Did you know March is Small Press Month? If you didn’t, now you do! I am planning to support a few of my favorite presses this month by purchasing copies of their journals/published books.
I thought it might be a good idea to put together a list on ways you can support small presses this month (both financially and for free):
- Repost their social media posts (launches for issues/books, contests, calls for submission, content to read, etc.).
- Send them work to consider for general subs (this doesn’t seem like much, but we need things to read!).
- Submit to their contests/prizes.
- Join their newsletters.
- Sign up for any memberships, classes, or patron offers they have.
- Talk about them, talk about them, talk about them!
- If they have events like readings or open mics, attend.
- If there’s an option to donate, consider leaving a donation, even if you’re not able to leave much. Every dollar counts.
- If there’s a way to leave a review, leave one. Even better if you’re able to leave a review in multiple places. Reviews help boost visibility.
We’re living in a period of time where budget cuts are increasing and some magazines, like Black Fox, are self-funded. I try to use our platform to shoutout other small presses and their opportunities when I see them. It’s part of the reason I added a spotlight section to our newsletters. If no one is coming to save the lit community, then we can save ourselves. The suggestions above can be used beyond March. If you’re already doing things on the list above, thank you! The small press space very much appreciates you.
Racquel Henry is a Trinidadian writer, editor, and writing coach with an MFA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. A former English Professor, she currently owns the writing studio, Writer’s Atelier, in Orlando, FL. Racquel co-founded Black Fox Literary Magazine in 2010 and is the Editor in Chief. Since 2013, Racquel has presented and moderated panels at writing conferences, residencies, and private writing groups across the US. She is the author of Holiday on Park, Letter to Santa, Christmas in Cardwick, Meet Me in December, The WriteGym Workbook, and more. Racquel’s fiction, poetry, and nonfiction have appeared in Reaching Beyond the Saguaros: A Collaborative Prosimetric Travelogue (Serving House Books, 2017), We Can’t Help it if We’re From Florida (Burrow Press, 2017), Moko Caribbean Arts & Letters, among others. When she’s not writing, editing, or coaching writers, you can find her watching Hallmark Christmas movies
