Microcosm Publishing
A small, charming, and innovative publishing house, Microcosm Publishing was founded in 1996 and over the years has developed a reputation for teaching self-empowerment, showing hidden histories, and fostering creativity. The then-distro and record-label was started by Joe Biel in his bedroom and is now based in Portland, OR. Microcosm continues to challenge conventional publishing wisdom, influencing other publishers large and small with books and bookettes about DIY skills, food, zines, and art. Microcosm constantly strives to be recognized for our spirit, creativity, and value. As a commitment to our ethics, our books are printed by union workers in the U.S. and we are moving towards all production using post-consumer papers, with vegan inks and bindings. Further, while only 25-35% of authors are women, we continue to publish about 50% books by women.www.microcosmpublishing.com
11
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Search complete. 11 mentions across 5 episodes found for "Microcosm Publishing".
Oct 9, 2026
Joe BielHOST
Yeah.
Elly BlueHOST
And none of us think of it, and none of, I feel like there's not, like, a lot of pride in an identity of, as a centrist that brings people to Microcosm.
Joe BielHOST
Yeah, they wanna think of us as more as a moderate.
Joe BielHOST
[laughs]
Joe BielHOST
I'm like, "Is Amazon, is, like, everybody doing work for Amazon? Is that the problem?" [laughs]
Elly BlueHOST
Oh, God, you're right, box companies, yeah.
Joe BielHOST
Hi, I'm Joe Biel, the founder and CEO of Microcosm Publishing.
Joe BielHOST
I'm also the author of A People's Guide to Publishing, which distills what I've learned from selling millions of books over the past 28 years.
Weird Al YankovicSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
As a licensed therapist, he now owns a private therapy practice in Western Massachusetts, where he combines his experience in music and mental health to help adults navigate anxiety, stress, and the unique pressures of creative careers.
Weird Al YankovicSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
His first book, Band Therapy: Mental Health and Communication Skills for Musicians, will be released by Microcosm Publishing in 2028.
speaker_9UNKNOWN
[cheering]
Weird Al YankovicSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Wow.
Elly BlueHOST
Yeah.
Joe BielHOST
Hi, I'm Joe Biel, the founder and CEO of Microcosm Publishing.
Joe BielHOST
I'm also the author of A People's Guide to Publishing, which distills what I've learned from selling millions of books over the past 28 years.
Elly BlueHOST
I'm Ellie Blue, the vice president of Microcosm.
Elly BlueHOST
We started this podcast to share what we've learned with newer publishers, so you can learn from our mistakes, or maybe you just want to learn about the publishing industry.
Joe BielHOST
This week we welcome back Jane Friedman of The Bottom Line to answer a burning question in all of our hearts, which is, does Amazon represent the majority of books sold in the world?
10 MINS LATER
Jane FriedmanGUEST
You can find us on the internet at microcosm.pub.
Joe BielHOST
On Twitter @microcosm.
Randy RandallHOST
It's, he's on there as, uh, @vicecooler.
Randy RandallHOST
You can also go to his website, vicecooler.com, as well as showstudio.com. He's on there in the contributors, Vice Cooler, and he's also on the Microcosm Publishing.
Randy RandallHOST
Uh, he has a, uh, a book that he worked on with Josh Plague, as well as Dalton Blanco, who he works on a lot of, uh, projects with as well.
Randy RandallHOST
Uh, he's always shooting something awesome.
Elly BlueHOST
Something like that, yep.
Joe BielHOST
Hi, I'm Joe Beal, the founder and CEO of Microcosm Publishing.
Joe BielHOST
I'm also the author of A People's Guide to Publishing.
Joe BielHOST
which distills what I've learned from selling millions of books over the past 28 years.
Elly BlueHOST
I'm Ellie Blue, the vice president of Microcosm.
Elly BlueHOST
We started this podcast to share what we've learned with newer publishers so you can learn from our mistakes.
Elly BlueHOST
Or maybe you just want to learn about the publishing industry.