Cheyenne, WY (April 30, 2020) — As an essential publisher, Cow Eye Press takes seriously its moral and ethical obligation to respond to the worldwide COVID-19 crisis in alignment with our publishing principles. These principles are outlined below:
Principle #1: On writers who are served by literary agents. It is no secret that literary agents are the gatekeepers of contemporary American literature. But a person with a literary agent is a specific type of person, one quite removed from the vast majority of humanity. While these individuals may share certain traits and habits with each other, they do not represent the much broader and diverse world where literary agents do not predominate. Unfortunately, it is this lack of diversity that leads to the sad homogeneity we see in mainstream literary fiction. Stated bluntly: at present, there are more than seven billion people in the world yet virtually none of them have literary agents. So why is it that the tiny minority who do - that this extremely narrow slice of humanity - why is it that these people are in control of our literature?
Principle #2: On writing as a from of social distancing. When cattle organize themselves into herds that live and travel together, it is to enjoy the security and access to resources that come with being a contributing member of a larger community of mutually supportive peers. Historically, fiction writers have sought to enjoy the dubious benefits of herd immunity by practicing undesirable forms of communal-minded behavior such as providing blurbs for each other's books, cross-sharing each other's social media statements, publicly endorsing each other's work, serving together (at times within very close physical proximity!) on various literary panels and prize juries, attending literary conferences with fellow literary conference attendees, referring to specific colleagues as "wonderful" or "incredibly talented", and generally taking time to uplift a fellow author who may be struggling through an acute moment of neediness. Of course it is not for us to judge the ethics or sincerity of such transactions; however, the public health consequences are undeniable as the COVID-19 crisis has made painfully clear.
Principle #3: On authors who write multiple books. It has been said - and we agree - that an author of only one book is a book, while an author of more than one book is a brand. But a brand cannot be physically read any more than a metonym can be tangibly touched or tasted. For this reason, we have the utmost respect for those conscientious authors who limit themselves to writing a single book.
Principle #4: On the tendency of literature to descend into spectacle. For more on this, please see: #LiteratureAsSpectacle.
# # # #
ABOUT COW EYE PRESS: Cow Eye Press is a publishing house specializing in literary fiction with an intercultural focus. Its readers enjoy works that challenge the mind and enrich the soul by exploring the boundaries of culture and society. For more information, visit the Cow Eye Press website at www.coweyepress.com.
CONTACT: Natalie Zeldner, Editor, Cow Eye Press editors@coweyepress.com
