smalltimereads | Entries tagged with small press spotlight

Who are they?
In their own words: "Soho Press is an independent book publisher based in Manhattan. Founded in 1986, Soho publishes 80-90 books a year across its Soho Press, Soho Crime and Soho Teen lists, and is known for introducing bold literary voices, award-winning international crime fiction, and groundbreaking young adult fiction."

Soho Press covers a variety of genres and seems to have a fairly solid catalogue. At 80-90 books a year, it's not a small-small press, and the editors seem to be good at picking their authors.

Website and Store
Honestly I don't love the website- the coloring and font choices are nice, but it's fairly cluttered and navigating it is a pain in the butt. When you click into the store it gives you multiple browsing options, including by imprint, which I do like. The website provides the option to buy direct from the publisher or from a retailer, and I'm a fan of that too. It's still very cluttered though.

Soho Press also offers two subscription options, one for Soho Crime and one for Soho Teen (or maybe not for Soho Teen- it's listed as an option but when you click on the link it says Page Not Found). For a monthly fee you get one book a month and a variety of other things (events, bookplates, etc) as available.

Have I heard of/read any of their books?
I've read a number of them! The Liar and Making History by Stephen Fry, History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera, Come Closer by Sara Gran, Slough House by Mick Herron (which I read last year and apparently didn't check the publisher for), and more. And I've heard of even more of their books.

Anything else?
Not particularly! They have a solid catalogue. I wasn't able to find a lot of articles about Soho Press or interviews with staff, which was surprising considering how long it's been around, but I also just did a quick search (same as I do with all SPS).

(I also have a review to write but here's the last SPS of the year first!)

Who are they?
In their own words: "Catapult publishes award-winning fiction and nonfiction of the highest literary caliber, offers writing classes taught by acclaimed emerging and established writers, produces an award-winning daily online magazine of narrative nonfiction and fiction, and hosts an open online platform where writers can showcase their own writing, find resources, and get inspired."

Catapult is an independent publisher and literary magazine run by Elizabeth Koch. Catapult books have won a bunch of awards. The books include essay and story collections, anthologies, and translated works, as well as English-language novels and nonfiction books. Catapult has the imprint Black Balloon Books, which does some really interesting format stuff. The company also bought Counterpoint, an independent publisher formed from three smaller publishers (Soft Skull Press, Counterpoint Press, and Shoemaker & Hoard) in 2016. The Catapult website doesn't list Soft Skull as an imprint, but Soft Skull does mention Catapult on its "About" page regarding printing permissions.

Website and Store
When you first see the website, the screen mostly consists of articles/essays/stories for its "digital daily magazine." It also has links to its online classes. Somewhere in the middle of this, once you scroll down some, are links to its new books. The navigation bar at the top is clearly labeled, though, and you can navigate to their catalogue by clicking the "Books" icon fairly easily.

Once you navigate to their catalogue, they have a link to their Spring 2022 catalogue for a preview of upcoming books, and further down their current releases. If you see a title you like and want to buy, there are several large links to buy from other book sellers. It's definitely not my favorite format, but it's not hideous and it is fairly straightforward to navigate. Although they don't appear to actually list all the book they have published?

Have I heard of/read any of their books?
I did read Love is an Ex-Country by Randa Jarrar earlier this year! And I've also heard of Fake Accounts by Lauren Oyler (I see it in my library's new books section a lot, but I have a massive list of books I want to read). I've also heard of Sankofa by Chibundu Onuzu; Brother, Sister, Mother, Explorer by Jamie Figueroa; The Weak Spot by Lucie Elven; and White Tears/Brown Scars by Ruby Hamad. And I see that there's a memoir by Sofia Samatar, which I didn't know about but now want to read- I love Samatar's writing.

Anything else?
Yep! The CEO's name might sound familiar- that's because she's one of those Kochs.There's an interesting article about it here. I am in favor of independent publishers, and setting up a business like that definitely isn't free, but having that kind of money in publishing is definitely...something.

Who are they?
In their own words: "Tin House expands the boundaries of what great literature can do.

Publisher of award-winning books of literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry; home to a renowned workshop and seminar series; and partner of a critically acclaimed podcast, Tin House champions writing that is artful, dynamic, and original. We are proud to publish and promote writers who speak to a wide range of experience, and lend context and nuance to their examination of our world."

Tin House started as a literary magazine in 1999, and expanded into book publishing in 2002, and established itself as an independent press (rather than an imprint of a larger publisher) in 2005. It publishes roughly two dozen books a year, generally (as they say) literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. A quick look at their catalog shows that they tend to publish authors residing in the US, but there could be more variety.

Website and Store
The website is pretty easy to navigate, and clear. It's a WordPress site, and allows users to filter by fiction/nonfiction/poetry, with big attractive covers and the title/author clearly labeled beneath. Navigating to the Authors page provides a list of Tin House-published authors, and clicking on an author gives you a bio and links to their Tin House books.

Like Europa, the store portion of the website sends you to other websites/storefronts for the actual purchase portion.

Have I heard of/read any of their books?
I've heard of White Magic by Elissa Washuta (I've heard good things about it too!). Earlier this year I read Famous Men Who Never Lived by K Chess, and I've also read The Changeling by Joy Williams.

Anything else?
Not particularly! Apparently the workshop staff are very receptive to criticism, which is something. They closed down the literary magazine a few years ago, but as a book publisher they seem to be all right.

Who are they?
In their own words: "Europa Editions is an independent publisher of quality fiction. The company was founded in 2005 by Sandro Ferri and Sandra Ozzola Ferri, who are also the owners and publishers of the Italian press, Edizioni E/O. The idea behind the creation of Europa Editions was to capitalize on Edizioni E/O’s deep roots in European publishing to bring fresh international voices to the American and British markets and to provide quality editions that have a distinct look and consistently high levels of editorial standards. The Europa catalog is eclectic, reflecting the founders’ belief that dialogue between nations and cultures is of vital importance and that this exchange is facilitated by literature chosen not only for its ability to entertain and fascinate but also to inform and enlighten. "

Europa Editions has a lot of translated books, which is kind of their specialty. They also have a "World Noir" section, which looks interesting, and also reminds me of Akashic Books' [Country] Noir line, although I believe that features work specifically written for the line whereas the Europa books are licensed/acquired. They also have the Europa Compass line, which is non-fiction.

Website and Store
The website is very attractive! Bold font, nice colors, easy to navigate. Biggest complaint, appearance-wise, is the mixture of serif and san serif fonts, which is a personal gripe. There's a map on the homepage showing the number of authors published from each region, which is pretty cool.

You can sort books by the region they're from, which is interesting. The store is basically a list of books divided into pages, which is fine, if not particularly interesting. If you actually want to buy one of their books, however, the website links you to other online storefronts. I guess it saves the company from having to deal with packing/shipping logistics.

Have I heard of/read any of their books?
Yep! Their biggest author is probably Elana Ferrante, who I've definitely heard of even if I have yet to read any of her work. I've also heard of The Elegance of the Hedgehog and Breasts and Eggs. I've read A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos, but haven't got around to the sequels yet.

Anything else?
Apparently all their covers are designed by the same person, and are designed to be structurally/fontwise the same, which I think is cool.

This is last month's Small Press Spotlight

Who are they?
In their own words: "Founded in 1995, Tachyon Publications LLC is a publisher of smart science fiction, fantasy, and horror, as well as mysteries, memoirs, young adult, and literary fiction. We champion the creative storytelling of authors who inspire us through intelligent prose and imaginative worlds. Our titles are consistently unique, thought-provoking, and entertaining."

Tachyon Publications is based in California, and while they do publish a variety of genres, their specialty is SFF, especially anthologies and short story collections. They have a number of award-winning authors publishing with them.

Website and Store
The website is clean and slightly old-fashioned looking, and while it's not super interesting too look at, it gets the job done.

The store has options to search by All/eBooks/New/Forthcoming/Originals/Anthologies/Bestsellers. "All" is sorted alphabetically, with good-size covers of each book and the author, title, and price listed below each. When you click on a title, it takes you to a description of the book, options to buy, and other details about the book and author.

Have I heard of/read any of their books?
A bunch of them! The Peter S. Beagle books, Apocalypse Nyx, the Patricia A. McKillip books, Falling in Love with Hominids...They're pretty good at picking books.

Anything else?
There's not a lot about them online that I've seen, which I think is kind of weird, but they definitely exist and I don't have much to add.

Not quite the last day of the month, but cutting it close!

Who are they?
In their own words: "Graywolf Press is a nonprofit literary publisher of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and work in translation."

Graywolf Press is a Minnesota-based independent publisher. It started publishing poetry, but has grown to publish nonfiction and fiction as well. It has been very successful, with a lot of critical acclaim and awards. The company is small, but offers paid internships and fellowships every year.

It also has two prizes- the Graywolf Nonfiction Prize, offered to American authors; and the Graywolf Press Africa Prize, for African authors "primarily residing in Africa."

Website and Store
The website is clean and clear, with bold font and a general color scheme of black/gray/red on white. The front page gets a little busy as you scroll down.

The store is divided by genre (fiction/poetry/non-fiction) and "featured" books. The cover for each book is prominently displayed, with the title, author, and date of release under each cover. Graywolf doesn't do direct distribution, but it provides links to purchase its books at various outlets. It doesn't advertise its ebook versions, but the outlets do provide links to them if they exist.

Have I heard of/read any of their books?
Boy, have I! This year I read In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado, and it's one of my top books of the year. I've also heard of Her Body and Other Parties, also by Carmen Maria Machado; The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson; The Adderall Diaries by Stephen Elliott; Blackass by A Igoni Barrett; and more.

Anything else?
Not really! It seems like a solid press with a lot of good books.

Who are they?
In their own words: "An independent literary publisher since 1917."

Usually I use the first snippet of a publisher's 'About' section, but the 'Our Story' is a timeline, and the 'Our Imprints' section isn't the overview I usually use for this part, so. The tagline it is!

Grove Atlantic is a literary publisher with a lot of notable authors and books in its catalogue. It has six imprints: Grove Press, which publishes literature, poetry, drama, translated fiction, and nonfiction; Atlantic Monthly Press, which...also publishes literature?; Black Cat, which publishes mass market paperback versions of classics; Grove Press UK, for UK publishing; The Mysterious Press, now defunct; and Roxanne Gay Press, announced in May 2021, which will publish a limited number of titles handled by Roxanne Gay.

Website and Store
The website is pretty clean looking, with spotlights on different authors and books. You can browse by category, imprint, and theme, which is pretty cool.

The store has links to buy the books in hardback, paperback, and ebook versions, all through third-party sellers rather than through the publisher itself. It's easy to navigate, though, with the cover, title, and author all visible as you go through the massive catalogue.

Have I heard of/read any of their books?
Boy, howdy. Just going to throw out a few: Earthlings and Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata; The Human Zoo by Sabina Murray; Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W Montiz; Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson; The Bird King by G Willow Wilson; and Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi. And all that is just in the past few years.

Anything else?
They have a lot going on! Definitely one of the bigger 'small presses' on here.

Who are they?
In their own words: "EREWHON BOOKS is a new independent publisher focusing on novel-length works of speculative fiction: science fiction, fantasy, and related genres.

At Erewhon, our mission is to publish thoughtful, groundbreaking, and unforgettable books that go straight to the reader’s heart, effortlessly strange stories that take readers on powerful emotional journeys. We embrace the liminal and unclassifiable and champion the unusual, the uncanny, and the hard-to-define."

Erewhon Books started publishing in 2020, and thus has a fairly small catalogue and not a lot of information about them compared to some of the other independent publishers I've looked at. Their submissions page occasionally opens to unsolicited submissions, and although they focus on adult SFF novels, they are apparently also open to graphic novels, nonfiction, and anthologies. They have a pretty experienced team. I haven't seen anything on authors' experience with Erewhon, but the staff did an AMA on Reddit about getting started during the pandemic.

Website and Store
The website is clean and mostly well designed, although they recently shifted from having all their books listed together to dividing them up by publishing year, which I'm personally not a fan of. Erewhon doesn't have its own store, so links to other sellers are listed with each book. It's a little unwieldy, but it is very easy to navigate. They do have a lovely logo, too.

Have I heard of/read any of their books?
The Scapegracers was on my list of anticipated reads for last year, even though I didn't get around to reading it until this year. And, of course, Erewhon published one of my favorite books of the year, Folklorn. I've also heard good things about The Midnight Bargain by CL Polk. They seem to have a pretty good catalogue!

Anything else?
I have one more ARC I requested through NetGalley to read, and it's for an Erewhon book. I'm really looking forward to the Scapegracers sequel. I hope the company continues to do well.

Please read Folklorn

Who are they?
In their own words: "Two Dollar Radio is a family-run outfit founded in 2005 with the mission to reaffirm the cultural and artistic spirit of the publishing industry.
We aim to do this by presenting bold works of literary merit, each book, individually and collectively, providing a sonic progression that we believe to be too loud to ignore."

Two Dollar Radio is a Columbus, Ohio-based publisher specializing in literary fiction and nonfiction. They publish about 5-6 books per year, with a lot of those being debuts. They put out Frequencies Journal, collections of nonfiction essays, and distribute for another press, Sator Press, and its imprint Satyr Press. Together, Two Dollar Radio and Sator Press are doing a literary award, the Sator New Works Award, for trans/nonbinary authors.

They also take unsolicited submissions, and have a low read price for manuscripts to widen the socioeconomic pool of applicants.

Website and Store
The website is busy, but not uncomfortably so. It's fairly easy to navigate and features its books at almost every opportunity. I'm not a fan of the catalogue layout, which features a big blurb for each book and a much smaller description of what the book is actually about, and the description isn't always that clear (ex: "A melancholic and savage look at friendship.") You have to click on the book to get the actual synopsis. Great for clickthroughs, annoying

They sell both hardcopies and ebooks. The prices aren't immediately visible- you have to click on the book you're interested in to see the price. One nice thing they do is "Purchase with Purpose," in which all or part of the author's proceeds from the sale go to charities.

Have I heard of/read any of their books?
I think I'd heard of They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib before, but I'm not 100% sure- my memory isn't the best and it's one of their biggest books. The title is great, though, and I'm definitely interested in reading it. Other than that, I hadn't heard of any of their titles.

Anything else?
Two Dollar Radio also makes movies??? Good for them. Their brick-and-mortar store also has a full bar and a vegan cafe. They're a busy bunch, and seem super passionate about what they do. Also, a lot of their covers are super rad.

Who are they?
In their own words: "Dzanc Books was created in 2006 to advance great writing and to impact communities nationally with our efforts to promote literary readership and advocacy of creative writing workshops and readings offered across the country."

Dzanc books is a Michigan-based non-profit organization that, on top of publishing fiction and non-fiction, runs literary programs and contests, and runs the literary magazines Unsaid and The Collagist. They also have an imprint that focuses on reprinting old books. They publish literary fiction, and are really good about publishing ebooks, which not all independent publishers are.

Website and Store
The website is very stylish! It's easy to navigate and has appealing pictures of their covers that show the title, author, and price when you hover over them.

They sell hard copies and ebooks (I can't be bothered to verify if there are books available in one form and not another), and as mentioned above, they have a very good ebook selection. They also have the 'Ebook Book Club' where, for $5/mo you get an ebook a month, or access to their entire ebook collection for $100..

Have I heard of/read any of their books?
I read The Archive of Alternate Endings by Lindsay Draeger earlier this year! They also have a book by Zakhar Prilepin- haven't heard of the book, but I've heard of Prilepin and he's, uh...pretty pro-the annexation of Crimea. Other than that, not really. I do have a list now of books I'd like to check out!

Anything else?
There was a controversy in 2019 over a book, The Siege of Tel Aviv, being Islamophobic. The book's publication was cancelled after. Aside from that, I've only heard good things about Dzanc.

Also, the pronunciation is apparently 'duh-zaank' or 'duh-zaynk,' which I would not have guessed. I've been pronouncing it 'dzaank'.

Who are they?
In their own words: "Lethe Press is an independent publishing house specializing in the strange, the eerie, and the uncanny. Many of our books do have queer interest but we've grown into speculative fiction for all readers. Named after the Greek river of memory and forgetfulness, Lethe Press is devoted to ideas that are often neglected or forgotten by mainstream publishers. Founded in 2001 by author Steve Berman, Lethe Press has grown steadily to become one of the larger gay presses."

Lethe Press has been going for about two decades, which is pretty good for a smaller press. The majority of its output seems to be queer genre fiction, which is pretty cool. They have an imprint, Tincture, for LGBT authors of color. It's very old-school gay, if that makes any sense.

Website and Store
The website is simultaneously pretty clean and kind of dated in a way I can't describe. It makes me think of a better website made in the mid-to-late 2000s. It's easy to navigate, though, and I like the pictures for the different types of books- they have multiple genres, trans/genderqueer specific books, anthologies, poetry, contemporary romance, YA, erotica, and nonfiction.

Their ebooks are almost all purchasable through SmashWords, and there are several options about where to purchase each book on that book's page. It's not consistent, but it's not difficult to figure out, either.

Have I heard of/read any of their books?
Back when I was still a teen, I remember reading about Vintage: A Ghost Story. It's one of the first gay books I remember hearing about, and although I still haven't read it (I couldn't find a copy for years), I recently bought the ebook of the 13th anniversary edition.

I have also heard of the Mariposa series by Rigoberto Gonzalez, and the Astreiant books by Melissa Scott. There are a number of authors I know, as well, such as Tanith Lee, Ruthanna Emrys, Chaz Brenchley, and Erastes

Anything else?
Unfortunately, while I was looking into Lethe, I saw that last year there were multiple complaints that Berman, the head of Lethe, had not paid royalties (or paid them late), and not paid contractors. Apparently the payment issues are not new, and are likely continuing, despite the fact Lethe is actually doing fairly well. There are also complaints that Berman has acted unprofessionally and in a retaliatory manner. It sucks, because a lot of gay presses have gone under, and Lethe has managed to stay afloat all this time, and there have been some solid sounding books to come out of the press recently (I really want to read Everyone on the Moon is Essential Personnel), but I also don't want to support that kind of behavior.

"Reverse-gentrification of the literary world"- Akashic Books motto

Who are they?
In their own words: "Akashic Books is a Brooklyn-based independent company dedicated to publishing urban literary fiction and political nonfiction by authors who are either ignored by the mainstream, or who have no interest in working within the ever-consolidating ranks of the major corporate publishers."

Akashic Books was founded in 1997 by Johnny Temple, who used to play bass for post-hardcore punk bands. Most references I've found list Temple as the founder of Akashic, while this article lists him as "co-founder," with Ibrahim Ahmad as fellow co-founder. Akashic specializes in literary fiction and nonfiction, and has a lot of Black and Caribbean authors. It has imprints for children and young adults (Black Sheep; LyricPop), nonfiction about grief (Gracie Bell), new Caribbean authors (Peekash Press), and more.

Website and Store
The website is busy, but pretty easy to navigate. The publisher's social media is very easy to find, and the books and authors are front and center. There isn't a central store- you have to click through to each book to buy direct from the publisher.

Their ebook selection is limited, which is unfortunate, but I know that formatting and licensing ebooks is a whole thing, so I'm sure there are reasons for it. In terms of actual book selections, there is a wide variety, with books categorized in more general terms, such as Nonfiction, Mysteries & Crime, and Young Adult/Middle Grade, as well as more specific categories such as Black Interest, GLBT Interest, Caribbean Interest, etc. Akashic also has a series called the Noir series, which is comprised of anthologies of crime stories focused around specific locations such as Brooklyn, Addis Ababa, Delhi, Indian Country, Manila, and more. From a brief glance at a few of the anthologies, it looks like they try and get authors from the locations as well, which is cool.

Have I heard of/read any of their books?
At this time, Akashic's most well known book is probably "Go the Fuck to Sleep" by Adam Mansbach, after an ARC was circulated through email back in 2011. So I have heard of that!

I've read the first of the Changers series by Allison Glock-Cooper and T Cooper, although I never got around to the other three. I've also read Rivers Solomon's An Unkindness of Ghosts.

I've seen good reviews for A Tall History of Sugar by Curdella Forbes, and I'm interested in reading Creatures of Passage by Morowa Yejide when it comes out.

Anything else?
When reading this article, one thing that stood out to me was the section on the financial model of Akashic: "While Akashic author advances are predictably modest—usually under $5,000, rarely more than $10,000—once all project-related expenses are recouped, the author and publisher split profits 50-50, a sharp departure from most publishing contracts." Also, apparently most of Akashic's staff has been with them for a long time, which indicates a good work environment. It's just one article from 2018, but I like that Akashic seems to take care of its authors and employees.

Small Beer Press is the first indie press I remember being aware of as an indie press, so I thought I'd start with it.

Who are they?
In their own words: "We started Small Beer Press in 2000, after putting out a do-it-yourself zine, and working for years in independent bookstores, in order to publish the kind of books we loved handselling. We publish literary fiction, innovative fantastic fiction, and classic authors whom you just may have missed the first time around. In our catalog, you’ll find first novels, collections both satisfying and surreal, critically acclaimed, award-winning writers, and exciting talents whose names you may never have heard, but whose work you’ll never be able to forget."

Small Beer Press was started by Kelly Link and Gavin Grant. It has two imprints- Big Mouth Books and Peapod Classics, as well as a bi-annual zine, Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet, and chapbooks highlighting short fiction writers. They have some great authors, and their books have won the Shirley Jackson Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Arthur C Clarke Award, the Locus Award, etc., as well as being on multiple top ten/best book of the year lists. Awards aren't everything, but SBP has done a good job at picking the books they publish.

Website and Store
The SBP website is not the sexiest website, but it is pretty straightforward to navigate- lots of clearly labeled links. It took me a few tries to find the quote in the "Who are they?" section, but everything else is findable without much issue. The website does a really good job highlighting their books- links to their book and store section, as well as individual books, are everywhere.

The store is very easy to navigate- there are options for trade paperback and trade cloth editions, and their ebooks are sold through indie ebook store Weightless Books. The store uses PayPal, and shipping within the US is free (Apparently it's about $23 for international shipping, because it's through USPS and that's what they charge). What is really cool is the "remainders" section, which sells less-than-perfect copies for a discount. As someone who prefers paperbacks and used books, having the option to buy a book I won't feel bad for messing up is great.

Have I heard of/read any of their books before?
I didn't pay attention to publishers until recently, and I suspect I've read more indie press books, or at least heard of them, than I realize. So that's what this section is meant to highlight.

I have! I first became aware of Small Beer Press when I read Sofia Samatar's A Stranger in Olondria, which I absolutely loved. Below is a list of SBP books I've heard of, with the title bolded if I've read them:

In Other Lands - Sarah Rees Brennan
The Elemental Logic series - Laurie J Marks
The Winged Histories - Sofia Samatar
Archivist Wasp - Nicole Kornher-Stace
Get in Trouble - Kelly Link
North American Lake Monsters - Nathan Ballingrud
A Stranger in Olondria - Sofia Samatar
Under the Poppy - Kathe Koja
Redemption in Indigo - Karen Lord
Pretty Monsters - Kelly Link
Magic for Beginners - Kelly Link

Anything else?
As I said at the beginning, Small Beer Press is the first independent press I became aware of as "This is an independent press," and it's been great. I don't follow it closely, but if I see a book has been published by them, I'll definitely look at it twice.

As I keep writing these (I have a list of at least ten other small presses at the moment), the format will probably change and hopefully get better, but hopefully this is a decent start.