amateur: “(from French ‘one who loves’) is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income.”
You say amateur like it’s a bad thing. We say amateur like it’s the last bastion of hope for art made by people who are not motivated by money to create it. Because here at The Opiate Books (and The Opiate magazine), we truly do believe in art for art’s sake, and that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with or shameful about making art without the goal of profit in mind, or even—gasp!—fame. Hence, this project is not run like a business because it is not. The works that we publish are not chosen according to how much they may or may not sell since we aren’t here to make a financial investment to recoup some return. We simply want to publish work that those with actual capital would never dream of or dare to publish precisely because of concerns over their bottom line. Our aim is not only to publish these types of works, but to bring together a variety of voices in an international writing community for mutual support and commitment to the written arts.
In the end, we just want to help other writers put their books together and release them into the world, economic limitations notwithstanding. We aim to give bold, uncompromising authors and poets who want to put their voice out there the opportunity to share their writing with like-minded people and let them put their own spin on any medium or genre without the typical, industrial and commercial gatekeeping trials. The Opiate Books is an amateur publishing project in the true meaning of the word, that which is done out of passion and for love of the craft, and truly nothing else.
Yours truly,
Genna & Anton
theopiatebooks.com 