Two of Los Angeles's most iconoclastic indie publishing figures—Feral House's Adam Parfrey and Jodi Wille of Dilettante Press—have joined forces, personally and professionally, to launch a countercultural publishing imprint called Process.
Their new venture, Process, reflects both their new relationship—they are now a couple—and a mutual interest in a brand of countercultural books that will have a slightly different focus. "We both love the same kind of material and we wanted to start a company free from Feral House's reputation," explained Wille.
Process, said Wille, will publish young adult titles, literary memoirs and historical fiction—areas generally not associated with alternative publishers—as well as offbeat illustrated books. The house will publish four books in 2005 and six in 2006. Distribution is through Consortium.
Their debut young adult title, Go Ask Ogre: Letters from a Deathrock Cutter by Jolene Siana, is a collection of hundreds of confessional letters, drawings and clippings originally sent to the band Skinny Puppy in the 1980s by Siana when she was a troubled teenager. "It's a book that speaks to real teens," said Wille. Released with a 10,000-copy printing, Go Ask Ogre has garnered an online following after being featured on Web sites like Suicide Girls and Boing Boing.
Parfrey said that Feral House's past success has made it easier to sell their fringe culture books—up to a point. "We're interested in unusual things," he said, which can be a problem for retailers. B&N still wants to know what a new title can be compared to, Parfrey said.
