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2014 Was A Literary Publishing Blur

A tiny year-in-review blog post for 2014. This year several changes to the press occurred, primarily, for the first time I had interns, who each in their own way did wonderful and remarkable tasks: editing, organizing an entire anthology, planning events, some marketing, read submissions, and much more. Each intern truly made me appear much better as a business owner. Over the last twenty plus years one thing I know I have problems with is trusting others with tasks–so having interns/project editors helped. I have (like the bad joke it is now) continued to hear the old jokes about making money, I honestly don’t laugh about how writers/publishers make money. I don’t know that I ever have. I’m sure I never will. Personally, I don’t ask other people if they are making any money and say things like, at least you’re doing what you love, etc. etc. Strangely, I’ve had the same occupation much longer than most people I know, so isn’t the answer obvious, something must be working on my end. Ice Cube Press books were included in a remarkable array of locations this year: New York Daily News, Publishers Weekly, Shelf Awareness, Des Moines Register, San Francisco Review of Books, Wapsipinicon Almanac, Booklist, Indie Next Picks, Midwest Connections, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Chicago Tribune, Foreword, and more. We attended the Midwest Bookseller show in Minneapolis, spoke and taught at the Midwest Writing Center, and several other writing conferences in Eastern Iowa. This coming year we’ll be attending out first AWP in the Twin Cities. Publishing is what it is, a passion that feeds my soul day after day, book after book, author after author, and learning experience after learning experience. My quest continues to use the literary arts to best explain and explore the very place I live, the Midwest. My hope is that every author I work with feels I have done my best for them and that each reader is satisfied. Publishing is a dream industry and I remind myself of that almost every day. Many thanks to all who have purchased and read our books this year, you are the truly the reason we exist.