80% of US indie publishing now belongs to Perseus
indybooks27may27,0,3696417.story> Publishing gets a little less indie
There=92s soul searching among the industry=92s little guys as Perseus = closes two recently acquired imprints.
= By Josh Getlin, Times Staff Writer If you’ve stepped into a bookstore recently, you may have noticed = some intriguing smaller books along with new titles by the Chabons = and Isaacsons of the publishing world: an anthology of essays about = African American movies; Hollywood short stories by John O’Hara; = little-known novels by Gore Vidal and Joyce Carol Oates; early short = stories by Henry James; a biography of Joan Crawford; and the poetry = of Ishmael Reed. You probably did not note the publishers of these books, and it’s = equally doubtful you registered that the two imprints issuing all of = them =97 Carroll & Graf and Thunder’s Mouth Press =97 will soon be closed = in an economy move by their owner. The loss of these imprints isn’t the kind of news that typically = roils the entertainment world. Yet as Eric Banks, editor in chief of = Bookforum, put it, “There is something crucial that’s lost to the = culture whenever imprints like these disappear.” Indeed, the new issue of Bookforum will include reviews of two feisty = new books from Carroll & Graf =97 both of which “wouldn’t necessarily = have appeared at a larger house,” Banks said =97 that take a critical = view of former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover: “Bobby and J. Edgar: The = Historic Face-Off Between the Kennedys and J. Edgar Hoover That = Transformed America” by Burton Hersh, and “Young J. Edgar: Hoover, = the Red Scare, and the Assault on Civil Liberties” by Kenneth D. = Ackerman. For Perseus Books Group, which recently acquired Carroll & Graf and = Thunder’s Mouth Press as part of its acquisition of Avalon Publishing = Group, it was a dollars-and-cents issue. The company decided that the = two were no longer distinctive enough to thrive in a competitive = market. But the New York-based Perseus pointed out that it has also = made a multimillion-dollar investment to support independent = publishers. “No one has a bigger commitment to the long-term survival = of American independent publishing than we do,” said David = Steinberger, Perseus’ president and chief executive. Still, questions remain. “When you see the book world conglomeratizing, it can only mean less = diversity of voices,” said Johnny Temple, publisher of Akashic Books, = a Brooklyn-based imprint distributed by Perseus. “When I sign up a = book, it matters more that I love it than that I’ve identified a good = marketing niche for it. That’s the real essence of independent = publishing =97 it’s not a deal, it’s supposed to be a labor of love.” Booksellers voice similar views. Paul Yamazaki, longtime buyer for = City Lights Books in San Francisco, said imprints like Carroll & Graf = and Thunder’s Mouth Press are a boon to readers. “I think of imprints as independent visions,” he said. “How many of = the larger houses would bother to put out a collection of John = O’Hara’s Hollywood short stories? The answer is, not many.” Since its founding in 1982, Carroll & Graf has published mysteries, = provocative literary fiction by gay and lesbian writers, history = books for a general audience, pop culture anthologies and the = familiar “Mammoth” compendiums that explore topics from science = fiction to erotica. Thunder’s Mouth is known for edgy political = nonfiction, African American writing, sports and science. “At Carroll & Graf, we bridged the gap between small, lesser-known = presses and the larger houses when it comes to gay literature,” said = Don Weise, a senior editor who is losing his job. “In the four years = that I’ve been here, I’ve acquired more than 100 books, and no one = has ever told me no, I couldn’t do that. In the book world, that’s = unheard of.” Some might argue, of course, that publishers produce far too many = books for the public to absorb, an estimated 120,000 titles a year. A = reduction might well be overdue. Yet others cringe at the prospect of = cutting indie publishers. “We hear a lot of talk about biodiversity, but not much about = protecting cultural diversity, especially for publishing,” said Andre = Schiffrin, founder of the New Press, an independent house. Before = that, he ran Pantheon Books for nearly 30 years at Random House. “I = was impressed when I first heard about Perseus’ business plans,” he = said. “But they’re not a bunch of philanthropists.” This week, the mood at both imprints was somber, according to several = employees who asked for anonymity. Twenty-four jobs have been = eliminated at Perseus and an additional 21 employees must relocate or = find new positions in the company to hold onto their jobs. Over the last year, Perseus has expanded dramatically. In addition to = acquiring Avalon Publishing Group, it has also assumed control of = marketing and distribution for some 124 smaller publishers = represented by Publishers Group West. Earlier, Perseus acquired = Consortium, which had been distributing books for 140 indie = publishers. The firm now controls distribution and marketing for an = estimated 80% of the indie book market. The new deals Publishing observers have mixed reactions to the idea that Perseus is = now both a book distributor and a publisher of small imprints. “There isn’t another example of a major trade publisher that also = runs such a broad distribution business, and time will tell if = Perseus can juggle both,” said Drake McFeely, president of W.W. = Norton, the nation’s largest independent publisher. Others are thrilled at the commercial prospects. “I’m very excited by = what Perseus has done, because we now have the opportunity to create = the strongest platform for independent publishing that’s ever existed = in this country,” said Morgan Entrekin, publisher of Grove-Atlantic, = whose books will be distributed under the Perseus umbrella. As for the loss of the two imprints, Entrekin said it was regrettable = but perhaps necessary. “There’s constant change in publishing,” he = said. “The bottom line is: Are wonderful books going to go = unpublished because of this decision? I doubt it.” Charlie Winton, the longtime independent publisher who sold Avalon = Books to Perseus this year, agrees that the company may emerge as a = major force. But he expressed disappointment at the shuttering of the = two imprints. “The more zeroes you put on a deal, the more it’s about = business and less about books,” he said. “As I’ve intersected with = the Perseus people, it sometimes feels we’re having an independent = publishing discussion. And sometimes it feels like you’re dealing = with a big corporation, which you are.” Meanwhile, as the remaining indie publishers watch closely the = unfolding events at Perseus, they wrestle with the choice between = going it alone or hooking up with larger publishers =97 which may, down = the road, decide to eliminate them. For Jen Joseph, publisher of = Manic D Press in San Francisco, the problem is that, once bought, an = imprint must demonstrate financial growth to its masters or risk = being killed. “When you eliminate imprints, something crucial disappears,” she = said. “I’m a good publisher and a really bad capitalist. I’ve never = been interested in growing the company 5% or 10% a year. What = interests me is the sustainability of books and how you connect with = readers.” Others have cast in their lot with larger owners, even as they fight = fiercely to maintain the quirky independence that got them into = publishing in the first place. “There’s a vast amount of noise out = there in the culture right now, and readers need trusted filters to = help them make sense of it,” said publisher Richard Nash, who = recently sold Soft Skull Press, a Brooklyn-based indie, to a new = company run by Winton and will become executive editor of the larger = venture, which will be called Counterpoint. When an imprint = disappears, he said, “an important filter is lost.” Like many, Nash voiced skepticism that the editorial DNA of Carroll & = Graf and Thunder’s Mouth Press could somehow be transplanted into = other imprints. The best imprints, he said, are like sprawling but = well-edited anthologies. They resist easy hooks. Barney Rosset, the legendary founder of Grove Press, addressed this = in a 1960s interview, Nash recalled: “He was asked if he had a vision = publishing, if Grove Press had a specific purpose. And he answered, = ‘Yes, there’s a purpose. But the only way that you can discern the = purpose is by looking at what we publish.’ “