We need to make some space in the warehouses for new stock, and figured, hell, let’s make it a party. We’ve got some great things lined up for it, including some limited-stock titles, and a bunch of Microcosm-published things! The sale will run from Thursday the 20th through the 30th, and newsletter subscribers will get access to the coupon code on Tuesday!
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Jelani Memory (of DK Publishing and A Kid’s Co) is back to talk about The Workshop Method, how Kid’s Co is able to get subject matter experts to write quality kidlit, often in under a day. With over 200 books under their belt that have been created through the Method, it’s a proven successful way to get words on pages to help kids learn.
We publish new zineseach and every month (you read that right!), and we want to make sure you don’t miss any that could help you change your life and the world around you. So every month this year, we are sharing a roundup of what’s been released, and maybe a few sneak peeks at what’s ahead in the zine pipeline. Let’s dive in for March!
A Pocket Guide to Natal Astrology: Birth Chart Basics by Maia Sky This zine will empower you to navigate your astrological fundamentals while fostering a deeper appreciation for the intricacies of the ancient art and science of astrology. Whether you’re birth chart curious or an avid student of the stars, this expertly-organized and highly-detailed guide will build your knowledge and confidence in essential astrological information, from signs and houses to aspects and angles and lots more.
Public Speaking for the Awkward & Overwhelmedby Elly Blue and Joe Biel Have you ever clammed up, lost your train of thought, or stumbled over a word during a presentation? Talking in front of people can be hard, but fear no more! Elly Blue and Joe Biel put their heads and their 40+ years of combined public speaking experience together to create this zine of helpful suggestions, strategies, and practices, ready to support you any time you have to yap in front of—and really connect with—an audience.
Bigenital Revolution: My (Very) Graphic Guide to Nonbinary Gender-Affirming Phalloplastyby Hyde Goltz and Jey Pawlik Go on a journey with Hyde Goltz, one of the first people to ever have bigenital surgery—basically, they have two functional sets of genitals. Hyde shares the intimate details of their experience getting this revolutionary surgery as a nonbinary person. Graphic, humorous, and heartwarming, this comic is for anyone who wants guidance and encouragement for this process—or to understand the experience of a loved one who’s pursuing it.
Sabotage & How to Master Itby Office of Strategic Services and Joe Biel Read along to see 1) how the state weaponizes individual actors to disrupt collective efforts, 2) tactics to watch out for in your groups and collaborations (and within yourself!), 3) ways regular people can hack back against destructive forces through simple, nonviolent means that require no tools, skills, or training. Why let the CIA have all the fun!
Baking with Baddies: How to Succeed in Business, from a Multidimensional Cookie Creativeby Via Carpenter For bakers, business owners, and budding entrepreneurs, this zine gives you a step-by-step guide to small business success. From refining your mission to networking, getting tax help to dealing with burnout and discrimination, this zine is full of sound advice that can be applied to all kinds of small business and start-up situations.
To stay on top of the latest Microcosm news, including the zines digest delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter! Also often includes cute pet pics and good (bad) puns.
Do you have an idea for something that you want to share with the world but don’t know where to start? Want to make a living without selling your soul? Have a business plan but can’t afford to buy anything up front? This book is for you.
Punk Rock Entrepreneur is a guide to launching your own business using DIY methods that allow you to begin from wherever you are, right now. Caroline Moore talks (and illustrates!) you through the why and how of business operations that she learned over years booking bands, organizing fests, sleeping on couches, and making a little go a long way. Engaging stories and illustrations show you the ropes, from building a network and working distribution channels to the value of community and being authentic. The second edition features a new introduction by Lookout! Records co-founder Larry Livermore.
With first hand accounts from touring bands and small business owners, this book gives you the inspiration and down-to-earth advice you’ll need to get started working for yourself.
Will Trump’s tariffs affect books? Broadly—not really, especially if you’re doing a lot in house. But there are still a few things you might want to know.
Fun fact: This episode was originally recorded in 2018, and focuses more on tariffs in China, but time is a flat circle and we’ve come right around to it being relevant again.
How do you handle negative book reviews? Should you even handle them? What kinds of criticism do you engage with, and what’s the best way to go about it? Jane Friedman of The Hot Sheet to chat with Joe and Elly about the pros and cons of critical feedback.
Over at WorkingLit, Microcosm’s cloud-based accounting and inventory management software for publishers, we’ve made a new addition to the team! Meet Sara.
Sara Balabanlilar has been a bookseller, event organizer, undercover gallerist, and co-founder of queer sci-fi bookshop Paraspace Books. Before she came on board with WorkingLit, she was the Marketing & Sales Director at Deep Vellum and Dalkey Archive.
What inspired you to take this job? During the time I’ve spent in the bookselling and publishing industry, the “numbers” side has interested me greatly (my favorite part of sales conferences has always been the presentation on market trends—I know, I know). While I entered the book industry through creative event organizing and marketing, I’m a steadfast systems person. I love finding/learning systems that work, integrating them, and helping everyone else with the details. WorkingLit is investing in back-end/operations expertise, while providing a book worker-led disruption to the HUGE industries that want to rule our creative worlds. And to many hardworking publishers, the numbers side gets complicated fast. I hope to be a part of the solution. Let WorkingLit do the math.
What should publishers reach out to you about? You can contact me about marketing and sales, alongside any app support you need, from help with onboarding to day-to-day tech support. As a person with bookstore and publishing experience, I can help translate your requests to the folks working on the technical side – and answer your questions in ways that make sense to the publishing world. I’ll be your go-between as our team makes changes on the back end and introduces new features.
Got a question or request? Hit me up. No issue is too wacky. If you’re thinking about it, someone else probably is too. Let’s make WorkingLit work for us, together.
What’s one thing you wish you’d known when you were starting out in publishing? I’m going to go even further back. In my first bookstore job, my boss sat me down with an end-of-year P&L report and we went through each line item. I remembered many of the individual sales that went into that concise document, but didn’t know how to connect those small dollar amounts with the huge (hm… modestly-sized) year-long Profits and Losses document I was seeing. I thought of the data analysis as an occasional opportunity to peek behind a heavy curtain, which would remain closed until the end of next year’s Q4. Oooh, mysterious.
Y’all. There doesn’t have to be a curtain! We don’t have to mutter incantations to see which books are doing well, which are missing out on potential growth, and which need an extra marketing push. With the right tools, it’s all good 8). Additionally, I wish I could tell my ten-years-ago self, perky event coordinator and sci fi nerd that I was, how much I’d grow to enjoy the analysis and bookkeeping side of things anyway.
What’s your superhero origin story? Gosh, what’s the origin of any reader… I was a lonely kid who traveled a lot and always had a shelf or suitcase of books for company. That about sums it up! Plus, what’s a superhero without a little mystery around their origin story
The real superheroes were the books and the people who made them, honestly.
Can we meet your cats? I was hoping you’d ask. Meet Nickea, my queen, my familiar, my #1. And Pico, oobleck panther.
Want to learn more about WorkingLit or just welcome Sara to the team? Reach out to her at sara(at)workinglit.com!
A few days ago in a meeting, Elly went on a lovely little tangent about one of her favorite titles from the last few years. Here’s what she had to say:
Let me tell you why Unfuck Your Anger is my favorite Dr. Faith book. It’s not about getting rid of your anger, it’s about understanding it so you can use it to change your life and the world for the better. After reading it, I felt like, instead of walking around like a time bomb, I understood better how to channel that energy into action. It’s got an original framework Faith came up with for forgiveness (the seven Rs!) that’s worth the price of the book in its own right. You might look at it and think “I don’t want to lose my anger, my anger is justified” — and that’s exactly what this book is about! We should be angry, and if we use that skillfully it’ll be an unstoppable force of nature.
Want to check it out for yourself? Get the workbook here, and the original book here.
You likely pass all kinds of plants and herbs in your day to day. But do you know who they are? Where they come from? Maggie Herskovitz can help! Her new book, “An Urban Field Guide to the Plants, Trees, and Herbs in Your Path” recently released, and this week on the pod she joins Joe and Elly to talk about the book’s story, cover design, and how she got into plant identification.
How do you raise your kids to be functional adults with big hearts, especially in the current timeline?
This week on the podcast, Bonnie Scott and Dr. Faith, authors of Unf*ck Your Parenting, join Joe and Elly to talk about the book’s journey and what’s new, respecting your kid, book bans, and more.
