Forum / Literary Activism On the Cheap and in Real Time

• 
  Joani Reese

  Oct 09, 02:30pm

  We all know that small presses usually operate not only on a shoe string, but they are often supplemented from the pockets of their owners and friends. We can make a difference, not only for small presses, but for our writer friends as well, and it won't cost us a thing.

  Although much of the economy is in the toilet, and people like me have very little disposable income, even for books, those objects I love best in the world, I do have access to my college and local libraries. These folks still have a budget for materials, albeit smaller than it was a few years ago. Let's take advantage of that budget by asking them to purchase small press books written by our friends and colleagues here at Fictionaut. It will take only an hour or so of your time to make a list, walk, bike, or drive to your nearest library, and ask that they order these books.

  Off the top of my head, I can think of quite a few folks who have had their work published in the last year or two. What I'd like you all to do is add to this thread by listing your book's title, its publisher, and its ISBN so the rest of us can make our lists and get going. If you have friends whose books you'd also like to add, please list them here too.

  Let's all do something to support our friends and those small press publishers we would like to be around when our own nascent manuscripts are ready to venture out into the world. All it will cost you is a bit of time and effort.

  Thanks for supporting writers and writing. List away!

• 
  Carol Reid

  Oct 09, 02:46pm

  I'm going to be taking careful note of this thread. Our local librarian is a treasure and is fillig the shelves with books I actually want to read and, wonder of wonders, many of them are short story collections and poetry.

  Great idea, JP.

• 
  Jim V

  Oct 09, 03:16pm

  Joani, a lot of times you don't even have to go to the library. I know my library, the King County Library, takes book purchase requests right online. All you have to do is type in the info-- and wait. I do it all the time, and not just for small press books-- but definitely a lot of them.

• 
  MaryAnne Kolton

  Oct 09, 04:58pm

  Great idea, Joani. Once I have access to the list I will happily suggest the Tiny Town library purchase all of them. If JLD asks them they will absolutely do it. They love him there.

• 
  Jen Knox

  Oct 09, 05:47pm

  The SAPL is usually pretty good about ordering small press books, and it has the online ordering system, too. Also, I'll check in with SAC's library. I've taught a few small press book in my creative writing courses, and my students have loved them (of course).

  Here's a few books I've loved or am pretty confident I will love, all of which were published over the last year (including my own):

  Domestic Apparition by Meg Tuite
  ISBN: 0982829523
  San Francisco Bay Press

  Suspended Heart by Heather Fowler
  ISBN: 0982673434
  Aqueous Books

  To Begin Again by Jen Knox
  ISBN: 0984629785
  All Things That Matter Press

  What May Have Been by Susan Tepper and Gary Percesepe
  ISBN: 0984473289
  Cervena Barva Press Publishing

  Wild Life by Kathy Fish
  ISBN: 0983792801
  Matter Press

• 
  Joani Reese

  Oct 09, 06:02pm

  Thanks, Jen. A great beginning!

• 
  Thomas Pluck

  Oct 09, 06:34pm

  I'm in Pulp Modern #1
  ISBN: 1466300655
  Createspace Publishing

  Thank you for this thread, it's a great idea.

• 
  Sam Rasnake

  Oct 09, 07:44pm

  Inside a Broken Clock
  ISBN: 978-1599246802
  Finishing Line Press

  Lessons in Morphology
  Number: 48207-56634
  Part of the Chapbook Series from MiPOesias
  http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/100728
  GOSS183

  Religions of the Blood
  ISBN: 978-0944754535
  Pudding House Press

  Appreciate the tread, Joani.

• 
  Kathy Fish

  Oct 09, 08:40pm

  Joani, this is such a great idea. Thanks for starting the thread.

  Jen, thanks for listing mine and I'm going to take all of these to my own county library system and ask them to order!

• 
  James Lloyd Davis

  Oct 09, 08:43pm

  It sounds like good guerilla marketing. On the cheap ... molotov phone calls. I like this.

• 
  Joani Reese

  Oct 09, 08:50pm

  You can all go to your local college and university libraries and ask them to order as well. They're pretty open to suggestions, (even those here in Texas!), and they usually have a bigger budget than the local libraries. If anyone can think of others who haven't put their books here yet, Walter Bjorkman's Elsie's World comes to mind, encourage them to do so.

• 
  Robert Vaughan

  Oct 09, 09:37pm

  Housefire (a division of Metazen) has an anthology which has a flash fiction piece of mine in it, as well as 60 other authors:

  NOUNS OF ASSEMBLAGE
  ISBN:978-1937395001
  Housefire Publishing

  Thanks for this Joani!!!

• 
  Kari Nguyen

  Oct 10, 04:13pm

  Great thread.

• 
  Meg Pokrass

  Oct 11, 02:48pm

  "Damn Sure Right"
  Fiction by Meg Pokrass

  Press 53, January 2011

  ISBN-13: 978-1-935708-17-9

  Paperback: 171pp;

  Thanks Joani will message you about this, this needs press, yes?

• 
  Joani Reese

  Oct 13, 11:04pm

  All books requested at the college's library where I work. If you've already gone out and asked your librarians to order these books, I'd love it if you'd tell us here. Thanks! Keep up the good work.

• 
  Darryl Price

  Oct 15, 05:14pm

  FOURTEEN by Bill Yarrow (Naked Mannekin) ISBN: 978-1-60584-282-7

• 
  Susan Tepper

  Oct 16, 09:04pm

  This is a fabulous thing that Joani has suggested. We of the small press are struggling (at least I am) to sell books. I've given away more than I've sold. I'm happy to give them away to anyone who can't afford to buy one. I just want them to be read. Thank you, Joani, for this.

• 
  Bill Yarrow

  Oct 17, 04:24am

  Thanks, Darryl, for mentioning FOURTEEN. Any interested libraries should contact me directly for copies.

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