This is the first post in an ongoing series highlighting the people behind the tiny presses publishing in the speculative fiction space! Today’s post is featuring Claire Houck of Duck Prints Press LLC.
Tell me a little bit about yourself:
Hi, I’m Claire (they/them)! I write original fiction and edit under the name Nina Waters and write fanfiction under the name unforth. I’m married to a lovely lady, and we have two children, a stinky dog, and two guinea pigs. I’ve always been a jack-of-all-trades, with wide-ranging interests and hobbies, and that’s ended up working out very well, because as a press owner I definitely end up doing a bit of everything. I’ve got a masters in library science, a certificate in culinary pastry arts, bachelors in East Asian Studies and History, and I’ve never worked in any of these fields. In a previous career, I was a grant writer and program evaluator doing contractor work for the New York City Department of Education. My hobbies and interests include reading lots of queer books, making fibercrafts, playing video games, and losing Memory to my children.
Do you have a mission statement for your press?
Duck Prints Press’s founding vision is to work with fancreators to publish their original work. We are particularly dedicated to working with queer authors and artists to publish stories and artwork featuring characters from across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.
Tell me about one of your favorite moments in your publishing adventures.
When we were Kickstarting our anthology Aether Beyond the Binary, I had a really panic-inducing moment: we got a fake pledge for $2,000, which made it look like our campaign had funded. There was zero chance this pledge was real, and I was terrified it’d sink our entire crowdfunding campaign, so I put out a desperate call for help on social media. Hundreds of people rallied to share the post, and many backed, with the result that it ended up our second most successful campaign. It moved me so strongly, how many people cared and wanted to help, whether by signal boosting or by backing. People really do care about the books we’re making, and that means so much to me.
What is one of the most challenging parts of running a small press?
Juggling all the balls, especially the logistical ones. I ultimately became a writer because I want to write and an editor because I want to edit, but the sad truth is that most of my day every single day goes to social media and marketing. I salvage what hours I can to edit, and I have virtually no time at all to work on my own writing.
What is one of your favorite things about running a small press?
The people! I get to meet so many lovely, devoted, hardworking, creative, brilliant people – authors, artists, editors, readers, graphic designers, other publishers, it’s amazing how vibrant and diverse a community I’ve come to be a part of. Every single day, the people around me inspire me.
What’s your most recent/upcoming book that you are promoting right now?
Scholarly Pursuits: A Queer Anthology of Cozy Academia Stories is… exactly what it says on the tin! 22 authors have come together to share their stories of dark academia turned cozy. We’ll be crowdfunding this anthology during the summer – but the Kickstarter pre-launch is already up and ready for a follow!
Tell me about a backlist book from your press that you think is overlooked!
I really love our pair of masquerade-themed anthologies. They share a common theme – stories from many genres about queer relationships developing and changing at masquerades (literal or figurative!) – with a different focus. She Wears the Midnight Crown features wlw stories, and He Bears the Cape of Stars focuses on mlm stories!
Tell me five books (that you didn’t publish!) that you are in love with right now:
Solo Leveling by Chugong (I’m actually watching the animated adaptation right now as I type this!)
Kaiju No. 8 by Naoya Mastumoto
Modu (Silent Reading) by priest
The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison
Tian Guan Ci Fu (Heaven Official’s Blessing) by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
What about stories that aren’t books? Are there any movies, TV shows, video games you are enjoying?
Hmm… I haven’t seen any new movies in a while. TV shows, I can never sing the praises of Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts enough, it’s a fantastic, complete animated children’s show on Netflix. Bonus, it’s very queer! I also adored Nirvana in Fire, which I watched midway through last year, and Link Click is an incredible donghua. For video games, forever and a day Stardew Valley is my comfort game. I’ve also been playing an embarrassing amount of Dreamlight Valley since my family got a PS5 for the holidays.
Do you have a favorite local bookstore?
YES! I love my local bookstore, The Open Door. Wonderful staff, awesome selection, amazing non-book stuff, just. One of my favorite places to shop, truly.
Are you currently looking for submissions? (if so, do you have a submissions page you can point me to, and/or anything in particular you are looking for?)
We are never open for submissions! Instead, we periodically open for applicants to submit writing samples and story pitches for our anthologies, and that’s how we bring new authors in. We are currently in a review period for our next erotica anthology, and I’m not yet sure when we’ll next open for author applicants. I’d guess the fall. Interested artists, be on the lookout – we’ll be recruiting artist applicants in late spring or early summer.
Do you have any tips for submitters?
This blog post by Press editor Owl Outerbridge gives our best advice on how to put together a pitch that’ll catch our interest: https://duckprintspress.com/
Do you have any tips for anyone wanting to start up their own press?
Think long and hard about what you want to do and why you want to do it, because very little of running a press is easy. Bring in good people to help and support you – having a cheerleader or five is really helpful. Also, have a clear vision for what you’re trying to achieve and why – what types of creators do you want to work with? What kinds of books do you want to publish? Lastly, network, network, network: the relationships I’ve built with other people doing indie press work have been insanely, endlessly helpful.
Don’t give up. You can do it.
If you could have an unlimited supply of any ONE KIND of each of the following, what would it be?
candy: Skittles
candy: Skittles
pen: Pilot G-2 in blue, 0.7mm tip.
other stationery supply: cute journals to put my to-do list in
beverage: Lady Grey tea from Twinings
craft supply: is just saying “yarn” too general?
snack: Ruffles chips
credits for your favorite game: eh I’m good actually, I’m not doing any gatcha at the moment. actually wait! passing this one forward to my kids, they’d love the Minecraft Bedrock mod store credits. They can never get enough.
Thanks so much to Claire for her time speaking to us! Follow Claire & Duck Prints Press in all of these places:
Mastodon: https://fandom.ink/@dppunforth
Pillowfort: https://www.pillowfort.social/
Dreamwidth: https://duckprintspress.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
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