Q: Where Can You Find the Best Literature in the Country?

A: Look No Further Than the Small Press Community

The tradition of the American independent small press is an old one, dating back to the colonial period in 1639 when Stephen Day printed Freeman’s Oath and An Almanack, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Some people say that the first book printed was The Bay Psalm Book; but that was, in fact, published in 1640—also by Stephen Day.) The first magazine took about another hundred years, and two arrived nearly simultaneously in 1741, in a race between American magazine, and Ben Franklin’s General magazine, a race that Franklin lost by three days.

Ever since, the literary magazine small press community has been an enduring, valiant, and dedicated community of literature lovers. Even in this new millennium, in one of the worst economic climates in the last three generations, there is no sign of that enthusiasm waning.

Proof of this was seen at The Associated Writing Program Conference, which met in Washington D.C. February 2–6, 2011. Many attendees of the conference scurried from seminar to seminar or rushed from one panel discussion to another. For those who took a chance to breathe in that delicious smell of newly printed books and magazines, the experience was more than educational.

Those who were there primarily for the gathering of the Literary Magazine and Small Press Book Fair found an exciting and seemingly endless vista of publishers and presses—there were hundreds, perhaps close to a thousand, spread bazaar-style through room after room in the lower level of the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.

Their offerings are not the books you find on the front tables of a Borders or Barnes & Noble. Yet these books offer some of the finest writing in the country. In fact, it has long been the case that the small press community discovers, publishes, and supports much of the finest literary talent in America. Were it not for these independent small presses, these university presses, these literary magazines, the voices of many excellent writers would never be heard.

Many of the most recognizable, venerable presses were there: Alice James Books (http://www.alicejamesbooks.org/), BOA Editions (http://www.boaeditions.org/), Cave Canem (http://www.cavecanempoets.org/), Graywolf Press (http://www.graywolfpress.org/), Sarabande Books (http://www.sarabandebooks.org/)—to name only a few. And, astonishingly, in the worst economic climate most of us have ever known, there were many newly launched presses standing proudly beside those older publishers. This was surprising.

How on earth could there be such an enormous population of people maintaining and growing small presses now? Who ARE these people?

Jeffrey Lependorf, Executive Director Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (http://www.clmp.org/), is in a unique position to explain. Since 1967, CLMP is the only organization extant to help these small presses establish a more solid navigation through the business of publishing. It’s a community that grows its own, he says, but welcomes participation. “Most people who start a small press or literary magazine do so after having worked at one first,“ Mr. Lependor states. “Most people working as editors or publishers in the indie lit community are also writers themselves. They all share a mission of connecting writers and readers, and most welcome help. It’s a thriving, vibrant community, and anyone who cares about literature can be part of it. Small publishers thrive by focusing their editorial missions, understanding who their potential readers are, and working to reach those readers as members of a caring community.”

More detail is provided by the principals of some of the presses. Sara Gorham is President and Editor in Chief of Sarabande Books (http://www.sarabandebooks.org/), a well-known nonprofit literary press, founded in Louisville, Kentucky in 1994, with a focus on poetry, creative nonfiction, and short fiction, genres that, according to the Sarabande website, have received “less than generous” attention from mainstream, commercial publishing. Their mission remains the same today: to offer talented writers a high-quality final product, and visibility.

“The early nineties were a grim period for creative writers, thanks in large part to a failing economy,” Ms. Gorham states. “Many superb independent presses closed up shop, and mainstream publishers continued to squeeze out the ‘poor cousins’ of the publishing world: poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction. We were founded to counter this trend in a small way. A donor stepped in with start-up funds; we published our first books in 1996, and by 2000, we were producing 12 books a year.”

One of the ways Sarabande provides visibility for its authors is to serve as an educational resource for students and teachers as well as for those who search for high-quality creative writing. Because of its reputation for excellence, Sarabande is a press readers turn to as a source for the newest voices and undiscovered talent.

Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, BOA Editions (http://www.boaeditions.org), was founded in 1976 by the late A. Poulin, Jr., a poet, editor, and translator. Over these 35 years, BOA has published over 240 books of American poetry and poetry in translation. Publisher Peter Connors lists its long history of excellence, “The first publication bearing the BOA imprint was The Fuhrer Bunker: A Cycle of Poems in Progress by W. D. Snodgrass. The Fuhrer Bunker received tremendous critical attention and was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry, optioned for the stage by Joseph Papp, and produced by Wynn Handman for The American Place Theater.”

He continues, “In 1984, BOA published Carolyn Kizer’s book Yin, a collection of poems that had been turned down by nearly every major publishing house. Yin won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1985. A year later, BOA published Rose, by Li-Young Lee, who at that time was an unknown poet and has since become a leading figure in American—and world—poetry. BOA was also Lucille Clifton’s longtime publisher and, over the years, saw her work go on to garner such accolades as the National Book Award, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, and the Frost Medal.”

BOA’s mission is to develop appreciation for contemporary literature among its readership and beyond. Mr. Connors is justifiably proud of their accomplishments, stating “. . . our 35-year contribution to American literature marks the press as one of the most important publishers in the country.”

While there is much to be learned from the more long-standing presses, there is something undeniably endearing about a brand new venture like Idiot Books

(http://idiotsbooks.com/), whose booth introduced them with three short phrases:

“Making books.

Seeking genre.

Living in a barn.”

Husband and wife team, writer Matthew Swanson and illustrator Robbi Behr, trace the birth of Idiot Books to a winter day in 2006, when they both acknowledged their unhappiness with their meaningless day jobs and their desire to return to making art together. “So we made a drastic decision to quit our jobs, sell our house, and exit Baltimore for the hayloft of a barn on the Eastern Shore of Maryland,” Mr. Swanson says.

Knowing they wanted to make books together, Matthew with his writing and Robbi with her illustrating, they simply started to do just that. But they had to eat and pay a few bills, too, so they started a subscription service, soliciting first just family and friends. The result was a business model that is truly innovative.

Mr. Swanson talks about the growth of that endeavor. “We sent our first book, Facial Features of French Explorers, out to about 80 people that we knew—friends and family and the like—with an offer to send nine more books throughout the next year if they paid us a measly sum and tacitly agreed to believe in our dream. We had 40 subscribers before the second book came out. We had 80 by the time the third book appeared. We made 10 books that first year, and the subscribership kept growing. People gave subscriptions as gifts, and soon we were sending our work to people we didn’t know.”

They began to get hired to do freelance work. Recently, they signed with a literary agent who is working to help them break into the commercial market. Meanwhile, it has all somehow worked, and Idiot Books is supporting itself. Swanson is as surprised as anyone. “We had never imagined that Idiot Books would be a lasting thing. Our hope was to step off the grid and make art for a while until we ran out of money and had to return to the real world. But four-and-a-half years later, we’re still going strong and are thinking of expanding our operation.” Idiot Books is a really wonderful example of the advice: Follow your bliss.

In response to being called unusual or unique, Mr. Swanson is quick to say, “We didn’t set out to be unique, but it turns out we are on a number of fronts. Journals and magazines often distribute via subscription, but we haven’t run into many other folks who distribute their own work that way. Meaning, it’s just the two of us—me writing and Robbi doing the illustrations for every book in our series.

“Second, the type of work we’re doing seems to be in a category of one (or at least, very few). We’re doing satirical illustrated fiction or picture books for adults. We haven’t seen many other artists working in this particular form, but then again, we don’t get out much.”

Another very young venture, Keyhole Books (http://www.keyholepress.com/), began in 2007. Editor Gabe Durham says the key for them is to be “post-trend.” They look for excellence, for an outstanding writer whose talent simply cannot be denied. They have recently become one of the imprints of Dzanc Books (http://www.dzancbooks.org/), another young but very successful venture.

Dzanc made a strong entry into the arena in 2006. Their stated mission—“. . . to advance great writing and champion those writers who don’t fit neatly into the marketing niches of for-profit presses and to advance literary readership and advocacy across the country”—is being met in a spectacular way. They have grown steadily ever since their founding, through expansion of their own publishing and through acquisition of other small presses.

University presses are another important part of the small press community. The University of Iowa Press (http://www.uiowapress.org/), was founded in 1969. It currently publishes 40–45 books yearly with only a seven-person staff. Director James McCoy talks about the secret of their staying power “. . . it’s important that you maintain high standards in all aspects of your publishing program. It’s not just about what you publish but how you publish it.”

Mr. McCoy also cites the continuity of the press’s leadership: “. . . I’m only the fourth director in 42 years, our production manager has been here 20 years, our managing editor has been here 10 years, etc. That means people are invested in what they’re doing.”

This is a fact at many of the small presses: people tend to stay and dedicate their own efforts, sometimes for the length of their careers. The stability and dedication benefits both employer and employee and cannot be underestimated.

An even older press, The University of Nebraska (http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/), was founded in 1941. Editor in Chief Heather Lundine talks about that history. “The University of Nebraska Press was founded in 1941, the same year that the Association of American University Presses was organized. Early titles included several poetry collections, an anthology of Prairie Schooner stories, and several regional history titles.

The University of Nebraska Press grew rapidly in the late 1950s under director Bruce Nicoll, who sought to publish fine national and international scholarship, in addition to regional literature and history. UNP’s paperback imprint, Bison Books, was founded in 1961 (we’re in the midst of celebrating Bison’s 50th anniversary), which helped put the University of Nebraska Press on the map. . . . We currently publish about 160 new and reprint titles annually under the Nebraska and Bison Books imprints, along with 20 journals. With nearly 3,000 books in print, UNP is the largest and most diversified university press between Chicago and California.”

Clearly, the people involved in this community take great pride in what they do. Readers unfamiliar with the independent, small press community often have no idea just how much material is being published by these presses—or how long they have been dedicated to this endeavor.

The small press community offers the reading public a treasure trove of literature. It’s hard work. It’s not going to make anyone rich. What keeps the presses in existence? What keeps them vital? It seems to be a combination of focus on a particular publishing mission, holding to their tradition of excellence, and their inventiveness, innovation, and flexibility. What sorts of changes have they embraced in recent years? The Internet is one of the biggest changes cited by everyone in terms of how they do business. Then comes the social media: Facebook, Twitter, blogs, online journals. Technology has made a big impact on everyone’s lives and livings.

Says Ms. Lundine at Nebraska, “Obviously, things like e-books, on-demand printing, and other technology has changed the whole publishing world considerably.” She says that the biggest changes are still to come. The reaction to these changes is largely positive in that technology offers more affordable options to the publishers, a greater reach to the reading audience, and much more choice to the reading public.

Lowell Britson of The University of Pittsburgh Press, (http://www.upress.pitt.edu/upressIndex.aspx) states, “I only see technology increasing in the coming years, whereby the reader will have access to almost anything they want to read, wherever they may be, via their cell phone or laptop.” Pitt is one of the oldest presses, founded in 1936, with their well-known Pitt Poetry Series that began in 1968. But they stay contemporary and eager to move toward anything that will support the mission.

Offering e-books has been one of the more recent steps taken by many presses. Lowell Britson says, “The decision to go to e-pub was mine for a very selfish reason: I wanted my favorite poem on my iPhone.” Lest you believe that the decision was frivolous, Mr. Britson continues, ”Obviously, with all the independent bookstores closing, and the future of Borders and B&N uncertain, it just made good business sense.”

But all innovation is used in service of the mission, and the central values at each press remain the same. Peter Conners (BOA) is succinct about what matters most: “A faith in our core mission and knockdown, drag-out, dogged dedication to seeing it fulfilled.”

Sara Gorham (Sarabande) says, “Positive relationships with readers, donors, authors, and granting organizations. We try to keep in contact with everyone and make their experience with us informative, friendly, and pleasantly surprising. It’s a big job.”

James McCoy (Univ. of Iowa Press) calls his mission part of a snowball effect: “If you establish a reputation for publishing good work you are going to attract more of it.”

Ms. Lundine (Univ. of Nebraska) adds, “The University of Nebraska Press strives to strike a balance between being forward-thinking and ahead of the curve (we were among the early university presses to develop a trade paperback imprint), and focusing on a few key things and doing those things very well. Readers, buyers, and scholars know—and have known for years—what to expect from us.”

Gabe Durham (Keyhole Books) adds, “Flexibility. Openness to change. A sense of play—it ought to be fun, right?”

High standards. Dedication. Quality. Fun. These are words you hear a lot from people at these presses. Do we hear the word profit very often?

Mr. McCoy (Univ. of Iowa) states, “I’m not sure this has ever been a healthy business from the point of view of the accountants. Read some of James Laughlin’s memoirs (publisher of New Direction) and the amount of money he shelled out to publish books, but he left one heck of a literary legacy.”

Therein lies the value of this community for the writers they publish and for the public starved for choice: originality and high quality writing. From that come the rewards reaped by those who labor in the small press world.

According to Mr. Durham at Keyhole, their value is deemed quite high within the community of small press readers and writers: “Arts that exist outside the mainstream will always be most appreciated by its practitioners because these are the people who’ve spent a lot of time with the art, who better know what they’re looking for, and who experience the most joy when they see the art pulled off well.”

For Mr. McCoy (Univ. of Iowa), the positive effects of creating art go well beyond a more insular world, reaching far into the mainstream community: “I think it’s about putting quality first and to some degree taking risks outside of the accepted mainstream. The example I often use is of Northwestern University Press—a press that is relatively small, but has been the English language publisher of a few recent Nobel Prize winners.”

Mr. McEvoy continues, “They published books from European authors that no commercial publisher would touch (until they won the Nobel), but they did so because someone saw a need and saw the importance. Those books had a very limited audience initially but now are part of the canon. That’s emblematic of what smaller presses do: identify and give a home to influential material that larger commercial publishers aren’t ready for (for whatever reason).”

Mr. Swanson of Idiot Books says, “Speaking only from my own experience, the importance of the small press community is the opportunity it provides to produce work that wouldn’t ever see the light of day in the commercial book market.”

The consensus among these small press professionals is that commercial publishing offers little opportunity to new voices, to unknown and untried talent, and too often is controlled by marketing decisions. Mr. Britson of Pittsburgh Press agrees, “It’s a very important creative segment of our society which is being overrun by the forces of commercialism and politics in this culture. They [the small presses] provide the oxygen for a lot of readers offering the antidote through inspiration, humor, and solidarity.”

Ms. Gorham (Sarabande) adds, “We serve as launching pads for talented people, who may go on to publish with larger houses, receive tenure track teaching positions, and the like. I think literature would be lost without the efforts of publishers like Dalkey Archive, Copper Canyon (https://www.coppercanyonpress.org/index.asp), Fence (http://www.fenceportal.org/), Coffee House Press (http://www.coffeehousepress.org/), Alice James Books (http://www.alicejamesbooks.org/), etc.”

While some authors do move to larger houses, many happily stay with the small press community. They recognize the quality of what is being produced by these presses and see great value in the loyalty they’ve experienced.

Jeffrey Lependorf (CLMP) states, “Giant publishing conglomerates, by necessity, are slow to change their business models. Smaller publishers can currently experiment with all manner of new publishing models and, simply put, they face a smaller risk of failure. Also, one of the buzzwords now in publishing is ‘reaching vertical markets.’ Small, mission-focused publishers already do this! Because they have been and still are publishing to focused communities (rather than following shifting marketplaces), they are all positioned to benefit most from the current revolution in social network marketing and the shift to digital.”

By all accounts, while the future of commercial publishing is filled with uncertainties, and the dying bookselling giant Borders struggles in bankruptcy, those working in the independent small press community express confidence, conviction, and enthusiasm for the health of their industry, even in today’s market. Judging from the sheer number of offerings at the book fair, their health appears quite robust.

Ms. Lundine of Nebraska Press talks about new opportunities in this difficult time, “It’s a time of changes for sure, but I also think this is an opportunity for small presses to step up and acquire in areas where mainstream publishers are less willing to take risks.”

Gabe Durham (Keyhole Books) is enthusiastic, “The scene’s doing great. I doubt there have ever been this many great magazines and indie presses running simultaneously, both online and in print, and so many of them are well designed now, too. So it’s a golden age in a lot of ways. . . .”

Peter Conners of BOA agrees, “From my vantage point, it’s never been better. It’s an ironic twist that tough economic times can sometimes favor the little guy; in this case, the smaller organizations that can adjust their rudder before the ship hits the iceberg and goes down.”

So the general consensus is that a small operation used to lean budgets and

frugal management will be less hard hit than the commercial publishing industry where success depends on enormous sales.

Ms. Gorham (Sarabande) agrees, “As independents have never relied completely on book sales as a source of income, we are more flexible than commercial houses.”

Many of the independent presses are nonprofit and receive support from grant-making organizations and donors in addition to their book sales. BOA’s support comes from sale of its publication as well as private donations and funding from various grants. University Presses have been supported, in part, by the universities with which they are affiliated. Yes, there have been difficulties in recent years, with granting organizations tightening their belts or with funding drying up completely. But with that flexibility and lean business model, the presses are still moving forward.

James McCoy (Univ. of Iowa Press) sees flexibility and small size as a blessing, “. . . there is a great advantage in being small and nimble especially when it comes to adjusting to the whims of the marketplace, experimenting with new publishing models, and maintaining your editorial integrity. There are so many new ways to publish which democratize the publishing process and that is certainly a sign of health and hope.”

As the giants of commercialized publishing and their giant partners, the mega-store booksellers, struggle under the weight of an outdated model, the good news is that publishing and literature are alive and well.

Investigate the offerings of these small presses, and you will be astonished and thrilled at what you find.

Mr. Britson (Univ. of Pitt. Press) adds, expressing great hope for the future: “As our culture moves online, with English the preferred language, I believe the literary world can only continue expanding into its true potential.”