And as the seasons change, our Spring ’08 Contest has sprung! Due to popular demand, we’ve added an editorial feedback option. So, if you’ve ever wanted to know what your scores were, what the editors thought etc., this season you can take advantage of that option. Please check out the Contest Page for more details.

   

 

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THE EDITORS

Angela Miyuki Mackintosh is Publisher, CEO, and Art Director of WOW! Women On Writing. She has been published in Maxim, Transworld Surf and Skate, Vice Magazine, and numerous trade publications for the action-sports industry. She is an award-winning artist whose works have been commissioned for public art by the city of Long Beach, and has received grants from Funds for Women.

Angela lives in Placentia, California with her husband, Michael, and her cat, Noodle.

 


Annette Fix is Senior Editor of WOW! Women On Writing. She began her writing career hawking her feature film spec scripts in Hollywood, nearly killed her muse by working as a freelance copywriter for various boring companies, and finally found her way to narrative writing, which feels like “dancing naked in a field of flowers” compared to her previous writing ventures. Annette is an author and a spoken-word storyteller who regularly performs in L.A. theaters. Annette's memoir, The Break-Up Diet is available in bookstores and online.

She lives in Southern California with her husband, her son, and two dogs.

 

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Small Press Month is a nationwide promotion highlighting the valuable work produced by independent publishers.

Now, in its 12th year, this year's slogan is Celebrate Great Writing with a quote from Walter Mosley, author and long-time supporter of independent publishing:

"The life’s blood of contemporary and modern literature is in the custodianship of so-called small publishers. Without them, there is no future for literature."

Small Press Month.org spokeswoman, Karin Taylor took a quick minute out of her prep schedule to answer a few questions for WOW!

WOW:  What is the Small Press Month.org’s mission?

Karin:  The main purpose is to draw attention to the fine books published by indie presses.

WOW:  That is such a huge undertaking. How did SPM begin?

Karin:  Small Press Center was the initial name. Then the advisory board came up with idea for promoting small presses starting with a week, now it’s an entire month-long promotion with national organizations: PMA, Independent Book Publisher’s Association, Small Press Distribution, and Council for Literary Magazines and Presses.

This Year's Small Press Month is co-sponsored by:

The New York Center for Independent Publishing (NYCIP)
Council for Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP)
PMA, The Independent Book Publisher’s Association

Additional sponsors:

The General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen
American Booksellers Association/Book Sense   
ForeWord Magazine
Publishers Group West (PGW)
SelfPublishing.com
Small Press Distribution (SPD)
Ingram Publisher Services
Association of American Publishers (AAP)
BookExpo America

WOW:  It’s great to see so many well-established publishing industry entities supporting the Small Press Month mission! Is there a way writers can get involved?

Karin:  There are many ways writers can get involved to help support small presses. Many of the ideas can be found on our website: https://www.smallpressmonth.org/todo/

One of the best ways to help is to contact your local bookstores and libraries to suggest they create a special small press display for the month of March.

Posters can be obtained from: Small Press Month Coordinator, PMA, Independent Book Publishers Association, 627 Aviation Way, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266; 310.372.2732; April@pma-online.org. Orders come in units of five.

WOW:  Karin, thank you for an introduction to Small Press Month.org!

With so many wonderful small press books available, WOW! is encouraging its readers to support independent publishing by reading, reviewing, and recommending titles published by small presses—not just in March, but all year long!

WOW! picks some great small press titles to check out:
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos
Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile
The Delivery Man by Joe McGinniss, Jr.

Small Press Month Calendar of Events planned for this year (click on the individual links for event details):

March 6
City Lights/Small Press Distribution
(San Francisco, CA)
New Lit Generation (Small Press Distribution) with participating authors.

Bowery Poetry Club
(New York City, NY) 7:00 p.m.

Woodland Pattern Book Center
(Milwaukee, WI)

March 7
Rain Taxi Reading Series
(Minneapolis, MN)

March 20
Powell's City of Books
(Portland, OR)
Smallpressapalooza

March 26
Symphony Space
(New York City, NY) 7:30 p.m.
A night of stories mined from the anthologies of The Pushcart Prize, the honored series that has featured the best stories, poems, essays and “literary whatnot” from hundreds of small presses for over 32 years. Introduced by series founder and Editor Bill Henderson.

March 28
Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
(Los Angeles, CA) 7:30 p.m.

The Poetry Center of Chicago
(Chicago, IL) 7:00-10:00 p.m.
Small Press Showcase featuring the best in independent literary publishing from the Chicagoland area.

March 29 & 30
Virginia Festival of the Book
(Charlottesville, VA)

March 30
WordTheatre
(Los Angeles, CA)
WordTheatre celebrates Small Press Month at Canal Club in Venice with short story and poetry readings.

Visit https://www.smallpressmonth.org for more information.


 

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