Microcosm Publishing

Our Sacred Cycle: A Workbook to Reclaim Your Period from PMS and PMDD

Learn to manage your PMS and PMDD

Your period doesn't have to ruin your life. 

Sometimes our menstrual symptoms prevent us from showing up the way we want to, and there is not a lot of information about how to feel better. You may have had trouble finding resources that explain what's happening in your body and mind. You may have even been disbelieved or blamed.

Our Sacred Cycle was created to help. Written by a therapist who specializes in premenstrual syndrome (PMS), premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and other forms of hormone imbalance, this workbook offers accessible information and reflective exercises to help you understand the physiology of the menstrual cycle and how it affects you, harness your power, and live in harmony with your body. Whether you want to heal from patriarchal trauma or connect with yourself in a new way, this is the empowering, feminist resource you need to reclaim your cycle, take control of your symptoms, and achieve a transformative mind-body connection. You can feel better!

$25 Superpack: Care & Action Package

Freaked out about the election results? Cry it out, then step into your power.

You have validity, meaning, and purpose in your own life and in the world. These books are chosen to help turn the inner rage into outward action. Together, we’ve got this.

Includes:

• Direct Action Handbook: A Guide to Organizing & Protesting Safely
• From Conflict to Community: Transforming Conflicts Without Authorities
• Surviving: Getting Through the Shit Life Throws at You
• The Courage Party: Helping Our Resilient Children Understand and Survive Sexual Assault
• How to Get Your Period: A Guide to Performing Menstrual Extraction
• Hot Pants: Do It Yourself Gynecology
• Unfuck Your Anger: Using Science to Understand Frustration, Rage, and Forgiveness

Can't quite swing the full price right now, or want to get multiple bundles for you and someone else that might need one?  Use coupon code CARE10, CARE15, or CARE20, to get 10%,15%, or 20% (respectively) off your order.

The Essential Dr. Faith: Using Science to Boost Your Brain, Body, Intimacy, and Boundaries

If you're like most of us, there's more than one aspect of your life that could use some unfucking. More often than not, the challenges of mental health, physical health, boundaries, sex, and relationships are tied together in a big, overwhelming tangle. And when it comes to sorting ourselves out, it's hard to know where to begin.

But take heart: this comprehensive resource from bestselling author Dr. Faith G. Harper makes that process a whole lot easier. Combining the tools and insights from four of her most essential titles—Unfuck Your Brain, Unfuck Your Body, Unfuck Your Intimacy, and Unfuck Your Boundaries—this omnibus empowers you to tackle all parts of your life on your way to becoming your best self. If you're new to Dr. Faith's work, this is the perfect introduction to her accessible, funny, science-based approach to getting your act together.

This Is Your Bike on Plants: Fantastical Feminist Stories of Bicycling, Gardens, and Growth

When you plant the seeds of bicycle revolution, you never know what the future will grow. These 12 stories form a splendid garden of potential futures, from the speculative to the surreal—all powered by bicycles, grounded in feminism, and blossoming with creativity.

In these pages you’ll find activist trees, magical flowers, feminist fairy tales, climate parables, photosynthesizing human-bicycle cyborgs, revolutionary elves, dazzling space gardens, green witchcraft, and more to delight your imagination. Lovers of cli-fi, solarpunk, hopepunk, and feminist bicycle science fiction will all find something to love here. You’ll never see the streets, or plants, around you the same way again.

Featuring stories by Kathryn Reilly, Marta Pelrine-Bacon, Cass Wilkinson Saldaña, Amanda McNeil, Ella P. Francis, Lisa Timpf, Bee Toothman, Kelley Tai, Jennifer Lee Rossman, J.D. Harlock, Kathryn Reese, and Joe Biel.

Missed the Kickstarter? Check out the PledgeManager for all the rewards and extras!

A People's Guide to Houseplants: Thrifty, Sustainable Ways to Fill Your Home with Plants

Want to fill your home with lush greenery? You can do it without breaking the bank or your back. Cara Brezina shares her love of plants and offers advice on how to choose, nurture, and not kill the houseplants in your life—all without spending a bunch of money. With the help of clear illustrations and straightforward instructions, learn to find free or affordable plants and herbs; propagate from cuttings, roots, and your dinner scraps; create dazzling displays, cactus gardens, and terrariums on a budget; find sustainable planting materials; and fertilize your plants without spending big. Discover the joy of experimentation and seeing what you can make grow. No matter where you live, how broke you are, or how hectic your life is, you can turn your home into a green oasis and make lasting friends with your houseplants.

Books That Should Never Exist: A Coloring Book of the Best Worst Book Ideas Ever

Everyday Vampirism. 

Gross-out Popsicles. 

Erotic Christmas Tree Decorating. 

Vice Presidential Fashion Advice. 

Never Pay a Dentist Again! 

These books are so bad they’re brilliant—and they’ll never exist (we hope), except in these fully developed, engagingly detailed, laugh-out-loud coloring pages. Here you’ll find board books for babies seeking government and regulatory jobs, large-print guides to unwise retirement strategies, ill-advised memoirs, and unlikely beach reads. It’s the perfect collection of gifts not to get the whole family, but as a gift for yourself, it’s bound to bring joy.

Make It Last: Sustainably and Affordably Preserving What We Love

Fix it, ferment it, and make it fit—don't throw it out! Save money and live more sustainably with this illustrated and hand-written guide to extending the life of your clothes, good, and household items. Darn your socks, pickle your surplus of garden produce, repair your kitchen sink, and so much more. Sustainability and endangered basic life skills go hand in hand in this charming resource. Raleigh Briggs, author of the bestselling Make Your Place, brings an encouraging patience and can-do attitude that shine through the pages. The perfect gift for a teen or new graduate, or resource for an established adult looking to consume less and keep the things they love around for years to come. 

Houseplants & How to Grow Them

This guide to growing your own houseplants and decorating your living space touches on popular plants and the simplest and most effective ways to nurture them. Author Parker T. Barnes writes effusively about how the sight of houseplants fills him with joy, and ebulliently shares deep knowledge about Dutch bulbs and Cape bulbs and the lighting and moisture conditions to cultivate them and offers sage advice on everything from how to construct planters, to maintaining a healthy temperature, to reviving ailing plants. Originally published in 1909, Barnes' little book is comprehensive and friendly. Readers will enjoy the classic style of the writing, as well as the timeless quality of the suggestions Barnes makes for turning your home into a verdant paradise.

Disabled Witchcraft: 90 Rituals for Limited-Spoon Practitioners

Accessible, inclusive, anti-capitalist magick

Magick is all around us and should be for everyone. But the practices in many witchcraft books can be difficult for many of us to perform due to chronic illnesses, sensory issues, allergies, or other disabilities—and the financial limitations that often go hand in hand with them.

In this guide, disabled witch Kandi Zeller sets out to change that. Through 90 inclusive (and sometimes spicy) magickal rituals designed for witches with disabilities of all kinds—especially the invisible ones—Disabled Witchcraft lays out a truly accessible magickal practice with a solid dose of humor and heart. If your spoons (aka available energy and executive function) are limited on any given day, that doesn't need to be a hindrance to following your spiritual path. From guidance on using crystals for nervous-system regulation to tarot readings for spoonies to laying a curse upon unjust health systems, you'll find practical tools to harness the magick of your disabilities, fight both ableism and capitalism, and embrace a more expansive version of the path.

Cooking with Magic Mushrooms: The Psilocybin Cookbook

Head to the kitchen to make your next psilocybin experience unforgettable

Magic mushrooms offer so many marvels, from transformative healing to excitement. One thing they are not known for is flavor. David Connell’s quest to make psilocybin palatable led him to develop recipes that integrate small, measured quantities of shrooms into tasty food and drink.

Stop gnawing on bitter, fibrous stalks and begin your journey with a calming, pleasant snack or sip. These healthy, delicious recipes are lactose-free, with gluten-free substitutions throughout, and have no added sugars. Photographs and illustrations will inspire your explorations of food, fungi, and consciousness.

The Practical Witch's Almanac 2025: Rebel Wisdom

Learn, defy, and evolve on your pagan path

The essential core of witchcraft is wisdom and change. We've always been rebellious and defiant, and our own traditions are not exempt from challenge. Delve into iconic witchcraft traditions like the utterance of "blessed be" and the influential Wiccan Rede, exploring their origins and relevance today. This introspective journey isn't just about history; it's an empowering quest. It challenges you to assess these traditions' place in your craft. Embrace, adapt, or boldly defy these customs—this edition empowers you to shape your craft's evolution on your terms as you travel your unique spiritual path.

This year's edition includes:

• Weekly Schedules
• Monthly Lunar Planners
• Moon Signs & Phases
• Sabbat Times & Dates
• Eclipses & Meteor Showers
• Spells & Recipes
• Correspondences & References
• and much more!

Read on for an excerpt of The Practical Witch's Almanac: Rebel Wisdom by Friday Gladheart, now available from our site or your local bookseller!

When you first start exploring witchcraft, it's all about learning. You dive into magic, correspondences, deities, and rituals or set personal goals to absorb as much as possible. You might follow a tradition with a structured degree system that requires extensive study. This knowledge is invaluable in developing your practice, yet it's just the beginning.

As you continue your journey, you transform this knowledge into wisdom through experience and practice. Wisdom also develops through critically reflecting on your practices to ensure they are still meaningful. This year's almanac encourages you to scrutinize some of the most iconic traditions of modern witchcraft—not as an attack on these foundations but as a means to gain a deeper understanding and ensure their continued relevance for you.

This process involves questioning the origins of modern witchcraft beliefs, understanding their historical and cultural contexts, and considering the evidence that supports or contradicts them. Regularly scrutinizing and reflecting on your practice helps you rebel against stagnation and complacency.

Witchcraft is an evolving practice you can refine and enhance to grow with you, leading to a more profound and authentic connection with your path. Ultimately, you decide which aspects of your practice have maintained relevance, and wisdom grows through this consideration.

Pay Attention to Your Triggers Social Media Fatigue

Staying mindful of your triggers as you explore your beliefs and practices is crucial. One thing to watch out for is rage-bait: content designed to provoke anger and outrage. Thanks to algorithms prioritizing engagement, rage-bait is prevalent on social media— it's all about getting those clicks, shares, and comments.

Unfortunately, the cacophony of reactionary posts tends to drown out measured discourse and thoughtful discussion. After spending time online, it's easy to feel defensive or retreat into echo chambers where your viewpoints aren't challenged. While this reaction is understandable online, you must continue challenging yourself in your practice.

If the challenge of scrutinizing your practices raises triggers, try to discover the cause. Were you already on the defense from exposure to social media, or is it something else? Scrutinizing your traditions and practices does not invalidate them.

Rising Religious Extremism

There has been a noticeable increase in religious symbols in public spaces, such as courthouses, public buildings, and daily commutes. There is increasingly more religious iconography and messages on the airwaves, with radio stations adopting religious programming and an uptick in political and religiously- themed advertisements and spam in our digital lives.

Meanwhile, the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, women, and marginalized communities are under attack, and school and library meetings are bowing to outraged religious conservatives. Many people find these increasingly common religious symbols and messages intrusive, particularly in a society that values the separation of church and state.

The omnipresence of religious content can contribute to a sense of feeling cornered or pressured to conform to a particular set of beliefs. This environment can be challenging for witches and others whose spiritual practices fall outside mainstream religious traditions. When we already feel threatened, it isn't easy to scrutinize our practices.

Nevertheless, as witches, we must continually challenge ourselves to evaluate our craft to maintain its relevance. We understand that wisdom comes from a willingness to rebel against stagnation, even within our belief structures and traditions.

Embrace, Adapt, or Boldly Defy

As practical witches, our nature inclines us to rebel against anything that no longer serves a meaningful purpose. This innate rebelliousness drives us to evolve and refine our practices continuously. When you feel disconnected from your witchcraft, it is a signal to take a closer look and assess which aspects are stagnating, constricting, or outdated. This self-examination is not a sign of failure but a mark of your commitment to growth and transformation.

You have chosen to rise to the challenge of exploring your craft more deeply, demonstrating your courage and dedication. You are a witch, a "wise one," a seeker of truth and change. This journey is an oppor- tunity to reconnect with your practice's essence and rediscover what resonates with you. As you stand at this crossroads, consider: Will you embrace the familiar, adapt to new insights, or boldly defy and redefine your established practices? Your path is your own, and this willingness to question and transform is the essence of being a witch.

Want to keep reading? Check out The Practical Witch's Almanac: Rebel Wisdom by Friday Gladheart, now available from our site or at an independent bookstore near you.

All New Henry & Glenn Comics & Stories #1: True Tales of Henry & Glenn Forever

Hot dog, they're back! Don't say love's so heavy that it can't return to make you laugh, cry, and sigh with blood and tears and gleeful reverence. Everyone's favorite aging punk odd couple lights up the page once more in the first all-new Henry & Glenn floppy comic in a decade. Inside you'll find “I Don’t Want to be Buried," the first chapter of a brand new story written and drawn by Tom Neely. In this chapter, our squabbling, loving heroes have adopted a new cat they named Iggy. Iggy and Henry become best friends, but Glenn has A LOT of trouble connecting with the new kitty. Also, Henry gets cast in a new movie directed by Jon Twaters; so Glenn gets left home alone with Iggy… and it does not go well! You'll also find a retrospective of Henry & Glenn lore and collectibles, and an all-true comic short, "True Tale of Henry & Glenn," featuring the time Tom sat on a plane next to the drummer for Samhain. Plus a cameo from Henry and Glenn's neighbors Daryl and John and some spicy new pin-ups, including a back cover pin-up by Justin Hall! Feel it move you! In full-color for the first time! 

Events! Microcosm In Your Town

Want to meet us in person, check out our books, or see an author speak? We've got author events and convention events coming up!

Upcoming Author Events

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Upcoming Tabling Events

December 13–15, 2024 | Crafty Wonderland–Booth 253 | Oregon Convention Center—Portland, OR
Come visit the Microcosm team while we table at this much-beloved holiday market in PDX. Details for tickets below! More info.

Crafty Wonderland First Pick Pre-Show Party
Friday, December 13th from 5-9pm
$25 total - Includes one free drink of $15 value

General Admission - Timed Entry Every Hour
Saturday, December 14th from 10am-5pm
Sunday, December 15th from 10am-5pm
$4 total

Upcoming Trade Shows and Industry Events

Usually not open to the public, these industry events are a chance for store buyers to peruse our books, write orders, and chat about terms. We plan to either attend or exhibit at the following events. If you'll be there too, drop us a line—we'd love to meet you.

Interested in having an author at your store or event? Reach out!!

Planning an event and want us to be part of it (speaking, author readings, movie screenings, setting up a book and zine pop-up shop, etc.)? Let us know!!

In the Portland area? We can set up a book fair at your workplace like the ones your school used to have.

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Call For Submissions: Disability & Bikes in Space!

We are seeking speculative feminist fiction about disability and bicycles for the 14th anthology in the Bikes In Space series of books, guest edited by Jennifer Lee Rossman!

We want feminist stories about the intersection of bicycling and disability, in any speculative fiction genre. Science fiction, fantasy, horror, weird western… combinations of genres are also welcome! No poetry, erotica, fanfic, or gore for this series.

Stories must include intrinsic themes or elements of disability as well as bicycles (or tricycles, or other nonmotorized wheeled conveyance). We take a broad view of feminism, but avoiding unreflective sexist tropes is always a green flag, as is queering things up.

"Disability" here includes physical disabilities as well as cognitive and invisible, all flavors of neurodivergent, mental illness, chronic pain and fatigue, and any other conditions that you have experienced.

Authors do not need to disclose or "prove" their disabilities, but should identify as disabled. Non-disabled family, friends, and caregivers, we appreciate you but this is not the place for your stories.

We also welcome stories about and from people at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities.

Word count: 500-6000

Format: Word or PDF

Anonymous review: Submission review will be masked. Please put a working title for your story at the top of the document that matches the title in the submissions form. Do not include your name or contact info in the document itself. 

Submit stories via this google form: https://forms.gle/f1B8QUJ6Ajbq6JaP6

Submission deadline: March 1, 2025

Farewell to Joyce Brabner: Microcosm remembers a beloved author and mentor

Microcosm Publishing founder Joe Biel recently shared a remembrance of his close friend, mentor, respected comic artist and writer, and Cleveland publishing legend Joyce Brabner, who died August 2, 2024 after a long fight with cancer. She was 72 years old. 

Though Brabner is perhaps best known through her marriage to comics pioneer and American Splendor creator Harvey Pekar, she was herself an esteemed artist, activist, and writer, publishing numerous books of her own alongside collaborations with other graphic publishing luminaries such as Alan Moore, Denny O’Neil, and Stephen R. Bissette.

Brabner’s final published book was The Courage Party: Helping Our Resilient Children Understand and Survive Sexual Assault, a project of great importance to her which Microcosm published in 2020 at the very beginning of the COVID crisis. This groundbreaking YA comic book tells the story of a child who fights off a sexual attack (she prefers to be called a “crime fighter” over “survivor”) and the support she receives from her community, including an empowering “courage party” thrown for her by older women with their own stories to share. The book contains thorough and age-appropriate insights on how to navigate interactions with police, the legal system, support groups, and how to deal with teasing and inappropriate behavior from peers; it also offers extensive resources both for children and adults.

Detailed obituaries for Brabner have appeared in Cleveland Scene and Cleveland 13 News. Microcosm mourns the loss of Joyce Brabner as a friend, a Cleveland fixture, a fierce activist, and a publishing visionary.

Microcosm expands Cleveland warehousing operation

Microcosm Publishing has purchased the building adjacent to their Cleveland, OH warehouse, where construction is currently underway to connect the two buildings. This major project will double Microcosm’s warehousing capacity, as well as create an additional sales capacity of $5 million per year to serve the needs of Microcosm’s vertically-integrated publishing and distribution operation, which earned their recognition in 2022, 2023, and 2024 as a Publishers Weekly Fastest Growing Publisher.

Microcosm develops agile new systems for publishing and distribution programs

Microcosm Publishing has developed new internal buying, sales, and marketing systems for their publishing and distribution catalogs, tailoring their efforts across all departments to work more flexibly, efficiently, and more responsively to reader taste and customer demand.

With an eye toward seasonality as well as prioritizing curiosity and steady growth over quick trends, Microcosm’s new strategy will allow the press’s operations to focus on and more keenly track its strengths, such as titles on nature, the outdoors, and survival; mental health and neurodiversity; witchcraft, astrology, and metaphysics; mushrooms, gardening, wild foods, and more. Microcosm founder, publisher, and CEO Joe Biel explains, “We're adjusting our strategy to focus on subjects by month; essentially, we are treating all months like holidays to synchronize our sales, marketing, and purchasing departments, so the offerings are streamlined. This will allow us to accentuate the strength of our thematics and create a throughline from marketing to sales, and to manage the over 10,000 stores we added as customers over the past four years.”

Says Microcosm co-owner and vice president Elly Blue, “We've set aside publishing's cynical tendencies to chase bestsellers or churn out large quantities of dreck. Instead we're staying true to our values while serving the diverse needs and interests of our readers. We spent the past year running the numbers on what subject matter our customers want so we can give them more of that and evolve along with their interests, while building up our stable foundation to support our workers and mission. Want to go mushroom foraging by bicycle and then prepare a vegan feast? Start a co-operative coven consultancy? Get high, get sober, or get help turning your trauma into wisdom? We've got you."

Too Much Coffee Man to be distributed by Microcosm

Microcosm will be the new distributor for publisher Too Much Coffee Man, home of the iconic socially analytical humor comics and character created by Shannon Wheeler. Founded in 1991 and appearing everywhere from The New Yorker to The Daily Texan to MTV, Too Much Coffee Man remains an enduring and influential presence in independent comics. 

Microcosm’s collaboration with Too Much Coffee Man will include the forthcoming Too Much Coffee Man: The Original Comic Books #1-9, currently slated for release in March 2025, along with other reissues of prior releases and updated and new material. Stay tuned!

Microcosm becomes first independent publisher to join bookseller tech Batch

Microcosm Publishing has become the first U.S. independent publisher to sign on with Batch, a business tool owned by the Booksellers Association of the UK and Ireland designed for independent bookstores to electronically store and organize invoices, reduce administrative workloads, and prepare publisher payments.

Microcosm hopes that this exciting and innovative development will strengthen relationships with independent booksellers, streamlining payment processes to create more ease and better communication for everyone. Booksellers and shop owners have already responded enthusiastically to the news from Microcosm's sales team, such as Kelly Justice of Fountain Bookstore, whose response to the news was, "GOD BLESS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry for the all-caps, but seriously, thank you."

Of the Batch partnership, Microcosm founder Joe Biel says, "When Allison Hill told every bookseller at Winter Institute to simplify their workloads by signing up for Batch, my next move was marching over and signing up as a publisher. Our field sales reps have always cited that the greatest impediment for opening new accounts to Microcosm is convincing stores to take on the payables workload of a self-distributed publisher. I know how much work goes into managing payments on our 242 accounts and how consolidating that workload will enable booksellers to add more cool, independent publishers. But it was shocking to learn that we were the first independent publisher in the U.S. to sign up!"

Batch is free for booksellers to join; stores interested in Batch services may sign up here. For bookstores interested in setting up accounts with Microcosm Publishing (which can be serviced by Batch's invoicing system), please feel free to contact us here.

Microcosm launches Yard Dragon Books imprint

Microcosm Publishing is founding a new imprint, Yard Dragon Books, focused on titles about plants and herbalism. Acquisitions for the imprint will be led by editor, herbalist, and artist Alexis Orgera. 

Orgera (she/they) is the author of the lyric memoir Head Case: My Father, Alzheimer’s & Other Brainstorms (Kore Press, 2021), as well as poetry books How Like Foreign Objects and Dust Jacket, and Agatha (forthcoming) from Jackleg Press. She holds degrees in British & American literature from New College of Florida (before New College was taken over by DeSantis and his goons) and poetry from Emerson College. Orgera is an editor, has taught college writing, co-founded and edited Penny Candy Books, and is was recently executive director of Greensboro Bound literary festival. A student and practitioner of herbal medicine and permaculture in North Carolina’s piedmont, Orgera is currently apprentice to the land on a quarter-acre plot in an urban flood zone and uses ecology, permaculture design principles, regenerative practices, eco-philosophy, ethnobotany, the history of medicine and healing, and herbal studies in both her writing and gardening life. 

Of the new imprint, Orgera writes, "I'm a better person because of plants. Herbalism and permaculture have taught me how better to listen to the world around me and to deeply respect balance—in myself, in nature, and in the relationship between people and our landscape. To be able to share the green life with readers, combining my passion for plants with my vocation of book-making and editing, is really a dream come true, and doing so with Microcosm—a publisher that really cares about its readers—is even better."

More information on submitting work to the imprint can be found here.

Chickasaw Press to be distributed by Microcosm

Microcosm Publishing is thrilled to announce that we will serve as the first-ever distributor for Chickasaw Press, the only publishing house in the U.S. owned by an Indigenous Nation. Based in Ada, Oklahoma, Chickasaw Press’s goal is to preserve, perpetuate, and provide an awareness of Chickasaw history and culture. The press offers a literary, scholarly, and accessible outlet for the work of Chickasaw authors, academics, and culture bearers, exercising intellectual sovereignty through ethical and culturally appropriate research and publication practices.

The agreement with Microcosm encompasses the Chickasaw Nation’s three publishing imprints: Chickasaw Press, focused on nonfiction titles about tribal history, culture, self-governance, and sovereignty; White Dog Press, a fiction imprint devoted to sharing Chickasaw culture, experiences, and history through creative works; and Leaning Pole Press, a scholarly outlet for Chickasaw writers and academics to explore subjects beyond the Chickasaw historical and cultural experience. 

Microcosm founder Joe Biel writes, "The broad array of rad books that Chickasaw creates along with their incredible mission fits like a puzzle piece into ours, where we can help them reach more readers with their history, culture, nation, and culinary delights. When they approached us, I was humbled and honored, and the more I learn about their press, the more those sentiments deepen."

Chickasaw Press titles will be available to order via Microcosm in November 2024.

Microcosm launches custom shipping boxes

Microcosm has created its own custom shipping boxes, featuring a spoof of a certain Seattle-based company's logo and images of several employees’ cats, produced by International Paper based in Memphis, Tennessee. Microcosm regularly receives feedback from its bookstore customers praising its warehouse shippers’ packing skills, so it only seemed right to get boxes to match their acumen—and to express Microcosm’s cheeky and fiercely independent ethos anywhere its books are sent.

Maybe you even glimpsed our new boxes (and a few of our titles!) in the recent CBS Weekend News piece on fighting book bans, featuring the amazing Fabulosa Books.

Says Microcosm founder Joe Biel, “We created custom boxes, and the paper plant we’d been working with in Oregon refused to print our anti-Amazon artwork. Our number one customer complaint was our use of boxes from ULINE—a company that doesn’t align with our values anyway—so we switched to custom boxes that are of a superior quality in celebration of how many booksellers praise our warehouse employees' box-packing superpowers.”

Biel and Microcosm vice president Elly Blue discuss the decision making, design, and Oregon vs. Ohio politics behind the new boxes in this recent episode of Microcosm's People's Guide to Publishing podcast.

WorkingLit: Publishing Software from Microcosm

WorkingLit is live! Sign up now!

WorkingLit is cloud-based software developed by Microcosm Publishing that gives independent publishers tools to thrive and grow at their own pace. Our industry is run by billionaires and conglomerates, and we want to give our fellow publishers the freedom to market and sell your books, understand your business, and painlessly pay royalties.

Microcosm built our own software from scratch starting in 2002, and we owe it our survival, success, and continued independence. Now we want to share it with you. 

Features

• Manage your product and author metadata
• Track your sales and expenses
• Manage your customer account data
• Calculate royalties and track payments to authors
• Understand the health of your business and what you need to do to grow
• See our spec sheet for all current and planned features.

Pricing

Our rates are based on the number of products (with separate ISBNs) that you manage in WorkingLit:

Plan	Features	Price per month
Free plan	Up to 10 products	FREE
Basic Plan	11-25 products	$25
Basic Plus Plan	26-100 products	$69
Premium Plan	101-500 products	$299
Premium Plus Plan	501-1000	$599
All Access Plan	Unlimited products!	$1299

Get stuck or have questions? Check out our site documentation and instructions or email workinglit at microcosmpublishing dot com for help.

Get involved and stay in touch!

• Sign up to use WorkingLit
• Join our email list
• Are you a programmer? We're looking to grow our team. Email apply at microcosmpublishing dot com with your skillset and why you're interested in being part of WorkingLit
• Take the tour:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/uRj8l2paG2Y

Summoning All Witches

Since 1996, Microcosm has published and distributed books, zines, and other goods that put your power in your hands. Including, lately, an increasing number of pagan, mystical, and othersuch witchy books, zines, and decks.

We've recently updated our submission guidelines to make it extra clear: We're looking to publish and distribute more works of magic, witchcraft, and pagan spirituality. Send us your anarcha-feminist oracle deck, your spellbook for finding queer platonic relationships, your comics journalism about the history of witchcraft, a guide to the magic your grandparents taught you, agricultural tips for witches, adorable drawings of animals on broomsticks, or whatever creative way you've found to help people see beyond the pale of normalcy to change their lives and the world.

We are always, especially, looking for submissions from authors and artists who are Black, Indigenous, people of color, mixed race, disabled, neurodivergent, queer, transgender, nonbinary, or who don't see themselves well represented in mainstream publishing.

What we publish

We're proud to publish Friday Gladheart's annual The Practical Witch's Almanac — an incredible resource and weekly planner.

Francesca Black's Year of the Witch: A Planner and Spellbook for the Novice Witch is a great resource for beginners, and also serves as a weekly planner.

Our first tarot deck, The Gold Lyre Tarot, was funded on Kickstarter in early 2021.

And we have many more books, zines, and stickers in print and on the way, like these:

To submit your work to our publishing program, check out our submission guidelines to assess if we might be a good fit. We aim to work with authors and creators who can work within our processes, so following our guidelines exactly is an important first step when submitting a project.

What we distribute

Microcosm is also a specialty wholesaler, selling thousands of books, zines, and decks from other publishers, big and small primarily to non-book-focused gift stores. We work with Big 5 publishing houses, zinesters cutting and pasting in their closets, and everyone in between. And these folks are putting out more and more books celebrating paganism, crystals, astrology, tarot, the occult, the moon, and more.

If you already have your own publishing program and want to see if our wholesale program is a good fit, check out our distribution info.