Recently L.M. Browning sat down with Bree Shirvell of the Stonington Patch to discuss my her role as Owner of Homebound Publications. When asked about the interview Browning said, “We had a wonderful chat over coffee in a little cafe in downtown Mystic, Connecticut. A large part of identity is based on my youth spent along the coast of Connecticut; by that same hand, it is my intention for Homebound Publications to be deeply rooted in New England as well. I feel very grateful to have the support of my community.”
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Independent Publisher Homebound Publications Launches In Stonington
Stonington resident L.M. Browning bought the publication company she helped found and relocated it to Pawcatuck.
Article By Bree Shirvell (Go to The Patch and read the article there >> Or continue below.)
Homebound Publications is a dream that began years ago in the mind of a then Stonington teenager. Last summer the dream became a reality in Boston, Massachusetts and it has now come home to Stonington.
The up-and-coming indie press officially launched in Stonington this past February. Under the direction of Founder and Lead Editor L.M. (Leslie) Browning, the independent publishing company hopes to produce four to eight titles in its first year and eight to ten in 2013.
Browning, a Stonington native and author, helped found the company for the Boston Publishing House Hiraeth Press in July of 2011. When she was given the opportunity to buy it several weeks ago she took it and relocated the business to Pawcatuck.
“Ever since I was 15 or 16 I’ve been writing Homebound Publications at the bottom of everything I wrote,” Browning said.
Her own publishing company was always in the back of her mind but Browning said she was always afraid of the process. That is until she published her own book The Nameless Man last year with the then Hiraeth Press owned Homebound Publications.
“I got to know the process,” Browning said.
Currently, Browning and her staff of one other full-timer and two part-timers are working out of her home office but they hope to take up office space in the area sometime this year.
The independent publishing house will focus on reflective and contemplative storytelling. Their current titles include The Nameless Man by Browning, The Sapphire Song by Todd Erick Pedersen, both nominated for the 2012 Pushcart Prize, and the soon to be released The Crucifixion by Theodore Richards. They will also be publishing a biannual journal titled The Wayfarer, which will feature travel writing, short stories, interviews, poetry and art.
“I love books, I love writing books, I love making books,” Browning said. “And our little area is so supportive of the arts.”
Browning said the books they publish will be in print and eBook form if the book is long enough.
“It’s just a matter of time before it’s all eBooks,” Browning said a little sadly, adding that their eBooks sales don’t come close to their print sales.
But the eBooks may fit into the company’s environmental mission to be mindful of their carbon footprint. Until the day comes if it does when it’s all eBooks the company’s print books are published from paper certificated from the Forest Stewardship Council, Sustainable Forestry Initiative and Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification. The company will also be donating a percentage of their annual income to an environmental charity.
