Tuesday 24 December 2013

Indie Publishing Companies Add Value To Reader Experience

By Harriett Crosby


Many believe independent presses or small presses are an interchangeable title for printing various original works, which is often true. Almost one half of all publishers of books and nearly a third of magazines are produced by this type of industry press around the world. They are often referred to as indie publishing companies and they only print limited-edition books, mostly poetry anthologies, genre fiction and niche fiction and non-fiction books of various styles. They could also run small prints of specialty magazines.

In order to qualify for independent status, a press can in no way be a part of a multinational corporation that publishes books or magazines. A publisher of this nature, in which a small group or individual pours all their time, money and energy into a project they feel is worthy, is not a new concept. It began at the end of the nineteenth century with the Kelmscott Press and the Arts and Crafts Movement, with the help of writer, artist and textile designer William Morris.

The modification of publishers from large corporate to small independent did not happen in a few days' time. Similar to the film industry and the music industry, as equipment improved, so too did the author's needs. Writers wanted more control over their printable words, a small press can give them that control.

Benefits to a writer are extensive when using a small press. Not only do the presses post upfront cash for editing and printing, they also handle all publicity and marketing of the finished product. After that, a writer will be free to do what they do best, write.

Reserving an author's tone is paramount in small publisher's transactions. In addition, the author will retain all rights to their book after the small press runs their contracted amount of prints. For example, if an author is approached by another publisher or a film studio, they are able to sign a contract with either as they retain all rights to their material.

Independent publishers are not going to offer the benefits to an author as self-publishing will, the small presses offer so much more. The vanity publisher will request writers to put money up for a set amount of books or purchase so many books from the first run. In contrast, small presses have a much looser contract. They will pay royalties to the author for the use of their book as they do not own the copyright.

The definition of an independent publisher is one which grosses no more than $50 million per year. This amount is after discounts and returns and is on an average of 10 or fewer titles in a year. There are a couple presses that succeed in printing a couple more each year, but that doesn't disqualify them for small press status.

Printers do exactly that, they print a book any author writes. Their distribution is limited and offered as a print on demand (POD). Essentially, this type of company are not selective and nearly all writers who can pay the fee to become a published author get their words in print. For your book to stand out, search for indie publishing companies.




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