Clara Totten
@tottencs.bsky.social
Making books happen at Kent State University Press. Library enthusiast. Cats and plants, too. (she/her)
What I said in a meeting just now: "book distribution may sound mundane but actually it impacts everything we do and is hugely important"
I recently wrote a post for Feeding the Elephant explaining distribution's place within publishing. It is geared toward scholarly publishing, but a lot of it holds true for the whole industry. #feedingtheelephant
networks.h-net.org/group/discus...
networks.h-net.org/group/discus...
Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Book Distribution, but Were Afraid to Ask | H-Net
A guest post from
networks.h-net.org
November 14, 2025 at 3:39 PM
What I said in a meeting just now: "book distribution may sound mundane but actually it impacts everything we do and is hugely important"
Reposted by Clara Totten
“I want a compass. / I need deliverance. Good god, take me”
— Oliver Baez Bendorf (@oliverbaezbendorf.bsky.social)
.
.
.
This poem appeared in The Spectral Wilderness by Oliver Baez Bendorf, published by Kent State University Press (@ksupress.bsky.social), 2015. Shared here with deep gratitude.
— Oliver Baez Bendorf (@oliverbaezbendorf.bsky.social)
.
.
.
This poem appeared in The Spectral Wilderness by Oliver Baez Bendorf, published by Kent State University Press (@ksupress.bsky.social), 2015. Shared here with deep gratitude.
November 10, 2025 at 2:01 PM
“I want a compass. / I need deliverance. Good god, take me”
— Oliver Baez Bendorf (@oliverbaezbendorf.bsky.social)
.
.
.
This poem appeared in The Spectral Wilderness by Oliver Baez Bendorf, published by Kent State University Press (@ksupress.bsky.social), 2015. Shared here with deep gratitude.
— Oliver Baez Bendorf (@oliverbaezbendorf.bsky.social)
.
.
.
This poem appeared in The Spectral Wilderness by Oliver Baez Bendorf, published by Kent State University Press (@ksupress.bsky.social), 2015. Shared here with deep gratitude.
Reposted by Clara Totten
FYI1: The superb webinar "Turning your Dissertation into a Book" is up!
FYI2: It's the 1st for "Publishing with University Presses Webinar Series" co-sponsored by @aupresses.bsky.social (HT, Faculty Outreach Committee) and hosted by Rutgers CMSI. #ReadUP #PublishUP
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SST...
FYI2: It's the 1st for "Publishing with University Presses Webinar Series" co-sponsored by @aupresses.bsky.social (HT, Faculty Outreach Committee) and hosted by Rutgers CMSI. #ReadUP #PublishUP
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SST...
Turning Your Dissertation into a Book
YouTube video by The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute (The Proctor Institute)
www.youtube.com
October 30, 2025 at 3:41 PM
FYI1: The superb webinar "Turning your Dissertation into a Book" is up!
FYI2: It's the 1st for "Publishing with University Presses Webinar Series" co-sponsored by @aupresses.bsky.social (HT, Faculty Outreach Committee) and hosted by Rutgers CMSI. #ReadUP #PublishUP
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SST...
FYI2: It's the 1st for "Publishing with University Presses Webinar Series" co-sponsored by @aupresses.bsky.social (HT, Faculty Outreach Committee) and hosted by Rutgers CMSI. #ReadUP #PublishUP
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SST...
Reposted by Clara Totten
From the New York Post to the Journal of Southern History, KSUP titles continue to help shape conversations around the region and the world. Congrats to all the authors whose books are featured in this month’s stack. Read more at the new roundup of news and reviews.
October news and reviews
Deadbeats, Dead Balls, and the 1914 Boston Braves gets a positive mention in the New York Post, where it’s called “assiduously researched and smartly written.” It also earns a rav…
kentstatebooks.wordpress.com
October 22, 2025 at 1:01 PM
From the New York Post to the Journal of Southern History, KSUP titles continue to help shape conversations around the region and the world. Congrats to all the authors whose books are featured in this month’s stack. Read more at the new roundup of news and reviews.
Teenagers are my favorite trick-or-treaters. They get really excited over fruit snacks, in particular, so I always encourage them to take extra
Oh also while I'm being the halloween cop (offer a non-candy option for kids with allergies!) I'm gonna issue another proclamation:
No that teenager on your doorstep is not "too old for trick-or-treating." It's 2025, offer them a treat and wish them a good night.
No that teenager on your doorstep is not "too old for trick-or-treating." It's 2025, offer them a treat and wish them a good night.
October 21, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Teenagers are my favorite trick-or-treaters. They get really excited over fruit snacks, in particular, so I always encourage them to take extra
Reposted by Clara Totten
With the Browns and Steelers facing off this Sunday, it seems like a good time to ponder the relationship between Cleveland and Pittsburgh. @chrisbriem.bsky.social, author of our upcoming book “Beyond Steel,” argues it’s worth approaching the cities not as rivals but as Rust Belt partners.
Cleveburgh: Christopher Briem’s tale of two Rust Belt cities
Why’s an Ohio-based publisher like Kent State excited for Christopher Briem’s upcoming’s study of Pittsburgh, Beyond Steel? For one thing, we’re invested in relationships be…
kentstatebooks.wordpress.com
October 6, 2025 at 11:02 PM
With the Browns and Steelers facing off this Sunday, it seems like a good time to ponder the relationship between Cleveland and Pittsburgh. @chrisbriem.bsky.social, author of our upcoming book “Beyond Steel,” argues it’s worth approaching the cities not as rivals but as Rust Belt partners.
Baker & Taylor now shutting down by January, following the ReaderLink acquisition falling through
www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
Baker & Taylor Prepares Plan to Shut Down
At a town hall yesterday, B&T owner and CEO Aman Kochar announced that following the termination of the ReaderLink acquisition deal, he does not see a path to keep the library wholesaler in business.
www.publishersweekly.com
October 7, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Baker & Taylor now shutting down by January, following the ReaderLink acquisition falling through
www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
Reposted by Clara Totten
Great post!
"In general, I do not edit reviewers’ reports before I send them to authors."
I mostly completely agree, but in extreme cases I may delete sentences or change reviewers' language, especially if it feels targeted or truly offensive. Reviews should be constructive--never just an attack
"In general, I do not edit reviewers’ reports before I send them to authors."
I mostly completely agree, but in extreme cases I may delete sentences or change reviewers' language, especially if it feels targeted or truly offensive. Reviews should be constructive--never just an attack
"Sometimes critical feedback is difficult to read, but this is also the best time an author can encounter it."
The long-awaited Part 2 of UIP editor @alisonsyring.bsky.social's discussion about the peer review process is in her latest blog post.
www.press.uillinois.edu/wordpress/ac...
The long-awaited Part 2 of UIP editor @alisonsyring.bsky.social's discussion about the peer review process is in her latest blog post.
www.press.uillinois.edu/wordpress/ac...
October 2, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Great post!
"In general, I do not edit reviewers’ reports before I send them to authors."
I mostly completely agree, but in extreme cases I may delete sentences or change reviewers' language, especially if it feels targeted or truly offensive. Reviews should be constructive--never just an attack
"In general, I do not edit reviewers’ reports before I send them to authors."
I mostly completely agree, but in extreme cases I may delete sentences or change reviewers' language, especially if it feels targeted or truly offensive. Reviews should be constructive--never just an attack
Reposted by Clara Totten
Worth repeating, and appreciating every day: "More than 100 of North America’s top universities clearly believe that an energetic, outward-facing publishing program is a tremendous asset to, indeed a responsibility of, any university."
Why institutions should continue to support their university presses (opinion)
Institutions can be unfamiliar with what their university presses do or with their own integral role in supporting scholarly publishing, argue Kathryn Conrad and Jennifer Crewe, which can lead to hasty or inaccurate judgments.
bit.ly
October 2, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Worth repeating, and appreciating every day: "More than 100 of North America’s top universities clearly believe that an energetic, outward-facing publishing program is a tremendous asset to, indeed a responsibility of, any university."
It was so lovely to chat with @llassabe.bsky.social! University presses are creative, resilient, mission-driven, and just one of my favorite things to talk about.
Excited to hear Kent State University Press’s director, @tottencs.bsky.social, on the American Campus Podcast, where she talks with @llassabe.bsky.social about the meaning and value of university-press publishing.
The future of university presses with Clara Totten - American Campus Podcast
And how to approach an acquisitions editorReferences:Association of University Presses and #AskUpSteven L. Herman. 2024. Behind the White House Curtain. Kent State University Press.Madeleine L'Engle. ...
americancampuspodcast.buzzsprout.com
September 24, 2025 at 3:07 PM
It was so lovely to chat with @llassabe.bsky.social! University presses are creative, resilient, mission-driven, and just one of my favorite things to talk about.
Reposted by Clara Totten
Absolutely terrible, terrible news. Trinity University has announced that Trinity University Press will close at the end of the fiscal year--described by one author as a "South Texas outlet for stories and culture" for which there is no replacement frankly. Awful. www.tpr.org/arts-culture...
Trinity University announced its publishing house is closing
Trinity University said Trinity University Press will be closing its doors in late 2026.
www.tpr.org
September 22, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Absolutely terrible, terrible news. Trinity University has announced that Trinity University Press will close at the end of the fiscal year--described by one author as a "South Texas outlet for stories and culture" for which there is no replacement frankly. Awful. www.tpr.org/arts-culture...
KSUP author Jim Hollock on writing: “I think the difficulty is sticking to it. .... But it’s one of the better things I’ve ever done, because I knew, even if no one else does, I know the effort that went into it, and it is very satisfying when you can be finished with something.”
New on the blog: Our celebration of KSUP’s 60th birthday continues with a look at one standout title from our series in True Crime History—James G. Hollock‘s “Born to Lose.”
kentstatebooks.wordpress.com/2025/09/10/t...
kentstatebooks.wordpress.com/2025/09/10/t...
September 10, 2025 at 12:52 PM
KSUP author Jim Hollock on writing: “I think the difficulty is sticking to it. .... But it’s one of the better things I’ve ever done, because I knew, even if no one else does, I know the effort that went into it, and it is very satisfying when you can be finished with something.”
Reposted by Clara Totten
How do I find the right university press to publish my book? https://bit.ly/468Rupu
@univpressofkansas.bsky.social answers this important question, one of more than 110 FAQs that host presses have answered on our Ask UP site.
Curious about how university press publishing works? #AskUP!
@univpressofkansas.bsky.social answers this important question, one of more than 110 FAQs that host presses have answered on our Ask UP site.
Curious about how university press publishing works? #AskUP!
September 9, 2025 at 2:20 PM
How do I find the right university press to publish my book? https://bit.ly/468Rupu
@univpressofkansas.bsky.social answers this important question, one of more than 110 FAQs that host presses have answered on our Ask UP site.
Curious about how university press publishing works? #AskUP!
@univpressofkansas.bsky.social answers this important question, one of more than 110 FAQs that host presses have answered on our Ask UP site.
Curious about how university press publishing works? #AskUP!
Reposted by Clara Totten
My new post on Literary Cleveland’s Inkubator Festival, which starts
today, and the activist conference READ Barcelona, organized by @versolibros.com —>
open.substack.com/pub/derekkri...
today, and the activist conference READ Barcelona, organized by @versolibros.com —>
open.substack.com/pub/derekkri...
Building communities with smaller book festivals
Cleveland, Barcelona, and beyond
open.substack.com
September 8, 2025 at 12:55 PM
My new post on Literary Cleveland’s Inkubator Festival, which starts
today, and the activist conference READ Barcelona, organized by @versolibros.com —>
open.substack.com/pub/derekkri...
today, and the activist conference READ Barcelona, organized by @versolibros.com —>
open.substack.com/pub/derekkri...
Reposted by Clara Totten
In a new feature for the blog, we’re highlighting backlist titles that continue to resonate with issues in the region, nation, and world. First up: the series Voices of Diversity, which—in a mission that remains central to KSUP's work—helped celebrate the Cleveland area’s rich ethnic heritage.
Backlist spotlight: Celebrating the ethnic heritage of Northeast Ohio
In a new feature for the blog, we’re highlighting backlist titles from Kent State University Press that continue to resonate with issues in the region, nation, and world.
kentstatebooks.wordpress.com
August 26, 2025 at 8:53 PM
In a new feature for the blog, we’re highlighting backlist titles that continue to resonate with issues in the region, nation, and world. First up: the series Voices of Diversity, which—in a mission that remains central to KSUP's work—helped celebrate the Cleveland area’s rich ethnic heritage.
Reposted by Clara Totten
The lineup for the Buckeye Book Fair has been released, and we’re thrilled that KSUP authors Deborah Fleming (author of “Ghosts of an Old Forest”) and Charles Malone (coeditor of “Light Enters the Grove”) will be there. Join the bookish fun on November 1 in Wooster!
August 19, 2025 at 1:07 PM
The lineup for the Buckeye Book Fair has been released, and we’re thrilled that KSUP authors Deborah Fleming (author of “Ghosts of an Old Forest”) and Charles Malone (coeditor of “Light Enters the Grove”) will be there. Join the bookish fun on November 1 in Wooster!
Reposted by Clara Totten
What can Cleveland and Pittsburgh learn from each other? What would the two cities gain by teaming up as Cleveburgh?
In a new podcast, @chrisbriem.bsky.social—author of our forthcoming book “Beyond Steel”—considers the relationship between two iconic Rust Belt cities:
megaphone.link/CC6470937745
In a new podcast, @chrisbriem.bsky.social—author of our forthcoming book “Beyond Steel”—considers the relationship between two iconic Rust Belt cities:
megaphone.link/CC6470937745
July 28, 2025 at 4:32 PM
What can Cleveland and Pittsburgh learn from each other? What would the two cities gain by teaming up as Cleveburgh?
In a new podcast, @chrisbriem.bsky.social—author of our forthcoming book “Beyond Steel”—considers the relationship between two iconic Rust Belt cities:
megaphone.link/CC6470937745
In a new podcast, @chrisbriem.bsky.social—author of our forthcoming book “Beyond Steel”—considers the relationship between two iconic Rust Belt cities:
megaphone.link/CC6470937745
Reposted by Clara Totten
Behind the White House Curtain featured in the Kent State University Press Fall/Winter 2025 catalog.
July 22, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Behind the White House Curtain featured in the Kent State University Press Fall/Winter 2025 catalog.
Reposted by Clara Totten
Our fall catalog is here! Join us to:
📕anticipate new books (including titles by @chrisbriem.bsky.social and @terryallenbelew.bsky.social);
📕look back on 60 years of KSUP history; and
📕celebrate recent successes by @newsguy.bsky.social and others.
www.kentstateuniversitypress.com/wp-content/u...
📕anticipate new books (including titles by @chrisbriem.bsky.social and @terryallenbelew.bsky.social);
📕look back on 60 years of KSUP history; and
📕celebrate recent successes by @newsguy.bsky.social and others.
www.kentstateuniversitypress.com/wp-content/u...
July 22, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Our fall catalog is here! Join us to:
📕anticipate new books (including titles by @chrisbriem.bsky.social and @terryallenbelew.bsky.social);
📕look back on 60 years of KSUP history; and
📕celebrate recent successes by @newsguy.bsky.social and others.
www.kentstateuniversitypress.com/wp-content/u...
📕anticipate new books (including titles by @chrisbriem.bsky.social and @terryallenbelew.bsky.social);
📕look back on 60 years of KSUP history; and
📕celebrate recent successes by @newsguy.bsky.social and others.
www.kentstateuniversitypress.com/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Clara Totten
At Cleveland Magazine, @nickoloffoff.bsky.social has a new list of “81 Essential Cleveland Novels”—including one from KSUP! “The Coming of Fabrizze,” by Raymond DeCapite, was originally published in 1960 and tells the story of an Italian immigrant in the 1920s: clevelandmagazine.com/entertainmen...
July 15, 2025 at 7:45 PM
At Cleveland Magazine, @nickoloffoff.bsky.social has a new list of “81 Essential Cleveland Novels”—including one from KSUP! “The Coming of Fabrizze,” by Raymond DeCapite, was originally published in 1960 and tells the story of an Italian immigrant in the 1920s: clevelandmagazine.com/entertainmen...
Reposted by Clara Totten
New on Academe Blog: academeblog.org/2025/07/15/u...
Urgent Message from CUNY, Berkeley, and Georgetown Jewish Faculty
On July 15, 2025, City University of New York Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, Robert M. Groves, Interim President of Georgetown University, and Rich Lyons, Chancellor of the University of Cali…
academeblog.org
July 15, 2025 at 5:36 PM
New on Academe Blog: academeblog.org/2025/07/15/u...
I just backed this! It's a brilliant new project highlighting voices and stories of Southern Appalachia with wide-ranging art styles from acclaimed comics creators.
94% funded! Coming down to the wire. Help and Get one on one chats with your favorite creators like @brianmbendis.bsky.social (&signed books!), Matt Fraction, @ronmarz.bsky.social, or even have @andrewaydin.bsky.social help you with your nonfiction comics idea. www.kickstarter.com/projects/app...
Islands in the Sky
A Comic Anthology - Uniting Stories, Art, and Survival in the Wake of Hurricane Helene
www.kickstarter.com
July 14, 2025 at 5:42 PM
I just backed this! It's a brilliant new project highlighting voices and stories of Southern Appalachia with wide-ranging art styles from acclaimed comics creators.
Reposted by Clara Totten
Pleased to share a new Q&A with @terryallenbelew.bsky.social, author of “The Deep Blue of Neptune”—selected as winner of the Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize.
A Q&A with Terry Belew, author of “The Deep Blue of Neptune”
Big thanks to Cheryl Dyer for talking with Terry Belew, author of The Deep Blue of Neptune—selected as winner of the Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize. It’s coming in September from Kent State U…
kentstatebooks.wordpress.com
July 9, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Pleased to share a new Q&A with @terryallenbelew.bsky.social, author of “The Deep Blue of Neptune”—selected as winner of the Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize.
Reposted by Clara Totten
Also: Most readers skip them. Even if you think you’re giving voice to your subjects, readers are less likely to take away meaning from an unparsed block quote than from interpretive text. It’s your job, as (nonfiction) author, to explain the interpretation to the reader.
Just about every block quote in a manuscript is a failure.
July 9, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Also: Most readers skip them. Even if you think you’re giving voice to your subjects, readers are less likely to take away meaning from an unparsed block quote than from interpretive text. It’s your job, as (nonfiction) author, to explain the interpretation to the reader.
Reposted by Clara Totten
Congrats to @mychal3ts.bsky.social for making the inaugural #TIME100Creators list!
Influence comes in many forms, but Mychal’s is the kind that lifts people up. He’s a force for good in the world, spreading kindness, curiosity, and library joy.
📚💙
time.com/collections/...
Influence comes in many forms, but Mychal’s is the kind that lifts people up. He’s a force for good in the world, spreading kindness, curiosity, and library joy.
📚💙
time.com/collections/...
Mychal Threets: TIME100 Creators 2025
Find out why Mychal Threets is on the list
time.com
July 9, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Congrats to @mychal3ts.bsky.social for making the inaugural #TIME100Creators list!
Influence comes in many forms, but Mychal’s is the kind that lifts people up. He’s a force for good in the world, spreading kindness, curiosity, and library joy.
📚💙
time.com/collections/...
Influence comes in many forms, but Mychal’s is the kind that lifts people up. He’s a force for good in the world, spreading kindness, curiosity, and library joy.
📚💙
time.com/collections/...