Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with smallpress

Small press. No, not THAT small.

256 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:47:42 -0800

As a writer trying to press into the next stage of my career, how can I emphasize in my publishing history that "small press" isn't always a euphemism for "vanity press"? Having recently completed the first draft of the manuscript for my debut full-length novel as well as a query package for a non-fiction book, I find myself about to embark on the quest for a literary agent. There is no shortage of general advice, guidance and hearsay on this subject available online, but I have a more specific problem.

It comes in the form of my publication history. I have had a couple of semi-regular paid freelance gigs writing for print lifestyle magazines. I've also made a few fiction sales to minor magazines, both print and online. No problem.

The problem is that I also wrote a novella. I thought it was pretty good, good enough to see print, but I also knew that novellas are a really hard sell. In fact, from an unknown writer, they're an impossible sell.

I lamented this fact (with no ulterior motive; I can be quite dense when it comes to business sense) to a friend of mine who was the proprietor of a successful local independent record label and events promotion company. He asked if he could read the manuscript.

Long story short, his label offered to publish the book, provided that I would come on board without charging a fee to help them make it happen. We signed a contract (which involved no financial risk or obligation on my part) and the label basically dumped some money in my lap and said "bring us a print run."

I then did all the things that someone self publishing with money from their own pocket would do and, in the end arranged for a small perfect bound print run of 500 copies. We had a launch event and I promoted the book online. The label sent me on a reading tour of Canada and the northeastern USA. The books were sold at these events, online, and were on the shelves in a few dozen, mostly independent, bookstores in the USA and Canada.

We ended up selling out completely and having to do a supplementary print run of 250 to meet demand. Eventually, that sold out in entirety as well. Both the label and myself ended up with a decent amount of money in our pockets. It was the first and last book they ever published and the label has since closed down shop.

Anyway, the problem is that there doesn't seem to be any elegant way to compress this nonstandard publication experience into a query letter. On the other hand, I think this is my most significant publishing experience and, when properly framed, reflects quite well on me as both a writer and as someone who is willing to work to promote my own work.

My goal is to:

1. Make it clear that this was not an instance of self-publishing or vanity press.

2. Maintain professionalism by not shoehorning too much autobiography into the query package (as I have done in this post).

3. Most importantly, not misrepresent (or look like I'm trying to misrepresent) this publication as something more than it was.

I fear that if I just list it as "Title of Work," Label, Year as though the label were a conventional publisher the agent or publisher may simply not have heard of, then I'm violating #3. On the other hand, if I do something like "Title of Work," Label (Small Press), Year then I'll be violation #1 unless I violate #2.

Am I overthinking this plate of beans?

How often should I post to maintain an audience?

gusandrews — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:13:08 -0800

I produce a YouTube show about media literacy/criticism. Right now we post weekly, on a schedule which is driving me insane. Does frequency of publishing new content matter (whether it's for a blog, a podcast, a comic, etc) so long as you publish regularly? Could I do it every other week or monthly without losing people's attention? And what do you suggest doing to help make up for less-frequent publishing? I produce a YouTube show about media literacy/criticism which is aimed roughly at high-school- and college-aged students. Right now we post weekly. I've been sticking to this schedule because I've always felt that blogs/webcomics/other online serials which post regularly tend to have a more devoted audience. (This also echoes advice I got when working for an organization which supported small-circulation magazines.)

However, posting weekly is kind of driving me crazy. Editing and shooting video is a hell of a lot more time-consuming than writing a blog post. I'd like to post less frequently, but I'm worried I'd lose audience. A lot of the people I speak to about the show don't seem to have a YouTube account, so using the "subscribe" button is out.

So I'm hoping to gather up the expertise of people who have been doing this for longer than I have. Does frequency of publishing new content matter (whether it's for a blog, a podcast, a comic, etc) so long as you publish regularly? Could I do it every other week or monthly without losing people's attention? And what do you suggest doing to help make up for less-frequent publishing?

A list of independent and underground comics publishers

ZippityBuddha — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:00:22 -0800

Contact information for comics publishers. I make comics, and am looking to get them published. I would like your help in compiling a list of as many book and comics companies which accept submissions, for underground and independent and art comics The sort of comics I make are quite (well, very) niche things, so the sort of people who would even be interested in taking a look at them are very few and far between. Obviously I know about Drawn and Quarterly and Fantagraphics and the like, but finding information on other small press and arts companies (like, say, Redstone Press, who publish David Shrigley's books) can be difficult to find.

So if you know of any publishers, no matter how small (or big), who publish this sort of material, could you list them here?

Favorite small publishers

BigSky — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 09:59:46 -0800

I love finding books and authors who have been forgotten until a long time fan decides to make their work available again through some labor of love small press. Do you know of a publisher that has a somewhat esoteric focus along these lines? Who are they? Fiction or non is fine. It doesn't have to be someone who republishes old books though. If you know a house that has great taste with contemporary authors, go ahead and share. I would also like to hear about small presses that do particularly beautiful editions of good reading books as long as they are reasonably priced (barely breaking a $100). I've got a few examples inside. I'm thinking of publishers like NYRB, Wooden Books and Narrative Press. I'm open to most subjects as long as the prose is good and the writer is insightful. If it's in science and work has advanced past him or over turned some of his theories that's fine. Strict accuracy is not my concern here.

Small Presses in Chicago

agregoli — Tue, 26 Oct 2004 08:05:33 -0800

ChicagoFilter: I'm looking for small presses in Chicago - the type that churn out lots of creative zines, etc. I LIVE here, but I'm having trouble finding where to go to get a good list going. Can anyone point me in the right direction?