Lauren Faulkenberry and Katie Rose Guest Pryal are authors and also the founders of Blue Crow Publishing, LLC, an independent press founded in 2016 with headquarters in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Full disclosure—Katie and I were in the same writing seminar for an entire semester in college, yet somehow didn’t formally meet until many years later, at Wildacres Retreat in the North Carolina mountains. Since then, our lives have continued to overlap in fantastically coincidental ways. I’m thrilled to have her on the blog today, along with her amazing business partner and fellow author, Lauren Faulkenberry.

Welcome to the blog, Lauren and Katie! Why did you two decide to start Blue Crow Publishing?

KRGP: Lauren and I met three hundred years ago at a writer’s conference, and we were great friends almost immediately. Lauren impressed me because she was not only a great fiction writer, but she also had this incredible skill with art—drawing, painting, and this strange thing called printmaking, which I still don’t completely understand. All I know is that when it came time to start a press, we definitely had complementary skills. I definitely can’t do what she does when it comes to designing and cover art. It also helps that, ever since those early days, she’s always been my first reader.

LEF: Oh, that writer’s conference! If only they knew what trouble they were breeding in us! I thought Katie had this amazing confidence and utter fearlessness. She’s completely supportive and empowering, and has an incredible go-after-it spirit. It’s what makes her such a strong business partner. And complementary skills—absolutely. When I first thought of starting a press, I knew Katie was the perfect partner. We have similar goals as writers, as editors, and as people who want to discover and promote new writers.

What kinds of books do you publish? Do you have a wish list for manuscripts?

KRGP: One of the things that we talked about years ago when we were founding Blue Crow was genre. I adore romance novels, for example, and science fiction. I also really like essays and memoirs. Lauren and I both realized that the books we read span a wide range of genres, but they share similar qualities: they’re well written, they’re fun, and they’re moving. So that’s what we wish for. If you look at our submissions page, you will also see that we wish for “narratives that center those who are normally excluded from or marginalized in stories” and that we are “interested in own voices.” You can head over to the submissions page to find out more.  

What’s the most rewarding thing about being an indie publisher? What are some of the biggest challenges?

LEF: One of the most rewarding things for sure is finding new writers that are writing compelling books. Katie and I are both lovers of stories, of imagination. We want to get sucked into new worlds, fall in love with amazing characters. We know how hard it is to get your book out in front of readers, and we want to help other writers do that, too. One of the biggest challenges is just that—getting your book into readers’ hands. There are a ton of books out there these days, and it’s hard to rise to the top and get your voice heard. The competition is overwhelming sometimes. We believe that strong stories will rise, though, and we’re determined to do all we can to help our authors find their readership. After all, we know readers love to find the next amazing story, too. There’s nothing I like more than a book I can’t put down.         

What are your forthcoming titles?

KRGP: Our next books are Sexism Ed: Essays on Gender and Labor in Academia by Kelly J. Baker; Fallout Girl: A Hollywood Lights Novel by Katie Pryal (wait, that’s me!), and A Tycoon’s Secret: The Sin City Tycoons Series. We are also putting together an anthology of Young Adult stories edited by this novelist named Emily Colin for our Young Adult imprint, titled Secrets and Lies: A Wicked South Anthology.

BIOS

Lauren Faulkenberry

Award-winning writer Lauren Faulkenberry earned her MFA in book arts from The University of Alabama and her MFA in fiction writing from Georgia College & State University. She is the author of four novels, one children’s picture book, many short stories and more. She teaches book arts workshops all over the country at residencies and retreats such as the Penland School of Crafts and Wildacres.

Katie Rose Guest Pryal

Katie Rose Guest Pryal earned her master’s degree in creative writing from the Writing Seminars of Johns Hopkins University and her Ph.D. in English from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is the author of five novels, many nonfiction books, poetry, essays, and more. She is a former professor at the University of North Carolina and a freelance journalist and editor.