Meet Ethel Zine & Micro Press

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FIVE QUESTIONS WITH PUBLISHER SARA LEFSYK

 

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What is Ethel Zine and Micro Press’s origin story? 

 

One fateful day in 2007, I met Joanna Penn Cooper in my MFA program.  Back then, I used to collect a few pieces of writing from friends and sew them into little books.  Fast forward 10 years to 2017, Joanna suggested I start a small press and call it Ethel (her nickname for me).

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The art and quality of the books themselves are extraordinary. The stitching. The vellum work. The binding. The paper choice. Each choice feels so intentional. How do you think through design and construction for your volumes? 

I typically read through the book and decide, based on the pieces, what a good size/shape for the book will be.  I always check in with the author to see if they have any design ideas—some people come to me with a fully designed cover (like Frances Cannon), some people have some ideas they want me to incorporate, and some people want to leave it up to me completely.  Usually, after designing the interior of the book and reading through the pieces, something will come to mind for a cover idea, and I’ll work with what I have paper-wise, to design a cover, which I then send to the author to get feedback. 

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What can readers expect from Ethel Zine and Micro Press?

 

I try to publish as wide a range of writing and art as possible, so there really is no one thing I am looking for.

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For our writers out there, what’s the book journey like with Ethel Zine and Micro Press?

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After accepting a manuscript, there are usually some months before publication.  I don’t usually start working on editing/formatting a book until about a month before publication.  Typically, I will format the book, then send it over to the author to look through and send back edits.  I don’t really do much editing content-wise.  At this time, I’ll also ask for any cover input and come up with some designs to send along to the author.  Once we’ve come to a finalized copy of the book cover and innards, I start making the book.  It usually takes me a couple of weeks—depending on how complicated the cover design is—to get the book released.

 

I’m currently closed for submissions because I am booked through June 2027 and am waaaaay behind on getting Ethel 12 out (like 2 years behind).  I’m trying to take things a little slower for my own well-being.  I would like to publish more translations and more hybrid and experimental books.  Last year I published a book by Alexander Ferrere, From Tomorrow, With Love, where I mailed each page of the book out week by week and each page was a different design.

 

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Finish this sentence: Bookmaking is the antidote to . . . mass-produced sludge.

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