Indie Publishing Houses 101
Stay on the cutting edge by expanding your horizons beyond the ‘Big Five’
Hi all,
A few weeks ago I had the honor of speaking at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs conference in LA - the best part of which was having so many luminaries from the indie publishing world unable to escape me under one roof. Big moves are being made in this space, especially in response to current events, and it’s producing some truly cutting edge IP.
A huge percentage of what we read in Hollywood comes from the ‘Big Five’ publishing houses; Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, and Simon & Schuster. There’s been quite a lot of conglomeration in the past twenty years, and subsequently there’s a smaller and smaller group of people swaying what the general public reads.
Now that’s disconcerting for us, because (as we know very well in Hollywood) it’s hard for new ideas to bloom in a market where maximizing profits is top priority. Though there are many wonderful people at these big five houses working hard to curb that, let’s branch out and not be forced to wait for the top brass to change their minds.
You probably already know a lot of books out of indie presses. One of the houses listed below recently saw a big bidding war over one of its titles, and another produced a book you’ve definitely seen a LOT of if you’re on booktok.
We know the sheer amount of small publishing houses out there can seem daunting, but worry not! We’ve made you a list of the most active and prolific. If you’re looking for fresh ideas with a big bite, this is the article to read!
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
Best,
TIP