Unfuck Your Wellness: Using Science to Evaluate Acupuncture, Hypnosis, Aromatherapy, Cannabis, and Other Healing Modalities

Debunk the junk and get healthy with remedies that work

Learn to discern between science-backed health strategies and harmful health scams from Microcosm’s bestselling author. Dr. Faith Harper, author of books like Unfuck Your Brain and Unfuck Your Body, explores popular alternative treatments like sound healing, mindfulness and meditation, and herbal supplements. She applies the rules of scientific inquiry to each one, asking key questions like: What science do we have? What should we look out for? How do we discern quality? Which claims have merit, which might be possible, and which are ridiculous? She walks you through the body-mind connection, the placebo effect, and how to critically read a scientific study. 

In these pages, you’ll find tools to determine for yourself what treatments are worth spending your money on and what will really help you feel better, and learn to advocate for yourself within and outside of the medical establishment. Bolstered by research and sprinkled with swearing, this book celebrates just how damn cool the human body and mind are, putting the power of healing in your hands.

For fans of the podcast If Books Could Kill and anyone who’s fallen down a rabbit hole of internet research and wants help separating fact from fiction.

Make healthy choices and keep reading for an excerpt from Dr. Faith’s latest, Unfuck Your Wellness, available now from out site or a Microcosm peddler near you!

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How do libraries affect book sales? w/Guy LeCharles Gonzalez| A People’s Guide to Publishing Podcast

There’s been a lot of discourse lately about eBooks, libraries, and sales. But are libraries really hurting book sales (and authors’ and publisher’s bottom lines)?

This week on the pod, industry analyst and friend of the ‘Cosm, Guy LeCharles Gonzalez, joins Joe and Elly to talk about why publishers and libraries often seem pitted against each other, licensing agreements, and how Baker and Taylor’s closure factors in.

Prefer an audio experience? Listen to the episode on your favorite podcast app.
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!

Reasons to Stay Alive

You might think Abby posted this because the ocean is nice. Nope, it’s because rocks are cool.

Times are hard. Brains are harder. We’re feeling it, and y’all probably are too.

Joe’s been doing a series on our Instagram called “reasons to stay alive.” It’s fun, a great glimpse behind the curtain of Microcosmic happenings, sometimes it’s serious, and it makes a great list.

If you want to easily scroll through, check out the reels tab on our Instagram page.

Or, if you’re a list person like us, here are the reasons we’ve found thusfar, just in case you need it too:

Still looking for a reason to get out of bed and keep kicking ass? We’ve got a book for you.

Writing the Books That You Want to Read w/ J Hunter Bennett | People’s Guide to Publishing Podcast

This week on the pod, J. Hunter Bennett, author of “More Punk than the Public Library” joins Joe and Elly to talk curating Little Free Libraries, writing the books YOU want to read, and why policing other folks’ tastes is anti-punk behavior.

Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/62128

Prefer an audio experience? Listen to the episode on your favorite podcast app.
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!

Why are we publishing fewer books? w/Daley Farr | A People’s Guide to Publishing Podcast

You would think that if you publish more books, you’ll make more money. But that’s not always the case! While expanding your title list might feel like the easiest path to profit, you should also factor in staff time and bandwidth, resources, and retailer overwhelm.

This week on the podcast, Microcosm’s Marketing and Publicity Specialist, Daley Farr, joins Joe and Elly to talk about her suggestion for us to publish fewer books, and why the data backs it up.

Prefer an audio experience? Listen to the episode on your favorite podcast app.
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!

(Applications Closed!) Microcosm is hiring a Sales Specialist/Senior Sales Specialist!

Applications are now closed! Thank you to everyone who applied.

We are looking for an experienced salesperson to join our team to help get our books, zines, and decks placed into retail shops.

Do you have experience selling books to specialty retailers, gift shops, and bookstores? Is title curation your superpower? Do you get energized when a new store opens up on your block? Are you driven by results and motivated by a cooperative team environment? Do you have the persistence and motivation to make cold calls? If so, keep reading!

Hours: This is a full-time, 40-hour-per-week  job with flexible hours. This job does not require travel.

Location: This position is fully remote. At this time, we can only hire new full-time staff who live in Oregon, Ohio, Washington State, Maine, and California. If you live elsewhere in the US and are open to contract work please apply anyway and let us know. A desk is available in our Portland, Oregon office if desired.

Experience: We are looking for someone with a strong track record of sales experience in the book publishing industry, with five years of full-time b2b sales experience or equivalent. 

Core job duties: 

  • 70-80% active selling (calls, emails, texts, presentations, visits)
  • 20-30% strategy, market research, sales analysis, creating sales materials

Requirements:  

  • Book publishing experience with a successful b2b sales background
  • Can quickly onboard and get up to speed 
  • Easily builds relationships with coworkers and accounts
  • Comfortable with presentations, meetings, and phone interactions
  • Available to work full-time
  • Love of learning, flexibility and comfortable with change, habit of implementing feedback into future projects and systems
  • Respectful of a neurodiverse workforce 
  • Driven without being competitive with teammates 
  • Fluency in Google Docs and Sheets
  • Ability to meet or exceed deadlines without operating in a state of last-minute urgency
  • Ability to prioritize between multiple projects and work independently
  • Willingness to sell books about topics that may be sensitive to some, including trauma, abuse, recovery, various religions, various marginalized identities, drugs, sexual instruction, and erotica
  • Familiarity with Microcosm’s titles and a belief in our mission 

Not required, but nice to have

  • Experience selling to key wholesale accounts and/or national retailers

Pay and benefits:

Starting wage is $20.50-$24 per hour plus commission, depending on work type, location, experience, and level of responsibility in previous sales positions.

  • Company profits are distributed to staff in the form of profit-sharing and raises
  • Health, dental, and vision insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Remote work
  • Flexible work hours and holidays
  • Employee ownership program after five years
  • Transparent compensation and clear metrics for advancement
  • Meaningful work, humane working conditions, and stellar coworkers

To apply:

Application deadline: June 21, 2026

We will respond to all applicants by July 9th. Please do not contact us about the status of your application! 

How to Sell Books to Bookstores, w/Maureen Karb | A People’s Guide to Publishing Podcast

Sales reps are crucial pieces of the book industry puzzle. They are the the ones who help stores find the titles that would be good fits, give feedback to publishers about their title lists, and so much more!

This week on the pod, we’re back chatting with sales rep extraordinaire Maureen Karb to talk about the process of selling books to bookstores, and what makes a great rep.

Prefer an audio experience? Listen to the episode on your favorite podcast app.
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!

Your Book Is Your Business: Money-Making Sales Strategies

Call it a hobby, side gig, side hustle, or whatever you’d like—but treat it like a business.

Take your book from a single product you feel like you have to hustle to a foundational piece of your prospering entrepreneurial enterprise with the help of this encouraging, no-nonsense guide to promoting—and profiting from—your writing, whether or not you have a relationship with a traditional publisher.

Joylynn M. Ross is a bestselling author with decades of experience in multiple genres. She shares her insider knowledge of how to treat your writing as a business. She walks you through the nitty-gritty, behind-the-scenes details of literary finances, from finding grants to printing options to cover pricing. Ross’s straightforward, tried-and-true advice is accessible, actionable, and practical, told in brief vignettes readers can easily refer back to, or easily share with others. You don’t need to rely on fast trends, conventional wisdom, or expensive freelance support to make sure your work succeeds and your reach continues to grow. 

Don’t be discouraged: Roll up your sleeves and dive in for a more successful publication, a more profitable business, and a more empowered writing community.

Read on for an excerpt from Your Book Is Your Business, shipping now from our site and available everywhere you find Microcosm titles on June 9th.

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Next-Level Ally: How to Support Your Queer and Transgender Friends

Speak up, take action, and protect your community

How do you show up for the LGBTQ+ people in your life? You’ve figured out pronouns, you vote, and you don’t say hateful things, but you have a lot of unanswered questions and the strong feeling that you could be doing more. You’re committed to educating yourself, but where to start? 

Author and activist Eli Sachse has created a practical guide to being a better friend, family member, partner, colleague, and community member to your trans and queer friends. With anti-queer and trans bias and oppression on the rise, it’s more important than ever for allies to step up with radical empathy. Allyship is a skill that anyone can learn, and Sachse is a kind, clear teacher. 

With a focus on direct and effective communication, Sachse has filled this book with real-world examples for everyday people. Learn when and how to speak up at work and online without doing more harm than good. Create more inclusive conversations and challenge misgendering and harmful jokes. Learn to see and question your own implicit biases and assumptions. Celebrate and affirm your friends. Become a better friend, manager, or parent. Volunteer, march, and create true safe spaces. Further chapters advise people working in health and mental health professionals, educators, and law enforcement in how to do better by the trans and queer people they serve.

Read on for an excerpt from Next-Level Ally, shipping now from our site and available everywhere you find Microcosm titles!

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Movie Deals, Book Clubs, & More Book Scams w/ Jane Friedman | A People’s Guide to Publishing Podcast

You open up your inbox and—surprise!— someone wants to turn your book into a movie! Or include it in a book club! Or feature it on a recommendation list! All you have to do is pay a small fee. Oftentimes in book world, if something feels too good to be true, it often is (especially if they want you to pay).

This week on the pod, Joe, Elly, and Jane Friedman talk about the common scams authors and publishers are sent, what to look out for, and how to avoid them.

Want more publishing insights from Jane? Check out The Bottom Line at www.janefriedman.com

Prefer an audio experience? Listen to the episode on your favorite podcast app.
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!

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