Toad Hall Editions
Toad Hall Editions strives to publish works from traditionally underrepresented writers. How do you work to fulfill this mission? Why do you think it's important for publishers to highlight work from diverse writers?
We are passionate about creating a publishing space that’s accessible to and recognizes underrepresented writers, which begins with our choice to only publish the writing of women and gender-diverse folks. We are in an ongoing process of examining what it is that might be a roadblock for writers and artists in terms of getting their work seen. Often the barrier is financial, so we have created tiered submission fees to address this - we have a no-fee option, a basic-rate option, and there’s a pay-it-forward option for those who have more financial flexibility. We don't want finances to be a barrier to anyone, ever. In addition to this, we are looking at how we can reach a diverse audience whose work we might publish. This means doing more research about where open calls are shared and being more proactive in our communication with groups and communities both locally, regionally, and nationally. We believe that exposure to new stories leads to familiarity with differences (and commonalities) that can shape and shift our perspectives, encourage acceptance that nurtures wider belonging, and diminish the misconceptions and prejudices that fuel discrimination. Creating a fabulous full-spectrum community takes time, but it’s so worth it!
You're very selective about the titles that you publish. What are you looking for in a Toad Hall Edition title?
We’re looking for trustworthy narrators who have a good story to tell. We are definitely suckers for writing that defies categorization. One piece in our first issue of kerning (our literary journal) was submitted with a note that said the author had attempted to submit the work many times to other publications who all refused it, saying it didn’t fit into any particular box. So besides being a really strong piece of writing, that line was music to our ears, and we were very proud to publish it. One of our aims is to share work that both challenges and deepens and expands our readers (we include ourselves here). Books are meant to take us somewhere, and like any mode of transportation, the experience is often provocative and reflective. We look to be changed by what we read, and we want to publish books that are the vehicles for change.
Toad Hall Editions offers self publishing services to writers. Can you tell us more about the services you offer and the type of writer who may benefit from them?
Our self-publishing services are great for folks who want the benefit of our editorial or design expertise but don’t necessarily have aspirations to sell, distribute, or market their work. Perhaps they would like to create something for friends or family or they want to bring their work into book form to celebrate the completion of a personal project. Or they’ve never even thought about publishing their work at all, but simply want help polishing it. Those people are our people, too. Essentially, we act as creative partners with our clients, guiding them forward with editorial insights and design assistance as needed. We love working with people to help conceptualize ideas about their projects and to support their publishing journeys at all stages.
In addition to your publishing services, you put out several literary magazines. What's the mission of these projects?
Not every writer has a body of work that is ready to become a book. Our literary magazines are both a home for people who have a great piece they’d like to see in print, folks who love the practice of honing and crafting shorter pieces of writing, and those who might be working on a larger body of work and want the opportunity to test out an excerpt of it. The journals also allow us to get more work into the hands of our readers. We are a very small press—there are just three of us at the helm—so we can only publish 3-4 titles a year. The journals give us an opportunity to work with more writers and to provide a broader space for more writers to be heard. kerning | a space for words features writing and cover art from women and gender-diverse individuals. Women’s stories and women’s voices are notoriously under-represented, so kerning's mission is to create a space for women to submit their work, have their work seen, read and shared. We discovered too, that in creating that space, we’ve also created a supportive and involved community of writers and creatives. With Buttered Toast: An Annual Journal for Young Writers we wanted to create an opportunity to support young writers and artists and help them share their work with an audience—that's important to our mission and to our own personal values.
Is there an event, publication, or any kind of change happening in the next year that you are particularly excited about and would like to share?
We are looking forward to publishing the work of two midcoast writers - Elizabeth Garber of Belfast, and Laura Bonazzoli of Rockport. Elizabeth’s book is an adventurous memoir of her year at sea as an 18-year-old, and Laura’s book, Consecration Pond, is a powerful collection of short stories. We’ll also be publishing our second book with Salt Lake City poet Nan Seymour. And we're very much looking forward to having some local in-person events to connect more directly with our community here.
Toad Hall Editions