Beatles Blackouts: Trips Around the World in Search of Beatles Monuments

August 02, 2023 — by Abby Rice

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas meets a drunken Eat, Pray, Love in this unique tour of global Beatlemania

Did you know that there’s a Beatles monument in Kazakhstan? Jack Marriott didn’t, and he thought he knew everything there was to know about the storied band from Liverpool, England. He did some investigating and found that there were Beatles monuments, statues, and shrines all around the world, from Brazil to Mongolia, Peru to Japan. Meanwhile, his life in England was quickly deteriorating into drunkenness, the staff of his bar having walked out and his girlfriend having left him. So he did what anyone would do: “borrowed” a press pass and set off on a two-year quest through 23 countries, relying on the kindness of fellow fans to help him find these Beatles monuments and connect with the communities that built them. His goal: to find new stories about the Beatles, win back his girlfriend, and remind an increasingly insular post-Brexit Britain what the Beatles mean to the world. He just needed to push through the hangovers to do it. How hard could it be? Find out in this real-life account of one man’s quest to find every Beatles monument.

How we came to distribute Seth Tobocman’s War in the Neighborhood (A People’s Guide to Publishing)

June 29, 2023 — by Abby Rice

The year was 1999. Seth Tobocman’s landmark graphic novel, War in the Neighborhood, was published by Autonomedia. We ordered some copies. Quickly, we noticed a strange problem: the pages kept falling out of the cover. Turns out that this problem affected at least a third of the print run. Suddenly, all of the good copies were gone and we were making trips to New York to pick up the bad copies, dealing with the problem that few others wanted to and selling the book back into the trade. This is a cornerstone tale of Microcosm that made us so successful, because we think differently than the rest of our industry.

Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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Monster Lovin’: Smutty, Spine-Tingling Queer Stories (Queering Consent)

June 28, 2023 — by Abby Rice

The pleasure of horror

Have you ever considered the erotic possibilities of loving an ancient being of incredibly inhuman power? The monstrous becomes familiar and profoundly pleasurable in S. Park’s new collection of m/m queer, consensual erotica. Tentacles find their way into every crevice, a sexy stranger turns out to be part plant, part man, and a powerful demon cuddles up in bed. In these tender, sweaty, high-heat stories, horror turns to delight, the monster always turns out to be worthy of love . . . and sometimes, the monster turns out to be you.

Year of the Witch (An Interview with Francesca Black)

June 22, 2023 — by Abby Rice

Wanting to create a keepsake of meaningful discoveries she made as a younger woman, Francesca Black created Year of the Witch for her daughters. This week on the People’s Guide To Publishing Podcast, we talk about her goals and vision and trying to create a better world for people like your younger self.

Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!

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Bang!: Masturbation for People of All Genders and Abilities

June 21, 2023 — by Abby Rice

Masturbation is one of life’s great pleasures. It helps build self-knowledge, foster body awareness, and expand your sexual repertoire, no partner required. Anyone can use masturbation to explore their relationship to their body, desires, and pleasure. This joyful, unique book centers people of color, queer people, disabled people, sex workers, and other often underrepresented voices to bring an informative and beautiful perspective to self-love. Discover and share the joys of unpartnered sex with this beautifully designed, empathetic, practical, and fun guide.