“Becoming Ms. Burton” Publisher Encourages Booksellers to Join Prison Distribution Initiative

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Independent publisher The New Press is hoping to enlist the help of independent booksellers to get Becoming Ms. Burton: From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for Incarcerated Women by former inmate Susan Burton, co-authored by Cari Lynn, into the hands of thousands of incarcerated people across the country.

The New Press logoThe New Press, a 501c3 nonprofit, and A New Way of Life, the reentry organization Burton founded upon her release from prison, have announced a plan to use a recent influx of philanthropic support to distribute thousands of copies of the new expanded paperback edition, which features new material by Burton, directly into prisons. Beginning in January, after printing 11,000 copies of the new edition, The New Press began exclusive distribution to prisons, reentry programs, and other criminal justice reform organizations, with the goal of distributing copies in all 50 states.

“We would love to have booksellers be a part of this, so we want to hear from independent booksellers who are currently working to get books into the hands of incarcerated people,” said New Press Publisher Ellen Adler. “The books are not for sale, so they’re not going through the normal bookstore channel, but I’ve been really impressed by how many booksellers are involved in really fantastic outreach in their communities, whether it’s literacy or getting books into schools or prisons. Even though this is not a commercial undertaking, we thought this would be something booksellers who are involved in this type of work would be interested in knowing more about.”

Adler was delighted by booksellers’ enthusiastic response to Burton when she appeared at the 2017 Winter Institute in Minneapolis, as well as the desire many expressed to learn more about issues within the criminal justice system. After the institute, Adler told Bookselling This Week, about a dozen booksellers reached out to ask if Burton would be able to visit their communities.

The response from booksellers showed Adler “that this was something that mattered to them and that they were already involved in,” she said. “The social justice component that many booksellers bring to their stores and their work is really impressive.”

Becoming Ms. Burton, first published in April 2017, tells Burton’s story of growing up in Los Angeles as the victim of sexual abuse, her descent into drug and Becoming Ms. Burton coveralcohol addiction, and the nearly 20 years of off-and-on incarceration that followed. Since her release and recovery, Burton has become an advocate for the rights of former prisoners, and her organization, A New Way of Life, has helped more than 1,000 women find new opportunities and start their lives fresh after leaving the system. 

Since the special edition’s first printing in mid-December, The New Press has gotten more than 2,000 copies into prisons, Adler said. The book is also the recent winner of the inaugural Stephan Russo Social Justice Book Prize given by Goddard-Riverside and of the NAACP Image Award.

“You’re always very happy when a book that you believe in takes off in this way, but people’s really deep response has been particularly gratifying; the kind of humanity that the book both describes and opens up in other people has really been something to be part of,” said Adler.

As part of this distribution effort to get the book to more prisoners in need of Burton’s hopeful message of rehabilitation, Burton herself has also been visiting prisons whenever possible. Adler shared part of a letter Burton received from one of these prisoners, who wrote, “I just want to tell you what a helpful book you’ve written … I hope everyone in the country will read the book …Thank you so much for your help and honesty.”

The idea of having a variety of books available to prisoners is one that has come up against resistance recently, said Adler, but there have been some positive developments as well. The 2010 New Press title The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander recently reappeared on the New York Times bestseller list. A ban in New Jersey restricting access to The New Jim Crow was lifted this month after the ACLU sued; in New York, a new state program severely restricting which books incarcerated people can read and receive was recently reversed by Governor Andrew Cuomo.

“I think that a lot of independent publishers have been really struck by the social justice moment that booksellers were feeling a year ago, and the role bookstores are playing in our country right now,” said Adler. “Certainly, criminal justice reform is part of that critical conversation that is happening.”

Susan Burton
Susan Burton

Booksellers who are interested in obtaining copies of the new edition of Becoming Ms. Burton to distribute to their local prisons should contact The New Press Director of Sales and Rights Sharon Swados.

In addition, as part of their efforts to increase access to books, The New Press has also launched the “Give a Bookshelf” initiative to help put relevant books in schools, libraries, community centers, prisons, and jails across the country. Supporters of the program may donate “bookshelves” to organizations of their own choosing, like a local school or community center, or allow The New Press to select the recipient organization. For more information about this program, booksellers can visit The New Press’ website.

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