Eight Publishers You Might Want to Follow

If you’ve been wanting to not only read more, but to read better, start checking in with these power-houses. (See what I did there?)

*Giveaway at the end of the post! Enter below!*

Oh, how much the content of my bookshelves has changed from the titles listed in my book journals ten or fifteen years ago.

Some of the change is due to simply growing up and entering different seasons of life. More of it, in my case, is due to finding better direction in what I want to read.

As a recent college grad and a newbie to the publishing world, I didn’t know where to look for what I should be reading. I’m not sure I would have put it this way, but I see now that I was uncertain whether what I thought I wanted to read would help me become the writer I wanted to be. I was sure I didn’t have the context to appreciate many classic works, and so I didn’t see the virtues therein. (Turns out, you can learn that context even after or without college.)

In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis cautions against the temptation to read what others are reading just to keep up, rather than what one has his own desire to read. I held to that wisdom for a long time, and I think it still has value. At the same time, I am aware that I have become a better reader through the syllabuses I’ve worked through and a better-read (more well-read?) reader through conversations about books with different individuals and groups who are reading the same things.

The reality is that there is an established canon—it’s not perfect, but it’s not all bad—and there are new works of note being published today. Many folks just don’t know where to find them.

Since eight’s our jam over here, I’ve pulled together a list of eight publishers I recommend learning about and ordering from to transform your shelves and your reading life (which means your whole life, and the lives of those around you, really). Join their email lists, request their catalogs, follow them on social media.

None of these is an affiliate link. This is just a love letter from me to you about good books. Quotes are taken from each site.

1. Wiseblood Books - “Wiseblood Books fosters works of fiction, poetry, and philosophy that wrestle us from the ruse of distraction; find redemption in uncanny places and people; articulate faith and doubt in their incarnate complexity; dare an unflinching gaze at human beings as "political animals"; and render well this world's sufferings without forfeiting hope—all of this with an unflinching gaze, wide-eyed.”

2. Cluny Media - “Our work is the recovery of great books from our past which have been foolishly forgotten, thoughtlessly tossed aside, or even maliciously discarded into the dustbin of history. … Re-making these books into beautiful editions is our contribution to keeping the fire of tradition burning, passing its light from our hands to yours and sharing its warmth together, for our good and the good of God’s providential, redeeming plan.”

3. Catholic Women Writers series at Catholic University of America Press - “Edited by Bonnie Lander Johnson and Julia Meszaros, the Catholic Women Writers series brings together the English-language prose works of Catholic women from the 19th and 20th centuries; work that is of interest to a broad range of readers. Each volume is printed with an accessible but scholarly introduction by theologians and literary specialists.”

4. St. Paul Center’s Emmaus Road Publishing, especially their children’s books - “Our goal is to be a teacher of teachers. We want to raise up a new generation of priests who are fluent in the Bible and lay people who are biblically literate. For us, this means more than helping people to know their way around the Bible. It means equipping them to enter into the heart of the living Word of God and to be transformed and renewed by this encounter.”

5. Ignatius Press - “… The Ignatius Press list of books and films expanded rapidly both in quantity and genre to include a wide variety of titles and authors. The criteria of selection were three: fidelity to the apostolic and evangelizing mission of the Catholic Church; outstanding literary and artistic quality; ability to reach the widest possible readership and viewership, including academics, religious, priests, laity, and children.”

6. Angelico Press - “As families and students are increasingly drawn to the depth and scope of the Catholic tradition, Angelico promises to help them mine the gems of Catholic intellectual and literary culture, and to facilitate a community of discourse rich in meaning in a world so often depleted of this quality. We hope you will join us.”

7. The Colosseum Institute - “Colosseum Books is a regular series of volumes of new poetry and poetry criticism that exhibit spiritual and intellectual depth and an understanding of verse as a craft guided by enduring tradition, metrical rigor, and a commitment to the well-made thing.” / “Colosseum Books, in partnership with Franciscan University Press and the Master of Fine Arts program at the University of Saint Thomas, has launched a semi-annual journal of arts and letters, The Colosseum. The journal will publish new poetry, fiction, essays, and reviews in hopes of enlivening contemporary literature, renewing our culture, and supporting the return to literary craft and intellectual and spiritual depth in the arts.”

8. Luminor - “In today’s divided culture, it can be hard to find books that bring life. Luminor builds on the foundations of truth, beauty, and goodness to expand the community of thinkers, writers, and readers engaged in preserving literate culture for generations to come.”

Giveaway!

I’ll be reviewing The Complete Short Stories of Enid Dinnis: Volume One for The Colosseum later this year.

In the meantime, I’ve got a bonus copy the lovely folks at CUA are happy to have me give away to a reader. To enter, visit some of the sites above and comment with a title you’re interested in reading yourself or giving as a gift. I’ll choose a winner on March 7th around noon EST and announce the winner in March’s regularly scheduled post. Thanks for reading!