Craft from the Couch: Episode 07 | Will Roth of Creature Publishing
Publicity strategies from a savvy publicist at an indie press- plus, #sporror and #moldcore!
Trigger warning for this post: Some of the introductory text and beginning part of the video see the discussion of death and dying in relation to 9/11.
Hello and Happy Wednesday,
I first met today’s guest, Will Roth, back in February of 2022 when he attended an artists retreat I ran at the time called The Cabins. Everyone who attended The Cabins gave a class, lecture or workshop in a passion of their choice, and Will—who was working as a teacher specializing in trauma, forensic science, and the stories of Muslim and LGBT victims at the 9/11 museum—gave an incredible presentation about his museum work. His talk was informative, moving, and managed to be uplifting and celebratory toward the human spirit despite the subject of the discussion. Here is Will with the rest of the 2022 Cabins cohort after a movement class in a chilly barn.
In addition to being a playwright, editor, uber talented teacher and just all around great human, Will is a talented writer, as well. And this year, he added a new line to his CV—he’s the publicist and events manager at Creature Publishing, a Virginia-based indie publisher specializing in feminist horror, dark speculative fiction, women-driven thrillers, spooky fantastical fiction, and literary fiction. (They’re open for submissions until June 20th, by the way!)
Will shelf-talks like no other
I reunited with Will at the AWP book fair this March in Los Angeles. I had never heard of Creature Publishing before but was instantly taken by their gorgeous covers, sleek paperback formats, and the succinct but stirring shelf-talkers that Will wrote for all their featured books.
I purchased three Creature books at AWP (highly recommend “Edendale” by Jacquelyn Stolos; I like to describe it as
’s novel “Housemates” if it had been co-authored by Emma Cline) and I just purchased Saskia Nislow’s “Root Rot” for my work vacation to a Florida swampland.
The passion and positivity with which Will discusses the books he’s publicizing and the creative ends he goes to to connect books with the right readers deserves to be shared and copied.
If you’ve been hearing that you can’t possibly get any publicity for your book (or even a book deal) if you don’t have X-number of followers or aren’t an empire builder on whatever given platform, you will LOVE THIS TALK WITH WILL. Yes, I put that in caps to make sure I’m screaming at you. This filmed conversation will do wonders for your nervous system. WILL DOESN’T MENTION THE P-WORD ONCE IN OUR WHOLE TALK.1
We do, however talk about “feverish fungal dreams” and a whole slew of book category hashtags I did not know existed:
#sporror
#moldcore
#fungalhorror
…and ever so much more. I hope you like our conversation! (And remember— like with every Craft from the Couch talk, we are running a giveaway for one of Creature’s books! Watch the video to discover which title you readers stand to win.)
Craft from the Couch Episode 07 with Will Roth on: Indie press publicity
Want more Craft from the Couch interviews? Check out our recent episodes!
Wasn’t that an uplifting video? Isn’t Will the best? If you’d like more content that will make you happy instead of panicked, check out our past guests:
Marie-Helene Bertino (BEAUTYLAND) on: Voice (Fun fact: Marie also attended the same 2022 Cabins cohort as Will! She’s in the yellow snowsuit in the photo above.)
Chloe Caldwell (WOMEN) on: Reprints
M.L. Rio (IF WE WERE VILLAINS) on: Deadlines
Lauren Hough (LEAVING ISN’T THE HARDEST THING) on: Dogs
Priyanka Mattoo (BIRD MILK + MOSQUITO BONES) on: Debuting 101
Isle McElroy (THE ATMOSPHERIANS + PEOPLE COLLIDE): on supporting others as a way to handle grief
“Craft from the Couch” book giveaway guidelines:
Paid subscribers can enter to win the Craft from the Couch book giveaway by typing the special giveaway phrase from the video into the comments below. A few guidelines:
Book giveaways are a perk reserved for paid subscribers. Upgrade if you’d like to enter this giveaway and other giveaways we run.
Only residents in the continental United States can enter the giveaway, (sorry!).
The phrase must be typed exactly as Will read it with correct grammar and punctuation.
The winner will be notified in the comments and via Substack DM, probably by day’s end or whenever someone gets it right!
Creature Publishing will mail “Root Rot” to the winner.
I hope you enjoyed this conversation with Will Roth of Creature Publishing!
I am back to my Florida swamp vacation now where I will be reading (and perhaps living?) Root Rot for myself.
Thanks for being here,
Courtney
For now until forever, the “P” word is: Platform.
ooh, i love this press—what a refreshing and pragmatic approach will has towards publicity. thanks so much for sharing!
Wow, what a beautiful human approach.