According to Bowker’s Books in Print 2007, there are currently 72,000 book publishers in the US. Every year, 11,000 new publishers apply for International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs). Given that there are about 280,000 new books published every year and many of them by the few big conglomerates, that hardly leaves one or fewer titles per year for small publishers and micro presses.
Net Sales Revenues of Independent Publishers Estimated at 18 Billion
The sheer numbers of small presses make them a force to be reckoned with: According to the Book Industry Study Group’s 2008 edition of Book Industry Trends, the comprehensive resource for U.S. book publishing and unit sales, publishers’ total net revenues in 2007 reached $37 billion. The small publishers’ exact share of this huge figure is hard to track because of their new, innovative sales channels, direct sales and sheer numbers, but industry experts estimate it to be half!
For Judith Appelbaum, Managing Director, Sensible Solutions, in the Publishing Trends’April 2003 article “The Tao of Small,” the multitude of small presses means that “people are reading more and buying more than we give them credit for. … [For larger publishers] it always pays to know who your competition is. If you think your competition is six people who are just like you – and if it’s really 73,000 people who are not – then you should probably be doing something differently.”
What Keeps the Many Independent Publishing Houses Going?
It might actually be the other way around - the small publishers might be what keeps book publishing going. They know how to do one thing, namely find the niche that the big players are missing, either because they cannot or do not want to cater to it. Poetry, for example, is a traditional niche topic but also politically risky and non-mainstream theories, specialized consumer-health research and regional topics.
Plus, the entrepreneurial ‘90s especially were conducive for the advent of small presses for a variety of reasons:
- Desktop publishing brought the whole publishing process to the home office;
- improved print-on-demand (POD) technology allowed for small print runs and on-demand reprints;
- the Internet transitioned from presentation medium to effective sales and marketing tool;
- chain bookstores were ready to taken on even small publishers initially
- ISBN numbers can be obtained easily and, encouragingly, come in packs of ten.
Small Press Distribution Solutions
Innovation is the need of the hour for small publishers and nowhere is this more apparent than for distribution. Publishing and marketing books is only part of the package; books also need to get into the hands of the end consumers. The big wholesalers and distributors soon found out that taking on small and micro presses was as much work as taking on big accounts, minus equivalent revenue, which is why they soon discouraged small publishers.
This situation has led to a host of innovative small press distribution strategies, first and foremost the formation of different distribution networks geared for small press needs such as Independent Publishers Group, Publishers Group West, National Book Network’s Biblio, the Publishers Marketing Association, Baker & Taylor’s Distribution Solutions Group, Consortium, Small Press Distribution and various nonprofit wholesalers.
Other small press distribution solutions are:
- direct and special sales outside of trade bookselling channels, for example to outlets like health food stores, gyms, professional associations and museum shops;
- marketing through non-traditional digital channels like social networking (Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and others);
- tying up with reading groups and local interest groups;
- contacting college professors for course adoptions;
- approaching the academic market.
Small Press Book Fairs
For a publisher with just a handful of specialized titles in its program, it makes little sense to spend money on the big book fairs where registration fees are high and the audience is untargeted. That’s why small press consortia share booth space or organize their own, specialized book fairs.
Throughout the year, there are many local, regional and national small press book fairs that promote the cause of independent publishing to the public. Another promotional event is Small Press Month in March that aims to showcase the diversity and uniqueness of voices published by independent presses.
Challenges for Small Publishers
The biggest strength of the small press is also its biggest weakness – getting niche books out to the consumers. Often, they or the topics they deal with become so popular that they get swallowed by the bigger houses – today’s niche is tomorrow’s mainstream. Therefore, small presses are challenged to constantly look for the next niche.
Jeffrey Lependorf, Executive Director, Council of Literary Magazines and Presses, in the same Publishing Trends’ article, sums up the situation for small publishers nicely when bringing the situation of the 800 independent literary presses in his database to the point: “At least 200 or 300 of these are brand new and will probably not make it beyond a season … Small presses are like restaurants.”
For more information about publishing and industry stats, read about free online resources, learn about ISBNs and publishing processes: what publishers do.
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