A scrappy, DIY guide to small business success

Punk Rock Entrepreneur

Running a Business Without Losing Your Values

by Caroline Moore (Author) and Larry Livermore (Foreword)

"Caroline Moore offers the best kind of hope for anyone who hopes not to spend the rest of her or his life grinding out boredom in an office cubicle. Punk Rock Entrepreneur shows musicians and other artists how to make a living (or part of one) out of creativity without resorting to the loathsome selling-out that kills your soul. It won't be easy. It might not work. But it can be done." —Ted Rall, cartoonist and author of Bernie and Snowden

"A weeklong ride in a van drinking too much coffee and just talking about everything, feeling inspired and wishing somebody would write it all down... that's what this book feels like." —Jason Chandler, author and illustrator for Horrible Comics, lead singer for punk band the Frustrators

Punk Rock Entrepreneur: Running a Business Without Losing Your Values

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.

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.

The second edition features a new introduction by Lookout Records co-founder Larry Livermore.

SUBJECT: DIY / Music / Art and Design / Punk / Activism / Microcosm / Business

PUBLICATION: Aug 26, 2025

PRICE: $14.99

ISBN: 9781648415661

FORMAT: paperback, 6x6", 160 pages

WHOLESALE: Standard

CARTON QTY: 60

ART: b&w illustrations throughout

Marketing Notes

Caroline Moore is a writer, designer, and photographer living in Brownsville, Pennsylvania. Her debut book, Punk Rock Entrepreneur, was published by Microcosm, and her work has also appeared in Offbeat Bride, The Vinyl District, and Alternative Press.

A lifelong man of punk, Larry Livermore is known best as the cofounder of independent punk label Lookout Records.

A small, innovative publishing house, Microcosm Publishing specializes in work designed to make the reader feel good about being alive, take an active role in bettering their life, and impact the world around them. Microcosm has developed a reputation for teaching self-empowerment, showing hidden histories, and fostering creativity through challenging conventional publishing wisdom with books and zines about DIY skills, food, politics, and art. Our books are printed in the USA.