The Rewards and Challenges of Building 1455
Sean Murphy reflects on the founding process
Thrilled to share this conversation with the incomparable Jenna Blum—NYT bestselling author and A Mighty Blaze co-founder—about 1455 books, our brand-new publishing venture! We tackle the big questions head-on: Does art matter in 2026? (Absolutely—now more than ever.) Is this a good time to start a publishing imprint? (It’s the worst time imaginable, which means it’s essential we do it NOW.) Throughout, we explore how publishing books fits perfectly with 1455’s mission: advocating for authentic voices, building community, and showing up for storytellers everywhere.
My favorite thing about starting 1455 was finally being able to monetize my Rolodex—and I say that half-jokingly, but after decades in the corporate world, academia, and the writing community, I’d met so many incredible people across different fields. I love being the dumbest guy in the room and learning from chefs, spreadsheet wizards, business people, and artists alike. When I started building the business plan, I had these resources to call on for advice, which led to more introductions and opportunities. The genuine curiosity that’s every writer’s best friend became essential—I had to immerse myself and understand what it meant to own property, run a nonprofit, build a business plan.
I burned the boats and left the corporate world, and going all in with that kind of audacity, in some ways, ensured it was going to happen. The worst thing, of course, is money—it’s always difficult to get, and working during the height of the opioid crisis with persistent homelessness everywhere kept me grounded. If we can’t get enough food for people, I’m not going to take it too seriously that I’m not getting big investments for a writing retreat. This is the most important thing in my world, but I had to keep it real: we’re in a country where people are living and dying with major issues every day, and the world didn’t ask me to do this—I wanted to do it, which meant I had to work harder to prove why it should exist.
Visit 1455litarts.org to find out more, get involved, or help support our mission.