Small Press Distribution, out of Berkeley, California, is the largest distributor of independent literature in America. The SPD catalogue is published biannually and reaches over eleven thousand universities, bookstores and libraries. The most current catalogue can be viewed online here. A print version of the current catalogue may be requested here. Orders from SPD may be placed online, by telephone, by post, or in person from their website here.
WC: How many “small” presses apply to be represented by SPD each year? What percentage of those presses who apply are accepted?
LM: The number of presses that apply each year varies quite a lot. I would estimate between 150 to 250, though it can be more. We accept 30-35 new publishers a year, so that is somewhere between 12% and 25% or more of publishers who apply are accepted.
Standards For Publishers And Books
WC: What criterion do you use to decide which presses to represent? Why are some presses accepted while others are rejected?
LM: We want the decision to work well for both the publisher and for SPD. I look for well-designed books, perfect bound, with an ISBN. Now we look for a bar code as well. It’s nice if there are blurbs or some indication that the publisher is thinking about marketing the book beyond their immediate community. Importantly I also look for a community and context for the books. We need to know there are people out there who will want the book.
WC: What book qualities do publications by accepted presses embody? What book qualities do rejected presses embody?
LM: We usually don’t take self-published work because it doesn’t work with our structure for there to be only one author. Also we prefer to deal with publishers rather than authors. We don’t usually take on journals (unless the publisher also does books by individual authors) because journal sales don’t do well through SPD. Again, I look for well made books that already have a community. I think the publishers we accept are both practical and visionary in their approach to publishing. You really need both qualities!
WC: What kinds of things can “small” presses do to increase sales of their titles? What kinds of things can “small” press authors do to increase sales of their books?
LM: Planning to have a marketing budget well before printing the book or even before accepting the manuscript would be a great help. Then it would be good to create a marketing plan – even a modest one is better than no plan. Make sure potential reviewers have a copy and make (respectful, non intrusive) personal relationships with as many as you can. The author can do a lot. A really active author can hugely impact the sales of his or her book. There is nothing like readings, appearances, blogging, etc, to increase interest in a book. If the author and publisher can work in tandem that is great. Taking a few ads here and there is a good idea. It doesn’t need to be hugely expensive. Relentlessness counts for a lot. Of course, it doesn’t hurt if the book is actually good, either!
The Benefits Of Distribution Through SPD
WC: What are the major benefits of being represented by SPD?
LM: The main advantage is having access to a national market with only one entry point – namely SPD. We disperse metadata (author, title, ISBN, price etc) about each title to other databases and book buyers of all kinds accurately and often. We fulfill orders, take returns, keep track of sales, market books in a timely way, and pay publishers. Without an entire staff and a personal fortune, I don’t know how a small publisher would be able to do any of these things consistently. Publishers should be able to concentrate on the editing, designing, printing and marketing of their books. It is a great advantage to American publishers that SPD has been able to stay in business as a non-profit for four decades.
WC: SPD obtained non-profit status in 1992. How has this non-profit status changed the way that Small Press Distribution operates?
LM: Our non-profit status has been crucial to SPD being able to offer small publishers the access to national distribution they would otherwise not have. There were many book distributors in the 70s and 80s but no other small literary distributor has survived because there is simply not a way to make enough money to do it as a for-profit business. The books we distribute are published in runs too small for us to actually make a profit or even break even. The content of an SPD book is by definition literary and seldom comes from commercial motives. The book sales here certainly produce income and that is very important to SPD as well as to the publishers we pay; however, without our ability as a non-profit arts organization to find support from foundations, from the government and from individuals, SPD would not exist.
Print On Demand Technology
WC: What are your thoughts about print-on-demand technology? What is your opinion of the quality of books that are printed-on-demand? Do you carry titles by presses who employ print-on-demand technology?
LM: Print-on-demand technology is getting better and better. Sometimes I can’t tell the difference or only barely. Right now it makes sense to use that way of printing if you expect to need 400 or fewer books for the lifetime of the title. We regard it as just another printing method. Many SPD publishers use print-on-demand when it is appropriate.
E-Books And Small Press Distribution
WC: What are your thoughts about electronic readers and e-books? What impact, if any, do you think e-books will have on the future of printed literature?
LM: We think about e-books a lot. While print books will always be important to the literary part of the book world there is no question that e-books are becoming increasingly important.
WC: Will e-books eventually be listed at SPD?
LM: Yes.
WC: How has the internet helped/hurt sales at SPD?
LM: The internet has emphasized the national and international reach of SPD books and has allowed us to increase our individual sales from 6% to something like 12%. Our website has gone from modest traffic at about 5,000 unique visitors a month as recently as 2007 to about 25,000 a month on average now. The increase has been exponential. We only expect it to grow in the future.
WC: What is the best way for individuals to support SPD? What is the best way for individuals to support independent literature?
LM: There are a variety of ways to support SPD directly. The main one is to buy books and then there is becoming a friend of SPD (which entitles one to a discount on purchases and the very happy feeling of having supported independent literature). Joining, patronizing and otherwise directly supporting publishers is also a good way. None of this needs to involve money though – a thoughtful review is a very effective way to support independent literature.
WC: What do you think is the future of the “small” press?
LM: I think there will always be small independent publishers willing to bring great books into print that would otherwise not reach readers.
WC: What book from the SPD catalogue would you like for Christmas?
LM: There are so many good ones right now. Norma Cole’s new essay book To Be At Music: Essay and Talks (Omnidawn, 2010) is wonderful. I am currently reading Renee Gladman’s Event Factory (Dorothy, 2010). Every time I walk through our front lobby where we put new books I am attracted to a different one.
