Small and Independent Publishers

As the publishing industry has transformed in the digital age, small press activity has proliferated. Here's how authors can evaluate their offerings.

Small nonprofit literary presses are adapting to NEA funding cuts by diversifying revenue, strengthening donor relationships, and clarifying their community missions. The crisis is forcing long-overdue strategic and organizational work.

Learning from others and practicing patience while navigating the publishing industry led to a bright light at the end of the tunnel.

Authors and agents have long turned to university presses for nonfiction projects. They’re increasingly doing the same for literary fiction.

The founders of an aerospace company have launched Factorial Books, a new digital publishing company based in London.

The website directory to find publishing opportunities especially in the literary and nonprofit community has announced a grant program.

While concerned about AI’s impact on publishing economics and discoverability, Keith Riegert remains optimistic about the enduring value of human-created content in an increasingly digital world.

Funding strategies by small presses include pre-sales campaigns, crowdfunding, subscriptions, memberships, and strategic partnerships.

Compass Rose is a new publisher that seeks to work closely with independent bookstores to acquire, publish, and market books.

Doug Seibold, the founder of Evanston-based Agate Publishing, is doing his part to foster publishing careers in America’s heartland.

If you’ve decided to seek a press that accepts unagented work, here’s a checklist to help you make a submission list you can feel confident in.

When a Vermont author’s book was accepted by a New Mexico university press, she decided to ask its editors about the acquisitions process.

University presses are not just for scholars, and many are far more open-minded than you may think.

Literary agents Michelle Brower and Jennifer Chen Tran discuss the pros and cons of small presses, querying strategy, and much more.

Small presses are their own ecosystem. To understand the landscape, study the review sites, awards, and distributors catering specifically to that market.

“It sometimes feels as though smaller independents are the research and development departments for the big publishers,” writes the U.K.’s Bluemoose Books founder Kevin Duffy.

Working with a small press is an option many authors never consider. It’s the shadowy middle ground between self-pub and a Big Five contract.

Some writers think a small press is something you have to make the best of. Yet small presses can often serve as a first—even best—option. Three case studies show why.