by Timothy Pike

Joining us this month, and featured on the cover, is author and publisher Samantha Atzeni. Wanting to give a voice to writers who may not have been given a chance to tell their stories, she co-founded Read Furiously Publishing, a publishing house that seeks to improve the industry and make reading a more sustainable activity. “Sustainable reading,” she explains, “is a combination of positive actions that benefit all aspects of the independent publishing community: the readers, the authors, and the communities.”

In our interview, Samantha talks about the frustrations that led her to found her publishing company, the book series they publish that literally fits in your pocket, and how her home state of New Jersey has shaped her into the person she is today.

As a bonus, Samantha also has some advice for new writers looking to publish for the first time.

Thank you for being here, Samantha. Are you originally from New Jersey? What do you like best about life there?

I am proud to say that I am a New Jersey native! I was born in Hudson County, but I’ve lived in different counties throughout the state. New Jersey has its own kind of chaos magic and I think the best part about living here is seeing all of it firsthand. From an environmental perspective, we have wetlands, forests, beaches, cities, and farmlands. From a cultural perspective, we have historical landmarks, museums, aquariums, zoos, state parks, and natural preserves. We are also a state filled with artists, innovators, and other creatives. Add Weird NJ, traffic patterns, and (ahem) strong personalities to this mix. I think the eclectic nature of this state has definitely shaped me into who I am today.

Your latest novelette, W(h)ine and Cheese, is published through Read Furiously, the publishing company you co-founded. You have a commendable philosophy, part of which is to encourage a “sustainable reading journey.” Can you tell us what this means and how you go about doing this?

With Read Furiously, our goal is to find ways to positively elevate our readers’ experiences, and a big part of that is what we call the sustainable reading journey. Sustainable reading is a combination of positive actions that benefit all aspects of the independent publishing community: the readers, the authors, and the communities. Every day is an opportunity to champion our talented authors’ work or to share the love for an independent bookstore or our public libraries.

With every book we publish, we make a pledge to donate a portion of our net proceeds to literary or social causes that we believe in. Our authors also take this pledge with us and in our almost ten years, we’ve provided support to the Bridge of Books Foundation, Reading is Fundamental, Room to Read, Edge New Jersey, and the Transgender Education Network of Texas (through our presales of I Feel Love: Notes on Queer Joy edited by Samantha Mann). Through our publisher website, we work to ensure that all orders are shipped completely carbon neutral using recyclable packaging materials.

On a local level, we have our own Little Free Library in the Ewing/Trenton, New Jersey, area, and Read Furiously and its authors provide support to various Little Free Libraries throughout their respective communities.

From a reader perspective, we publish books that feature a vibrant community of authors who work tirelessly everyday to make a difference in their portion of the world. It is a privilege to work with our authors and to make connections with our readers. We believe that reading is a joyful act, but it must also be an act of literary activism to make sure everyone is able to read freely.

With every book we publish, we make a pledge to donate a portion of our net proceeds to literary or social causes that we believe in.

How did Read Furiously start, and how has it grown over the years, to the point where you’re now collaborating with so many authors?

I always say (half-jokingly) that Read Furiously came from a place of anger. It’s part of the story, but Read Furiously came from a need to change a tired and stale narrative that wasn’t serving anyone. There are too many talented writers who deserve to share their stories but are many times rejected by mainstream publishing. For many writers, especially BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ authors, the goalposts are constantly moving (as Latinx, this has also been my own experience throughout my writing career). Many of our authors have shared with us that they’ve been told they were “too old” or “too young” or their subject matter was “too traumatic” or “not serious enough.” Basically, they were “too much” for any audience. I refused to believe that.

It was after another one of these conversations with colleagues, who are extraordinary writers, that I started to become frustrated. Why wasn’t there a seat for everyone at the table? Why did there have to be so many stipulations for a writer to be successful? I knew that everyone deserved a chance to share their work, and I wanted to do something to fix this helpless feeling.

My co-publisher, Adam Wilson, also understood what it was like to be frustrated by the industry, so we asked ourselves the big question: could we do this our way? Read Furiously was created out of that question, but has grown into so much more. We get to bring extraordinary books to readers, but along the way, we’ve made long-lasting relationships with other members of the independent publishing community. Working with our authors is the highlight of my day—they have so many fantastic ideas, and I love how much they believe in what we do. We’ve all taken a leap of faith together, and now, almost ten years later, it’s a journey that’s only beginning. I cannot believe I get to say this is what I do for a living! It’s a wonderful feeling.

What inspired the One ‘n Done series that W(h)ine and Cheese is a part of?

This is definitely one of those “sustainable reading journey” moments. In our early days vending at the Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market, an artist community that has given us so much in terms of support and finding our audience, we would meet many different readers. These readers would all have the same confession: “I love to read, but I don’t have the time/money/right book.” It’s a problem we all share. It breaks my heart because reading is a beautiful, worthwhile experience. We all deserve that time to ourselves to discover new worlds.

In response to this, we created the One ‘n Done series. It’s a pocket-sized (4 x 6 inches, so it can actually fit in a pocket or bag) anthology series designed to be read in pieces or on a long weekend, commute, or vacation. We feature different genres and different authors so readers can discover something new and fit in more reading time. By the end of this year, we will have ten books in the series, and it’s only growing from there. We have big plans for the One ‘n Done series!

How often do you write?

Like many writers, I don’t write as often as I should! As a publisher and editor, my priorities begin with our authors before I can move on to my work. Time blocking has been a big help with this because it helps me balance newer projects, (i.e., acquisitions and working with our authors), our ongoing publishing work (managing the team and focusing on business sustainability), and my own work. As the company grows into itself, I’m finding more time to work on mini-projects that benefit my work as an author and our overall publishing house.

Which authors have influenced your writing the most?

I am extremely privileged to say there are too many to count, but I can give you some highlights. I first fell in love with writing after reading The Baby-Sitters Club series and writing a letter to Ann M. Martin. To my surprise, she wrote me back. Having an author I admired take the time to acknowledge me set me on a path to finding my writing voice. In high school, Megan McCafferty visited and led a writing workshop where she introduced us to David Sedaris, which taught me a new way to look at the world. In college, I was able to take classes taught by Kim Pearson, the late (and great) Bob Cole, Sheila Callaghan, and Dan Pope.

I also try to attend author events to meet authors I admire most, including Francesca Lia Block and David Sedaris. All of these authors took the time to treat me with care and respect, and I was able to benefit from their influence on the page and in real life. These experiences were my first lesson in how important it is for authors to support each other’s work. Whenever I can, I try to pay it forward in honor of those who influenced me and my work.

Many of our subscribers at Books & Buzz Magazine are writers who aspire to be published. What’s the best way for a first-time author to get published?

The best advice I can give is to understand which part of the industry that you want to break into as an author. There are big differences between independent publishing and the Big 5, and those differences translate into what type of expectations and responsibilities an author can expect. It’s also really important to understand your readership and your audience because you can figure out ways to market your author brand and your books. Knowing which part of the industry that you wish to focus on also helps you find your community.

When we started Read Furiously, we were very fortunate to find different communities that helped us along as we grew into our vision. Having that community plays a big role in making your next steps—you can share your ideas with others and speak to those who have already reached these milestones. This is a complicated and volatile industry; leaning on each other is the best way for all of us to succeed.

What are you working on next?

To begin, July is the book birthday for W(h)ine and Cheese, the newest installment in our One ‘n Done series! Also, I am happy to say that I am working on the third volume of the New Jersey anthology series. My co-publisher, Adam Wilson, and I edit these collections together, and finding the perfect stories to represent New Jersey is one of my favorite Read Furiously projects. I am also working with our very talented authors for their upcoming books as both editor and publisher. Helping our authors bring their work to our readers is always an inspiring and worthwhile experience. I’m very fortunate to be surrounded by new writing projects all the time.

Samantha Atzeni (she/they) is a multi-genre, award-winning writer of prose, comics, plays, and academic scholarship of ethnography, sequential art studies, and trauma theory. Along with comic writer Adam Wilson, she is the co-founder of Read Furiously Publishing and serves as its editorial director and head of acquisitions. Samantha is the author of The Legend of Dave Bradley, the upcoming W(h)ine and Cheese, and The MOTHER Principle series, and also serves as co-editor for the New Jersey anthology series Life in the Garden State.