Collection Management and Small Press Publishing Noreen Trotsky LIS 748 Collection Management

Alternative Publisher Indie publisher Independent Press What’s in A Name?

Specialization Genre Fiction Non-Fiction Poetry Limited Edition Books Magazines Film

Facts Annual sales below $50MM Make up half of all publishers Publish less than ten titles annually Not a part of a conglomerate Neglected niches New authors, prestigious awards, recognition

Chicago Small Presses Center for American Places

Challenges for Small Press Publishers Marketing Collecting money (in this economy) Maintaining consistent funding /Fundraising Maintaining excellence Distribution Juggling all the components (editorial, marketing, sales, relationships, accounting, strategic planning) Media focusing less and less on books and more on technology and music, it is harder to break through the general trade media

Why Add Small Press Publications to Your Collection? Adds diversity Fills a niche Alternative voices Relevant issues Helps to promote the First Amendment Rights

Library Bill of Rights The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services. I.Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation. II.Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval. III.Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment. IV.Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas. V.A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views. VI.Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use. Adopted June 18, Amended February 2, 1961; June 28, 1967; and January 23, 1980, inclusion of “age” reaffirmed January 23, 1996, by the ALA Council.

How Do We Collect?

How Do We Collect?(Continued) Commit a part of the library budget to small publishers Prioritize the acquisition and cataloging of these materials Visit publishers at library conventions and trade shows Meet with distributors specializing in small press books

Visibility in the Library Displays Make available databases or websites that highlight small presses- ProQuest Alt-Press Watch™ Promote Small Press Month (March) Invite authors to talk about their book Read an alternative title for a book discussion group

Resources

Why do Libraries Seem to Have a Hard Time Collecting Small Press Publishers? Not always reviewed in standard sources. Only 5% of academic libraries collect alternative materials. Not available from usual vendor (distribution). New cataloging requirements. Prepayment to publisher.