Meet Conium Press

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​​​​​​​​Five Questions

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What is Conium Press’s origin story?

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I started The Conium Review in 2011 with friends in graduate school. Conium is volunteer-run, and whenever there was a shred of profit, I funneled every dollar back into the project and produced a few books. That’s how the press side grew. Of course, lit mags are notoriously unprofitable, so while the magazine was constant, those early book releases were infrequent. Flash forward, to 2021. I was already feeling burned out, and the pandemic crushed any lingering motivation. I stopped to reflect, and I realized I value close editorial relationships with authors, and I find joy when I get to focus intently on a cohesive manuscript and live inside that manuscript for months. That happens most with books, so I refocused my efforts there.

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What can readers expect from Conium Press?

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Weird stories, experimental language, thoughtful book design. I also gravitate more toward compressed narratives with a sense of lyricism, so Conium books are often shorter pocket-sized releases. Our next release, Morghen Tidd’s houses we die in, is three semi-linked stories. I don’t think most publishers wouldn’t consider three pieces “enough” for a collection, but it’s a cohesive and complete reading experience.

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For our writers out there, what’s the book journey like with Conium Press?

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It’s collaborative and personalized. The press opens for unsolicited submissions at least once a year. When I find a promising submission, I typically invite the writer to a Zoom call to discuss the narrative, intentions for the manuscript, and any feedback I have prior to acquisition. Once a contract is signed, we sketch out the editorial timeline, which generally goes through multiple rounds of edits. I want it to feel like we’re both working toward the goal of the strongest manuscript possible. The release timeline includes a decent runway for seeking reviews and generating pre-launch buzz, and I submit our titles for eligible literary awards. That’s the basic production flow. The finer details get customized based on the author’s background, any existing connections to the literary community, and their ideal vision for the book launch.

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What’s been surprising you about the world of independent publishing lately?

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Anecdotally, more small press titles are gaining big media attention. If I look at the winners and longlists for the PEN/Faulkner Awards, the Carol Shields Prize, and others, I see more small presses. Review outlets are paying more attention too. Recent trends show people are buying fewer books than they used to, which is sad. But as the larger market shrinks, it creates an opening for smaller presses to cut through the gatekeeper noise.

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Finish this sentence: Books are the antidote to . . .   

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Books are the antidote to disconnection. Books give us glimpses into somebody else’s experiences, and this builds empathy and human connection. Some readers may intentionally build an echo chamber, but that’s not every reader or every book. I think the best books urge readers to understand and even love characters who are wholly dissimilar from them.

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