Topic of the Week: Indie Publisher Showcase September 27, 2009

Publishing is a big business that stretches around the globe and into your home through the books that you read. At the top of the publishing pyramid are conglomerates with household names: Doubleday, Simon & Schuster, Random House. The large houses have dozens of smaller imprints that often focus on specific genres. The buying power of these large publishers often gives them front-of-the-bookstore displays and reviews in major publications.

Running alongside the big houses are the independents. Indie publishers often operate on a shoe-string budget that doesn’t allow for front-of-the-store displays and slick advertising. They may or may not be available in brick-and-mortar stores, but their books sell well against comparable titles through online channels. Indie books are often extremely well-written, but the topic or theme doesn’t fit a large publisher’s list.

This week in LitChat we’ll meet some of the indies: editors, publicists and authors. We’ll discuss the merits of publishing with an indie press and get an inside peek at what they’re looking for.

Joining the discussion so far are Unbridled Books, Publishing Works, Chronicle Books.