#Microcosm publishing submissions series#

Microcosm has lived in milk crates, in closets, in a mud room, in a windowless basement, in a church, and under a desk at a major credit card company.

Microcosm constantly poses the question “How can we remove barriers to success for marginalized people in our industry?” In 2022, Microcosm was named Publishers Weekly's Fastest Growing Publisher. All books are printed in the U.S., and the company doubles the industry average in number of women authors and prioritizes hiring of special needs employees. Microcosm focuses on relating the experiences of what it is like to be a marginalized person and strives to be recognized for spirit, creativity, and value.

Microcosm was started by Joe Biel in a bedroom closet as a distro and record label in 1996 and is now among the oldest independent book publishing houses in Portland, OR. Microcosm emphasizes skill-building, showing hidden histories, and fostering creativity through challenging conventional publishing wisdom with books and zines about DIY skills, food, bicycling, gender, self-care, and social justice. Our vision is to change the face of publishing to represent the real struggles and joys of our readers.Portland (and Cleveland!)'s most colorful, authentic, and empowering publishing house and distributor, Microcosm Publishing & Distribution is a vertically integrated publishing house that equips readers to make positive changes in their lives and in the world around them. Our mission is to put power in your hands, giving you the tools you need to empower yourself to change your life and the world around you. We’ve been in the book business for 23 years, and most of our 13 workers are based in our bright green headquarters in Portland, Oregon. Microcosm Publishing & Distribution is a charming, independent midlist book publishing house with a thriving distribution program. Microcosm Publishing’s books can be found world wide at local bookstores–as well as gifty-focused boutiques and sex shops. “If you are Black, Indigenous, a person of color, transgender, or disabled, you are particularly encouraged to submit, as is anyone whose experiences are not well represented in the publishing world,” their website says. Their guidelines also specify that they’re looking for people who have been traditionally ignored or poorly represented by the publishing world. Authors can submit directly through their website here. The company welcomes anthologies of shorter fiction as well as full-length manuscripts and value lived experience with queer topics more than writing or college credentials. And when we thought of our authors who are already deeply passionate about this subject, it felt like chocolate and peanut butter.” Joe Biel, Microcosm CEO and acquisitions editor, said, “As we watched the printed offerings of erotica become more vanilla and less esoteric, we knew that it was time to get involved. Microcosm Publishing’s distribution arm has also been carrying erotica for some time now.

#Microcosm publishing submissions series#

The traditionally non-fiction publisher has had a few successful forays into fiction, most notably with their Bikes in Space books, a series of feminist bicycling science fiction anthologies. Microcosm Publishing recently updated their guidelines to include a call for queer erotica submissions – particularly those with a focus on trans and nonbinary individuals. The Portland, Oregon publisher has begun accepting queer erotica submissions to fill a gap in the market. Microcosm Publishing Calls for Queer Erotica in Updated Submission Guidelines Call for Submissions: Microcosm Publishing is Seeking Queer Erotica