Editor Interview: Ashland Creek Press

Eco-literature (fiction).

I admire all of the small presses that are publishing what mainstream publishers often end up neglecting. This is why we exist, too.

It ranges vastly ... as a short story writer myself, I love Amy Hempel and other masters of the form; as an environmental publisher, I admire a great many writers who are paying attention to what's happening with the planet and wildlife and sharing what they know. We'd love to see more environmental fiction out there, which is one of the reasons we focus on eco-literature.

While there are a number of green publishers out there, few, if any, focus on eco-fiction. Eco-literature currently tends to be defined by nonfiction, and we hope to change that. A lot of environmental nonfiction can be depressing (though it's vital!), and we hope to inspire awareness and change through great stories. Another thing that sets us apart a bit is that we're open to all genres -- for example, we've published an eco-mystery, a short story collection, and a literary novel, all with environmental themes.

Read our guidelines. Check out the website and blog. Subscribe to our newsletter. Join us on Facebook and Twitter. Check out our books. Get to know us before submitting so that you'll be able to tell whether your book is going to be the right fit. The biggest mistake writers make in submitting to us is sending material we don't publish (like poetry or children's books, or something that's thematically not the right fit). Also, please have patience! We're small, and we carefully consider every submission we receive; this can take some time.

The ideal submission follows our guidelines exactly. The cover letter is succinct and professional and shows that the writer has spent time getting to know what we're all about. And the manuscript is well written, impossible to put down, and fits our themes and interests. As a small press, we also appreciate an author who has a lively web presence, as well as a passion not only for writing but for promoting the book and helping it reach its audience.

Most often we get submissions that don't follow our guidelines -- they will be missing an important piece, such as the synopsis (and it's impossible for us to decide whether a novel is right for us without a synopsis). Tied with that are submissions for a type of book we don't publish (such as a war novel or a middle-grade children's book); this can be avoided by spending just a few moments on our website, so this is time worth taking for writers.

A cover letter needn't be long, but it's important as it gives us a sense of the person behind the book (an unprofessional, rude, or entitled-sounding cover letter -- and we've received all of these! -- might indicate that the author is someone who could be difficult to work with). We want to know about the writer's publishing background and what inspired the submission; publication credits are less important than a passion for the work and the willingness to help it find its audience. We'd love a link to the author's website; this is important when it comes to promotion and shows that the author understands that in today's publishing market, the author is the very best salesperson for the book.

Our submission guidelines call for a synopsis and the first fifty pages, and this combined is enough to tell us whether we'd like to see more or whether it's not the right fit for us.

If we love a manuscript, we'll have a conversation with the author before getting to the contract stage. We like to talk about edits we might want to do, tell the author about us, learn about him/her, and generally make sure we're a good fit for one another before moving forward.

As the co-founder of a small press, I'm not only an editor but also involved with production, design, sales, marketing ... everything! So a day can include anything from reading submissions to editing a manuscript to sending out press releases and review copies to working with interns to corresponding with authors to planning events to approving final proofs. No day is the same, and that's what I love about it.