Readers have heard of the big 5 publishing companies that include Harper Collins, and Penguin/Random House. But there is something really special about university presses. Unfortunately, they don’t often get the attention they deserve. Sarah Munroe, Marketing Manager and Acquisitions Editor at West Virginia University Press, is our guest this week who talks to us about what makes a university press special and how they operate differently from the big 5. 

One of the unique things about them is that they can and do feature more diverse voices and topics than what major publishers are willing to put out there. Former guest Neema Avashia, author of Another Appalachia, was published by WVU Press and she is just one of the diverse voices that readers can find at smaller publishers. WVU Press has made some pretty important headlines lately after their author Deesha Philyaw’s book The Secret Lives of Church Ladies became a finalist for the National Book Award in 2020. 

While we definitely book nerd out with Sarah, we hope you stay tuned to what was supposed to be her 3 in the Third Degree where we asked only one question but learned a ton about her abiding love for dinosaurs and how they were part of her wedding ceremony with her husband. 

You can find WVU Press at their website, www.wvupressonline.com and on instagram and twitter @wvupress and Facebook at West Virginia University Press. 

Instagram at @perksofbeingabookoverpod

For show notes for any episode, go to our website at www.perksofbeingabooklover.com. 

Books Mentioned In This Episode:

1- Another Appalachia by Neema Avashia

2- Bad Tourist by Suzanne Roberts

3- The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

4- Deer Season by Erin Flanagan

5- Even As We Breathe by Annette Sanuooke Clapsaddle

6- Ghosts of New York by Jim Lewis

7- Foote: A Mystery Novel by Tom Bredehoft

8- Lioness by Mark Powell

9- Curing Season by Kristine Langley Mahler

10- Kindred by Octavia Butler

11- Broken Earth trilogy by NK Jemisin

12- Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James

13- Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

14- The Kill by Richard House

15- City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

16- The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Greene

17- Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Podcast mentioned:

Strong Sense of Place hosted by Melissa Joulwan and David Humphreys