Testimonials
From Garrett Socol, author of The Unexpected Aneurysm of the Potato Blossom Queen
It isn’t easy to get a book published these days, and it’s especially difficult getting a collection of short stories published. Nick Courtright, however, is concerned with quality, imagination and good storytelling. He had faith in this collection from day one. I’ve worked with three other publishing companies on three different books, and no one was as professional, courteous and supportive as Nick and everyone at Atmosphere Press. The author really feels valued here. It’s the author’s opinion that matters most. My experience with Nick and Atmosphere has been a truly positive, encouraging one, and the finished product looks absolutely great.
From Christina Loraine, author of Interviews from the Last Days
There are several logical reasons why a writer would want to work with Atmosphere Press, but what can’t be spelled out in the FAQ section is the enthusiasm and passion that Nick Courtright and his team have for their work. I knew Atmosphere Press was the right place for my book after my first call with Nick! I write sci-fi poetry and I had a couple of quirky, unconventional ideas for how the book would look; those ideas were well received and Nick went the extra mile to ensure that everything came out perfectly polished in the end.
I was partnered with a stellar editor, Victoria McCullough. We had some very long phone calls and countless lengthy emails. I loved that she was into the sci-fi genre and really got my book. She found all the little threads that I’d left hanging and helped me tighten the story. Victoria was the perfect editor for this book, and the experience of working closely with a talented editor has made me a better writer!
I definitely recommend working with Atmosphere Press if you get the opportunity. I couldn’t be happier with my experience and the finished book!
From Kym Cunningham, author of Difficulty Swallowing
The cover—it’s the first part of your book anyone sees and arguably the most important in terms of immediately grabbing a potential reader’s attention. But with most publishers, it’s also the facet of the book over which the author retains the least amount of control. Nothing could be farther from the case with Atmosphere Press.
Honestly, I could not be happier with my experience working with Atmosphere Press in general and Executive Editor Nick Courtright in particular. In regards to the cover, Nick offered many suggestions but when I went a different route, he completely supported me, working with me to ensure the final product accurately reflected my vision. This behavior held true for the totality of my experience. Atmosphere Press allowed me to completely control my work while offering helpful suggestions and tips along the way. Whatever the question or issue, the editors were ready with answers and possible solutions. They talked me through rearranging the order of my essays and various other edits in order to produce a unified collection that I feel reflects myself as an author. I have recommended Atmosphere Press to many of my friends who are also authors, and I look forward to working with them in the future.
From Brock Mehler, author of the oneness of Reality
When Atmosphere Press notified me that they would like to publish my collection of poetry, I didn’t really know what to expect. Three months and lots of emails later, I can say that it was a very good experience. Nick Courtright, the Executive Editor of Atmosphere, is a courteous, supportive, and creative person who shepherded the work through the editing process, cover design and interior layout with great patience and expertise. The end result was a book that, viewed solely as an object, was very well crafted and aesthetically pleasing. Considered in a more expansive context, Atmosphere brought my creative idea to manifestation and connected it to the world at large (at a relatively modest cost). That I retained all of my rights to the work and came away with a beautifully-made book which will remain available for purchase to anyone on the planet pretty much in perpetuity are, for me, matters of significant value, and I could not have been more pleased!
From Andrew Marc Rowe, author of The Yoga of Strength
When I was looking for a publishing contract for my first novel, I came to a point where I had several options. A number of different publishers spoke with me, including two traditional houses somewhat well-regarded in my genre. Although they seemed like good people, something just clicked when I spoke with Nick Courtright, founder of Atmosphere Press. It’s no wonder, given that Atmosphere’s mission statement includes “Honesty, Transparency, Professionalism, Kindness,” and, of course, “Making Your Book Awesome.” I could tell right away that I was dealing with people who practiced what they preached, and my experience has borne that out. It helped that Atmosphere’s pricing is incredible and they offer 100% royalty retention for authors. Having the final say on edits really made me feel like I was in the driver’s seat the whole time, but I had a very experienced co-pilot.
The process itself was a dream. Nick is and has been extremely helpful and timely in responding to correspondence. His editing advice transformed my book into something way better than it was as an unedited manuscript. His book design, including font choices and layout, made the book read beautifully. Although I had an idea of how I wanted the cover laid out, and provided most of the artwork, Nick did a fantastic job in turning my dream into reality. I am constantly getting compliments about the quality of the book.
I’ll be honest: I was completely clueless at the start of this adventure. Nick, like all great mentors, provided the right guidance at the right time, in a very collaborative way. If you’re on the fence about Atmosphere Press, I’ll offer some advice that was given to me when I was trying to decide: trust the process. Trust your intuition.
Atmosphere is a very apt name for the company.
From Lynda Bayada, author of Leaving the Ladder: An Ex-Corporate Girl’s Guide from the Rat Race to Fulfilment
From the start, I felt Nick and Atmosphere Press had faith in me. And as a newly-fledged author I’ve realized just how important that is.
Throughout the process, Nick was honest, transparent and provided sound feedback. And although he would never coax me into anything I didn’t love, Nick had a gentle way of offering perspective. (He was always right, by the way!) All of this was done with a sense of humor too, which is always welcome.
Not only was Nick technically a great editor, he was a fantastic cover designer. My love for beautiful things is no secret and he was able to create something really beautiful without much to’ing and fro’ing, which I understand is a real gift when tackling anything creative.
Overall, Nick made everything feel easy. I was super happy working with Nick and Atmosphere Press and would highly recommend them and their process to anyone.
From Larry Levy, author of What Outlives Us and All the Dead Are Holy
After shopping a similar poetry manuscript to several other publishers, without success, I was fortunate to discover Atmosphere Press and, most importantly, Nick Courtright.
After submitting a cover letter and a few sample poems, Nick replied within a few weeks, and from that first contact I knew things would go well. In addition to being a well-established poet himself, Nick is an unfailingly astute and encouraging editor.
Over the next several months he offered many honest observations and suggestions about every aspect of my manuscript, which poems to include or set aside; revisions possibilities; possible ordering, arrangements, titles, and subtitles; options for the cover and the placement of reader reviews–and more. We exchanged many emails. I felt he was always available with insight and invaluable advice, that his goal was identical to mine, to create the best book possible for myself and for potential readers. That the book has been well-received owes much to Nick Courtright. I would welcome working with him again and hope to do so.
From Kristy Peloquin, author of Adrift
My experience with Atmosphere has been top notch. I had an idea of what I wanted to accomplish, and Nick was able to help me achieve it faster and with more personalized attention than I think I would have gotten anywhere else. I queried him about my project back in May, we entered an editing process that took about a month, and then after that it was simply a matter of gathering cover art, receiving a proof copy and finalizing the book order and release.
I think one of the strengths of working with Nick is that he has a lot of experience in the writing industry, so his editorial feedback was extremely valuable – and efficient. I have worked with some editors who just never seemed to truly know what changes would be best for my work, so I wound up wasting a lot of time, money, and effort. Nick’s feedback was clear, concise, and fast. Communicating with him all around has been super easy, which is important to me. Every question was answered, every concern (however silly they might have been) addressed.
Atmosphere did a great job of formatting my book’s interior as well as the cover design. I hardly had to mess with that at all (other than put together my draft). I already had cover art, so Nick took that and created the cover design (title, etc.) to go with it. It looks great!
This was my first time using a publisher that was more non-traditional. The cost up-front was initially tough for me, but I can say now that it was hands down worth it. I should be able to recoup all of my investment costs, which is pretty amazing. After that, it will all be profit for me. For a poetry book to make even a dime is a real feat, so you can imagine my joy. I’m also excited to know that no one will be taking a cut of my profits going forward (except bookstores who may carry the book and of course, Amazon). If you sell your book through your website, you’ll see more profits.
A lot of smaller presses are moving in this non-traditional direction simply because the industry has gotten so antagonistic with authors. To me, there’s no reason anyone has to settle for the old model anymore, but that’s just my personal opinion.
From Sandra Fox Murphy, author of That Beautiful Season & Let the Little Birds Sing
Participating in some short-story workshops, in 2016, with WriteByNight, I inquired about some coaching to improve my writing and hit the jackpot when I was assigned to Nick Courtright. I found that we worked well together, that he’s always positive yet gives forthright feedback and suggestions, consistently supporting the author’s art. His insights were both helpful and inspiring, both on my prose and my poetry.
My first venture with Atmosphere Press was when they agreed to publish my second novel, and the process was smooth and professional. I provided family artwork for the book cover, and Nick created a stunning design that both brought the Eastern Shore landscape to life and honored my great-great-grandmother’s art.
As I finalized my third novel, the first of a series, I explored other publishing options, but quickly came to the easy decision that working with Atmosphere Press was my comfortable place. So far, this journey has been as carefree as my last publishing experience. Kudos to the talent at Atmosphere Press and its staff, and many thanks to them for allowing me more time to create while I can rely on a stand-out final product.
From Jennifer Deaver, author of The Traveler
I had a good feeling about Atmosphere Press from the first phone call with Nick. He knew my book’s characters and had really taken the time to read my story. After that, it was an easy choice for me to take the opportunity to work with Atmosphere Press.
Nick paired me with Victoria, an editor who shares the same passion as I do for the fiction genre of my book. Victoria was very encouraging. She gave great constructive feedback and provided me with ideas to help tie up the loose ends that my story had.
This was my first publishing adventure and both Nick and Victoria were very helpful and responsive to all questions I had.
From Kyle Grappone, author of To the Next Step: Your Guide from High and College to the Real World
Atmosphere Press was the perfect publishing choice for my book. Nick was a true partner in every sense of the word. He kept me in the loop and answers all of my questions every step of the way. Nick knows what an author is looking for and needs to be successful. I would highly recommend Atmosphere Press to any new or veteran author looking for a true publishing partner.
From Dr. Paul Liebow, M.D., author of Auroras Over Acadia
Finding Nick was incredibly fortuitous, as I knew nothing about editing and publishing poetry, and almost nothing about poetic theory or the poetry writing process. I did know there were websites all over the internet that purported to be run by experts but to beware.
I greatly enjoyed my phone sessions with Nick and sensed a spiritual kinship almost immediately. With his honest criticism, I was able to peruse and understand enough poetic theory to realize that my work did indeed have potential. I had organized my 20+ years of poetic ramblings into 8 chapbooks. When Nick rearranged those into 4 sections, the dye was cast. I had always compulsively tried to include every image in my menagerie, though I theoretically knew very well that “less is more.” His edits to my work taught me that a poem is a photograph, not a motion picture, and to never throw anything away.
I now look forward to spending a summer or two sittin on the dock of the bay and trying to sell a few books to the 3,000,000 yearly visitors to Acadia National Park. A dream come true!
From Carol Egmont St. John, author of Such a Nice Girl
Such a Nice Girl was edited and produced by Atmosphere Press in 2017. As the author I am compelled to write about the positive experience of working with Nick Courtright and his staff. He was respectful, sensitive and constructive to this writer. In no way did his suggestions alter my style or objectives, and in every way improved the result. Nick understands the book the way a mechanic knows his car. He wants it to run smoothly and he wants the parts to work. As an editor, he was clear and precise, expedient and responsive. I am so glad that I took the advice of another editor who directed me to the Atmosphere Press website. Thanks to Nick Courtright’s wisdom, my book looks professional, reads well and has caused me a great deal of satisfaction.
Atmosphere Press is a selective hybrid publisher founded in 2015 on the principles of Honesty, Transparency, Professionalism, Kindness, and Making Your Book Awesome. Our books have won dozens of awards and sold tens of thousands of copies. If you’re interested in learning more, or seeking publication for your own work, please explore the links below.
