Publisher with low annual sales revenue and/or few titles
A
small press
is a
publisher
with annual sales below a certain level or below a certain number of titles published. The terms "
indie publisher
" and "
independent press
" and others are sometimes used interchangeably.
Independent press is generally defined as publishers that are not part of large conglomerates or
multinational corporations
. Many small presses rely on specialization in
genre fiction
,
poetry
, or limited-edition
books
or
magazines
, but there are also thousands that focus on niche non-fiction markets.
Definitions
[
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]
In the
United States
, a small press is considered to be a publisher with an annual turnover of under $50 million, or those that publish on average 10 or fewer titles per year.
[1]
Other terms for small press, sometimes distinguished from each other and sometimes used interchangeably, are small publishers, independent publishers, or indie presses.
[1]
Independent publishers (as defined above) made up about half of the
market share
of the book publishing industry in the
US
in 2007.
[2]
The majority of small presses are independent or indie publishers, meaning that they are separate from the handful of major publishing house conglomerates, such as
Random House
or
Hachette
.
[3]
Characteristics
[
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]
Since the profit margins for small presses can be narrow, many are driven by other motives, including the desire to help disseminate literature with only a small likely market. Many presses are also associated with
crowdfunding
efforts that help connect authors with readers.
[4]
Small presses tend to fill the niches that larger publishers neglect. They can focus on regional titles, narrow specializations and niche genres. They can also make up for commercial clout by creating a reputation for
academic
knowledge, vigorously pursuing prestigious literature prizes and spending more effort nurturing the careers of new authors.
[5]
At its most minimal, small press production consists of
chapbooks
. This role can now be taken on by
desktop publishing
and
web sites
. This still leaves a continuum of small press publishing: from specialist periodicals, short runs or
print-to-order
of low-demand books, to
fine art
books and limited editions of collectors' items printed to high standards.
Micro-presses
[
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]
There is now also a distinction made between small presses and micro-presses. A micro-press can be defined as a publisher that produces chapbooks and other small books on a very small scale (e.g. 50 copies of one book per year). It can also be defined in terms of revenue. Micro-presses are often run as a
hobby
or part-time job because of their low profits. They may not produce enough profit to support their owners.
[2]
In
Canada
, these are considered small press publishers, but the standard small press book run is accepted at 300 copies of a
chapbook
and 500 or more copies of a spine-bound book. In doing this, small press publishers are eligible for grants from the
Ontario Arts Council
and the
Canada Council
.
[
citation needed
]
Not to be confused with
[
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]
Small presses should not be confused with
self-publishing presses
(sometimes called "
vanity presses
"). Self-publishing or subsidy presses usually require payment by authors, or a minimum purchase of copies. By comparison, small presses make their profits by selling books to consumers, rather than selling services to authors or selling a small number of copies to the author's friends.
Small presses should not be confused with
printers
. Small presses are publishers, which means that they engage in a book selection process, along with editing, marketing and distribution. Small presses also enter into a contract with the author, often paying royalties for being allowed to sell the book. Publishers own the copies they have printed, but usually do not own the copyright to the book itself. In contrast, printers merely print a book, and sometimes offer limited distribution if they are a
POD
printing press. Printers have a very low selectivity. They will accept nearly anyone who can pay the cost of printing. They rarely offer editing or marketing. Printers do not own the copies that are printed, and they do not pay royalties.
Book packagers
combine aspects of small presses and printers, but they are technically neither small presses nor printers.
History
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]
Small presses became distinguishable from jobbing printers at some time towards the end of the nineteenth century. The roots lie with the
Arts and Crafts movement
, particularly the
Kelmscott Press
. The use of small
letterpress
machines by amateur printers increased proportionately to the mechanization of commercial printing. Later, the advance of practical
lithography
made small press publication much easier. The 1960s and 1970s are considered the small press's golden age in the USA. The unprecedented proliferation of small and independent publishers at the time was a result of the so-called '
Mimeo Revolution
' and the proliferation of DIY and affordable reproduction technologies.
[6]
A recent burgeoning of small presses has been caused by the introduction of
digital printing
, especially
print on demand
technology. Combined with
Internet
based marketing, digital typesetting, design tools with the rise of
eBooks
, the new printing technologies have lowered the economic barriers to entry, allowing many new niches to be served, and many new publishers to enter the industry. A notable boom of small press publishing has been observed since the 2008 economic crisis.
[7]
By country
[
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]
Australia
[
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]
Small presses have played a significant part historically in recognising new voices and publishing notable works of
literary fiction
in
Australia
,
[8]
but the market was seen as a tough one in 1999, despite about 80 per cent of the Australian Publishers Association being small book publishers (defined as those with less than AU$2m), nearly all Australian-owned.
[9]
In recent years, though, the small publishers have especially made gains as big publishers have backed away from publishing literary works. Small press publications have won some of the greatest literary prizes, including the
Stella Prize
, the
Prime Minister's Literary Award for Fiction
and the
Miles Franklin Literary Award
. There was a strong upward trend in the number of titles published by small press and shortlisted for the Miles Franklin and the PM's Fiction Awards in the two years preceding 2017.
[8]
The Small Press Network (SPN), located at the
Wheeler Centre
in
Melbourne
, represents small and independent publishers in Australia, which promotes independent publishing and supports diversity within the industry "as a vital component of Australian literary culture". Founded in 2006, it has grown to represent more than 140 members in Australia and
New Zealand
. Its members include such publishers as the
Griffith Review
,
National Library of Australia Publishing
,
Scribe
and
Wakefield Press
, as well as many smaller publishers.
[10]
See also
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Complete Guide to Small Press Publishing: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Small Presses for Writers"
.
TCK publishing
. 9 November 2017
. Retrieved
18 April
2019
.
- ^
a
b
Herman,
Jeff Herman's Guide To Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents, 2007
, p. 131.
- ^
"Independent Book Publishers Statistics ? WordsRated"
. 2023-01-19
. Retrieved
2024-01-22
.
- ^
"Kickstarting a books revolution: the literary crowdfunding boom"
.
the Guardian
. June 5, 2015.
- ^
Herman,
Jeff Herman's Guide To Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents, 2007
, pp. 131?132, 367?372.
- ^
Phillips, Rodney (1998). Clay, Stephen (ed.).
A secret location on the Lower East Side: adventures in writing, 1960 - 1980 ; a sourcebook of information
. New York Public Library (1. publ ed.). New York: The New York Publ. Library [u.a.]
ISBN
978-1-887123-19-8
.
- ^
Colby, Georgina; Marczewska, Kaja; Wilson, Leigh, eds. (2020).
The contemporary small press: making publishing visible
. New directions in book history. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.
ISBN
978-3-030-48783-6
.
- ^
a
b
Stinson, Emmett (4 May 2018).
"Friday essay: the remarkable, prize-winning rise of our small publishers"
. The Conversation
. Retrieved
18 April
2019
.
- ^
Poland, Louise (1 December 1999).
"Independent Australian Publishers and the Acquisition of Books"
.
Journal of Australian Studies
. Archived from
the original
on 22 October 2012.
- ^
"About SPN"
. Small Press Network
. Retrieved
18 April
2019
.
External links
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]