Small press

in 1903 with Elizabeth Yeats working the hand press 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. However, when a distinction is drawn, there are about 100,000 small presses and about one million independent presses. Independent press is generally defined as publishers that are not part of large conglomerates or multinational corporations. Even when owned by a larger business, an independent press is allowed to choose which books to publish, and the business will survive or fail as a result of how well those books sell. 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. Other terms for small press, sometimes distinguished from each other and sometimes used interchangeably, are small publishers, independent publishers, or indie presses. Independent publishers (as defined above) made up about half of the market share of the book publishing industry in the United States in 2007. 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.

in 1903 with Elizabeth Yeats working the hand press 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. However, when a distinction is drawn, there are about 100,000 small presses and about one million independent presses. Independent press is generally defined as publishers that are not part of large conglomerates or multinational corporations. Even when owned by a larger business, an independent press is allowed to choose which books to publish, and the business will survive or fail as a result of how well those books sell. 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. Other terms for small press, sometimes distinguished from each other and sometimes used interchangeably, are small publishers, independent publishers, or indie presses. Independent publishers (as defined above) made up about half of the market share of the book publishing industry in the United States in 2007. 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.

History

Small presses became distinguishable from jobbing printers toward the end of the nineteenth century. Their roots lie within the Arts and Crafts movement, particularly the Kelmscott Press. The use of small letterpress machines by amateur printers increased in proportion to the mechanization of commercial printing. Later, advances in practical lithography made small-press publication much easier. The 1960s and 1970s are considered the golden age of small presses in the United States. The unprecedented proliferation of small, independent publishers during this period was a result of the so-called "Mimeo Revolution" and the widespread availability of affordable, do-it-yourself reproduction technologies. A recent burgeoning of small presses has been driven by the introduction of digital printing, especially print-on-demand technology. Combined with Internet-based marketing, digital typesetting, and design tools, the rise of eBooks and new printing technologies has lowered economic barriers to entry. This shift allows new publishers to enter the industry and serves a wider variety of niche markets. A notable boom in small-press publishing has been observed since the 2008 economic crisis.

By continent

See also

Amateur press association Association of Little Presses Author mill Bill Bird Independent Publishers Guild (UK) Independent Publishers Group (US distributors) List of English-language book publishing companies List of English-language literary presses List of English-language small presses List of literary magazines List of self-publishing companies Literary magazine Predatory open-access publishing Private press Samizdat Small Press Distribution WSFA Small Press Award

References

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1372800435 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.