The independent printing house Flower Press is not your average publisher. Since November 2011, founder Maryann Hayatian has been signing writers regardless of experience and mentoring them as they explore their craft.
Since The Daily last spoke to Hayatian in 2012, Flower Press has continued to treat each manuscript submission equally, and continues to prioritize writers genuinely passionate about developing their craft.
Flower Press was created because Hayatian, author and Concordia creative writing graduate, grew frustrated with the bureaucratic workings of the printing business and its high rejection rate. The publishing business proved to be cold and impersonal to the founder, spurring the creation of a press that rejects just that.
Since The Daily last spoke to Hayatian in 2012, Flower Press has continued to treat each manuscript submission equally, and continues to prioritize writers genuinely passionate about developing their craft.
“Many [writers] have emailed feeling [that] their writings are not something any publisher [would] want,” Hayatian told The Daily in an email. These concerns reflect the consequences of the big business model in mainstream publishing, prioritizing marketability over talent, and subsuming artistic liberty to mass appeal.
Hayatian’s writers-first philosophy has resulted in the continued success of Flower Press’ writers. Jolanta Baczynski, Michael Phillips, and Amadi Arua, to name a few, have put out diverse works ranging from fiction to poetry to children’s books since the press’ establishment.
One challenge Flower Press Publishing has faced in the past five years has been writers who expect quick financial success. Hayatian challenges this idea, attempting to help writers earn money while still enjoying developing their craft; in some unfortunate circumstances, Hayatian explained, writers see celebrity-written memoirs with great financial success and expect the same outcome. However, Hayatian wants to instill first and foremost a dedication to writing.
Hayatian’s writers-first philosophy has resulted in the continued success of Flower Press’ writers.
Hayatian’s emphasis on the emotional journey that writing can bring to others — as opposed to the sales it can bring to a big corporation — displays a refreshingly optimistic stance that not only has allowed her to achieve success, but also to gain the respect of her writers. It is these mentorships sustained over these past five years that she considers to be the most valuable outcome of her endeavours.
To all writers looking toward the future with uncertainty, Hayatian offers advice as how to stick to their passion: “You have the talent. Show your writings. Listen to yourself.”