Improbable Press Blog

Closed. Closed. Closed to submissions. If it seems to you that most small presses are closed to book submissions you're not wrong. A random check just now showed me  60-70% of presses are closed – usually including Improbable Press. There's a good reason for this: not enough staff to read submissions, and edit, proof, layout, illustrate, and promote the books we already have in progress. So. What's a writer to do when there seems no way in? First, Know That There Is a Way In I can't speak for every press, obviously, but I can speak for a couple, including...

By Bo Starsky If you’re a reader of the works published by Improbable Press you might be familiar with me through my book, In Full Uniform. If not, my name is Bo and I am your local Norse cryptid. This year I took the initiative to organize a PRIDE parade in my home town, the first we’ve ever had. It was gearing up to be a joyful celebration of all things queer. Then tragedy struck. On the 25 June 2022, two people were murdered and twenty-one injured when a shooting took place outside of a gay bar in downtown Oslo....

By Marlaina Cockcroft My short story, “Leviathan,” is one of those featured in the Improbable Press anthology Dark Cheer: Cryptids Emerging (Volume Silver). Since the anthology is all about cryptids, I was delighted to be able to do a library presentation about cryptids! Based on that fun experience, I learned some tips for future library presentations: Bring a water bottle, so you don’t spend the entire talk worrying that your voice is going to die on you. Remember that everyone knows what the Loch Ness Monster and mermaids are, but not everyone knows the word cryptid. You might need to correct...

We're excited to announce today that Sebastian Jack is the newest author signing with Improbable Press. Sebastian joins improbable with his near-future novel Electric Blue, releasing in 2023. Set in New York City in a time where you, me, just about anyone rich enough can buy new limbs (stronger, longer, prettier!) and bespoke organs (wouldn't you love bigger eyes?), fashioning themselves into gods. Sebastian is "an Italian- and Japanese-American family, which means he can’t do math and doesn’t like tomatoes." Sebastian is "a bilateral above-knee amputee and full-time wheelchair user – something he frequently misattributes to 'extreme body modification' in...

By Kaitee Yaeko Tredway It still feels surreal to see my name in a book, the title of my story in a Table of Contents. Feels surreal to know that friends and strangers alike have read my words. Feels surreal that this little exploration of identity and self-othering wrapped up in the tale of a little cryptid girl wanting to play in the weekly pickup game has a spot within an entire collection of stories, that it helps to paint the picture of “joyfully emerging.” Last week, in a conversation with some dear friends, I realized just how much the...