The first week of August, all was blank. Nothing to see, hear, take in, interpret, or experience. Why? Inclusivity and Accessibility. These two words are more than just words. They are our bedrock, and if someone does not support that, we just aren’t interested. Harsh, but true. Now we’re back on the social scene and hope to begin campaigning again soon. (Donating has not stopped, and we appreciate any donations or backings via GoFundMe Business or directly via our website’s contribute place. Even the smallest amount makes a world of difference.)
We are all about connection, and a key to connection is communication, which is where accessibility, one’s undiluted truth, and including all voices come into play. We are always looking for new and the best ways to be inclusive and accessible. Our content has sound/audio and real-time closed captioning. We use image descriptions. We want feedback on others’ needs and find ways to connect.
Not everyone believes author/reader connection is necessary, and therefore, accessibility does not matter. We do not support the idea that books, readers, and authors should be merely transactional. We’re here to build a safe, diverse, and interactive place. We want to know what you want. What you need. We aim to be active both virtually and in person when possible. Our authors have amazing stories to share, and we want them to share them without apologizing.
Our readers can take away whatever they want, whether it is that transaction or an immersive experience. That is their choice. This company and its authors, freelancers, and others we work with do not get to choose whether to be inclusive or accessible. Those are dealbreakers. Our authors represent us as much as their books do. Anyone we work with may not be aware of accessibility at the time, but once they are, they make themselves accessible, or they can look elsewhere.
Saying goodbye to an author is never easy, and when we went blank, we wanted to remain sensitive to that author, provide a smooth transition, and get things in order here because our new book catalog looks different from the original. It’s still great. We still have our mainstays and most impactful titles and have gained three more. However, while we parted with one author, it meant parting with a book series of four fiction titles, while our three new books, which we’re wildly excited about, are nonfiction titles. What does this mean? This shift may lead to a different initial landscape of what we originally hoped to put out.
We happily accept fiction submissions (our submissions pages are coming out this week). Should we obtain enough fiction that shares our brand and mission and whose values align, then we’ll feature the most important, necessary, thought-provoking nonfiction and fiction with some humor, wit, and possibly snark along the way beginning in April 2025. If not, then we will begin releasing fantastic fiction beginning in 2026, while our 2025 calendar will be solely creative nonfiction, memoirs, and anthologies while we build a healthy fiction catalog.
I created this company as a neurodiverse, gender-nonconforming, queer, disabled, and deaf individual. I love and embrace these parts of myself, just as I want to ensure I, and On the Fringe Press, do the same. Regardless of who you are, how you think, your background, demographics, whatever – you have a space here. We connect here. We remain committed to inclusion, accessibility, transparency, and authenticity. We want people to say what they need to say, and we are not defeatists or merely transactional. Our readers, community, and principles will always come before anything we wish to put out.
We support a person’s process and want them to work in ways that work for them, but never at the expense or experience of someone else. While I am never a fan of zero-tolerance policies, as context is everything, we have two: knowingly excluding others for any reason and knowingly making yourself inaccessible to people with disabilities, which covers physical conditions, mental health conditions, and the umbrella of neurodiversity. We say what we mean, and we mean what we say.
Thank you to everyone who supports us and this vision. Welcome to our community. We’re happy to have you.