Tagged Cover Reveal

a collage of images from spring 2020 book covers

Cover Reveal: Find Radical Joy with Microcosm’s Spring Books

The world is pretty toxic right now, but we know we can all do better.

To help in the journey, this season’s books cover detoxing your home, making your own self-care magic, and dealing with trauma at all ages; Ditching body-shame for colorful art, and the “cult of positivity” for radical joy; Workbooks to deal with boundaries and finances, and an “unplanner” to keep track of your life while managing your mental health. 

A bit about the season’s designs, from publisher Joe Biel:
Our average cover sees about 50 revisions between conception and the time that the book goes to print—often even changing after the first printing—so we try very hard to nail it on the first impression. 
In most of these cases the concepts were immediate and straightforward but several had the initial drafts completely scrapped in favor of a clearer idea. It’s easy to get stuck in the myopic tunnel of tweaking something endlessly when you need to start over.
The number one consideration of cover design is the book’s value proposition. But what if that book’s emotional payoff is a bit silly? You have to embrace that in some way or you risk misleading the reader.

Bright, bold, and brave, our Spring 2020 books are all about making your own joy through planning, understanding, and practical change, and we think the covers reflect that.
We went a little more playful even than usual this season, comments Joe. Each cover makes me smile a bit more than usual.


Unfuck Your Boundaries Workbook: Build Better Relationships through Consent, Communication, and Expressing Your Needs

by Faith G. Harper, PhD, LPC-S, ACS, ACN

Are people constantly intruding on your personal space, using your stuff, disrespecting you, or otherwise violating your boundaries? You can’t control what they do, but you can control how you understand and communicate your own needs,  and make choices about how you behave and respond to the people around you. Dive deep into self-work with this interactive guide that can be used alone or as a companion to Dr. Faith’s book Unfuck Your Boundaries

ISBN: 9781621061762
Release Date: March 10th 2020

Unf*ck Your Boundaries Workbook cover, a green background with purple accents, featuring doodles of brains reading and working through problems.

The Courage Party: Helping Our Resilient Children Understand and Survive Sexual Assault

by Joyce Brabner and Gerta Oparaku

Courage Party, written by Joyce Brabner (of American Splendor) with the help of her daughter Danielle, is a story based on a real-life situation Danielle experienced in her youth. To help her get over the trauma of her harrowing situation, Danielle’s mother throws her a “courage party” to celebrate her bravery and ability to work through her feelings and bounce back after being assaulted by a stranger. Written in an easy-to-follow, relatable way, this beautifully illustrated story is meant for kids and grown-ups to read together. 

ISBN: 9781621067856
Release Date: May 12th 2020

Book cover for The Courage Party, featuring a full color illustration of a group of kids playing at a party.

Fuck Happiness: How Women are Ditching the Cult of Positivity and Choosing Radical Joy 

by Ariel Gore

Happiness is big business. Books, consultants, psychologists, organizations, and even governments tout happiness secrets that are backed by scientific findings. The problem is that all of this science is done by and for cis white men. And some of the most vocal of these happiness experts were announcing that women could become happier by espousing “traditional” values and eschewing feminism. 

Skeptical of this hypothesis, Ariel Gore took a deep dive into the optimism industrial complex, reading the history, combing the research, attending the conferences, interviewing the thought leaders, and exploring her own and her friends’ personal experiences and desires.

ISBN: 9781621067856
Release Date: May 12, 2020

Bright yellow-orange book cover featuring red text, with the title F♡CK HAPPINESS and a line drawing of someone holding up their smile with their middle fingers.

My Vag: A Rhyming Coloring Book

by Margalit Cutler

Playful rhymes and whimsical art celebrate the many faces of the vulva in this mesmerizing coloring book. Some of the rhymes uplift this oft-misunderstood body part: My vag is a martini / sometimes dry, sometimes dirty / but always delightful & a little bit flirty. And others keep it wonderfully real: Slobbering on a bush / my vag is a giraffe / majestic in person / but goofy in photograph. These pages provide a wonderful antidote to body shame. 

ISBN: 9781621068907
Release Date: June 9, 2020

Book cover for My Vag, featuring a pink body silhouette surrounded by yellow and peach sea creatures and a conveniently-placed tailfin.

Unfuck Your Year: A Weekly Unplanner and Self-Care Activity Book to Manage Your Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Triggers, and Freak-Outs 

by Faith G. Harper, PhD, LPC-S, ACS, ACN

Unfucking your year doesn’t have to start in January. Take control of your life with this “unplanner” at any point in the year, and fill in the months and days as you plan your weeks and work through the exercises month by month. Unfuck Your Year is a perpetual planner with themed months to help you unfuck your life. Features weekly activities in Dr. Faith Harper’s frank style with help from River, the gender-flexible kitty, to guide you along your way. Also includes mood and period trackers, and space for you to set monthly goals along with plenty of achievable suggestions to get you on the right track.

ISBN: 9781621061816
Release Date: August 11, 2020

Detox Your Place: Room by Room Remedies for Nontoxic Living

by Meadow Shadowhawk

Looking to detox your home without the use of harsh chemicals, overly processed cleaning products, or by any other questionable means? Meadow Shadowhawk will help you through the process, with well-researched advice about topics like making your own cleaning products, selecting paint, choosing a vacuum cleaner, and even replacing furniture and insulation. Includes recipes for creating your own versions of everyday items, tips on what to buy (and what to avoid!), and what the facts are about various household items.

ISBN: 9781621061496
Release Date: July 14, 2020

Pink book cover with black title, Detox Your Place, flanked by illustrated tall green plants and household items.

Unfuck Your Worth: Overcome Your Money Emotions, Value Your Own Labor, and Manage Financial Freak-outs in a Capitalist Hellscape

by Faith G. Harper, PhD, LPC-S, ACS, ACN

Dr. Faith, author of the bestselling Unf*ck Your Brain and Unf*ck Your Intimacy, tackles one of the toughest emotional topics there is with her trademark mix of neuroscience, gentle encouragement, and no-nonsense language. This book isn’t about getting rich quick (or necessarily at all)—it’s about figuring out your own economic values and baggage, and learning to be the person in the world you know you have it in you to be. 

ISBN: 9781621064565
Release Date: July 14, 2020

a pale green book cover with an orange dollar sign made out of puzzle pieces and the title UnF*ck Your Worth


Unfuck Your Worth Workbook: Manage Your Money, Value Your Own Labor, and Stop Financial Freakouts in a Capitalist Hellscape

by Faith G. Harper, PhD, LPC-S, ACS, ACN

Without fear and shame holding you back, it’s easier to move past social barriers to actualizing whatever your money aspirations are, whether that’s getting a raise, getting out of debt, having honest conversations about money with your family, raising your kids to be savers, or wherever your aspirations lead you. This workbook can be used alongside the book Unf*ck Your Worth or on its own to help you plot out your values, dreams, and cold, hard numbers. 

ISBN: 9781621061786
Release Date: July 14, 2020

A green background and large puzzle-piece dollar sign, surrounded by puzzle patterns and the title UnFuck Your Worth Workbook

You Are a Great and Powerful Wizard: Self-Care Magic for Modern Mortals

by Sage Liskey and Barbara Counsil 

Contemporary life is confusing and it’s easy to feel out of control. Learn how to harness the power of your words and actions to change your life and make the world a better place with this modern spellbook—regardless of your religion or spiritual leanings. Sage Liskey shows you how to get in touch with the mental, emotional, and physical aspects needed for spell casting. 

ISBN: 9781621064831
Release Date: July 14, 2020

A black book cover with tan filigree patterns around the edge and a the title You Are A Great & Powerful Wizard


See our full catalog HERE any time.

Do you have a book or idea you want to see in this list one day? Pitch us here.

Say Hello to Microcosm’s Fall 2019 Titles

Oh, 2019, how happy we have been for you to arrive. For one thing, now we get to tell you all about this Fall’s new books.

In a recent post we announced 2019 as “The Year of Adventure,” and this season exemplifies that theme. From exploring new cities to making new friends (or treating the ones you have right); standing up for your self to building underground music scenes; finishing projects to handling freak-outs; these incredible titles take on adventures big and small, all set for release between September 2019 and February 2020.

We are proud and excited to share these amazing books (and some pretty fantastic covers!) with the world this year.


SEPTEMBER

This is San Francisco:The Ups, Downs, Ins, and Outs of the City by the Bay
by Alexander Barrett

Through thoughtful and funny anecdotes, essays, and illustrations, Barrett takes you on a journey through one of America’s most famous cities and makes you wish you were right there with him.

Colorful depiction of a white bird, hills, and a bridge over water.

What About Tomorrow?: An Oral History of Russian Punk from the Soviet Era to Pussy Riot
by Alexander Herbert

This oral history takes you through four decades of Punk evolution in Russia, from its origins in St Petersburg and Moscow to uniquely thriving punk scenes in the provincial capitals.

A trio of punks look to the future on a red book cover with flags (soviet and Russian) and a radio tower in the background.
Cover art (freshly painted!) by Matt Gauck

OCTOBER

Unfuck Your Intimacy Workbook: Using Science for Better Relationships, & Dating
by Faith G. Harper, PhD, LPC-S, ACS, ACN

Made to be a companion for her book, Unfuck Your Intimacy, let this handy workbook guide you on your quest for healthier relationships and more excellent sex with the incredible Dr. Faith.

Colorful workbook cover featuring heart shaped puzzle pieces.

From Chaos to Creativity: Building a Productivity System for Artists and Writers
by Jessie L. Kwak

From Chaos to Creativity will help guide you through the clutter and teach you how to focus on the good ideas, manage your project, make time in your life, and execute your passions to completion. Make great art by changing your chaotic creative force into productive power!

NOVEMBER

Friending: Creating Meaningful, Lasting Adult Friendships
by Gina Handley Schmitt, MA LMHC

We’re pretty sure no other book like this exists. Here you will learn the art of choosing and making friends, supporting them and letting them support you, maintaining friendships even when your life paths diverge, repairing friendships after a conflict, the difficult decision to break up a friendship, and much more.
Life is so much sweeter with good friends by your side.

Colorful young friends ride a tandem bike on a path through heart-shaped flowers.
Cover by the incredible Cecilia Granata

The Life & Times of Butch Dykes: Portraits of Artists, Leaders, and Dreamers Who Changed The World
by Eloisa Aquino

Throughout history, many women and nonbinary people have defied society’s expectations of feminine behavior and appearance in order to live a more authentic life. These short vignettes combine biographical sketches with evocative illustrations for an impact that is as bold, powerful, and inspirational as the brilliant artists, writers, and musicians they represent.

A purple, pink, and teal book cover featuring historical icons.

This Is Your Brain on Anger: Manage Your Irritability, Channel Your Frustrations, and Develop a Healthy Relationship with Your Rage
by Faith G. Harper, PhD, LPC-S, ACS, ACN

Your brain actually knows what it’s doing, and anger can be a good thing sometimes—just not if it’s ruining your life. Expanded from the zine of the same name, this is a brief, heady dose of neuroscience and cultural explanation of what anger is and what it does to you. There’s even a handy four-step checklist to help you deal with maddening situations after (or before) the fact, guidance on getting over things, and a chapter on forgiveness.

Red book cover with line-art of a person whose head is a lit bomb

Can’t wait for the book? Grab the quick & dirty zine version.

DECEMBER

Dragon Bike: Fantastical Stories of Bicycles, Feminism, & Dragons
Edited by Elly Blue

From the great, winged, fire-breathing lizards of the west to the wise, flying serpents of the east, dragons play a powerful role in our myths and imaginations. In these fourteen stories and one comic, bicyclists encounter a diversity of dragons, whether foes or friends, hoarders or helpers, powerful symbols or terrifying and very real beasts.

A fierce bicyclist battles a dragon with a lance
Another fantabulous cover from Cecilia Granata

JANUARY, 2020

Boundaries: Say “No” and Take Control of Your Life (Even if You’re Conflict Avoidant)
by Faith G. Harper, PhD, LPC-S, ACS, ACN

Expanded from the zine of the same name, Dr. Faith presents common problems people run into when it comes to personal boundaries, and offers advice on defining, understanding, implementing, and respecting the boundaries that are important to you and your loved ones.

COVER TBA

Can’t wait for the book? Grab the zine version until the book’s release.

If You’re Freaking Out, Read This: A Coping Workbook for Building Good Habits, Behaviors, and Hope for the Future  
by Simone DeAngelis, Faith G. Harper, PhD, LPC-S, ACS, ACN

Simone shares the vital skills that she’s learned over years of therapy, managing her mental health and remembering her reasons to live. Even if you can’t afford a therapist or hospital stay and the people around you are anything but helpful, you can still use those same tools to get better. With a foreword by the one-and-only Dr. Faith Harper.

Simple green background with the pink and white words "If You're Freaking Out Read This!"

FEBRUARY, 2020

Hardcore Anxiety: A Graphic Guide to Punk Rock and Mental Health
by Reid Chancellor

Nervous breakdowns, anxiety, seeking acceptance, attempting to overcome internalized demons, and reacting to harmful and oppressive symptoms—punk rock has always embodied and emboldened our feelings and experiences, positive and negative. Hardcore Anxiety charts and tracks punk movements from the 70s till today, from small towns to stadiums, from the struggles in our heads to the people actively harming us in our communities.

Comic illustration of a punk wearing a flower teeshirt plays giant medication bottles like drums with sketches of people in the background.

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