Community

“The miracle is this: The more we share the more we have.” — Leonard Nimoy

The learning curve of the writing and publishing world is steep, but I was lucky and found a soft spot to land on my first try. My first two novellas were published by the Fifth Avenue Press of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The press is funded by the Ann Arbor District Library and, in my opinion, is a genius operation. Any resident of Washtenaw County in Michigan may submit a manuscript to be considered. Once accepted, the author works with professional editors and designers provided by the press to complete the project. All printing, marketing, and selling of the book is solely the responsibility of the author. There is no money exchanged, but the library agrees to hold an electronic copy of your book in their catalog indefinitely.

My experience with the Fifth Avenue Press was nothing short of amazing. I learned so much about the writing craft and the publishing process. This experience will always hold a special place in my heart, but it was lonely. I didn’t know any of the other authors in my “class.” The only people I connected with were the editors and coordinator of the press. I announced the release of my first novella on a private Facebook page, and I’m pretty sure the sales I received from that day were people just curious about what I’d written.

I moved out of state and became ineligible to submit to the Fifth Avenue Press. My third manuscript needed a home, and I began the long, arduous task of querying agents and publishers. As of this writing, I have not found a home for my next story, but in the meantime, I’ve become a part of something very special.

Scrolling through posts from one of my online writing groups a year ago, I saw a short story contest for a Valentine anthology. The cost was $10, and it looked like a fun project and a diversion from querying. I wrote a short story with the required elements and submitted it to the contest. The story was selected for the anthology. The editing rounds were familiar and professional, but something new was afoot.

@Nicolefrailbooks, the publisher of the anthology, immediately connected the winners of the short story contest on Instagram messaging, and a community was born. Community is everything. Humans have been gathering together to have community for centuries. We bond over shared ideologies, religion, education, and hobbies. A sense of belonging can trigger feelings of safety, security, and support. Local libraries, bookstores, churches, parks, and schools all have a community focus.

Connecting with the authors @nicolefrailbooks facilitated relationships with people who share the same daily challenges. Reading their past works, sharing their social posts, pumping their upcoming works, and leaning on them through the daily challenges of writing has been cathartic. Through this connection, I realized one of the writers in another anthology by the same publisher lived in my city, and we started attending the same writing workshop once a month. We are even doing an in-person book event together in November.

This small, independent publisher believes in Community over competition and, for me, it is a welcome breath of fresh air in the publishing world. To have a community I can reach out to, rely on, or share the joys and frustrations of writing with is priceless.

My next publication will be released on November 12th. “Christmas in the Woods” is one of twelve stories in the Home for the Holidays anthology by @andyoupress and @Nicolefrailbooks.

Happy Holidays. I’ll be back in 2026.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash