Monthly Archives: October 2022

How We Became the Fastest Growing Publisher!

This week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly finally got together in the warehouse for the first time since Microcosm was named Publisher’s Weekly’s fastest growing publisher for 2022! It’s been a few months since the rankings came out, and we’re still pretty shocked. We talk about what all that growth means, what it’s been like, whether or not we have any plans to slow down, and how yeah, we’re a little tired!

The Mycocultural Revolution

Discover the glorious world of mushrooms, lichens, and micro fungi, as described by Peter McCoy, one of today’s foremost experts in the field. Covering the essential information and skills for identifying, cultivating, and celebrating the uniqueness of fungi, this book enables anyone to quickly and easily engage in the art and science of mycology—the study of fungi. Mycology offers vast opportunities to enhance our lives, support our communities, and heal the environment. This first-of-its-kind introductory text is accessible for anyone just getting started in mycology, as well as for those seeking a fresh perspective on this important science.

The Wayward Writer

When your dream and creative passion is to write, how do you succeed without selling out or selling yourself short? Ariel Gore has spent her life solving this puzzle, writing and organizing her way towards a creative utopian vision, where storytelling is a form of resistance and writing is an outsider art. In this follow-up to her national bestseller How to Become a Famous Writer Before You’re Dead, Gore offers a lyrical call to literary revolution paired with practical exercises. Through her own experiences and interviews with other authors, publishers, and agents, she shows you how to chart your own creative education, vanquish shame and imposter syndrome, cast off oppression, cast a spell on your readers, step into your unique powers, and build your own literary community where respect and honesty reign—and where you can be a writer and survive.

Can you get sued for publishing misinformation?

This week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly answer a reader question: do book publishers need to be concerned about liability if they publish books containing scientifically inaccurate information? We’re not sure if the question-asker is considering publishing an anti-vaxx book, suing the publisher of one, or just noodling about fact checking in a more general way, but we do our best to give some practical perspectives.

The Magic of Pockets

Transform your wardrobe with Jess Driscoll’s step-by-step guide to sewing pockets into your favorite clothes. With simple instructions and line drawings, this book teaches six basic pockets, with suggested alterations to customize each pocket to your wardrobe needs, while learning the history of what pockets looked like and why they remain a political tool today. All the projects are designed for beginner sewists, and most can be made by hand, with no specialty tools or machine required.

Are profit & loss statements just a bunch of smoke and mirrors? More from the PRH/S&S merger trial

Back in August, the best show in publishing was the trial in which publishing behemoth Penguin Random House tried to make the case to the US Department of Justice that buying publishing mini-behemoth Simon & Schuster wouldn’t create an uncompetitive atmosphere for authors. We’ve covered it a bit in this podcast, and this week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, we offer one last episode unpacking a funny statement that came out of it: the behemoths’ assertion that their profit & loss statements are meaningless and they actually have no idea how to predict if a book will be profitable. Spoiler: We kinda think they’re stretching the truth. Watch or listen for insights into what (if anything) this means for your own publishing….

Henry & Glenn Forever & Ever: Ridiculously Complete Edition

This new edition of the classic comics love story compiles all previously published Henry & Glenn Forever comics. You’re invited behind the scenes into an epic romance between two musical heroes who are so much more than performance and public image. A multitude of talented comics and graphic novel artists have come together to bring us a multi-faceted relationship to inspire for the ages.