Now on the other level, I try to balance a list. I try to do a certain amount of poetry, a certain amount of novels so that there is an interesting mix of ethnicities and genres in a given season. I read a lot of women's periodicals and if I see stuff that I really like, I try to contact the authors to let them know I like it, and say to them that if they have a manuscript, by all means, think about sending it to me at Firebrand. I'm pretty aggressive about doing acquisitions. Nancy edits all of the books she publishes herself primarily at home, where she is not distracted by the administrative details of the business.
Freelancers perform various production duties.
Nancy works very closely with her authors to ensure that the tone of their books accurately express the authors' point of view. These can be rather complex issues because there is such a variety of cultures, traditions, languages and experiences among the women whose works she publishes. I'm white and middle class and Jewish. Obviously we don't speak the language in the same way when we are being encouraged to speak the language that is dearest to our heart. It's not objective - not like writing a term paper.