Why You Should Consider Smaller Publishing Houses
As a writer, you have many choices in your journey through the literary landscape, from when you start stringing words together on the screen (or paper if you are old-school) to everything that happens once you place those magical words “the end” on your manuscript. However, one of the most important decisions you will make is who will publish your book.
Many authors and agents will seek out the “big five” publishers: Hachette, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, and HarperCollins. These publishing houses often dominate the bestseller list due to their influence and massive audience reach. They are well established, with all the resources available to turn your story into a bestseller.
This approach can work well if you have a literary agent who can run the gauntlet through the risk-averse gatekeepers of the publishing industry, or if you have a significant following with a successful backlist on an ebook platform. That is where the stars align, and you could become one of the rare “overnight successes” who sells millions of books and ends up with streaming services fighting for film rights to your story.
In reality, many great stories don’t make it beyond the acquisitions pile in the major houses because large publishers rarely take a punt on the unknown voice. Their choices are primarily commercial, and they tend only to print the stories they believe will appeal to the masses. This mentality means that their catalogues are rather homogenous and do not make room for new authors or promote diverse stories.
This lack of imagination is where smaller publishing houses are coming out of the shadows to shine. They are more likely to make space for diversity, as well as promote different cultures and perspectives. An important contribution that small presses make in the literary world is championing marginalised voices and seeking out authors from often under-represented demographics.
They are also more likely to take risks and publish what they believe is high-quality literature rather than what they believe could be a commercial success. “Independent publishers are publishing much of what is exciting, original and untested,” says literary agent Anna Webber.
Where small presses do not have access to the financial resources that the “big five” have, they also do not have significant overheads that take money away from their authors. Indie publishers will likely work extra hard to make their authors more successful. They are adept at reaching their readership using digital platforms and are not afraid to experiment with low-cost publishing technologies to keep costs down.
In 2023, the Guardian reported that all the major British literary prizes from the previous year were awarded to titles that smaller publishing houses had released. For example, the 2022 Booker Prize winner was Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka. He struggled to find a publisher for his award-winning book, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, but was represented by Sort of Books, the smallest publisher ever to win the prize. Established authors, such as Bret Easton Ellis and Sheila Heti, have moved to smaller publishing houses for their future novels to gain creative freedom and a more personalised approach that is missing at the “big five”. This momentum towards smaller houses shows that independent presses are more than pulling their weight in the publishing world.
Smaller student-run publishing houses are also making their mark on the literary world. There are nine worldwide, with five in the United States, one in the United Kingdom, and three in Australia. They are staffed by university students who gain experience in specialisations such as editorial, acquisitions, marketing and digital, and design and production during their course.
The newest, Elephant Page Publishing, is situated on the grounds of Curtin University. We recently released our first book, with a second book in the editorial and design phase. Student-run publishing houses like Elephant Page Publishing have jump-started the careers of authors like Karelia Stetz-Waters, who was first published through Ooligan Press at Portland State University and is a Lambda Literary Award finalist. Student-run publishing houses create an environment where they can find new talent and produce the next generation of both authors and publishers.
So, future authors, when looking at who you want to submit your manuscript to, consider the smaller independent houses or even a student-run publisher to take you on your literary journey.
Kel McDonough
Marketing and Digital Associate