If you didn’t know it, CWP runs a poetry/short form collective called Old Scratch Press (OSP). Founded in 2022, and publishing its first books in 2023, the collective was formed as a way to make publishing poetry, and all types of short form creative writing, affordable and possible. It’s incredibly tough to get a traditional book deal, even more so when publishing in less commercial forms like poetry, flash fiction, and short memoir.
Since the press began it has published five books, with three new ones to drop this spring. See the complete catalog here.
We’re all working together to figure out how this collective can grow, and keep supporting not only the founding authors, but also new ones to come.
Our first step: The press took over the Instant Noodles Lit Mag(IN) this year. Members develop the themes, and choose all the pieces we publish. The members just began discussions for a print “best of” anthology to release in 2026. If you, or someone you know, has been published in IN, keep following to see if your piece will be selected. IN includes art as well as words, and the new issue drops May 1st. As part of the endeavor the members have learned how to operate submission platforms, and how hard it is to sit in the evaluator seat rather than the author/creator seat. Almost all have remarkd how difficult it was to reject their first piece, and how excited they felt about accepting the pieces they chose for the new (May 1st) issue, as well as some of the pieces from the 2024 issues. It’s quite different, if you never have done it, being on the choosing end of the publishing table.
Our second change: was to add a new page to the site, where any followers can keep track of all the group members’ publications, and their appearances, and wins, as well as opportunities the press is offering to the wider writing community. We hope to keep followers updated with all the group’s news, and appearances.
Our third action item: is to open the press to new members. For this project the press is working on a mission statement, and an outreach program to, hopefully, begin in late 2025. When I first proposed the press, I did so by writing to all the authors who had written for IN, and asking if they would like to see if we could find a way to make publishing more accessible to poets. Many were interested, but, when it became clear that this was to be a collective, meaning everyone would share some responsibility for helping to run the press, only a few felt they had the bandwidth to take on the responsibility. There have been times, on this publishing journey of mine, when I confess that I have felt like “The Little Red Hen”: no one wants to help harvest the wheat, but everyone wants to eat the bread. The offer to authors was simply that… help me grow the wheat, and I’ll gladly share the fresh baked bread. With the members of OSP really putting their shoulders to the wheel, it has been wonderful to share both the labor and the joy of publishing writing I believe in. I am truly looking forward to the members and I discovering new writers we believe in, and helping them on their writing journey. The press has a monthly meeting on the third Saturday morning of every month except August and December, and the authors are incredibly dedicated. We’ve really become a family, seeing each other through everything from hospitalizations to children’s weddings, and all that is important, or trivial, in between. We haven’t worked out what exactly we would like in any new members, but we’re all in favor of good writing, more diversity, when possible, and people who have a “chop wood, carry water” spirit. When you’re in a group that’s humming along beautifully, there’s always a risk in adding to it, but we have so much we can give to other authors, that we all want to reach out. And we would like to see the membership grow, and the projects grow with it, including and beyond publishing books.
Another benefit that Current Words Publishing offers to all writers we publish is our free monthly marketing meeting. Dave has worked in publishing his entire career, working for firms like Saunders, Lippincott, and Hearst, first in editorial, and then in marketing. Each month Dave puts together a marketing mini-seminar on best practices, teaching the authors about SEO, blogging, social media, newsletters, and so on. Plus, all the authors are welcome to get free help from Dave on their websites, their marketing media kits, and anything he can do to help them market themselves. This meeting is the second Saturday of every month, barring holidays, and August and September. The OSP group is invited to this, as well as all authors we publish. For Dave and I, being a partner publisher means being a partner. We strive to give back. And, did you know, with CWP, no author ever shares a royalty with us?
To go back to Old Scratch Press, I think the press is unique in it’s cooperative set-up and goals. We really try to live the belief that a rising tide lifts all boats. So, come on the boat ride with us. Follow Old Scratch Press, and find out what the members have planned for 2025, and beyond.