Amid the global coronavirus pandemic and the temporary shutdowns and event cancellations it has caused I’ve seen a lot of talk about supporting small businesses. This is because small businesses will inevitably be harmed more by these shutdowns than the massive international corporations, especially since they can always ask for government bailouts as witnessed in the 2008 Economic Recession.
As a small business owner myself I think this show of public support is wonderful and makes this the perfect time to discuss the differences between independent publishers (indie presses) and major publishers.
The Entertainment Industry Overview
In the entertainment business, whether we’re talking about music, films, or books, there are two distinct lanes to choose from when creating and releasing your art into the world.
For musicians, there are the major labels: such as Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group; and the indie labels: such as Epitaph Records, Sub Pop, and Rhymesayers Entertainment.
For filmmakers, there are the major studios: such as Walt Disney Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Paramount Pictures; and indie production companies: such as A24 Films, Northern Lights Films, and Troma Entertainment.
For writers, there are the major publishers: such as Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Macmillan Publishers; and there are the indie publishers: such as Tin House Books, Coffee House Press, and Two Dollar Radio.
For the sake of brevity and because I’m a writer, I’m mostly going to be focusing on the publishing industry in this post. Just in case you somehow ended up here without being aware of this, I am the owner of my own indie publishing business, Dark Currents Press, so I might have a bit of a bias in this conversation but I will try to maintain my objectivity as best as I can.
The Publishing Industry
Preconceptions about Quality: Self-Publishing vs Traditional Publishing
Thanks to the ease of dissemination brought about by the internet there was an explosion of self-published books at the turn of the millennium.
The pros of self-publishing are that it gives writers much more control over the final product, they keep a much higher percentage of the earnings than in contracts with traditional publishers, and they are able to get their work out to the public at a much faster rate than with the traditional publishing model, which can often take a year or more after the final draft of the book is completed. The cons of self-publishing are how easy it is to publish a book online and the fact that many self-published writers think they can simply forego the essentials, such as hiring professionals for developmental and line editing, interior design/text formatting, or cover designers.
These are typical examples of the cover quality of many self-published books, out of respect for the authors’ privacy I have obscured their names.
Unfortunately, thanks to the overwhelming number of shoddy, amateur-looking self-published books out there, there is often a stigma attached to self-publishing that remains to this day.
But the times they are a-changin’ and many self-published writers are now going that extra mile to give readers the same level of quality and professionalism that they’ve come to expect from traditionally published books.
Enter The Age of the Indie Press
In order to escape the negative connotations that often come along with self-publishing many writers have now formed their own publishing businesses to put out not only their own books, but the books of other writers they believe in as well. Many of these small publishing businesses, or indie presses, create a specialized “brand” centered around writers in similar genres or styles and some are regional presses focusing on writers from a particular area or works that take place in a specific region, such as the American South, the Midwest, or the US-Mexican border for example.
Indie presses are often used as a way to help legitimize the work of indie authors by placing their works under the umbrella of a professional publishing company rather than simply publishing them under the author’s name. Many of these independent publishers do all of the same things that the traditional “Big Five” publishers do (such as editing, formatting, cover design, and marketing), just often on a much smaller scale. Some of these presses have a staff of just one person that has enough financial capital to hire the various freelance editors, designers, and marketers to get books created and distributed for their writers. Others have a small team of professionals that collaborate to do all of these things “in-house” for the writers they work with.
Even with all of this being said, books published by indie presses still often receive unjust criticism in comparison to the books put out by traditional publishers although they might exhibit a greater artistic vision or have even more care put into them, just as films by indie production companies or albums by indie music labels.
Bruja from Civil Coping Mechanisms, Greener Pastures from Apex Book Company, and Coyote Songs from Broken River Books
Above are three indie press books from my own personal library that have stunning covers and beautiful writing that withstand comparisons to any books released by the “Big Five” traditional publishers.
But Doesn’t Higher Budget Mean Higher Quality?
Traditional thinking would often lead one to believe that the greater the budget of an artistic project the greater the quality is of that artistic project, but often big investors limit the creativity of the artists. Writers often find themselves restricted by what they can or cannot say in a book based on the publisher’s concerns of commercial success. Big investors afraid of taking risks have long been known to ruin artists’ works, such as when big movie studios reshoot scenes and change storylines against the director’s wishes or major record labels “shelve” albums that are too experimental or unusual for mainstream audiences. This type of thinking in the world of major book publishing causes many writers to chase the trends of previous successes rather than breaking any new ground.
For example, let’s compare an indie press book with a book from a major publisher and see if commercial viability is always a good determiner of artistic quality.
Michael Wehunt’s Greener Pastures (above, center) is a literary horror anthology currently published by Apex Book Company and it is one of the best books that I’ve ever read. The stories are interesting, original, and unnerving while also containing beautifully-written, poetic sentences. The book was also nominated for two literary awards, the 2016 Shirley Jackson award and the 2017 Crawford Award.
Here is an excerpt from Greener Pastures:
“A small, bright laugh came from somewhere close. He heard it in his ear in the same instant. Rustling ahead, the faint crunch of gravel. When he reached the corner, the vast black space opening before him, he paused and looked up. No moon hung in the endless stars.”
Now let’s compare this independently published book to one released by one of the “big five” trade publishers Simon & Schuster (who as of Jan. 2019 reported an annual revenue of $830 million).
A Shore Thing was a novel written by Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi known from reality tv show Jersey Shore and “collaborator” (a.k.a. ghostwriter) Valerie Frankel. The novel is about two cousins that party over the length of one summer while looking for guys to hook up with and possibly finding love along the way.
Here’s an excerpt from A Shore Thing:
“Gia danced around a little, shaking her peaches for show. She shook it hard. Too hard. In the middle of a shimmy, her stomach cramped. A fart slipped out. A loud one. And stinky.
The DJ said, “Whoa, girl, what’d you eat?”
Now I’m sure some reading this right now are thinking, “C’mon now, you cherry-picked these examples to make indie publishing look good and traditional publishing look bad.” And to be honest, you would be correct but it still proves my point. Whether a book is published by an indie press or a massive traditional publisher says nothing about the quality of that book.
Indie Presses Still Fighting The Stigma
The unfortunate truth is that independent publishers and their writers will have to continue fighting for credibility in the literary world while anyone with enough fame (or infamy) to sell units can get the backing of a major publishing house and suddenly they are now a “real” writer.
As a writer that formed my own small publishing business I learned this the hard way as I went around donating copies to libraries and attempting to establish partnerships with independent bookstores in my area. Most of the libraries were very kind and receptive but one required me to fill out a form listing my book’s accomplishments, notable reviews, and if it was professionally edited, which left a bad taste in my mouth since I felt like I had to prove myself just to give them a free copy of my book, and I am well aware that traditionally published authors would never be asked to do these things.
Even independent bookstores, which are small businesses themselves that have struggled to remain relevant in the post-Amazon/online age, discriminate against indie authors. Some bookstores like Back In The Day Books in Dunedin, FL were extremely receptive and encouraging (seriously go support them because they’re awesome), but another unnamed bookstore I spoke with was rather cold and condescending until they looked up my book online then their tone quickly changed.
In the most ironic turn of events yet, many self-published and indie press authors that have built large, loyal fanbases are now being picked up by major publishing houses. So it seems that even the major publishing companies are having to admit the legitimacy of these indie writers since they’re now offering them contracts.
A few well-known examples are: Hugh Howey’s Silo series was published in physical formats by Simon & Schuster and Penguin Random House (UK) as he simultaneously published the ebook versions through his own indie press, Broad Reach Publishing; Andy Weir’s serialized, self-published novel The Martian was later re-published by Penguin Random House and adapted into a successful Ridley Scott picture; Thomas Ligotti was published by numerous indie presses, such as Silver Scarab Press and Subterranean Press, before being published by Penguin Random House in 2015.
Conclusion: Support Indie Presses/Independent Artists
So I hope in this somewhat lengthy post of mine I’ve convinced you of the importance and relevance of independent writers and independent publishers in the literary world.
Here’s a list of twelve indie presses to get you started:
Apex Book Company - publishes science fiction, fantasy, and horror, including the excellent Greener Pastures by Michael Wehunt
Akashic Books - publishes urban literary fiction, political nonfiction, and a successful line of international crime noir anthologies
Two Dollar Radio - a family-run outfit founded in 2005 with the mission to reaffirm the cultural and artistic spirit of the publishing industry
Press 53 - North Carolina-based publisher of short fiction and poetry collections, including a successful anthology series of strange tales from the South called Surreal South
Quirk Books - as the name implies they publish quirky, unconventional, genre-blending books, such as the wildly popular Pride and Prejudice and Zombies as well as Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Valancourt Books - small press in Richmond, VA specializing in the rediscovery of rare, neglected, and out-of-print Gothic, horror, sci-fi, LGBT, literary, and Victorian fiction
Soho Press - specializes in literary fiction, international crime series, Young Adult, and memoirs
Undertow Publications - celebrated Canadian publisher of dark, weird, horror, and fantasy fiction (fun side note: their art director made the cover for my book Black Flowers)
Coffee House Press - a nonprofit press based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that publishes literary novels, short story collections, poetry, creative nonfiction, book-length essays, and essay collections
The Accomplices - a partnership of three indie presses: Civil Coping Mechanisms / Entropy / Writ Large Press that aim to amplify marginalized voices and identities, particularly writers of color, through traditional and new media publishing, public engagement, and community building
Feminist Press - educational nonprofit press founded to advance women's rights and amplify feminist perspectives
Wave Books - independent poetry press based in Seattle, Washington, dedicated to publishing exceptional contemporary poetry, poetry in translation, and writing by poets