How does the entire world get information about what you are publishing? It’s from a feed called ONIX, that propagates every detail about your titles. This week on the pod, we take a deep dive into ONIX and its role for small publishers.
Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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Many publishers find money to be very unpredictable and scary. So this week we take a look at how to create budgets and predict cash flow as well as how to plan a financial future. It’s not as difficult as it seems!
Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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So much of book publishing is about distributing tasks, so how can publishers take more of these operational aspects in-house? This week on the pod, guest Anthony Goff, President of Blackstone Publishing, walks us through many of their aspects that are vertically integrated, from recording studios to rights sales to printing and distribution—to performing these services for other publishers.
Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
Want to stay up to date on new podcast episodes and happenings at Microcosm? Subscribe to our newsletter!
Welcome to the next installment of the Bookstore Solidarity Project! Every month, we’ll be highlighting indie bookstore owners and booksellers across the country.
For January, we managed to wrangle Josh Christie of Print: A Bookstore, in Portland, Maine. Fun fact about Print— it’s where Abby the Marketing Manager was first really introduced to Microcosm, thanks to Print’s awesome selection of zines and books!
Your name and pronouns?
Josh Christie, he/him
Tell us a little bit about the store and your community!
We love being the most progressive, most queer-friendly bookstore in our already lefty little city. We’ve been a store for 7 years in November (!). No store cat, through four of us have dogs and one of us has pet bunnies.
What got you into bookselling?
I couldn’t figure out what else to do with a degree in political science. This is my 20th year as a bookseller, so now it’s hard to imagine doing anything else.
What’s something about your store that you think will surprise people?
Our store has been many things prior to our tenancy, including a furniture designer’s workshop, hardware store / scuba shop, and girls school. Plus, the store is haunted.
What are some of you favorite ways your community supports your store?
The community is super-supportive of all our social media antics, which is loads of fun. They’ve also really latched on to our book clubs – we’ve got four now, and each pulls at least a dozen attendees for every meeting.
What are two books you can’t wait for people to read, or your current favorite handsells?
How to Be Multiple: The Philosophy of Twins by Helena de Bres and Black Punk Now, edited by Chris L. Terry and James Spooner
How can customers who aren’t local shop your shelves?
Our website! Printbookstore.com.
Be sure to follow Print: A Bookstore on Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok (you definitely want to check out their Tiktok). Check out his podcast interview here!
You can read our other Bookstore Solidarity Project posts here!
And click here to get a copy of How to Protect Bookstores and Why.
Peter Workman referred to it as “The Three Legged Stool,” meaning that if one stakeholder wasn’t benefiting in some way, a book would fail. And that’s a catchier way to explain the concept that publishing a book has to add value to everyone who touches it at every stage. This week on the pod, we unpack the idea of what makes any organization successful.
Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
Want to stay up to date on new podcast episodes and happenings at Microcosm? Subscribe to our newsletter!
Popular author Lydia Davis decided that she no longer wanted her books sold on Amazon. So she tasked her agent with finding a publisher who could do this for her. Everyone said that it was impossible. But through a unique partnership between Microcosm and Bookshop.org, we found a way. And it wasn’t even hard. This is how it turned out. Over 10,000 books sold in the first month and growing!
Check out our interview with Sarah High here.
Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
Want to stay up to date on new podcast episodes and happenings at Microcosm? Subscribe to our newsletter!
Welcome to the next installment of the Bookstore Solidarity Project! Every month, we’ll be highlighting indie bookstore owners and booksellers across the country.
This month, we’re featuring The Shop at MATTER in Denver! It’s a Black- and woman-owned store that also triples as a design consultancy and letterpress workshop.
Your name and pronouns?
Rick Griffith (He/Him/Them)
Tell us a little bit about the store and your community!
Since 2014 our bookstore has been the only Black- and woman-owned independent, full service (internet and brick) cultural justice bookstore in the United States Mountain Time Zone. We are a haven for fem, queer, non-binary, trans, LatinX, Indigenous, AAPI, and Black persons. We have always respected and invested in the intellectual and creative products of the people who represent our community. We have a print shop with five letterpress printing presses and thousands of pieces of wood type that we employ to print community projects that are pro-democracy, pro-liberation, and pro-freedom. We are political—and we are activists. A bookstore to integrate Art, Design and Cultural Justice for all generations.
What got you into bookselling?
The desire to positively affect the lives of the people we know and love with books and products that acknowledge those of us in the margins.
What’s something about your store that you think will surprise people?
We are working on a lending library for our community so everyone can have access. We have five 19th and early 20th century printing presses. We letterpress print for our community and ask people to pay what they can afford for most of our prints.
What are some of you favorite ways your community supports your store?
Besides buying books, buying our prints and posters. Ordering for personal and business book clubs. Having us bring our pop-up to conferences and large gatherings. Getting the word out. Shopping in pairs.
What are two books you can’t wait for people to read, or your current favorite handsells?
Can’t Pay Won’t Pay and There are Places in the World Where Rules are Less Important than Kindness
How can customers who aren’t local shop your shelves?
on the internet: shopatmatter.com
Anything else you would like us to know?
We are love, revolution, and abolition.
Be sure to follow The Shop at MATTER on Instagram and Facebook, and check out their interview on our podcast here!
Check out our other Bookstore Solidarity Project posts here!
And click here to check out How to Protect Bookstores and Why.
In several previous episodes, we’ve made reference to presenting your books at a “sales conference.” It’s a fundamentally misleading event, since you aren’t actually presenting to buyers. So this week, on the pod, we answer the reader question “What is a sales conference?”
Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
Want to stay up to date on new podcast episodes and happenings at Microcosm? Subscribe to our newsletter!
Welcome to the first ever Microcosm “oh crap I’m supposed to be thinking about gifts for people” guide! Between zines, buttons, books, patches, and more, we’ve got something for everyone on your list.
(Or yourself, because you deserve something fun, too.)
Plus, you can use coupon code DECEMBER to get 10% off on your order from now until December 8th.
We’ve sorted it all by interest, to make things easier for you. Happy scrolling!
The Zine Lover
Disgruntled Barista Coloring Book is part graphic novel, part coloring book. This zine takes you on a caffeinated journey through the working lives of baristas and the customers they serve coffee to every day.
Other ideas: Conspiracy Fun Book (Holiday Edition), Indigenous Noms, The Revolution Won’t Forget the Holidays, True Cat Confessions, 50 Ways to Protect Bookstores
The Cozy One
Everyday Herbal Teamaking is a great little pocket guide to 35 easily-accessible herbs that make great teas, perfect for the comfy-cozy time of year.
Other Ideas: Flowering Plants & How to Grow Them, Winter Window Gardens & How to Grow Them, Make Your Place, Bread of the Resistance
The Memoir/Music/Travel Journal/Self Improvement Fan
That’s very specific, but you’ll definitely want to check out Beatles Blackouts, Jack Marriott’s journey to visit every single Beatles monument in the world after he hit rock bottom.
Other Ideas: Couple’s Vacation Passport, Sober Travel Handbook, Cola Pop Creemees, “Hittin’ the Road” Patch, Punk USA
The Activist
From Conflict to Community is Gwendolyn Olton’s guide to resolving conflicts without calling the cops (or HR). It’s a realistic and kind read for anyone looking into the world of mutual aid and community care.
Other Ideas: “Free Palestine” Button, “Defend Trans Kids” sticker, Direct Action Handbook, How to Organize Inclusive Events, The Enduring Legacy of Portland’s Black Panthers
The Cyclist
The Bikes in Space series is full of fun and feminist sci-fi and fantasy short stories. The latest volume, The Bicyclist’s Guide to the Galaxy, adds a bookish twist to it all!
Other: Cruiser Bike Sticker, “Put the Fun Between Your Legs” Shirt, Go by Bicycle, How to Ride Slow, Biking Fun Magnets
The Witchy One
The Practical Witch’s Almanac 2024 is all about growing your craft in the new year. This planner has recipes, spells, DIY projects, all focused on herbalism, magic, divination, and more!
Other Ideas: Pocket Guide to Futhark Runes, Culpeper’s Complete Astrology, Divine Deco Tarot (and Coloring Book!), Year of the Witch, “Kitchen Witch” Sticker
The Writer
The Wayward Writer is all about writing without selling out or selling yourself short. With practical advice on balancing your writing craft with progressive ideas, this is a book for anyone who wants to turn writing into an honest literary community.
Other Ideas: From Dream to Reality, Promote Your Book, Unf*ck Your Writing, “This Font Is Chaotic Evil” Sticker, “Revolution Between the Lines” Pin
The Self-Help Reader
Unfu*ck Your Stress might seem like a strange gift (“here, I got you this book to help you calm the heck down!”) but honestly, we all know someone who could use Dr. Faith’s clutch advice on helping turn overwhelm into excitement.
Other Ideas: Stress Coping Skills Deck, Monthly Manifestation Manual, How to Get Off Social Media and Still Keep In Touch With Your Friends, I Love My Queer Kid, “Do No Harm Take No Sh*t” Pin, “You Got This” Sticker
The One You Don’t Know How To Shop For
Whether they don’t like gifts or have read just about everything we have, hook them up with a gift certificate, BFF subscription, or even donate books to incarcerated folks in their honor.
We hope this list was helpful!
Remember to be kind to folks this holiday, and shop local where you can.
When we tell strangers what we do, they either bemoan the death of the publishing industry or assume that we sit around and read books all day. So this week on the pod, we take a look at what a publisher actually does and the outcome of all of this work!
Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
Want to stay up to date on new podcast episodes and happenings at Microcosm? Subscribe to our newsletter!