Where to discover good books published "outside the gates"
February 6, 2020 4:26 AM Subscribe
After reading the piece Adventures in Publishing Outside the Gates, I'm curious about where I can find books like the one the author wrote - well-written, interesting books that stand on their own merits and/but didn't get the publishing industry's publicity treatment for other reasons. I'm not clear on whether lists of books that have won literary awards are useful (enough) for this or if books tend to need the industry's publicity machine behind them to be considered for most awards, too. (Specific recommendations are fine but I'm particularly curious about lists/general strategies.)
Response by poster: The latter - the publishing status is irrelevant. (Ortiz's book was published by a very small publisher, which she says made publicity hard because she didn't have galleys far in advance, or multiple copies to send out to contests. I'm not very familiar with the publishing industry, though.)
posted by needs more cowbell at 4:53 AM on February 6, 2020
posted by needs more cowbell at 4:53 AM on February 6, 2020
I usually look for online articles that list books by people who are usually sidelined. "Best Historical fiction by black writers" etc.
I don't find awards all that helpful.
posted by Zumbador at 5:05 AM on February 6, 2020
I don't find awards all that helpful.
posted by Zumbador at 5:05 AM on February 6, 2020
I know folks who read with goals like this, and a good strategy is to find a small press publisher who's produced things you like and watch their list. While gatekeepers (agents, editors, publishers) who decide what gets to the market are often the instruments of oppression, they are also serving a useful purpose, in that they are finding the quality books among the many, many not-great work out there.
So you start with your taste--like, say, the author of that article. If you liked her book, look at the other books by that publisher, because they might have taste you agree with. Then you can also take the authors you find that way, read their blogs and reviews and articles, and find other authors/presses that way.
posted by gideonfrog at 5:13 AM on February 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
So you start with your taste--like, say, the author of that article. If you liked her book, look at the other books by that publisher, because they might have taste you agree with. Then you can also take the authors you find that way, read their blogs and reviews and articles, and find other authors/presses that way.
posted by gideonfrog at 5:13 AM on February 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
The Morning News Tournament of Books Long List usually includes an interesting mix of high-profile and low-profile books. Small Beer Press, Graywolf Press and Milkweed Editions are excellent smaller publishers. Some book awards tilt towards the very high-profile books, but some don't; there's a lot of small-press stuff on the honor list for the Otherwise Award, for example (for science fiction that explores/expands gender.) Consider also the PEN translation prize, if only because translations almost never get as much publicity as they deserve.
Following small-press authors on Twitter is also an excellent way to get recommendations - authors are connected to each other and will hustle on each other's behalf, so following one good author also gets me recommendations for their friends' books and their friends' friends' books.
posted by Jeanne at 7:41 AM on February 6, 2020
Following small-press authors on Twitter is also an excellent way to get recommendations - authors are connected to each other and will hustle on each other's behalf, so following one good author also gets me recommendations for their friends' books and their friends' friends' books.
posted by Jeanne at 7:41 AM on February 6, 2020
If you don't live near a small independent bookstore with a staff recommendations wall, I'd suggest keeping tabs on r/booklists and Lit Hub Daily for a steady mix of publishing machine hype but also weird one-off lists / articles you can focus on for this.
posted by Wobbuffet at 9:41 AM on February 6, 2020
posted by Wobbuffet at 9:41 AM on February 6, 2020
Emilybooks.com
Very sadly they are closing up shop. They published primarily women authors who are not following the rules. But their website and catalog is a great place to start.
posted by namemeansgazelle at 9:59 AM on February 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Very sadly they are closing up shop. They published primarily women authors who are not following the rules. But their website and catalog is a great place to start.
posted by namemeansgazelle at 9:59 AM on February 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
If you're looking for recommendations, I highly recommend books from Forest Avenue Press, Central Avenue Press, and check Publisher's Group West for their distributed lines. Also university presses sometimes have some great fiction.
posted by lyssabee at 10:04 AM on February 6, 2020
posted by lyssabee at 10:04 AM on February 6, 2020
Another small press worth following is Goose Lane, "Canada's oldest independent publisher."
posted by crazy with stars at 10:56 AM on February 6, 2020
posted by crazy with stars at 10:56 AM on February 6, 2020
In the NYT series By the Book, they usually ask the author being interviewed: What is your favorite book no one else has heard of? I've found some very interesting books through that question and the subsequent answers.
posted by anggna at 1:58 PM on February 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by anggna at 1:58 PM on February 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Read LitHub and Electric Literature. If you like something you read there, check out the author.
posted by Miss T.Horn at 8:34 PM on February 6, 2020
posted by Miss T.Horn at 8:34 PM on February 6, 2020
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posted by Zumbador at 4:46 AM on February 6, 2020