A three-hour conversation about indie publishing did not have to mention Amazon or the names of the Big Five
Catching up with PW's Andrew Albanese
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Only a few weeks into January, and the 2019 publishing conference season is well underway, notes Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly senior writer, who reports from Seattle at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting.
Earlier this week, the American Booksellers Association’s 14th annual Winter Institute, opened in in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Independent Publishers Caucus convened there for almost three hours, with nearly 65 independent and small presses strategizing on how best to build up their presences in the marketplace, Albanese said. Grove Atlantic publisher Morgan Entrekin urged small presses not to be afraid to go “head to head with the Big Five,” while Seven Stories Press founder Dan Simon welcomed that a three-hour conversation about indie publishing did not have to mention Amazon or the names of the Big Five. “That’s a sign of good health” Simon said. “It means our energies are focused in a very positive way.”
Albanese tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally, “The ABA, which has flourished under Oren Teicher’s leadership, now numbers over 1,800 member stores with 2,470 locations as of last May, up from 1,400 members with 1,651 locations in 2009. That’s a significant jump, and it speaks to the values of indies in our reading ecosystem.”
Every Friday, CCC’s “Beyond the Book” speaks with the editors and reporters of “Publishers Weekly” for an early look at the news that publishers, editors, authors, agents and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.
