Publishing Ethos
We do our best to think of “success” outside the prescribed expectations and limits of late-stage capitalism. That any of our titles exist in physical form, as a proverbial body of creative work made flesh, is more than enough. Anything beyond this—sales, profit, adulation, wider distribution, et. al.—is a welcome gift, not something we expect. The end goal is simply to offer new works of creative writing to attentive readers by utilizing modern printing and distribution services to ensure as wide of a reach as possible, while doing our utmost to savor each title as a unique, sacred expression of language and resist the demands of the market.
Thematic Orientation
We are unafraid of publishing distinctly “American” literature. Expressions of literature from a specific place, community, or experience within and animated by both the particulars and vagaries of the United States of America. All of its failures and successes and inconsistences and possibilities and regional distinctions and fractured identity, for better or worse. There may not ever be a singular “great American novel.” So it goes. Nonetheless, we affirm that great American literature exists, even today, and seek to champion new voices within that sphere.
We are similarly unafraid of publishing writing outside the traditional concept of the novel, specifically short stories, novellas, microfiction, and poetry. There is a unique potency in what we describe as “distilled writing,” stories which bring the reader into an elemental world of language that maintains its ability to pierce the reader’s heart and soul. If there is a spectrum of minimalist and maximalist literature, Altered Press leans toward the former.
Design and Formatting
Presentation matters. People do judge books by their covers and design. A poorly produced book loses readers before the first page. We do our best to handle as much of this in-house so that it isn’t a liability, especially for the author. Altered Press manages all aspects of pre-publication book production: cover design, interior formatting, and quality control.
Who Is This All For?
Our titles are for the affected: readers who recognize and affirm the incisive power of literature to alter reality. Admittedly, we’re readers too. All of this is for you and us, together, readers seeking something transcendent.