Small Press Month, is celebrated yearly in March. The month is set aside to appreciate small publishers in the industry that make it in spite of having smaller budgets. A few decades ago, a small publishing company would find it hard to get its work to the public but there are many options for writers today. Small Press Month celebrates this fact by putting the spotlight on many of the great authors around the world and publishing houses. It aims at encouraging small presses to keep doing their work despite there being much larger, better-financed publishing houses.
History of Small Press Month
National Small Press Month was started in 1996 by New York City’s Small Press Center and the Publishers Marketing Association based in California. It put the smaller publishing companies in the spotlight and encouraged them to continue alongside big publishing houses. It is a time to spotlight authors and their representation. Many small publishers are challenging the status quo and working with authors that the traditional publishers choose not to sign.
A 1999 survey by the Book Industry Study Group surprised people with its conclusions. The research concluded that 50,000 small publishers made $14.3 billion in sales that year! The population of Independent publishers has skyrocketed since then. It can be difficult for the small press companies to get their products to the public when they need to go up against the larger companies.
To celebrate Small Press Month, local libraries and bookstores often create displays of small press books; it is helpful to the average reader. It is worth celebrating as Small Publishers get their work out there despite the sea of big players in the industry.
Small Press Month timeline
Small Press Month is created by the Publishers Marketing Association and Small Press Center.
Blogger gives people free blogs to share their work.
Amazon releases Kindle and makes it easier to read ebooks.
Ebooks outsell print books on Amazon for the first time.
Small Press Month FAQs
How do you determine what is a small press?
The agreement consensus seems to be that it’s a publisher making less than 50 million dollars a year.
What do small presses pay their authors?
Their contracts typically give four to 25 percent in royalties.
What are the income sources for small presses?
They are publishing houses so they make money from book sales.
Small Press Month Activities
Take up writing courses
Learning to write better never stops. With Small Press Month, be inspired to take writing courses to improve your writing skills.
Join a book club
A book club throws laziness and procrastination out the window when it comes to books. It is a way to celebrate Small Press Month as it helps you read good books.
Support small publishers
Support small publishers by buying their books. It helps you gain more knowledge and support the industry.
5 Facts About Reading Books
Reading reduces stress
Yes, you read that right! Reading reduces stress by 68%.
Owning books matters
When children have a home library with about 20 books, they are ahead of their peers.
It doesn’t take much to read
Reading 20 minutes a day gets you to read about 1,8000,000 words in a year.
Reading pays off
Children who read 1,000,000 books a year are in the top 2% of reading achievement.
Reading builds vocabulary faster
Children learn 4,000 to 12,000 words per year through reading.
Why We Love Small Press Month
It helps recognize small publishers
Small Press Month has been a good initiative in that it helps recognize and appreciate small publishers. These publishers manage to carve out something for themselves amid big publishers with hefty budgets.
It encourages reading books
Books contain a lot of knowledge, so a month dedicated to appreciating publishers of books cannot harm. Books make you smarter!
It encourages upcoming writers
We can never have too many writers as knowledge is limitless. An upcoming writer will be encouraged to continue their chosen path seeing that small publishers are appreciated.
Small Press Month dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | March 1 | Saturday |
| 2026 | March 1 | Sunday |
| 2027 | March 1 | Monday |
| 2028 | March 1 | Wednesday |
| 2029 | March 1 | Thursday |
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