Literati Press Comics and Novels began in 2010 as the brainchild of founder and Creative Director Charles J. Martin, following years of enduring an artist’s worst nightmare: isolation. After suffering in silence for years and finding more artists in the same lonely boat, he and a group of Oklahoma creatives decided to make a “platform for writers doing innovative things with genre storytelling.” 

From humble do-it-yourself publishing (which included making comics out of stolen office supplies in the dead of night), Literati Press has evolved into a powerhouse. The organization professionally publishes comics that land on Kirkus Reviews’ top lists, hosts weekly Ink and Draw nights, provides a financial lifeline to a host of Oklahoma creators, participates in community outreach — and so much more.

Dive into the background of Literati Press, peek into the shelves of its bookstore and explore Literati’s new venture into author services in this conversation with Martin and Managing Editor of Brick & Mortar Press, Chloe Harrison.

What was Literati Press’ first big hit in publishing? 

Charles J. Martin: Natasha [Alterici] and I had been talking because she was a comic book creator to watch in Oklahoma. She had told me about this Viking tale she was working on, and we weren’t really looking for a Viking tale, but I was so excited about her work.

We launched the first issue [of Heathen] in 2015 and it went insane. It quickly became the hottest title in comics. But it got too big. It was me sending out 40 to 50 comics a day to just individual people in comic book stores — and I just couldn’t keep up.

So we helped Natasha move it to a larger publishing company, Vault Comics, and it’s since got movie rights. So it had a huge, huge life. Natasha’s actually come back to do her first graphic novel with us, so that was great.

How did that affect Literati Press going forward?

CJM: Following the loss, knowing we had this title that could go interstellar and we just couldn’t hold onto it, we started discussing what we would need to build if we were ever lucky enough to have that success again. What did we need to build to sustain it? We needed somebody with a publishing background, like real-deal publishing background, not just like DIY punk, everybody-hop-in-the-van thing.

What is Literati Press’ distribution strategy for getting more Oklahoma-created work into the hands of readers?

CJM: We have to focus on the national and, in some cases, international strategy to be able to have these creators who are throwing their hearts and souls in these comics, continue making enough money that they can survive.

These artists — specifically the artists that are having to push aside freelance projects that are always going to pay more —  they can’t make the sacrifices needed to bring a comic all the way to final production.

Chloe Harrison: Also, the stories that we’re telling aren’t just for an Oklahoma audience. They definitely have themes, characters and settings that take place in Oklahoma. I think Oklahoma readers will see that and be excited about it, but also, it’s a universal story that I think anyone could pick up off the shelf and enjoy. So we just want more readers out there.

What is a common misconception people might have about comic books?

CH: Before this [job], I wasn’t really a comic reader. I probably picked up one or two graphic novels in my life. What I discovered was that any story can be told through the comic format. I think a lot of people have this very narrow view of what a comic is and what kind of story you could tell, but anybody can find a story told through this format that they’d enjoy. [I learned] that there were a lot of more slow and very internal stories that can be told through a visual format.

CJM: If you come to Literati Press and you are really interested in seeing what’s possible in comic books, we’ll find you the comic book. It’ll blow your mind.

Tell me about the new author services company established in 2022 as one of the “limbs” of Literati Press. What need does it fill in the community?

CH: Brick & Mortar kind of came into our minds as an author services company. I know Charles has forever been hearing from authors who want to get their book out there, and they don’t have the resources to do it, and so they come to him for advice.

So these are books that aren’t going to be published under the umbrella of Literati Press, but we still can be whatever the author needs, if it’s editing, design, printing, binding — pretty much anything they could need to either self-publish it, or seek publication elsewhere, we can offer that for them.

What makes author services companies different than vanity presses?

CJM: Vanity presses are basically author services companies that are pretending to be a publishing company. But they do offer a service that writers need. They need books designed, edited and produced, and authors don’t really know how to do that.

We’re basically here to help all of those writers avoid all the mistakes that we made — and do it, make it look better, do it more efficiently and get their books to market.

What do you hope will change as a result of Literati Press?

CJM: The hope is the more successful writers that are out there, regardless of whether or not they’re talking about Literati Press, the more we can change minds of what Oklahoma writers are really capable of. Oklahoma should be no different than New York City, Austin, L.A. or Portland — where it means something to be a writer from here, versus that being a strike against you.

We have the ability to extend the brand of Oklahoma in a way that I don’t think a lot of people think about. Think about investment in movies in Oklahoma as a way to elevate the brand of Oklahoma. You look at a $500,000 to a million budget. You look at a comic. We can get a comic seen by 5,000, 10,000 or 20,000 people worldwide. We can make that comic for $10,000 or less.

Brick & Mortar, the bookstore, the outreach programs that we do, this is all part of an ecosystem that developed to keep this thing running.

Where do you want all arms of Literati Press to be in five years?

CH: I want Brick & Mortar to be fully established, new books every month, which we’re getting there, just have more books under our belts to show the new clients. For Literati Press, I want us to be more established within the world of publishing — not just in Oklahoma, but outside [the state].

I want the bookstore to thrive — and really, I want in a lot of ways, I want things to stay the same. I think what we have is really, really unique and really beautiful. I think if we can keep that, keep that going, keep the heart of it, no matter how big we get, that’s the goal.

Current Literati Comics Titles

• The Rez Detectives by Steven Paul Judd, Tvli Jacob and M.K. Perker. Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2022 list says that “unforgettable kid detectives plus dazzling artwork make this book a must-have.”

• The Black-Jack Demon by Nick Hermes. The debut series by stunning new comics talent Nick Hermes, The Black-Jack Demon is a genre-busting Western, the tale of a boy bent on revenge crossing the West from the plains to the Rockies in pursuit of the stranger who murdered his father and destroyed the family mine.

• Glamorella’s Daughter by Jerry Bennett and Charles J. Martin. Comet is an inquisitive young girl with autism and a mother who happens to be a superhero. As a threat looms from Glamorella’s homeworld, Comet and her mother must overcome their differences to protect the Earth together.

• We Promised Utopia by Charles J. Martin, Adrian Morales, Robert Holman, John Eric Osborn, Jonathan Koelsch and Chloe Elimam. Literati Press’s ambitious science fiction series that Kirkus Reviews calls a “timely, engrossing SF tale with an environmental theme and striking art" that "offers readers just as many reasons to return for the sequel."

• Aliengaged by Colin Ingersol and Greg White. Aliengaged is a story about love in the face of out-of-this-world odds. It’s the story of Garrett, perhaps the only person on Earth preoccupied enough to completely miss the alien conquest.