Highlighting Small Press Publishers

Books are changing. The publishing world is changing. We're in the middle of a technological revolution which will affect both commerce and art. It's exhilarating, and, like any revolution, a little frightening, because you don't know whose head is going to the chopping block next, or which of today's beggars will be tomorrow's king. Can authors expect more artistic freedom? Or just tyranny to another technology and economy that is different but no better than before?

I'm going to start a new series on my blog, looking at publishers and agents as brands. In genre fiction, such as science fiction and fantasy and romance, you had some of this going on, Tor, DAW, Harlequin... but now that the internet and POD technology is leveling the field, there are hundreds of tiny presses popping up all over the place. Not that there weren't small pubs before, I know there were, but the chances of me, Jane Reader, finding them and ordering from them was miniscule. I used to buy all my fiction browsing a bookstore. Now I buy most of my fiction online, and often find it through social networking. I buy many, MANY more books published by small presses and indie authors than before.

Part of what has changed is that a publisher is now also a bookstore.

I'm going to start this month with Chalet Press. On Friday, I'll review Fins, one of there upcoming titles. (Mermaids! Yay!) At some point this month, I will also review Noah's Wife and Coming Together. And hopefully Joyce Norman will stop by to talk about Chalet.

When I decided to do this series, I started looking at small publishers and I was amazed at how many excellent little publishers there are out there. I just wish I had more time!