Publishing Talks Interviews Jordan Fleming, Owlcrate Press

Publishing Talks started as a series of conversations with book industry professionals and others involved in media and technology, mostly talking about the future of publishing, books, and culture. It has been great fun talking with people in the book industry about the evolution of publishing in the context of technology, culture, and economics. Today’s episode is an interview with Jordan Fleming of Owlcrate Press, who joins the  many editors, publishers and others I have spoken with, who have been innovators and leaders in independent publishing and bookselling in the past and into the present.

These conversations have been inspirational to me. I have had the pleasure of speaking with visionaries and entrepreneurs, editors, publishers and others who have influenced and changed contemporary literature and culture. I’ve also had the opportunity to speak with a number of friends and colleagues in the book business.

I really enjoy the opportunities to find out about the boundless creativity that motivates so many of us in the book business, and I also really enjoy talking to others in the business, who like me, have tried to make sense of it all in some way or another.

I was spurred to seek out Jordan by a story I read in Jane Friedman’s illustrious industry newsletter. Here’s the headline – “Subscription box service OwlCrate launches publishing arm: is this a glimpse of the future of publishing?”

That’s a pretty great entry point for a conversation.

In case you are not yet aware of the subscription box industry (for that is what it has become), “book box” subscription services offer readers in various genres selections of interesting and compelling books the companies think their fanbases will be interested in reading. Fans get rewarded with unique, special, and of course hopefully, surprising products related to their interests.

There are a good number of such services, including The Book Drop (literary fiction, curated by indie booksellers), Owlcrate and Fairyloot (YA, fantasy and romantasy), Bookish Box, Once Upon a Book Club, Literati Kids, and The Wordy Traveler.

Owlcrate stands out for its exclusive designs, signed hardcovers, and other bookish items that appeal to its dedicated audiences, and having been founded in 2015, appears to be the first of its kind in this area (not counting its historical forebears like the old Book of the Month Club and other similar continuation services).

And now, they are jumping from their massive success in serving readers to what might be considered a natural evolution, becoming publishers of original titles. It makes sense – with a direct to consumer business, they know their readers bettwe than anyone (other than perhaps the giant retailer who shall not be named here).

As Jordan Fleming wrote recently on the Owlcrate site: “We’ve always centered readers. We’ve always spotlighted artists. We’ve always made space.”

I really enjoyed learning about this business from Jordan, and was especially struck by not only her boundless energy and enthusiasm, but by what she said about placing Owlcrate and the other subscription services not as competitors, but as collaborators in growing communities. I think that is a truly powerful approach to what they do and will help them continue their success.

This is what Owlcrate says about their publishing endeavor: “Every title we select is read, debated, and championed by a member of our curation team who loved it. We don’t rely on algorithms. We don’t chase trends. We rely on readers and curate our own art. OwlCrate Press simply lets us keep doing what we’ve always done; only now, we are inviting our community to help us create the stories they want to see.”

Owlcrate Press’s debut fantasy/horror anthology was Monsters in Masquerade, in which they reserved space for unpublished authors, furthering their values of supporting emerging writers.

“OwlCrate Press opens the door for new and emerging authors at a time when publishing risks becoming monopolized by a select few. As established book subscription services like OwlCrate move into publishing, they decentralize a gatekept industry and offer more equitable options for authors, from bestselling names to debut voices. With one of the highest-paying anthology models I’ve seen, alongside open submissions and an emphasis on diverse backgrounds, OwlCrate Press represents a new kind of publishing: reader-powered, author-prioritized, and built for the future.”—Sarah Mughal Rana, MPhil, University of Oxford, contributor to the anthology

Jordan Fleming is head of community for Owlcrate, and is now the head of publishing for Owlcrate Press. Their journey began with the highly-regarded Words & Whimsy Book Club, where they built strong connections with hundreds of authors and fostered a vibrant literary community. Jordan brings their deep expertise and unwavering passion for ethical publishing to OwlCrate Press.

Korinna Ede is the founder of Owlcrate, which is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Its book subscription boxes are packed and shipped from a fulfillment center in Portland, Oregon, USA.

Link to Owlcrate and Owlcrate Press

Article in The Bookseller about the launch

Monsters in Masquerade (Exclusive Edition)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download