How do I publish thematically? w/ Jelani Memory of A Kids Co | A People’s Guide to Publishing

May 01, 2025

Readers love knowing what to expect from a publisher. Having consistent theming in your titles can help with discovery, trust, and bringing readers back for more.

But how do you find your theme? And what happens if you want to diverge from your theme? Jelani Memory of A Kids Co is back on the pod this week to talk about it!

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!
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Celebrating International Workers’ Day

April 29, 2025

Happy May Day!

Every year on the first of May, International Workers’ Day (also recognized as May Day, Labour Day, and Worker’s Day), working people worldwide join hands in their fight for dignity, freedom, and the fruits of their labor. Falling at the same time as ancient rites honoring the season’s turn toward summer, May Day is an international celebration of power in the hands of the people. Here is a sampling of books, zines, and more to help you get in the spirit. Labor is entitled to all it creates! Shop the full list or check out these Microcosm-published favorites below:

History of May Day by Alexander Trachtenberg
This history of the struggle to establish worker rights and the formation of a national day of action offers readers a glimpse at labor history. Includes efforts to corrupt the workers’ movement in the United States, and the attempt to subvert the workers’ movement through the foundation of Labor Day.

On The Books: A Graphic Tale of Working Woes at NYC’s Strand Bookstore by Greg Farrell
This David and Goliath story is a first-hand comic strip account of the labor struggle at NYC’s legendary Strand bookstore in the summer of 2012. Told by Greg Farrell—an employee of the store who interviewed numerous other members of the staff—the book examines the motives and actions of those involved, including the store, the staff, the union local, and the people of New York City.

Punching Out: Solidarity on the Factory Floor by Martin Glaberman
In 1952 Marty Glaberman was a Detroit autoworker who witnessed a series of workers who’d be promoted to steward and become ineffective negotiators. Why? This zine is Glaberman’ attempt to answer to the question asked in every coal mine, worker shop, ship in port, steel mill, and auto plant was forever: was it selfish betrayal or bureaucracy that killed any prospects of solidarity in even the most active union worker?

A People’s History of May Day: 1886-Present by Crimethinc
Connect with the powerful history of May Day, from its origins as an ancient celebration of spring to present-day actions led by workers, anarchists, and communities to uplift labor and people’s history. This zine provides a pocket-sized glimpse into the legacy of this beloved radical holiday, with vignettes of May Day by year, citing specific actions, successes, struggles, and demands from around the globe.

Firebrands: Activists You Didn’t Learn About in School edited by Shaun Slifer and Bec Young, with art from Justseeds
This illustrated history celebrates American changemakers and revolutionaries that are often left out of public narratives about our shared past. These firebrands hail from around the world, from the 1500s to today. Instead of focusing on the powerful, rich white folks so often featured in textbooks, these gorgeous portraits with accompanying biographies recognize the work of grassroots organizers, revolutionaries, visionaries, anarchists, workers, and artists.

P.S. We can’t fit it all here, but check out our Labor tag for more like this.
P.P.S. We also carry a lot of cool and thematically appropriate posters. Hang them on your wall or bring them to the march!

Unfuck Your Communication: Using Science to Connect, Collaborate, and Make Yourself Heard

April 25, 2025

A toolkit for successful relationships

In so many facets of our lives, it can be surprisingly hard to speak up, listen well, and find mutual understanding. At some point, all of us will experience an unfortunate miscommunication with a friend or intimate partner, and sometimes there’s just no escaping a difficult conversation with a family member or colleague.

Rather than eating your words or running from confrontation, learn to communicate confidently and listen empathetically with the help of Dr. Faith G. Harper, bestselling author of Unfuck Your Brain and Unfuck Your Intimacy. In this no-nonsense guide, you’ll find conversational templates, guidance for setting boundaries, and tips for talking effectively at home, at work, at school, in everyday encounters, and even with social services and other bureaucratic entities—all of which form a handy toolkit for successful communication.

Read on for a sneak peek at Unfuck Your Communication: Using Science to Connect, Collaborate, and Make Yourself Heard by Dr. Faith G. Harper, available for preorder from our site (shipping starts 6/3/25!) or your local bookseller (officially hitting shelves 7/1/25)!

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How do you market a book publisher? w/Jane Friedman | A People’s Guide to Publishing

April 24, 2025

How do you market your press? It’s not just social media and newsletters. Everything from your cover design, format choices, to who is on your marketing team tells the story of your publisher. Jane Friedman is back to talk to Joe and Elly about staying true to your brand and representing your press.

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!

Does AI innovate books or just add noise? w/Yehuda Niv of Spines | A People’s Guide to Publishing

April 17, 2025

AI has been a topic of near-constant debate in publishing the last few years. Is it a great democratizer, making writing, editing, and publishing accessible to everyone? Or is it just adding lower-quality, uncreative slush to the pile? This conversation became even more prominent a few months ago with the launch of Spines, a company that says “harnessing the power of cutting-edge AI, Spines revolutionizes every facet of the publishing journey, including proofreading, formatting, cover design, distribution, and marketing across all major channels and platforms.” Yehuda Niv, founder and CEO of Spines, joins Joe and Elly on the podcast this week for a discussion about AI, traditional publishing vs Spines model, and whether or not data actually supports the argument that AI is the great publishing disruptor.

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!

Unfuck Your Brain Graphic Guide: Using Science to Get Over Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Freak-outs, and Triggers

April 14, 2025

A classic made accessible for adults and teens

Your brain has a mind of its own. And sometimes, even when it’s doing its best, it can feel like it’s out to get you. If you’ve ever had a meltdown in class, suffered emotions nobody understands, or found yourself shutting down at the worst time, you know this all too well.

Thankfully, this graphic guide is here to help you understand your brain and retrain it to better respond to serious upheavals as well as everyday indignities. Sit with Dr. Faith as she explains her insights and neuroscientific nerdiness (and swearing) in the form of a nonfiction graphic novel with artwork by Gerta O. Egy. If you’re struggling with trauma, depression, anxiety, anger, grief, or addiction, or if you just want to have a more chill response to life, this guide will help you get your brain back on track so you can take on the world.

Read on for a sneak peek at Unfuck Your Brain Graphic Guide: Using Science to Get Over Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Freak-outs, and Triggers by Dr. Faith G. Harper & Gerta Oparaku Egy available for preorder from our site (shipping starts 5/27/25!) or your local bookseller (officially hitting shelves 6/24/25)!

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The Horrors of Being a Human: A Cola Pop Creemees Comic

April 11, 2025

The band experiences a wide range of emotions

Experience every emotion and endure life’s ups and downs with this series of short comics. Featuring Desmond Reed’s unique style of fluid, cartoony lines, these everyday vignettes strike a variety of emotional chords as they tell the story of the fictional band the Cola Pop Creemees.

This standalone volume follows the adventures of the wacky personalities behind the group, letting us in on their candid thoughts and outsized reactions to experiences ranging from the chaos of the grocery store to memories of heartbreak at religious summer camp to a bona fide zombie apocalypse. Their antics will make you laugh as you reflect on life’s difficult moments and emotions. As one character muses, “Am I a strong person for doing things while feeling sad, or am I a weak person for feeling sad to begin with?” Dramedy has never looked so squiggly . . . or relatable.

Perfect for fans of BoJack Horseman, this collection serves both as an entry point to the popular web comic and as a continuation of its familiar characters and scenarios. Includes “Memories,” winner of a 2022 MICE Mini-Grant.

Read on for a sneak peek at The Horrors of Being a Human: A Cola Pop Creemees Comic by Desmond Reed, available for preorder from our site (shipping starts 5/6/25!) or your local bookseller (officially hitting shelves 6/3/25)!

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What is the Impact of Book Bans? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

April 10, 2025

Book bans have seen an astronomical increase in the last few years. How are they impacting the book industry, booksellers, and publishers? We had the opportunity to check in with book professionals at a recent conference about what alarms them about book bans, their experiences, what kinds of books are banned, and what we can do to fight bans and challenges

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!

Return to the Snake Pit: Daily Diary Comics 2022-2024, San Francisco–Richmond

April 08, 2025

Outsider art about punk, dogs, and aging parents

In his classic no-frills style, Ben Snakepit documents the daily events of the years 2022 to 2024. Each day since 2001, he’s drawn a three-panel comic about his day, creating a rhythm with subtle humor and genuine feeling that draws you into events both startling and mundane.

This collection starts off in San Francisco, but aging parents and a major family emergency cause Ben to move back in Richmond, VA. After 23 years away, Snakepit returns to the place where it all started. His band breaks up, he turns 50, and the world and his life change dramatically, but Ben keeps bringing us a comic—and a song—every day throughout it all. Grown-up punks, fans of outsider art and diary comics, and anyone with aging parents will get it—and once you get it, much like growing older, there’s no going back.

Read on for a sneak peek at Return to the Snake Pit: Daily Diary Comics 2022-2024, San Francisco-Richmond by Ben Snakepit, available for preorder from our site (shipping starts 5/6/25!) or your local bookseller (officially hitting shelves 6/3/25)!

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Our Portland Warehouse is Open by Appointment for In-Person Shopping!

April 04, 2025

Yep, that’s right, if you’re in Portland, you can come shop in person at our Portland bookstore (located at our warehouse), by appointment! Our staffed hours are 11am-3pm Mon-Saturday.

Here are the details:

If you’re shopping for items for yourself

To help with juggling our workers’ busy schedules, we’re asking shoppers to purchase a digital gift card for $50 or more in order to make a shopping appointment. The gift card will be applied to your in-store purchase. Leave an order note that says “I want to make an appointment to browse at the store,” when you check out. (If you forget to leave a note after purchase, email orders@microcosmpublishing.com with your order ID and someone will be in touch!)

If you’re shopping for items to resell in your own store

Email our sales department at sales@microcosmpublishing.com or call us at 360-291-7226 and we’ll figure out a time for you to come by.

Face masks are required for everyone entering our building!

If you have any questions, please email orders@microcosmpublishing.com, and someone from our customer service team will help!

See you soon!
<3 Microcosm