Nightingale News Update

No one ever said opening a publishing house is easy. Spoiler alert: it’s not.

These past few weeks have been a gauntlet for the Nightingale team, bringing a perfect storm of real-life challenges all at once. For me and my family, it has meant navigating severe medical complications and a few unexpected ER trips.

You’ve likely already noticed how much incredible work Laura, Johanna, and Birdie have been putting into the foreground, while Kitti has been working tirelessly behind the scenes, all so I can navigate healthcare in the US. At the exact same time, Johanna has been dealing with an arm impairment, and Kitti and Birdie have been navigating massive, exhausting moves. Which has left Laura—who has a full time job and a child—to carry the world on her shoulders.

We have been in business for less than six months (a little over 3 to be exact). And think about it—in less than 100 days, we have: held a fiction and poetry contest, organized anthology submissions, hosted a manuscript pitch event, AND paid indie authors competitive rates.

If you haven’t already guessed: we are all burnt out.

Honestly, we saw this coming. You cannot put five hardworking, stubborn, determined humans together in a room and not expect a crash when pressure builds.

Now we need to look at the reality of where we are.

We are an indie press run entirely by five people working completely unpaid, pouring our hearts into this out of pure passion. But passion doesn’t prevent exhaustion. To keep this house alive and thriving, we need to give ourselves some breathing room.

We also are entirely committed to our promises to you—which means transparency about where things stand on both sides of the house.

We have recently experienced severe financial and logistical struggles with outside contractors, to the point where we are currently filing a suit in small claims court for maximum allowable damages. To complicate matters, our bank account was temporarily frozen due to a fraud investigation related to these issues.

The good news? The investigation is officially complete, and we are completely in the clear. The frustrating news: We now have to wait a standard 14 to 21 business days for the bank to release and return our funds.

The physical printing and release of The Nightingale Anthology V.1 remains on track (pending the resolution of these final financial logistics). The moment those funds land back in our account, that means a huge weight off of our shoulders.

Our authors and community are, and always will be, our first priority. We aren’t going anywhere, but we are slowing our pace for a brief moment to catch our breath, protect our mental health, and regroup.

To clear up any loose ends, here is what you can expect from us over the next few weeks:

• The Anthology Contest: We are keeping our end of the deal. We are still on track to review submissions and plan to announce the winners by the end of July.

• Content: You will still see our scheduled book clubs and grimoires, but with a little more time between each. These are what I call “extras.” If any other area of the press needs attention, these are the first to get put on the back burner.

• Communication: To put it frankly, I will not allow stress to be the thing that takes one of us away from our families, and we are the point where physical health is being affected. This is where we need your grace. Our response times to emails, DMs, and comments will be significantly slower than usual while we prioritize our health and families.

Bumps in the road are part of the journey, especially in the first six months of a grassroots startup. Right now, the absolute best ways you can support Nightingale are through understanding, empathy, and patience.

If you have the financial means and want to help us offset ongoing operational costs while we wait for our bank funds to clear, donations are incredibly appreciated. Every single dollar goes directly into keeping the gears turning and supporting the future of this press.

Click Here to Support Nightingale Press

Thank you for supporting us, for trusting us with your stories, and for giving our small team the space to navigate this rough patch. We will keep you updated every step of the way.

—Nikki