Canelo / Arts Council England

Canelo / Arts Council England | 
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Literature in the 21st Century: Understanding Models of Support for Literary Fiction
Publications. With a couple of exceptions, each has an outstanding 
record of publishing literary fiction and the recovery in 2015 and 2016 
shown in the sales suggests a growing movement. 
Outside this, at a smaller level, there is an even greater degree of 
diversity. As Hannah Westland, the Publisher of Serpent’s Tail told 
us ‘There are new indie publishers springing up championing more 
experimental writing, and the audience for – and critical interest in – this 
kind of work seems to be growing. Independent publishers of literary 
fiction include (but are not limited to) names such as Tilted Axis, CB 
Editions, Fitzcarraldo Editions, Salt Books, Comma Press, Dead Ink 
Books, Galley Beggar Press, Influx Press, Penned in the Margins, Tramp 
Press, Bluemoose Books, Jacaranda Books, Myriad Press, Gallic Books, 
And Other Stories, Bitter Lemon Press, Peirene Press, Peepal Tree 
Press, Nine Arches Press and the UK arms of American independents 
like Europa Editions and Melville House. This list is by no means 
exhaustive. While not all of these publishers are new, many were 
founded in the last five years – Galley Beggar, Fitzcarraldo, And Other 
Stories, Jacaranda, and Tilted Axis, for example. Many small publishers 
have been thriving. Inpress, which represents 60 small publishers, has 
reported 79% sales growth in the last year for example.
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For the most part this is great news for British writers of literary fiction; 
of the above names the majority cater directly for them and most of 
them publish British writers (although Gallic, And Other Stories and 
Tilted Axis publish translations). Writers need options and this group 
of passionate and talented indies certainly offer those. However, it is 
questionable to what extent such publishers can afford to fully support 
writers in the absence of breakout hits (that is, in the ordinary course of 
a writing and publishing career). With neither the deep pockets nor the 
marketing clout of majors, are indie presses a viable option for a paying 
career? Luke Brown, novelist and former editor at independent Tindal 
Street Press, tells us that their standard advance used to be £1,250 per 
book, and this level was common across equivalent small presses. 
What’s more, while there is considerable interaction amongst small 
publishers, the relationship with larger ones can be antagonistic rather 
than mutually supportive. Independent publishers complain of taking 
risks building new literary writers only to see them poached by larger 
houses as soon as any success is achieved. While potentially a very 
good thing for the author in question, it creates difficulties for those 
smaller publishers and the role they play in the ecosystem of literary 
fiction. Moreover many small publishers commented that knowledge 
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https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/nov/20/small-indie-publishers-report-booming-sales?CMP=twt_books_b-gdn-
books

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