You place your order and creep along, feeling suspiciously hollow
My petition, for those who care the most.
I’m going to jump right into it. Thirty West Publishing just turned 8 and there are many risks looming over us. Publishing fewer books, taking on more complex projects, and trying to vend at many festivals are all part of the plan for 2024.
I’m not clairvoyant, but things look grim when there is more money going out than coming in. It is mentally draining, despite offering a lot of things right now for the community to partake in. Some are free or at a very low cost. I’ll detail these heavily weighted projects in Year 9 soon.
I imagine my intense passion can only go so far. No one will ever care, or be as invested, in this as me. But this isn’t about me; my personal gains have been absorbed into TW for years. Our team made 10 authors’ dreams come true in 2023. We hit the road and attended 6+ in-person events. Even now, as there are less than 2 months to go in 2023, there are still tasks to get done. Many things must fall into place for new opportunities to arrive. TW needs the fence-sitters to land on our plush grass. Now’s your chance to really step up, become a true fan, and keep this inferno burning for years to come.
To start, I’m gifting a Westies Book Club membership for the best ‘50 word review’ of TW. That’s it. If there’s a good number of submissions, I may make them public and let the people decide our ethos. It’s a $100 value that you will clearly see benefits from Day 1. Our catalog has plenty of books for you to receive, and we’re preparing exclusive Westies-only perks. To end on a positive note, I’m donating the aforementioned value to Medical Aid for Palestinians. You have until Thursday, 11/30, to email/direct message your review to TW. A winner will be picked on Saturday, 12/2, and the donation will be made on Monday, 12/4.
Next, is the #antiwrimo project. I can’t reiterate enough how proud I was to see 30 writers (myself included) pound out a complete novel in 2021. It’s a feat that many thought was impossible; the novel itself and the theory behind #antiwrimo. Now, in 2023, there are currently 9 brave authors writing 3 novels. Yes, three novels. This omnibus is going to be huge…and very expensive (honorariums & author copies). Before presales begin, I’m offering you all to be officially credited in the acknowledgments. Place a $3-7 tip and you’re in. Or, Cash App us, whichever you prefer. You can leave an uplifting message to the group, too. It’s been done before and it’ll happen again.
Lastly, TW has had mixed success with literary journals over the years. From The Weekly Degree to Tilde~ & Elevator Stories, they all had their moment, but have since gone away. Our classic monthly newsletter on Mailchimp became Afterimages on Substack. Fewer unsubscribes & more views, too. You can subscribe for free now, and if you like what you’re reading, you can upgrade to a monthly or yearly. There are some new opportunities being devised for the new year. Many lit mags that aren't considered ‘elite’ need to start paying to stay relevant. I’d really like to see an Afterimages paying market in 2024.
There could be a million other things you or I could’ve done with our lives, but here we are, having a dialogue about independent literature. If you made it this far, I hope you'll be taking action soon. Tell a book lover about these things if you must. I must get back to jacket designs and crafting chapbooks. As long as I’m around to will it, TW shall make it through.