Interview With Non-Profit Book Publisher Addam Ledamyen

 

1.      You launched a literary arts non-profit with an interesting mission. What is

your organization’s purpose?

The purpose of For Elenvia: Publications and Productions is to develop and produce new books and plays that – in one way or another – help the collective consciousness of readers to imagine a better world and consider how to make that world real. We made up this word “Elenvia” that, for us, is the name of that future better world. Instead of a “utopia” which has all sorts of connotations, whether impossibly unrealistic or a problematic attempt at a perfect people, we use “Elenvia” not to mean perfect but simply to mean better – and better for everyone. We believe creating that world in the realm of imagination will be the first step towards creating that world in reality.

 

2.      How will you go about trying to make a better world through the creative arts?

Art serves a few different purposes in the struggle for a better world. For one thing, it’s often easier to say the truth in a work of fiction. But, most importantly I think,

artistic spaces are uniquely situated to create communities that center this reallyauthentic joy. At For Elenvia, we’re especially going to use our theatrical side to create groups that sing together, play together, laugh and imagine together. Art can help us sit comfortably in paradoxes, laughing and crying at the same time. Those same spaces

can turn into really healthy activism in which we’re not only hoping and fighting, but we know exactly what the world we’re fighting for looks like, and we can look forward to the fun we’ll have when we get there.

 

3.      What types of books are you looking to publish?

As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, we only publish works that further our mission: to imagine and create a better world. We are looking for books (and plays!) that

offer exciting perspectives on where we could take our world. We’d love to bring back a fervor for speculative literature that places us in a future where things are so much

better than today and brings us on a journey exploring that world (aka utopian literature). But the prompt needn’t be taken so literally. We’re open to all genres, fiction

and non-fiction. Anything that can open readers’ minds to inspiring possibilities, both for themselves as individuals and for the world. We say, if something about our mission

calls to you, your work is probably a good fit!

 

4.      If someone wants to submit a query to you about their manuscript, what process

should they follow?

We accept unsolicited queries from authors directly! The first step is to go to the About page on our website – ForElenvia.org – and read carefully through our mission,

values, and vision statements. Everything we do, and everyone we work with, must be aligned with our values especially. There’s only five of them, so give it a read. Then, if you feel we’re a good fit, head over to “Work With Us” and submit the form at the bottom of the page. Or, if you have trouble or questions, feel free to email us at

admin@forelenvia.org. Note that you don’t have to have finished a manuscript to submit a query! If your idea is great, and we sign a publishing agreement, we offer free

mentoring to help you finish your book.

 

5.      You are also a published author. What is your new book about?

Yeah, in March we just published our debut (and my debut) The Legend of Leanna Page – Volume One: A Beginning. It’s a fast-paced, character-driven literary fantasy adventure following this servant girl named Leanna who has mystical powers which make her a threat to the royals she serves, and to the status-quo of their whole world. It’s got a loving cast of characters who have to grapple with division,

powerlessness, and prejudice, and eventually find their way to a complicated sense of optimism, action, and hope. Kirkus Reviews called it “An immersive and well-

constructed adventure tale... Exciting and skillfully delivered.” It’s also part of a series that introduces the idea of “Elenvia” and overall encapsulates my main personal

contribution to imagining a better world.

 

6.      What inspired the story?

This one kind of hit me out of nowhere. I was reading Dracula by Bram Stoker, and in it he briefly alludes to this old story. I didn’t know what he was referring to. I tried

to just context-clue it to keep reading, and in a matter of milliseconds I had this whole legend in my head, and I wasn’t sure whether I remembered it or made it up. So, I

stopped reading, looked up his reference, and sure enough it had nothing to do with the story that was suddenly taking over my thoughts. Before that, I was very happily just a

playwright. But then I was sitting there with this new old legend in my head and I thought, “Shoot, I have to write a book.”

 

7.      How would you describe your writing style?

I write with a pretty down-to-earth, humor-infused dramatic realism. I’m a playwright, so I always use a lot of dialogue. I’m passionate about plot-crafting and how we can inject themes and philosophy into the skeletons of our stories instead of only sprinkling them into the language. For The Legend of Leanna Page, I gave myself an additional challenge: I needed it to sound like an old classic. As I mentioned, I never proactively “came up with” this story. It felt like it was handed to me, and it was handed

to me as an old legend. So, that’s how I wanted readers to receive it from me. It still has my down-to-earth characters with their humor-infused dialogue and drama, but it also

uses vocabulary like thou art, whither, and wherefore.

 

8.      What advice do you have for writers?

Don’t be afraid to write the thing you’re scared to write. Whether it’s a craft challenge (ie, trying to write like Shakespeare for some crazy reason), or a philosophical

leap you’re worried readers won’t follow you on, or something vulnerable you’re afraid to put into words. Write it. The first thing that needs to happen if we as earthlings are going to make something good out of our current mess, is that artists need to show people what it looks like to face our fears by imagining what better thing can meet us the other side. And do it with joy. What are any of us doing here if we can’t do it with joy?

 

Biography: Addam Ledamyen (they/them) is the founder and Artistic Director of For Elenvia: Publications and Productions. They are a multidisciplinary storyteller with specialties in acting, playwriting, novel writing, and narrative improvisation. Their debut novel, The

Legend of Leanna Page, is now available in paperback and e-book! Addam has been a student of theatre all their life though more officially at Oakland School for the Arts and

American University (DC) from 2014-2022. In 2026, they earned their MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts and Writing from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Addam

performs regularly as a company member of Synergy Theater and as a guest with a variety of other theatre companies around the SF Bay Area. As a writer, Addam is

dedicated to using the art of story to help bring our world to a better place. For more information, please explore: www.Forelenvia.org.  

 

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About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 6,200,000 page views. With 5,600+ posts over the past 15 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum