'It’s been a rollercoaster': how indie publishers survived - and thrived - in 2020

When lockdown came in March, many small presses feared they would go out of business. But then came an outpouring of support from the publicThe best books from indie publishers in 2020Six months ago, independent publishers Jacaranda and Knights Of were warning publicly that their income had fallen to almost zero. They weren’t the only small publishers struggling. With bookshops and distributors closing, a survey from the Bookseller at the time found that almost 60% of small publishers feared closure by the autumn. No bookshops meant no knowledgeable, passionate booksellers pressing new books they loved on to customers; no events and no travel meant that crucial avenues for introducing new writers had disappeared.The stars had been looking very happily aligned for Oneworld in March. The independent publisher had three of its biggest books scheduled for the month – a novel from Women’s prize winner Tayari Jones, Silver Sparrow; a new thriller from the bestselling crime author Will Dean, Black River; and Damien Love’s novel for older children, Monstrous Devices. It had printed point-of-sale materials, invested in marketing, advertising, printing.With the resurgence of Black Lives Matter came attention to our fiction list, with nearly every title selling out in June Related: The best books of 2020 to support indie publishers this Christmas Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2020-12-16 08:00:30 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "'It’s been a rollercoaster': how indie publishers survived - and thrived - in 2020"


MIBA Honors CJ Arthur as Bookseller of the Year

Arthur (l.), the owner of WordHaven BookHouse in Sheboygan, Wisc., is the Midwest Booksellers Association’s 2025 Bookseller of the Year. They were cited for supporting the local queer community and standing up against harassment. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-05-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher behind hit bilingual poetry book on A470 turns to Welsh rivers

Arachne Press says Afonydd (Rivers) was inspired by success of A470: Poems for the Road/Cerddi’r FforddIts volume of bilingual poetry celebrating the A470 road, which zigzags through Wales, proved a surprise hit.Inspired by the success, an independent publisher is releasing another anthology in... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2025-05-05 10:17:12 UTC ]
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The new Conduit Books plans to focus on male authors as a “corrective” to the literary landscape.

A new press will be “focusing initially” on publishing male writers, reported The Bookseller today. Finally, a space for guys to be guys. The press is called Conduit Books, and will be run by novelist and critic Jude Cook. There’s not a lot of information on their website—they’re still looking... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2025-04-28 18:00:53 UTC ]
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What’s a Bookseller to Do with BISAC Codes?

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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'I want to be remembered.' Death row inmate auctions his San Quentin journals, art for $80,000

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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Veteran Bookseller Scott McKinstry Dies at 60

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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Bookstore ends brief chapter on the Upper West Side

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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Fiona McFarlane has won this year’s Story Prize for “Highway Thirteen.”

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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Forging a Legacy: PW Talks with Krishan Trotman

Trotman, who founded the Hachette Book Group imprint in October 2020 with a mission to center marginalized voices, discusses the imprint’s inclusive aims, community connections, and plans to jump-start a fiction list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-03-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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This Week’s Bestsellers: March 17, 2025

Oathbound, the third book in Tracy Deonn’s Legendborn Cycle, lands at #2 on our children’s fiction list. Plus the March Reese’s Book Club pick, Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall, debuts at #3 on our hardcover fiction list, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie returns to fiction after more than a... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-03-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Strange Bedfellows’ Marvel and Fantagraphics Team Up for New Archival Line

Marvel is once again partnering with Fantagraphics Books, the Seattle-based independent publisher and longtime bastion of, well, everything that Marvel is not. Their new Lost Marvels line will cover Marvel's lesser known and previously unreprinted material from the late 1960s through the mid '80s. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-03-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Zando Acquires Tin House

The respected literary press, founded in 2002, will become an imprint of the expanding independent publisher Zando, which was launched by former Crown publisher Molly Stern in 2020. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-03-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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This Week’s Bestsellers: March 3, 2025

Kristen Ciccarelli completes her Crimson Moth duology and tops our children’s fiction list with Rebel Witch. Plus Oprah’s Book Club taps Eric Puchner’s Dream State, and Susan Morrison, a New Yorker editor, is live from New York with Lorne. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Yes, I’ve Been Selling My Book on Dating Apps

Over the past couple years, I’ve been accidentally moonlighting as a bookseller on Hinge. Selling books on Hinge (and occasionally Tinder, once in a while Feeld) started happening pretty effortlessly, through a few back and forths with a match. I’ve organically sold my book Women at least a... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2025-02-10 09:58:28 UTC ]
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Like Gold in the River: A Review of Radwa Ashour’s Granada Trilogy, by Gretchen McCullough

Like Gold in the River: A Review of Radwa Ashour’s Granada Trilogy, by Gretchen McCullough Book Reviews [email protected] Tue, 02/04/2025 - 15:24 Background photo by Taiga / Adobe Stock / Author photo courtesy of AUC Press Years ago, I... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2025-02-04 21:24:18 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble will open 60 new bookstores in 2025, breaking last year’s record as bookstore revival ramps up

After a decade of downsizing, the beloved bookseller is seeing a resurgence thanks in part to TikTok’s #BookTok and a rise in so-called third spaces. January was a long month, but we finally have some good news in 2025: Bookseller Barnes & Noble plans to open at least 60 new stores this... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2025-02-03 20:30:00 UTC ]
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Vancouver's New Star Books Ceases Acquisitions

Citing public funding difficulties and marketplace challenges, the British Columbia independent publisher is winding down operations at its Vancouver office. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-01-29 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookshop.org Now Sells Ebooks

The bookseller is applying its sales model—where online purchases support indie bookstores—to digital books. It has also released a mobile app for shopping and reading ebooks. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2025-01-28 11:30:00 UTC ]
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