This is the third post in an ongoing series highlighting the people behind the tiny presses publishing in the speculative fiction space! Today’s post is featuring Emily Bell of Atthis Arts.
Tell me a little bit about yourself:
I’m a poet and writer to my core. I started publishing other writers because I found other people whose stories weren’t being picked up by publishing, and I was in the fairly specific circumstance of having a spouse who could do the business side of things well. Then I learned I was good at editing, and it went from there. Publishing eclectic, neurodivergent, and global stories as a tiny press is hard, but I stay in it because I know the power that our stories hold, to save us, to bring joy, to spark change, and to keep our fires lit while doing it. Tiny publishing spreads joy. It saves lives, in the most literal of ways. I believe that we are our stories, so to me, nothing is more important.
Emily and Chris Bell at a table for Atthis Arts at Can*Con 2024.
Do you have a mission statement for your press?
Our press is based on authenticity, thoughtfulness, and community. And we stand by our values, which are listed on our website.
Tell me about one of your favorite moments in your publishing adventures.
We have so many wonderful books, but if I were to be totally honest here, I put a lot of myself into making sure The Gray Assassin Trilogy could happen, from logistics to editing to more. Though many things have become difficult, seeing the glow of the author holding all three books at the same time reminded me why it’s all worth it. And why I’d do it all again.
What is one of the most challenging parts of running a small press?
The current culture around small presses – a combination of follow/squee/hook culture and not distinguishing between the types of work presses are doing and what resources and support each takes – makes survival exhausting, and we have to change it.
Back row: Ava Kelly, Chris Bell, Gregory A. Wilson
Front Row: Joyce Chng, E.D.E. Bell, Minerva Cerridwen, Clara Ward
photo by Paul Weimer
What is one of your favorite things about running a small press?
Watching stories find their readers. It is profound on every level, from inner soul to providing meaningful hope and determination for our world, to the connections that make us who we are.
What’s your most recent/upcoming book that you are promoting right now?
Our most recent book is a beautiful middle-grade fairy tale, Wishing Well, Wishing Well, by the late Jubilee Cho. The author’s royalties all go to Los Angeles-area efforts dedicated to directly supporting LGBTQIAP+ people in crisis, and it’s just lovely and hopeful and young Jubilee’s gift to the world. I hope people will read and enjoy it.
Tell me about a backlist book from your press that you think is overlooked!
I think One Arm Shorter Than The Other by Gigi Ganguly is really delightful, and I wish more of genre had read and talked about it. (Reminding them they still can! A novella can turn a wistful afternoon into an immersive treat, when we let someone tell us a story.)
Tell me five books (that you didn’t publish!) that you are in love with right now:
Abbott (comic series) by Saladin Ahmed and Sami Kivelä
Brothers of the Wind by Tad Williams — the entire The Last King of Osten Ard work is tremendous.
Countess by Suzan Palumbo
Breath Warmth and Dream by Zig Zag Claybourne — (Book 2 funding now!)
Can You Sign My Tentacle? by Brandon O’Brien
What about stories that aren’t books? Are there any movies, TV shows, video games you are enjoying?
Not a deep track or free of issues, but RuPaul’s Drag Race is my football season. 🙂
Do you have a favorite local bookstore?
I am surrounded by amazing bookstores, but for a shout-out, Pages Bookshop was recently purchased by new and awesome-sounding owners, so I’m eager to get in and check it out!
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 not looking for submissions at this point because our resources are so strained, but things could change very quickly for us with visibility and sales. So I’d recommend following along, joining our Discord, to get a feel for us and stay in the loop.
Do you have any tips for anyone wanting to start up their own press?
Yes. Make a serious attempt to know what you’re truly getting into, and be ready for what could be a long, hard fight. Also know that best practices depend *entirely* on your model; what, how, and what mix you publish changes everything vastly and in a hundred ways. One size fits all advice is most likely to trip you up hard.
If you could have an unlimited supply of any ONE KIND of each of the following, what would it be?
candy: vegan dark chocolate covered pretzels
pen: archival dark purple ink
other stationery supply: fancy note cards
beverage: Scottish gin
craft supply: sterling silver charms – and chains too if it counts as the same thing : p
snack: vegan brie and crispy black pepper crackers
credits for your favorite game: Look, yes, I’m still on WoW; my main, Atthis, predates the press by about five years…
Thanks so much to Emily for eir time speaking to us! Follow Atthis Arts in all of these places:
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/atthisarts.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atthisarts
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atthisarts/
Discord: https://discord.gg/7wVMSmbZZn
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atthis-arts-llc
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/atthisarts
Mastadon: https://firedragons.net/
Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/atthisarts
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