Small Presses Win Big Praise

The eighth annual celebration of Small Press Month this March gives independent booksellers the chance to highlight the values they share with independent publishers -- promoting individual and original expression. "Let Every Voice Be Heard!" is the theme of this year's festivities organized by the Small Press Center (SPC) and the Publishers Marketing Association (PMA).

"We need each other," said Margarita Shalina, small press buyer at St. Mark's Bookshop in New York City, as she described the mutually beneficial relationship between small presses and bookstores. "We try to represent our local small presses. The role they play in publishing is so important. They take chances and publish the ... edgy books. And that's what we're known for."

Shalina said that presses like Akashic, Soft Skull, and Autonomedia publish "very good sellers that fit in well with people who are looking for titles they wouldn't necessarily find elsewhere."

Undoubtedly, there is a symbiotic relationship between small presses and independent bookstores, and SPC hopes that, in March, booksellers will stress this connection, said Karin Taylor, the center's executive director. "We recognize the importance of independent booksellers, who are there for small presses not just for four weeks, but for all 52 weeks of the year," she said. "Independent bookstores, by providing a special focus on small presses through readings, displays, and other events during the month of March, will actively bring more attention to the diverse books of independent publishers, generating interest and sales."

Jeff Bryan, owner of La Alameda Press in Albuquerque, New Mexico, echoed Taylor's appreciation of independent booksellers' role in promoting independent publishers. "When the press first started it was local independent bookstores who championed our first book and created a groundswell of interest. It's the nature of small presses, that they don't have a large advertising budget, so we rely on the knowledge and goodwill of independent bookstores to help publicize the books. Their help is integral."

Among the events planned to celebrate Small Press Month is "How to Get Published Day," on Tuesday, March 4, when many publishers and published small-press writers will be speaking at local bookstores and libraries, providing tips on the publishing process. Additionally, SPC has compiled a bibliography of books on getting published, which bookstores can use as a guide for creating a "How to Get Published" book display. (For the SPC's bibliography, click here.)

On March 27 and 28, SPC will host the Small Press Fair at the Small Press Center in midtown Manhattan. Over 200 independent book and magazine publishers will take part, and special events include literary panels and book arts demonstrations.

To mark Small Press Month, Changing Hands in Tempe, Arizona, will present displays of titles from small to medium presses that will be rotated weekly, according to the store's director of marketing, Pinna Joseph. "We try to represent all presses," said Joseph. "In communicating with the public, we describe ourselves as 'celebrating independent minds.' One of the ways that we do this is to carry books from independent presses that would appeal to our customers and represent a voice that may depart somewhat from the mainstream. We support independent thinking." Throughout March, Changing Hands will host readings with authors from small to medium presses including Lyons Press, Harbour Press, New World Library, and South End Press.

In Buffalo, New York, Talking Leaves Books will hang posters with the "Let Every Voice Be Heard!" theme, post a statement about the importance of small presses, create a display table, and offer a week-long sale on books published by independent presses, said co-owner Jonathon Welch. "To us, as the people who operate the store, small presses are absolutely essential, so we pay a lot of attention to them because they're the backbone of what we try to do. By putting a special exclamation point on them by highlighting them [during Small Press Month], we let our customers know that they're something special."

For more information on Small Press Month, including a list of suggestions for bookstores and libraries to do to mark the event, go to www.smallpress.org. Free "Let Every Voice Be Heard!" posters can be ordered by calling PMA at (310) 373-2732. --Karen Schechner