My week started with the particular mixture of two distinct states: 1) The firm belief and plan to get on a plane to attend AWP in San Antonio. 2) The dawning realization and following diagnosis that I had strep throat. Following this was a very long and raspy phone call with Expedia to cancel my trip and several days of laying on my couch, eating soup, and re-watching my favorite episodes of MythBusters. Luckily, for those like me who had to change your AWP plans for one reason or another, or who weren’t planning on attending in the first place, there is still time to get some new books at reduced prices thanks to the #AWPVirtualBookfair.
First off, I want to give infinite thanks and a huge shout out to Entropy for creating a list of presses participating in the online bookfair. There are so many more deals than what I show here so be sure to check those out! I would also recommend checking out the list of participants for Whale Prom, a separate bookfair seeking to represent the smaller small presses that can’t (or don’t want to) make it to AWP. While Whale Prom has been indefinitely postponed this year, you can still look at who would have been participating and support them directly.
And now, the deals (and the books)!
10. &Now Books / 40% Off of JD Scott’s Moonflower, Nightshade, All the Hours of the Day / Code: AWP40
Book Purchased: Moonflower, Nightshade, All the Hours of the Day by JD Scott
This was the first purchase I made, probably because it is first alphabetically in Entropy’s list and thus immediately caught my eye. While the deal only applies to one specific book (a pre-order on what seems to be a really incredible short story collection), the juicy 40% off makes this purchase more than worth it. Plus, buying a pre-order means that after the initial shipments of books arrive, you’ll get a surprise book later to lengthen the joy of receiving books in the mail!
9. Batcat Press/ All Books Come With Letterpress Print
Book Purchased: Canyons by Jessica Poli
While this isn’t the best deal monetarily on this list, asking for a discount on these beautiful hand-crafted books should be considered a crime. Canyons is one of their most ambitious projects to date (read about it here) and for me, the price tag is well-deserved. While a free print is not the best deal for everyone’s wallet, Batcat Press is at least worth a look.
8. Tinderbox Editions/ 20% Off and Free Shipping / Code: AWP2020
Book Purchased: Visitation by Maggie Blake Bailey
Tinderbox Editions would be in a close race for #1 with Platypus Press in a hypothetical second article rating the calmness of indie/non-profit press website designs. Their wonderful falling snow background greatly reduced the stress of realizing how many times I typed my debit card info over the span of an hour. Each of their books look well-loved and unique, and I will never get enough of free shipping AND 20%.
7. Lanternfish Press/ 30% Off Through Sunday, March 8 / Code: AWP2020
Book Purchased: Medusa’s Daughters by Theodora Goss
Ask anyone close to me and they’ll tell you how much I love writing and reading about Medusa—so this one had one of the shortest times between clicking the link to their site and the book entering my cart. 30% off is really solid deal on an assortment of wonderfully weird books, but the deal ends soon so don’t let it pass you by!
6. Split/Lip Press/ Discount Pricing and Complimentary Sticker and Pin Through Sunday, March 8 / Code: NOAWPFORME
Book Purchased: The Space Poet by Samantha Edmonds
Split/Lip Press is part of the “Unique Coupon Code Club” (but my favorite of these has to go to Coffee House Press’s WASHYOURHANDS). Doing some math, it seems like the coupon code gets you $4 off each book you buy so I essentially got 30% off a $12 book (which conveniently was the price of shipping! Gotta love free shipping). Plus! Free stickers, pins, pens and other paraphernalia will always be a nice bonus. A very solid deal on some very exciting work.
5. Thirty West Publishing House/ 30% Off Through Sunday, March 8 / Code: NOAWP
Books Purchased: Little Feasts by Jules Archer and 2019 Pamphlet Series
Another very limited time deal that is well worth the rush to grab it! Thirty West has some really out of the box work coming out. I was most excited to see their brand new Pamphlet series which beautifully brings together writing from a trio of artists—I hope to see more pamphlets in the future! Their 4th Annual Chapbook Contest is also part of the sale with reduced submission fees until the end of the day March 7th (the date this is posted!) so if you could see your chapbook published with Thirty West, it’s a little more affordable to try and make that a reality!
4. Tolsun Books/ $5 Chapbooks; $7 Paperbacks; $10 Hardcovers and Specialty Books
Books Purchased: Some Places Worth Leaving by Dani Burlison and The Lost Girls Book to Divination by Letisia Cruz.
This sale is a must-see. The two books I purchased were originally $15 and $18 so getting each of them for $10 is a real steal. Tolsun books proudly proclaims “Go ahead, judge our books by their covers!” and I have to say that these are some of the most beautiful books I have seen in a while. I can’t recommend checking out their publications enough not just for the covers but for their community-focused philosophy. Supporting this non-profit is a great way to spend a crisp Hamilton or two.
3. Invisible Publishing/ $15 (Canadian) Books Through Monday, March 9
Books Purchased: OO: Typewriter Poems by Dani Spinosa, The Emily Valentine Poems by Zoe Whittall, Shut Up Slow Down Let Go Breathe by Marcas McCann
Invisible Publishing is #1 for me in terms of the book-buying experience. They have a really great search system with lots of tags and filters so you can search their pages and pages of books with ease. This made the LGBTQ+ poetry I am always looking for easier to find. The one thing preventing it from ranking higher is that I got a bit tripped up since all of the prices are in Canadian dollars and the conversion didn’t happen until checkout, so I ended up paying more than I thought. But the above books are some of the ones on this list I am the most excited to arrive in my mailbox, so some mental math and international exchange rates are only a small hurdle to cross on the way to some great literature.
2. White Stag Books/ $10 Poetry Collections and $6 Anthologies
Books Purchased: Lizzie, Speak by Kailey Tedesco and The Scales by Adam Stutz
Coming in at #2 is White Stag Books! All of their poetry books are $10 which is anywhere between $2-$8 off per book (the latter is almost ½ off!!!). While there are fewer options available than some of the other presses on this list, each title is so thought-provoking and deeply imaginative. Given that I recently watched Lizzie, it felt like I was meant to find Tedesco’s book here and you might find a book that calls to you too.
1. Platypus Press/ 10% – 25% Off and Free Shipping Worldwide
Books Purchased: Mannish Tongues by jayy dodd, The Sea that Beckoned by Angela Gabrielle Fabunan, and A Portrait in Blues (anthology)
Platypus Press really won my heart the instant I opened their site. Not only are they offering up to 25% off and free worldwide shipping, but their books, all so beautiful are heartfelt, truly take center-stage. This UK-based publisher features authors from around the globe telling stories diverse in style, form, and origin. A lot of their books are also available in ebook formats and they have some free poetry from their 2016 chapbook series 2412. All of the publishers here are worth your time, but this is the one I am the most joyful to have found on this book buying spree.
I hope that this list inspires you to new books or presses to support! Be sure to check out the other lists linked above, and I wish you happy reading!