What to Expect from an Indie Publisher + 15 Indie Publishers List
Ollie Ander
Is probably just a couple cats in a trench-coat—the hair shedding and sunlight napping are highly suspect.
Publishing has changed drastically over the last decade. What was once a gate-kept realm of lengthy process has been streamlined and left behind. There has been a shift from traditional publishing to authors choosing to self-publish, forgoing having to deal with major publishing houses' networks and upfront advances, for more control over the product and royalties.
The publishing industry has become more transparent than ever, and with that, many writers are faced with the starch reality of how hard it is to be a "self-publishing darling." Not everyone can pay for their own editing, provide interior and cover design, on top of managing marketing efforts. It’s a lot. So if you want to have more control over your books’ release than traditional publishing, but can’t do it all yourself, what other options are available to you? How about seeking an indie publisher!
What is an Indie Publisher?
"Indie" is an abbreviation for "Independent" publisher. As the term "traditional publishing" is used regarding the "Big 5" publishing houses (and their subsidiary branches) which dominate the market, indie publishers are those working outside of that larger network. Self-published authors can refer to themselves as "indie authors," and own an LLC under which they release their own works, but "indie publisher" refers to an incorporation of several employees providing services (editing, design, marketing) to individuals taken under contract.
Whereas traditional publishing houses will split their efforts into branches, each focusing on a different genre, indie publishers usually niche down into one (sub)genre, only releasing a handful of books per year that match that preference. "Going Indie" can eliminate the need for literary agents, as authors can contact many indie publishers themselves, but some do still require agented queries.
It is hard to definitively state what an indie publisher will do for you as an acquired author, since they aren’t as standardized and vary vastly in size of corporation. An indie publisher may love a novel, but not be able to accept the manuscript if it is in too rough a condition to give it the polishing it needs.
An indie publisher may favor giving a smaller advance in hopes of providing earned-back royalties to authors sooner, or their budget simply may not allow for larger, potentially non-recoverable investments. Their operations and practices will vary from one house to the next, and it is a matter of personal negotiation what you can expect from them in publishing process and distribution. Going indie typically means authors retain rights to their work, but any publisher will require restricted release rights (at least for a duration), that way authors can’t incidentally force competition.
Working with an indie publisher is the middle ground of publishing. You will have a lot more say then handing your book off to a traditional publisher, but will also need to put more work into cooperation with your indie publisher.
How to spot a Vanity Press
When seeking an indie publisher for your novel, it is important to be aware of vanity presses. A vanity press is a business that publishes a novel for an author, not with an author.
Indie publishers incorporate the cost of their time and services into the size of the advance and the sales expectation. If a book is seen as non-profitable, an indie publisher will strategically choose to pass on it, whereas a vanity press will publish anything: they make their money off the author, and have no lasting investment in the book’s success upon release.
If you are working with an indie publisher, you are forming a mutually beneficial business relationship, but what a vanity press offers is more like a drop-off service package. If that’s what you want to do, that is perfectly alright, just be aware of the differences: A proper publisher will never expect you to pay them.
List of Indie Publishers
Now that we’ve roughly defined what to expect in the differences between traditional publishing and going indie, and are armed with knowledge to spot vanity presses, below is a list of reputable independent publishers to enquire for your next novel release! They are organized by their friendliness to new authors, those in need of translation, genre powerhouses, as well as non-fiction and shorter fiction options.
New Writer Friendly Publishers + Translations
$ 404 Ink$ was founded in 2016 by Heather McDaid and Laura Jones-Rivera, whose goal is to make publishing louder and more fun! They aim to help emerging writers and value quality over quantity but don’t overly stress genre on their About page.
$ Tin House Books$ proudly promote writers of a wide range of experience who provide nuance to their interpretations of the world. Interested in literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, although they only publish a dozen books a year, their percentage of first-time authors is highly encouraging.
$ Source Books$ is a great place to start as a new author. They’ve been publishing for 35 years, and although many of their imprints are focused on literature for younger audiences, they span into genres from mystery to romance too. Most importantly, they are known for accepting unsolicited manuscripts.
$ Comma Press$ , although based in the UK, has an international reputation for publishing short fiction, championing marginalized voices, and supporting translation. Their About page explains their commitment to "making the publishing industry a more equitable place of work," increasing opportunities locally, and beyond.
$ Tilted Axis Press$ is an independent publisher focused on contemporary literature, and a great place to go if your work requires translation or you would like it to be available in a variety of languages.
Genre Picks
$ Baen Books$ was originally founded by Jim Baen, and has provided riveting adventures in science fiction and fantasy for decades. Although they publish books in hardcover, paperback, and electronic form, they take pride in retaining their own ebook webstore in a time dominated by Amazon.
$ Europa Editions$ , since its founding in 2005, has grown wide in distribution with offices from New York to Ireland, and publishes a whopping 35 titles a year. They are generally interested in quality fiction, and originally set out to bring fresh international voices to American and British markets, but have also launched Europa World Noir in 2013, a series of international crime fiction.
$ Flame Tree Publishing$ has been around for over 30 years and has branched into new forms of publications over those years, from illustrated books to art calendars. Their trade fiction imprint, Flame Tree Press, excels in acquiring and publishing books in horror, supernatural, crime, mystery thrillers, scifi, and fantasy, and they regularly host themed anthologies which they turn into gorgeous hardback collections.
$ Haunt Publishing$ launched as an independent publisher of Gothic, horror, and dark fiction books in 2019. Their motto is to hold a flickering candle to globally underrepresented voices, and that "teamwork makes the nightmare work!"
$ Entangled Publishing$ was only founded in 2011, but has quickly become a powerhouse in the romance genre with a dozen imprints, each focused on a subgenre or tone of romance from adult, to new adult, and young adult titles. Entangled Publishing promotes giving every one of their authors strong editorial support, personalized marketing plans, and world-class distribution.
Non-Fiction Editors + Short Fiction Editors
$ Coffee House Press$ started as a small letterpress operation in 1972 but has since grown into an internationally renowned nonprofit publisher! They like literary fiction, essays, poetry, and "other work that doesn’t fit neatly into genre categories."
$ Verso Books$ was launched as a paperback imprint in the late seventies, and is the self-proclaimed "largest independent, radical publishing house in the English-speaking world!" They publish 100 books a year and seem interested in more politically driven, philosophical works.
$ Haymarket Books$ is a Chicago based non-profit publisher, most accurately described as radical. Their company mission is to publish books that contribute to social movements by providing education and voice to struggles of economic justice.
$ Granta Books$ is all about discovering and publishing the best in lit fic, memoirs, reportage and poetry from around the world. They publish roughly 30 titles a year and want to provide authors with the intimate experience of working with a small, impassioned publishing team.
$ Ugly Duckling Presse$ has evolved from a zine in the 90s to a mission-driven, nonprofit publisher. They are interested in poetry, translation, experimental nonfiction, performance texts, and books by artists—which is quite a unique specificity.
Hopefully one of these indie publishers caught your eye and seems like a fitting place to champion your story! If not, or perhaps you’re still unsure which publishing route you should take, here’s an article going over $ 10 Good Reasons$ you might want to take full control and self-publish instead.
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