A survey of indie presses shows that 60% fear they could be out of business by the autumn, writes Galley Beggar Press cofounder Sam JordisonOver the past few years, the success of independent publishers such as Fitzcarraldo, And Other Stories, Bluemooose and Influx Press has been something to behold. They have won prizes, engaged readers and published innovative and important books. Now that wonderful literary flowering is in danger. A survey on the impact of Covid-19 on small presses, carried out by the Bookseller and writer development charity Spread the Word, reveals that 60% of the small presses polled fear they could be out of business by the autumn, 75% don’t know if they will make it beyond March next year, while 85% of the publishers have seen sales drop by more than half.Small presses have been hit especially hard because they are more dependent on physical sales in bookstores, rather than online retailers or ebook sales. I know, because my publisher, Galley Beggar Press, has also seen a big chunk of its income disappear. One of the great strengths of our kind of publishing is that we have a real connection with dedicated readers who love books as physical objects, readers who have an equally strong connection with booksellers. A great deal of what we do relies on the enthusiasm and personal recommendations of those heroes of our trade whose shops Covid-19 has closed. We have lost many of our best advocates, not to mention the most practical way of getting books... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2020-05-15 06:00:32 UTC ]
The coding system was intended to help book-focused businesses categorize their collections. But some indie booksellers say that, as far as their businesses are concerned, BISAC has lost the plot. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-04-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The collection to be auctioned includes journals and cookbooks that inmate Albert Jones has written from death row. The bookseller representing him says it offers a rare glimpse into life on one of America's most notorious cell blocks. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2025-04-02 10:00:16 UTC ]
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McKinstry, who worked as a bookseller at a number of prominent indies in London, Denver, New York City, and Seattle, as well as a communications manager for the American Booksellers Association, died in Seattle on March 8. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-04-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-28 13:15:15 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-27 13:15:11 UTC ]
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Change seems to come naturally to some areas. Gentrifying post-industrial swaths of Brooklyn and Queens, perhaps, are used to blocks that morph in quick time.But differences may be harder to swallow in more established neighborhoods, such as the Upper West Side, where the enclave along Broadway... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2025-03-27 10:03:09 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-26 13:15:47 UTC ]
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Fiona McFarlane has won the 21st annual Story Prize for her collection Highway Thirteen. The Story Prize’s $20,000 prize is among the largest first-prize amounts of any annual U.S. book award for fiction.The judges—writer and editor Elliott Holt, writer Maurice Carlos Ruffin, and bookseller Lucy... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-26 11:20:24 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-25 13:15:31 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-24 13:15:01 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-21 13:15:06 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-20 13:15:38 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-19 13:15:06 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-18 13:15:56 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-17 14:45:39 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-14 13:30:40 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-13 13:30:12 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-12 13:30:55 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-11 13:30:22 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-10 13:30:00 UTC ]
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