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- Column - From the Trenches - |
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May 6, 2000 Does Size Really Matter? The Big Rise of the Small Press: Part Two By Susan McBride Author of And Then She Was Gone In discussing with authors and editors the subject of small presses vs. big presses, the same theme keeps being voiced: quality vs. quantity. Rob Rosenwald, co-founder of Poisoned Pen Press with his wife, Barbara Peters, neatly sums up what so many others have confirmed: "Big publishing is interested in quantity, and, for many, serves the market well. However, serious readers -and mystery readers in general are serious readers - are at least equally interested in quality." Quality is the keyword for Rosenwald and Peters, and it’s expressed in both the Mission Statement of the Poisoned Pen Press and in their motto: Publishing excellence in mystery. With two Edgar nominations to their credit in just several short years of existence, this is one small press that has earned itself a sterling reputation among readers and authors alike. The idea for Poisoned Pen Press was born in the late 1990s, when Peters, who also owns the well-regarded Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona, noticed that more and more books she wanted to make available to her customers were going out of print. According to Rosenwald, his wife "saw the consolidation that was taking place in New York was leading to a substantial reduction in the number of mid-list authors who were getting into print." Peters also noted that the backlist for many established authors was vanishing. Print-on-demand was in its infancy at the time, and Peters and Rosenwald realized it was this technology that would allow them to revive some of those backlists that had gone MIA. Peters explains that POD allowed them to "set up a book electronically and then avoid large printing and warehousing bills by doing limited runs according to need. Ingram was just beginning to develop its Lightning Print division which offered another advantage: the ability to have its POD books sold as part of its own inventory." Their imprint for these rediscovered and reprinted backlist titles is appropriately called Missing Mysteries, and they were a big hit with readers. Peters and Rosenwald then started receiving inquiries from authors and agents about the possibility of publishing new writers "if we thought they were good enough." Peters explains that the transition into original fiction wasn’t so tricky as some might believe. "Once we had the model going, the advantages of moving into original fiction became obvious and, more than that, desirable, as it can get reviewed, is eligible for awards and, thus, becomes what makes a press visible." While the POD had worked for reprints, it was not the best choice for new works, says Peters. "As we grow, conventional printing is more economical and is mandatory for the original fiction. What is interesting is the ability to move a book back and forth between technologies according to need." Original titles being released by Poisoned Pen Press this year include new author Mari Ulmer’s Midnight at the Camposanto, which is garnering rave reviews, and Two For Joy, the second John the Eunuch historical mystery by Mary Reed and Eric Mayer, whose One For Sorrow debuted to high acclaim in 1999. Reed and Mayer feel fortunate to have been discovered by Poisoned Pen Press, though they approached the house in a unique fashion after learning in a 1998 MWA newsletter that PPP had been nominated for an Edgar for a reference book called A-Z Murder Goes Classic. As Reed tells it, "We thought we’d jot them a line of congratulations and pop in an inquiry while we were at it. We asked if the press was considering fiction. Within an hour or two (email is a wonderful invention!), Barbara Peters confirmed that indeed they were and, not so long after sending further details about One For Sorrow, we received instructions on submitting our manuscript. So we trundled it off to them and, three weeks later, they wrote and said they would like to publish it." It was 13 months later that Reed and Mayer held copies of their first novel in their hands. Reed found their brilliantly colored scarlet cover "stunning" and marvels at the calligraphic chapter headings. But beyond the Poisoned Pen Press’ dedication to quality is a dedication to supporting their authors. Mayer states that "Poisoned Pen has done everything possible to support One For Sorrow. They’ve been exceedingly generous with ARCs and free copies for reviewers, supplied us with postcards and posters for mailings and signings, and made sure the book was listed in catalogs, etc." Peters and Rosenwald seem generous in another way as well. "Our hope for the new authors is that they eventually go on to bigger and more affluent publishers," says Peters. And Poisoned Pen Press itself is seeking relationships with the Goliaths in the field, working in cooperative efforts with presses whose authors are on the PPP list. The future is bright for publishers like Poisoned Pen Press, at least in Barbara Peters’ estimation. "I see nothing but opportunity ahead as big publishers move mysteries mainstream and focus on breaking out, not building, an author," she says. "It gives us a terrific chance to work in the margins, do things they aren’t flexible enough to do, and work with authors in ways unimaginable five years ago. This may be a bad time for publishing in the conventional sense, but it is the best of times to be a small press. Any student of the 18th century publishing world can see we’ve come full circle to the sort of entrepreneurial enterprises that got it all started." Author Eric Mayer offers this encouragement to those considering small presses in these confusing times: "I think writers who want more than a lottery ticket chance for their work, especially if their writing doesn’t fit neatly into some existing marketing niche, should not waste their time on the publishing conglomerates who are only interested in potential sales. Small publishers are almost always born out of a love of books rather than any negligible amount of profit." For more information about Poisoned Pen Press and its books, please visit their web site at www.poisonedpenpress.com. You can ask for a catalog or be added to their mailing list. For authors who wish to inquire about submitting material, see guidelines available online. Rob Rosenwald gives a word of warning, however. "We are a small press. We get a lot of inquiries and look at every one. We don’t move quickly, so if someone needs a speedy reply, we aren’t the right place. A lag time of 3-4 months before hearing anything is not uncommon." Another small publisher using print-on-demand to its advantage is Authorlink Press, headed by Doris Booth, the founder of the award-winning Authorlink web site which debuted in 1996. The goal of the site was "to give writers a better way to market themselves to the big houses in New York and the world," says Booth. So the progression from providing manuscript listings for agents and editors to publishing books seemed a natural one. In 1999, Authorlink launched its own imprint, Authorlink Press. Though they use the technology of print-on-demand, Booth explains "we are very different than a typical POD publisher. First, we aggressively promote our titles to the media, both online and off. We also market our line to booksellers and libraries. And, unlike POD publishers, we actually stock inventory of our titles so they are always available. We distribute through Ingram, but we also have our own printing and fulfillment facility, usually filling bookseller orders within 48 hours. In addition, we have an e-store where consumers can purchase any of our titles." Booth describes Authorlink as "a traditional publisher. To be published by us, you must be selected, as at any other house, and you receive standard royalties for your work. See our submission guidelines available online." Authorlink Press currently has 18 titles in the market. Among recent releases are Don Whittington’s Maggie’s Blue #3, Stephen G. Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth’s Ted Bundy: Conversations With A Killer, and Ginnie S. Bivona’s Ida Mae Tutweiler and the Traveling Tea Party. Bivona had listed Ida Mae with Authorlink prior to Booth starting up the publishing division. But, as soon as the doors of the press were open, Bivona was contracted for the book. Already an author of several cookbooks and an acquisitions editor for the Republic of Texas Press, Bivona realized the importance of marketing her finished product and has begun work on a web site to promote her novel with links to "every other women’s web site I can find." She sees both the good and bad of having been published by a small press which makes use of POD technology. "Unfortunately," she says, "at the present time, POD is viewed by book buyers, book reviewers and others in the industry as nothing more than vanity press turned loose. Reviewers are reluctant to write reviews, the major chains and book distributors are reluctant to stock the books, and the entire industry is at a state of flux over this new way of producing books." However, Bivona sees it as a boon for other new writers. "This is an exciting time in the publishing/bookselling industry," she asserts. "An especially good time for writers. Many more venues for getting published are opening up everyday from on-line magazines and special interest web sites to the major expansion of book stores and on-line booksellers. The industry is booming. It is important that every writer be aware of all the new opportunities arising, almost overnight." Just be wary of what’s out there, says Doris Booth. Watch out for POD and ebook publishers who "are nothing more than vanity houses, who do little or nothing to market or distribute the writer’s work and create huge slushpiles of so-called ‘published’ books. Many sites make more money selling the books to the authors themselves than to the general market." Booth believes that "serious writers will continue to look for traditional publishing opportunities," rather than "falling for the self-publishing game." And publishing is a game, after all, albeit one where the playing field has begun to level. Where the big houses have faltered in seeking out and nurturing true artists with a bent for storytelling, the little guys have stepped in. And don’t underestimate these new, pint-sized presses. Sometimes the best things really do come in small packages. |
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