Switch Hitter Press & Switch Hitter Records are an interrelated and independent book publisher and record label, respectively, specializing in quirky and queer literature and music. At the moment we are not accepting any submissions.



current catalogue

99 Erics: a Kat Cataclysm faux novel
by Julia Serano
Switch Hitter Press; 2020 release
the book is available to bookstores and libraries through Ingram

Julia Serano’s long-awaited debut novel regales readers with the adventures (and/or misadventures) of Kat Cataclysm, an ethically non-monogamous bisexual woman and absurdist short fiction writer. 99 Erics is a humorous account of Kat’s experiences writing a book called 99 Erics, which is about her experiences dating ninety-nine different people named Eric. It is more surreal than slutty. Not that there is anything wrong with slutty.

The book is largely comprised of amusing anecdotes from Kat’s dates with various Erics; satirical takes on relationships, sexual conventions, language, the writing process, book publishing, online media, and tech culture; and Kat’s smart yet silly digressions on a variety of topics, including the distorted nature of memories, hipsters, sex toys, sabermetrics, YA dystopian fiction, trendy restaurants, temporal anomalies, Freudian slips, banana slug mating practices, lucid dreaming, the internet of things, poetry slams, and Prince lyrics, to name but a few. These more fanciful passages are seamlessly interwoven with more serious and mundane matters, such as navigating the world as a woman and sexual minority, being an outcast who doesn’t really fit in, struggling to make ends meet, and reconciling one’s past with the present. The end result is a fun and fast read that tackles meaty subjects and contemporary issues along the way.

99 Erics is the winner of the Publishing Triangle’s 2021 Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction, an Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) 2021 silver medalist in LGBT+ Fiction, and one of Kirkus Reviews’ Best Indie Books of 2021.

99 Erics is available in paperback & ebook formats at all the major online outlets (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Books, Smashwords, etc.). Brick-and-mortar bookstores and libraries can order the book via Ingram.

More details — including praise for the book, numerous excerpts, book reviews, and virtual book readings — can be found via the official 99 Erics webpage.



Outspoken: A Decade of Transgender Activism and Trans Feminism
by Julia Serano
Switch Hitter Press, 2016 release
the book is available to bookstores and libraries through Ingram

In her third book, Outspoken: A Decade of Transgender Activism and Trans Feminism, Julia Serano chronicles her own personal evolution and the many shifts in transgender activism since the dawn of the twenty-first century. This collection compiles forty-eight of her previously unpublished and difficult to find trans-themed writings - including her early slam poems and spoken word, essays and manifestos written around the same time as (and in some cases, originally slated for) her acclaimed books Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity and Excluded: Making Feminist and Queer Movements More Inclusive, plus her recent work addressing differences within trans communities and activism. These pieces are augmented with thoughtful introductions and interludes that contextualize the issues at hand and previous periods in transgender activism. Combining elements of memoir, historical account, gender theory, and activist philosophy, this book is a must for anyone who is a fan of Serano’s work and/or has an interest in transgender identities, experiences, perspectives, and progress.

The paperback version of Outspoken lists for $17 (or $15 at Amazon), and is available for purchase from most online outlets. (Bookstores and libraries can order the book through Ingram.) E-books list for $9.99 and are available on all the usual platforms (Kindle, Nook, iTunes Books, etc.), although we highly recommend ordering it through Smashwords, where for one price you can get the book in all formats DRM-free (epub, mobi/Kindle, pdf, lrf, pdb, txt, html). You can also download the first 10% of the book for free through Smashwords.



General Surgery and Surgeons General: a Kat Cataclysm chapbook
by Kat Cataclysm
Switch Hitter Press, 2016 release


Kat Cataclysm is quite a character: absurdist short fiction writer, aspiring faux novelist, failed linguist, recovering slam poet, wannabe stand-up comedian, and the not-so-pure invention of Julia Serano. In other words, as the French would say, she is a nom de plume. Except that the French don’t say “nom de plume,” they say “nom de guerre.” Which literally means “war name.” Although Kat has never fought in any wars. Nor would she want to.

General Surgery and Surgeons General is a modest forty-something-page collection of Kat’s absurdist short stories, slam poems, and whimsical musings, which touch upon and/or outright tackle diverse topics such as YA dystopian fiction, photosynthesis, mountain climbing, temporal anomalies, bisexuality, Santa Claus, Prince’s song lyrics, malapropisms & paraprosdokians, and the trials and travails of the contemporary author. It also contains numerous “Easter eggs” for 99 Erics: a Kat Cataclysm faux novel (see above).

For the time being, General Surgery & Surgeons General is only available for purchase (in paperback or ebook) on Amazon.com. A complimentary PDF of the chapbook is also available to people who subscribe to Julia’s Patreon at the $5 tier or above.



Ray versus Macbeth and the Music Box, part one
by *soft vowel sounds*
Switch Hitter Records, 2014 release


*soft vowel sounds* is the latest solo musical project from former Bitesize guitarist/singer/principal songwriter Julia Serano. So what, pray tell, does it sound like? quirky indie-pop? high fidelity lo-fi? bedroom music for people who sometimes leave their bedrooms? just listen for yourself. . .

The first *soft vowel sounds* record is a small recording called Ray versus Macbeth and the Music Box, part one. Classic rock aficionados may recognize that the title and cover art reference the 1970 The Kinks’ album that introduced the world to the eventual hit song “Lola.” The *soft vowel sound* song “Ray” is a charming contemporary musical parody of “Lola” written from a decidedly different perspective. Ray versus. . . also contains three other ditties: “Music Box,” “Open Letter,” and “Macbeth.” You can listen to all these tracks here:



Digital versions of the record can be purchased from Bandcamp and hard copies (i.e., compact discs) can be ordered through Julia’s website. You can learn more about the record at the *soft vowel sounds* website.



discontinued items

"Baby Chapbook" is a two poem chapbook plus baby pictures released in July, 2003! Published by Switch Hitter Press (Oakland, CA), copyright 2003. (out of print)
Either/Or is a 33 page chapbook that comes with a complementary 13 track CD! It features eleven spoken word pieces and two Bitesize songs. Published by Switch Hitter Press (Oakland, CA), copyright 2002.



contact

Switch Hitter Press & Records are run by Julia Serano. Any questions about current or future Switch Hitter releases should be directed to her at . At the moment, we are not accepting any submissions.

Julia on why she named her publishing & recording imprint “Switch Hitter”:

In 1999, I wrote a song called Switch Hitter that was recorded by my band at the time, Bitesize. It was a semi-autobiographical tale about the first time I decided to change my sex: I was 15 years old at the time and was watching my little league all-star game when I made the decision. Unfortunately, at that time (the early 1980’s), there was no readily accessible information or resources to help me find out about how I might actually go about achieving that. So I buried that epiphany deep inside my mind until I uncovered the memory many years later, like a time-capsule. That is what inspired the song.

During my actual transition in 2001, I created a coming out website called Switch Hitter, where friends and acquaintances could find out more about my transgender identity and history without me having to explain it over and over again (I even had business cards made up so that I could pass out to folks!). When I started performing trans-themed spoken word the following year, it just made sense to release my first two chapbooks under the moniker “Switch Hitter Press.”

I have continued using the name “Switch Hitter” for my publishing & recording imprints for additional reasons. First, I am an avid baseball fan - have been since I was a child. Second, in 2008, I came out as bisexual, and “switch hitter” is a common slang term for bisexual. So the phrase resonates with me on multiple levels.


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