Searching for a Small-Press Publisher?

All the publishing buzz these days seems to be about e-books, print-on-demand, Google’s foray into book distribution and the ongoing efforts of the major publishers to catch up with fast-moving developments in the publishing industry.  But what about the small, independent publishers?  These seem, to me anyway, as a currently unexplored territory for writers seeking publication, especially for writers with special niche interests.  I’ve found a very interesting way to get acquainted with this side of publishing.

Midpoint Trade Books is a company specializing in distribution of books by independent publishers.  Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about the company:

Midpoint Trade Books, Inc. is a sales, marketing, and distribution company founded in 1996 by Eric Kampamm, Gail Kump, and Chris Bell.  Located in the Chelsea area of New York City, Midpoint represents 275 publishers across the United States and in the United Kingdom.  Midpoint’s sales team makes presentations to bookstores in the US through face to face, telesales, and direct mail campaigns.  The marketing team plans and executes programs for titles to gain exposure in the market place of books. The distribution facility is located in Kansas City, KS, where shipping, billing and return processing takes place.

The company maintains a website that’s rather hidden away from the general public.  This site can be very useful to writers seeking to learn more about the company and about indie publishing in general.  To see what I mean, go to the page with a list of publishers represented.  The list is in a drop-down menu.  Click on a publisher, and in most cases, you will immediately see a display of the books offered by that publisher, often with a thumbnail of each book’s cover.  A quick scroll down the page will immediately give you an idea of that publisher’s interests.  One publisher I found specializes in Beatlemania, another in backroads biking, yet another in marketing via e-Bay.

And there’s more to learn.  Click on a book cover thumbnail, and up comes a full description of the book.  Here’s an example of a book about social marketing, published by Dalton Press.  Often you will find a link to the publisher’s website, which will likely let you know about its submission guidelines.

Why not take a weekend and go exploring?  It’s certain that you will come away with a fuller understanding of the indie publishing scene.  You may even find some publishers that fit your niche.  Or, if you decide to establish your own publishing company for your book and others to follow, Midpoint Trade Books might be open to distributing your books — in fact, their website even has a page about requesting representation.

While you are exploring the indie press scene, you may wish to drop by the Independent Book Publishers Association homepage.  Some of the site is open to visitors; other areas, including its membership directory, are reserved for members.  If you are really serious about publishing, you may wish to join.  Membership costs $119 for publishers and $175 for non-publishers.

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