Leanne Su, PhD’23, was weeks away from defending her dissertation when she received the news: her manuscript was approved for publication at Fifth Avenue Press. Balancing the demands of academia and creativity might seem daunting, but the organization’s flexible publishing process made it easier for Su to turn her hopes of publishing “Peri Peri Paprika,” her debut novel, into a reality.
“Writing and publishing a novel has been my dream since I was a little kid, so seeing something I wrote as an actual book with a beautiful cover and everything was such an incredible experience,” Su says.
Fifth Avenue Press, the Ann Arbor District Library’s (AADL) publishing imprint, was founded by library staff in 2017 to empower local writers and promote original storytelling. As one of the few library systems in the country with an imprint, AADL offers a unique opportunity for authors whose work might not make it through the traditional publishing process.
Sara Wedell, MSI’07, who has worked with Fifth Avenue Press since it was founded, explains that its goal was to support the people creating these works and make their material more widely accessible.
“At some point we [decided to] cut out the middleman and make books that we think would have value not just for our community, but to our community,” Wedell says.
Fifth Avenue Press strengthens its commitment to local storytelling by publishing manuscripts of all kinds by authors who live in Washtenaw County as well as from non-local authors writing anything set in or about the county. Its catalog spans various genres, from nonfiction and science-fiction to poetry and children’s books, reflecting the abundance of creative voices in the community.
To bring these stories to life, the organization uses a hybrid publishing model that blends traditional and self-publishing. It doesn’t print the books but authors collaborate with a team of library staff and freelancers, who also serve as writers, managers, and graphic designers, to shape their manuscripts. Fifth Avenue Press is still a selective publisher that retains editorial control, but this model helps the work reflect the author’s unique vision.
“We try to tailor to the hopes and dreams [of our authors] and what we see as the true potential of what the book might achieve,” Wedell says. “We are willing to talk to you and would rather leverage your connections and thought processes and see what magic we can make from that.” In exchange for publishing their book, Fifth Avenue Press asks authors to provide a permanent digital copy for AADL cardholders to download from the library’s website. Wedell says this agreement supports AADL’s mission of equitable access to materials, unlike traditional e-book platforms that limit access through single-use licenses.
“We want to showcase this community and we can do that through highlighting the talents of the authors and illustrators we’re promoting or publishing, as well as telling and capturing stories about the community in perpetuity,” Wedell says.
Fifth Avenue Press has published 60 books since its founding, with the hopes of expanding its shelves and exploring more genres in the future. Erin Helmrich, who has also worked with the organization since its founding, notes that it accepts manuscripts on a rolling basis, encouraging writers to submit their work whenever they’re ready.
Helmrich hopes more local authors will be inspired when they see books published by members of their own community.
“We are always hopeful that we’ll get some more submissions,” she says. “Every time we have a new group [of books] that comes out, people [might] see themselves in some of those projects and go, ‘Maybe this is a place for me.’”
Quinn Redick is a junior copywriter at the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan.
