Dear Anna, thank you for publishing this. In 2007 my husband and I started a small indie press in Scotland, Two Ravens Press. We were called in newspapers at the time 'a small publishing revolution' and 'the most talked-about publisher in Scotland'. We published Galley Beggar Press' Alex Pheby's first fine novel. And two Alasdair Gray books and others like Alice Thompson who had been dropped from the new conglomerates' midlist. We were looking at initial print runs of 1000 copies rather than Galley's 3000, and our costs were higher. By the time I gave up, exhausted, in 2013, we had paid every one of our authors good royalties and always without exception on time, but we had not been able to pay ourselves a single penny. We just about covered our costs; for six hard years we had no salary and we had worked ourselves into the ground. When we sold the business I went on to publish the UK's first full-colour magazine for nature writing; though we loved it and it was much loved by the nature writing community, the same thing happened and we just lost the will to live.
Big publishers with big authors do well. The rest – usually more interesting and more devoted – struggle, and it's a real labour of love. But labours of love can wear you out until you have no more love to give; that's what happened to us. Galley Beggar Press and all the other brilliant indies out there who are still functioning and loving in these insane times have my huge admiration.
Thank you for sharing this Sharon, and yes I have read about your own efforts running a small press in your books — and how much it took from you!
It’s so interesting to see the numbers broken by Galley Beggar Press, I am sure you’re more familiar with these types of numbers. It is fascinating for those of us who don’t understand the costs involved.
These brilliant indie publishers take risks and that’s why we see them on prize lists, so we must ‘use them or lose them’.
Sorry to hear that Sharon. It sounds really touch. When I was a child, my mum ran a bookshop - and it went bankrupt. It was so sad. I spent all my Saturdays there, learning to read books without putting a crease in the covers so they could still be sold.
This is so interesting and part of the conversation that we need to start having and shouting about which is that people need to support writers, and publishers and booksellers by buying book!! Period. Not second hand books, but actual real published books.
I would be interested to see if there was a response to this piece from mid sized or big publishers to compare figures
Thank you for sharing this. It’s depressing but also hopeful. Though I think publishing is severely broken, I do have hope that we’ll find a way to make it work.
Wow wow wow. So who is making all the money? The big retailers? Amazon? I have an indie publisher and I absolutely cherish the care and attention they have given so far. Together we are in this for the passion in putting quality writing out into the world and just hoping to stay afloat in the process. I hope my publishers continue to get their ‘stand out’ authors in order to support their investment in debut authors like myself, and who knows maybe one day I’ll be their breakthrough!! 🙏💕
It’s been interesting seeing the music industry cycle through decimation with digital streaming and now a sense of recovery with the rebirth of vinyl and more equitable distribution if digital royalties, along with artists like Taylor Swift taking control of their intellectual property. There is scope for hope as the creatives in the publishing world find our way through. Thank you for sharing ❤️
Dear Anna, thank you for publishing this. In 2007 my husband and I started a small indie press in Scotland, Two Ravens Press. We were called in newspapers at the time 'a small publishing revolution' and 'the most talked-about publisher in Scotland'. We published Galley Beggar Press' Alex Pheby's first fine novel. And two Alasdair Gray books and others like Alice Thompson who had been dropped from the new conglomerates' midlist. We were looking at initial print runs of 1000 copies rather than Galley's 3000, and our costs were higher. By the time I gave up, exhausted, in 2013, we had paid every one of our authors good royalties and always without exception on time, but we had not been able to pay ourselves a single penny. We just about covered our costs; for six hard years we had no salary and we had worked ourselves into the ground. When we sold the business I went on to publish the UK's first full-colour magazine for nature writing; though we loved it and it was much loved by the nature writing community, the same thing happened and we just lost the will to live.
Big publishers with big authors do well. The rest – usually more interesting and more devoted – struggle, and it's a real labour of love. But labours of love can wear you out until you have no more love to give; that's what happened to us. Galley Beggar Press and all the other brilliant indies out there who are still functioning and loving in these insane times have my huge admiration.
Thank you for sharing this Sharon, and yes I have read about your own efforts running a small press in your books — and how much it took from you!
It’s so interesting to see the numbers broken by Galley Beggar Press, I am sure you’re more familiar with these types of numbers. It is fascinating for those of us who don’t understand the costs involved.
These brilliant indie publishers take risks and that’s why we see them on prize lists, so we must ‘use them or lose them’.
Sorry to hear that Sharon. It sounds really touch. When I was a child, my mum ran a bookshop - and it went bankrupt. It was so sad. I spent all my Saturdays there, learning to read books without putting a crease in the covers so they could still be sold.
This is so interesting and part of the conversation that we need to start having and shouting about which is that people need to support writers, and publishers and booksellers by buying book!! Period. Not second hand books, but actual real published books.
I would be interested to see if there was a response to this piece from mid sized or big publishers to compare figures
I’m not sure mid-size or big publishers would be so generous as to share their figures… you never know!
Indeed
My god, this is fascinating. Thank you so much for sharing it here. It’s truly eye opening.
Thank you for sharing this. It’s depressing but also hopeful. Though I think publishing is severely broken, I do have hope that we’ll find a way to make it work.
Another brilliant piece. Thanks for bringing another angle x
Glad you enjoyed it!
Wow wow wow. So who is making all the money? The big retailers? Amazon? I have an indie publisher and I absolutely cherish the care and attention they have given so far. Together we are in this for the passion in putting quality writing out into the world and just hoping to stay afloat in the process. I hope my publishers continue to get their ‘stand out’ authors in order to support their investment in debut authors like myself, and who knows maybe one day I’ll be their breakthrough!! 🙏💕
It’s been interesting seeing the music industry cycle through decimation with digital streaming and now a sense of recovery with the rebirth of vinyl and more equitable distribution if digital royalties, along with artists like Taylor Swift taking control of their intellectual property. There is scope for hope as the creatives in the publishing world find our way through. Thank you for sharing ❤️