Joe Biel Boeken

Publishing is an incredibly rewarding yet endlessly complicated profession. This readable, comprehensive, and empowering book serves as a resource and reality check for anyone considering launching a press or publishing a single book. Author Joe Biel draws on 22 years of experience in all parts of operating a small publishing company to teach you the skills of the trade, from distribution, operations, inventory, scheduling, and accounting to development, sales, publicity, and marketing. Readers will come away with the confidence to succeed and a big picture overview of why publishing matters and how to plan and run their business.

The "science" of eugenics—by which the genetic makeup of a population is controlled by who does and doesn't reproduce—is forever tied in popular memory with Nazi Germany. But the practice began in late 19th-century England, and was widely embraced in the US, Canada, and Europe. As a result, policies were enacted that touched on segregation, marriage, birth control, and genocide. Eugenicists were obsessed with race and disability—many current genetic-testing practices are a continuation of that unfortunate era. This zine gives a harrowing hidden history and present state of eugenics, wrought with its moral and scientific implications.

So you've got a business where you make stuff--zines, books, crafts, art, widgets. Whatever it is, you're super passionate about it, and you've been thinking about tabling at events! There's an art and science to vending, explained here by a Joe Biel, who 25 years ago began packing zines into milk crates and hauling them to the punk club to excitedly sell and trade. Covered here are topics like choosing your event, figuring out what to bring, managing travel logistics with all your stuff, setting up an appealing display, comporting yourself with potential customers and other vendors, and more!

Set against the backdrop of the Civil War, the narrative follows Robert Smalls, a courageous 23-year-old enslaved leader who orchestrated a daring escape for himself and his crew aboard a Confederate ship. By sailing through Union lines under a white flag, they not only secured their freedom but also captured the vessel. Smalls' remarkable journey continued as he became a soldier, businessman, and politician, serving five terms in Congress, ultimately empowering his community while defying societal constraints.

In 1996, everything about Joe Biel's life seemed like a mistake. He was 18, he got drunk every day and he had mystery health problems and weird social ticks. All his friends were just as bad, or worse. To escape his nihilistic, apocalyptic worldview he started assembling zines and bringing them to underground punk shows. Eventually, this became Microcosm publishing. Finally diagnosed with Asperger's, Joe's life began to fall into place. This is the story of how he turned a litany mistakes and wrong turns into a happy, fulfilled life and a thriving publishing business.

The narrative explores the impact of punk culture on personal growth and agency, as Joe Biel reflects on his struggles with self-identity and societal expectations. After years of adhering to punk ideals, he confronts the emptiness of living a life defined by poverty and self-sacrifice. Through personal anecdotes and cultural critiques, Biel articulates the concept of "Punk Damage," highlighting the limitations imposed by this subculture. Ultimately, he shares his journey toward embracing positivity and rejecting the negative aspects of his upbringing.

So, your partner is autistic. Or you suspect they might be. And you're wondering, "What does this mean for my relationship?" This guide is for you. Learn key communication skills for succeeding in a neurologically mixed relationship, gain a better understanding of your partner's mental processes, troubleshoot your sex life, and level up your appreciation for your partner's relationship strengths. Autistic-allistic relationships, as well as relationships between two neurodivergent people, can work out splendidly, but there are a few consistent and predictable areas where they can get in trouble, which you can work through together once you know how to spot them. Dr. Faith G. Harper, author of Unf*ck Your Brain and Unf*ck Your Intimacy, joins Joe Biel (an autistic publisher and author) and Elly Blue (a partner of an autistic person), to offer hard-won guidance on a wide range of relationship topics.

"What's it like to be autistic? As many as one in forty-five people live that reality every day, but our culture remains full of myths, stigma, and dangerous misunderstandings of this type of neurodiversity. This guide to life on the autism spectrum is a must-read for autistic adults, their friends, coworkers, partners, and parents-and for anyone who wants to understand the experiences of many people they meet every day. Joe Biel, who was diagnosed as an adult, writes about what it's like to be autistic, joined by the bestselling Dr. Faith G. Harper who speaks from her experience as a parent, friend, and therapist to autistic people. Their real talk and accessible language discusses a wide range of topics, including the diagnostic criteria for autism and how they play out in practice, what it means for autism to be a disability, and co-occurring conditions like depression and anxiety. They answer many frequently asked questions from neurotypicals, and offer some basic life and social skills that the world doesn't always think to explicitly teach autistic folks. Most of all, they affirm the many strengths of the autistic brain and point the way to a world where autism is just another way of being"--

Do you have a passion that you want to obsess about in a love letter to the world? In this new edition of Microcosm's popular DIY guide to zine-making, Joe Biel updates the information provided in the first edition (edited by Biel and the late and great Bill Brent) to address zine making in today's digital and social-media-obsessed world. Covering all the bases for beginners, Make a Zine! hits on more advanced topics like Creative Commons licenses, legality, and sustainability.

Do you have a passion that you want to obsess about in a love letter to the world? In this new edition of Microcosm's popular DIY guide to zine-making, Joe Biel updates the information provided in the first edition (edited by Biel and the late and great Bill Brent) to address zine making in today's digital and social-media-obsessed world. Covering all the bases for beginners, Make a Zine! hits on more advanced topics like Creative Commons licenses, legality, and sustainability. Says Feminist Review, "Make a Zine! is an inspiring, easy, and digestible read for anyone, whether you're already immersed in a cut-and-paste world, a graphic designer with a penchant for radical thought, or a newbie trying to find the best way to make yourself and your ideas known." Illustrated by an army of notable and soon-to-be-notable artists and cartoonists, Make a Zine! also takes a look at the burgeoning indie comix scene, with a solid and comprehensive chapter by punk illustrator Fly (Slug and Lettuce, Peops). Part history lesson, part how-to guide, Make a Zine! is a call to arms, an ecstatic, positive rally cry in the face of TV show book clubs and bestsellers by celebrity chefs. As says Biel in the book's intro, "Let's go!"