The Passion and Pragmatism of the Small Publisher

Abstract

First paragraph: At global book industry events such as the Frankfurt Buchmesse, the London Book Fair, or the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, publishers of all sizes and from most countries share the same space. Some companies occupy more space than others, however, and while there is not always a direct parallel between stand size and company size (be it in terms of title output, financial turnover, market share or employee number), the physical space taken up by companies, plus the performative choices of design and location, replicate in many ways the size and power dynamics of the global industry, as my forthcoming work with Beth Driscoll explores. While publishers inhabit the same publishing ecosystem, there are marked differentials between publishing companies, which are clearly on display at such physical events. This chapter examines the role and (self-)placement of small and independent publishing companies within a 21st century publishing environment, a literary marketplace which is increasingly dominated by large multinational conglomerate publishing companies, and which is both mediated and disrupted by global technology companies.