We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Courtney Pierce a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Courtney, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
The Henlo Press started as a sole proprietorship in the small town of Ashland, Kentucky. Its purpose was to help us reconnect with our passion for literature. Five years later, it is a growing cohort of creative minds in Appalachia whose mission is to cultivate the local writing community. When we moved from a sole proprietorship to a LLC, we noticed a need in our area for writers and artists to have a safe and accessible place to submit their work for publication. Most of the big industry publishing houses require writers to have connections in the industry, and resources that you just can’t find in Appalachia. Our desire is to fill that gap, and bring writers’ visions to life.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
We passionately believe that writing is for everyone. It is increasingly difficult for people to break into publishing unless they come from the right place, know the right people, or have the right amount of money. While many writers and artists from the heart of Appalachia do not have those sorts of things, what they do have is talent. The Henlo Press strives to rebel against traditional publishing standards and shine a light on and feature diverse authors from this underserved and often overlooked area.
When we work with an author, we do it at no cost to them. This includes edits, formats, printing, marketing, and all the other bells and whistles you could imagine. We want to cultivate the creative community in our area and beyond! We have the beginnings of this already, thanks to the connections that we have made with a handful of local businesses and authors.
While we do not offer our authors advances, we offer royalty contracts and additional promotion opportunities for their books.
We started with two books and two authors.
In 2022, we added three more books and authors to our Indie Publishing family.
For 2023, we are set to add seven more books to our library alongside our very first Literary Journal.
Not to mention the sheer number of events we have been attending!
Traditionally, the publishing industry has been seen as stuffy and unwelcoming, but we aim to turn that idea on its head. We believe that publishing should be welcoming, and we strive to be this way. Our mascot, Heckin’ Hecktor, is a big, dumb, blue Troodon with a bowtie whose only desire is to publish his very own romance novel.
We use Hecktor as our inspiration; he helps us be sure that we don’t take this thing too seriously, and it helps that one can see him from a mile away at any event. We are a tiny yet mightily passionate team, trying to make waves, change how people look at Appalachia, and take as many people along for the ride as we can.
We have three to four books still slated for release this year, namely West By God by Tyler Bell, Deadly Choices: Will You Survive? Camp Meltaway by mother/daughter duo Tiffany and Caitlyn Pace, 304 Monsters by Stephen Bias, and The Wildly Wonderful Adventures of Kana and Charlie by Josh Taylor! We also have our first yearly literary journal, Old Bones, coming out that features over 25 writers in Appalachia. Pre-orders for all our new books can be made here: https://www.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
If this journey into the indie publishing industry has taught us anything, it is that we must continue to develop all of our skills. The most important things that keep our business running are communication, flexibility, and a love of learning.
Communication is the lifeblood of our business. It applies to much more than just working with our authors, but networking at events, scheduling launch parties, and collaborating with local bookshops are all ways that we continue to grow and establish ourselves in our community.
Flexibility is essential. Our team currently consists of a handful of wonderful and dedicated volunteers who believe in Henlo and work together to see all of our projects through. We are always working around our own day jobs and personal lives, so being flexible and working with our team and not against it is the only way that we can continue.
As female entrepreneurs, we must continuously expand our knowledge of the business world and stay up-to-date on marketing best practices. Without a love of learning, we would not be able to continue our own self-improvement, or the improvement of our business.
If you’re new to entrepreneurship, make sure you have a group of people to help you learn and keep you accountable. The business world is often not kind to small start-ups, but with perseverance and a willingness to continue to learn, you can figure it out step-by-step and watch your business grow.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
We are always looking for new authors and artists! Currently, our submission window for full-length works is open until June 1st, 2024 for publication in 2024. If you or someone you know would like to submit your piece for consideration, we are accepting submissions across all genres, and you should email your completed draft and a short cover letter to submissions@thehenlopress.
We also are always excited to work with artists for cover art designs, marketing materials, and illustrations. If you’re interested in working with us on future projects, reach out to us on our socials or email submissions@
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thehenlopress.com
- Instagram: @thehenlopress
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thehenlopress
