Letter from the editor

From: Krysta Herrera

Hello!

My name is Krysta, and like you I’ m an aspiring publisher. Upon writing this, I am a mere month away from graduation and am both intensely nervous and equally thrilled to enter the professional world.

I hadn ’t always wanted to go into publishing. In fact it never even occurred to me that this was an option until my second semester of sophomore year, when a professor brought up the summer publishing courses in passing. But then the pandemic started and any opportunity to get internships or any editorial experiences had to be put on the back burner. But from that point on it was all I could dream about doing. But unlike other career paths, this was one that I’d never heard talked about.

I wanted this so badly and had no idea where to start.

And unfortunately the more I learned, the more impossible it seemed. From the outside, the publishing world seemed to exist within this very exclusive, daunting bubble. I didn ’t know who I could reach out to that could answer my questions.

I would probably have to move to a new city with very little financial help and no personal connections. And to cap it all off, the industry is overwhelmingly white. As a Mexican woman, seeing only 6% of Latinx/Hispanic people make up the industry is not at all encouraging.

How was I supposed to be successful with all of these obstacles? Would I even have a chance of getting my foot in the door?

Even so I was determined to do so, and so I threw myself into research, charting my course so that I could reach my goal. And I want to help you do the same. Ultimately the purpose of this resource is to help aspiring publishers (especially disabled, BIPOC and/or LGTBQ+ groups) earlier in their undergraduate experience, so that you may be confident, knowledgeable and equipped to set your plan in motion. I wish to give a general overview of what I had to teach myself about publishing while being as transparent as possible, so that you may make informed choices and begin preparing earlier and with less hesitation than I did.

For those of us who do not make up the majority, it’ s tempting to compare our experiences with those of others who may have more advantages or just seem farther ahead in life, and I know this can be so discouraging.

It' s so easy to try to mimic the paths that others take, but ultimately I emphasize that we will not all take the same path in life, even if we have similar destinations. All we can do is learn from our experiences, take chances, and after we ’ re armed ourselves with our skills, passion and community, chase after our dreams and embrace the detours.

I have no idea where I’ll be in five years, let alone next year. But I can say for certain that the lessons I learn and the people I meet getting there, will help me in whatever I do and whichever direction I go.

It’ s impossible to go at this alone so I implore you to make connections. There are hundreds of students here at St. Ed’ s who you can embrace in your own growing community. You all have unique voices and perspectives that deserve to be heard.

I believe in you.

Krysta

04 TheIndustry:ARundown

Departments, Lingo, and Where you might end up

The "Big Five" represent the traditional trade book industry in the U.S. These major publishing houses include: Penguin/Random House, Hachette Book Group, Harper Collins, Simon and Schuster, & Macmillan

Types of Publishing

Trade Book: What you most likely think of when you think of a book. Consist of general interest texts both fiction and non-fiction to be read for pleasure or receiving information. Sold through general retail stores.

Textbook: Can also be referred to as "college publishing. " Often produce course books that are used in a college class in order to address curricular needs.

Scholarly/academic: Can be a university press (ex. The University of Texas Press) Aims to distribute academic research and scholarship.

Reference: Produce manuals or guides (ex. dictionaries, encyclopedias etc.) While once traditionally printed, reference texts are now mostly produced digitally in the form of databases or websites.

Self-publishing: The publication of media or a text without the involvement of an established publisher. When a writer produces their own work independently at their own expense. Think personal blogs, websites or authors who sell their texts directly on Amazon.

Within these big publishing houses there may be multiple imprints, or trade names which will market specific types of works to different demographics.

Think of the imprint as the brand representing the book. For example let’s take the children’s book My Two Border Towns by David Bowles. The text was published by the imprint, Kokila which belongs to the larger publishing company Penguin Random House. Part of Kokila’s mission is to share “ stories that have been historically marginalized and make space for storytellers to explore the full range of their experiences.

By having imprints or subsidiaries, publishers can establish a brand identity for a specific kind of book and then advertise them to a specific audience in the market.

There are also Independent Presses, or small publishing companies not associated with major publishing houses. For example you might have heard of the Greenleaf Book Group here in Austin, TX.

Department Guide

Art & Design: design book's cover, jacket or interior to represent the text's character and attract an audience

Editorial: complete all jobs necessary to acquire, edit, and produce a text

Managing Editorial: responsible for production schedules, overseeing freelancers, and proofreading manuscripts.

Marketing: develops creative marketing campaigns (advertising, social media, and bookstore displays)

Publicity: Create the "buzz" for new texts. Pitch newspapers, TV/radio stations, and websites so the press can review .

Sales: Ensure books are available, displayed and promoted in bookstores or retailers everywhere.

Audio: Creates aural versions of books

Contracts: manages the process of drafting a book contract and negotiating with the author

Digital Development: responsible for producing websites for publishers

Digital Production: responsible for the creation of all types of eBooks

Finance: responsible for sales forecasting, cost of goods, production, inventory, and the balance sheet for a title, imprint, or division

Production: oversees the pre-press and manufacturing process from manuscript to bound book

Imprints & Independent Presses to Highlight

1. Kokila Books

3. Heartdrum 4. Surely Books

(KO-ki-la) centers around stories that have been historically marginalized. Kokila writes for children and young adults, and aims to makes space for storytellers to explore the full range of their experiences.

2. Tiny Reparations Books

Tiny Reparations is dedicated to publishing literary fiction, nonfiction and essay collections that highlight and amplify unique and diverse voices that both reflect the conversation and push it forward.

Heartdrum offers a wide range of innovative and heartfelt stories by Native creators, informed and inspired by lived experience, with an emphasis on the present and future of Indian Country and on the strength of young Native heroes. Surely Books is a line of graphic novels curated by the bestselling Eisner Award-winning author Mariko Tamaki, dedicated to expanding the presence of LGBTQIA creators and content in the comics world.

5. The Feminist Press

The Feminist Press publishes books that ignite movements and social transformation. They aim to lift up marginalized voices from around the world to build a more just future and create a world where everyone recognizes themselves in a book.

6. Flamingo Rampant

Flamingo Rampant publishes feminist, raciallydiverse, LGBTQ positive children’s books, in an effort to bring visibility and positivity to the reading material of all children. They make books kids love that love them right back, and books that make kids say with pride: that kid’s just like me!

7. Greystone Books 8. Salaam Reads

Greystone Books focuses on high-quality non-fiction books about nature, the environment, travel, adventure, sports, social issues, science, and health. Committed to protecting the environment, Greystone aims to use ancient-forest-friendly, chlorine-free, 100 percent post-consumer paper in the production of its books. Salaam Reads is an imprint for young readers (children to young adults) that celebrates joy, vibrancy, and variety in stories of Muslim life. They publish books that explore a diverse panoply of experiences, offering readers a way to see themselves reflected in the pages of their books.

9. Shade Mountain Press

Shade Mountain Press is a feminist press committed to publishing literature by women, especially women of color, disabled women, women from working-class backgrounds, and LGBTQ women. They publish work that’s politically engaged, challenges the status quo, and tells the stories that usually go unheard.

10. Lil' Libros

Lil' Libros publishes children's bilingual books and aims to encourage parents to read to their children in in two languages. They celebrate Latin American culture, important historical figures, and wish to make the world a better place by providing authentic stories that promote inclusivity and love.