Editing Small press

{{short description|Publisher with low annual sales revenue and/or few titles}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|Independent press|Alternative media}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|Indie press|Indie Press Revolution}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2019}}
[[File:Dun Emer Press ,c. 1903.jpg|right|thumbnail|The [[Dun Emer 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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Biel |first=Joe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MxrtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT22 |title=People's Guide to Publishing: Building a Successful, Sustainable, Meaningful Book Business From the Ground Up |date=2018-12-05 |publisher=Microcosm Publishing |isbn=978-1-62106-313-1 |pages=21–22 |language=en}}</ref>

Independent press is generally defined as publishers that are not part of large conglomerates or [[multinational corporation]]s.  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.<ref name=":0" />  Many small presses rely on specialization in [[genre fiction]], [[poetry]], or limited-edition [[book]]s or [[magazine]]s, 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.<ref name="tck">{{cite web |date=9 November 2017 |title=Complete Guide to Small Press Publishing: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Small Presses for Writers |url=https://www.tckpublishing.com/complete-guide-to-small-press-publishing-for-writers/ |access-date=18 April 2019 |website=TCK publishing}}</ref>

Independent publishers (as defined above) made up about half of the [[market share]] of the book publishing industry in the United States in 2007.<ref name="defined">Herman, ''Jeff Herman's Guide To Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents, 2007'', p. 131.</ref> 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 (publisher)|Hachette]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-19 |title=Independent Book Publishers Statistics – WordsRated |url=https://wordsrated.com/independent-book-publishers-statistics/ |access-date=2024-01-22 |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Characteristics ==
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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/05/the-literary-crowdfunding-boom|title=Kickstarting a books revolution: the literary crowdfunding boom|date=June 5, 2015|website=the Guardian}}</ref>

Small presses tend to fill the niches that larger publishers neglect. They can focus on regional titles, narrow specializations and niche genres.<ref name=":0" /> They can also make up for commercial clout by creating a reputation for [[Academy|academic]] knowledge, vigorously pursuing prestigious literature prizes and spending more effort nurturing the careers of new authors.<ref>Herman, ''Jeff Herman's Guide To Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents, 2007'', pp. 131–132, 367–372.</ref> At its most minimal, small press production consists of [[chapbook]]s. This role can now be taken on by [[desktop publishing]] and [[web site]]s. 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.

Unlike a [[vanity press]] or [[self-publishing]] service, a small press rarely publishes books written by the owner or publisher.<ref name=":0" />  Instead, these are small businesses, often with only a few employees, who select books written by other authors.<ref name=":0" />

== Micro-presses ==
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.<ref name="defined"/>

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|date=April 2019}}

== Not to be confused with ==
Small presses should not be confused with [[self-publishing press]]es (sometimes called "[[vanity press]]es"). 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 [[Printer (publishing)|printers]]. Small presses are traditional 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 [[print on demand|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-packaging|Book packagers]] combine aspects of small presses and printers, but they are technically neither small presses nor printers.

==History==
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|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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Phillips |first=Rodney |title=A secret location on the Lower East Side: adventures in writing, 1960 - 1980; a sourcebook of information |date=1998 |publisher=The New York Publ. Library [u.a.] |others=New York Public Library |isbn=978-1-887123-19-8 |editor-last=Clay |editor-first=Stephen |edition=1. publ |location=New York}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The contemporary small press: making publishing visible |date=2020 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-3-030-48783-6 |editor-last=Colby |editor-first=Georgina |series=New directions in book history |location=Cham |editor-last2=Marczewska |editor-first2=Kaja |editor-last3=Wilson |editor-first3=Leigh}}</ref>

==By continent==

=== Oceania ===

==== Australia ====
Small presses have played a significant part historically in recognising new voices and publishing notable works of [[literary fiction]] in [[Australia]],<ref name=conv/> 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.<ref name=journal>{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60130081.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022063448/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60130081.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 October 2012|title=Independent Australian Publishers and the Acquisition of Books|last=Poland|first=Louise |date= 1 December 1999|work=Journal of Australian Studies}}</ref>

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 Awards|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.<ref name=conv>{{cite web|publisher=The Conversation|url=https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-the-remarkable-prize-winning-rise-of-our-small-publishers-95645|date=4 May 2018|title=Friday essay: the remarkable, prize-winning rise of our small publishers| first=Emmett|last=Stinson|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref>

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|National Library of Australia Publishing]], [[Scribe (publisher)|Scribe]] and [[Wakefield Press (Australia)|Wakefield Press]], as well as many smaller publishers.<ref name=SPN>{{cite web|publisher=Small Press Network| url=https://smallpressnetwork.com.au/about/| title=About SPN|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref>

=== Africa ===

==== Kenya ====
The 1960s marked a significant period for small presses in Kenya following the country’s [[History of Kenya|independence from Britain in 1963]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Mwangi |first=Macharia |date=2021-05-04 |title=Nexus/Busara and the rise of modern Kenyan literature |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02533952.2021.1958316 |journal=Social Dynamics |language=en |volume=47 |issue=2 |pages=228 |doi=10.1080/02533952.2021.1958316 |issn=0253-3952|url-access=subscription }}</ref> During this period and into the 1970s, small press publications played a crucial role in reflecting social and political trends such as urban corruption and the legacy of colonial rule.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bardolph |first=Jacqueline |title=The Writing of East and Central Africa |date=1984 |publisher=Heinemann |isbn=978-0-435-91671-8 |editor-last=Killam |editor-first=G. D. |series=Studies in African literature |location=London ; Exeter, N.H., USA |pages=36-53}}</ref>

Universities, notably the [[University of Nairobi]], played a pivotal role in shaping this literary culture, with student publications serving as platforms for early experimentation in creative writing for latterly well-known writers.<ref name=":1" /> ''Zuka: A Journal of East African Creative Writing,''  founded by the [[Kenya Literature Bureau|East African Literature Bureau]] in 1967, published authors such as [[Taban Lo Liyong]], [[Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o]], [[Angus Calder]], and [[Okot p'Bitek]].

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[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]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/special-collections/a-z/little-mags Small Press collections] held at [[University College London]]

{{Independent production}}
{{Self-publishing}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Small press publishing companies| ]]
[[Category:Publishing|Small Press]]