Small press

The Dun Emer Press in 1903 with Elizabeth Yeats working the hand press

Small press is a term often used to describe publishers who typically specialize in genre fiction or limited-edition books or magazines. It should not be confused with "vanity press", which usually implies payment by authors to publish. With a small press, the publisher is much more likely to be motivated by the desire to make writing of limited immediate commercial value available through formal publication.

At its most basic, small press production consists of chapbooks. This role can now be taken on by desktop publishing and web sites. This still leaves a continuum of small press publishing: from specialist periodicals, short runs or print-to-order of low-demand books, to fine art books and limited editions of collectors' items printed to high standards.

Small presses became distinguishable from jobbing printers at some time towards the end of the nineteenth century. The roots lie with the Arts and Crafts Movement, particularly the Kelmscott Press. The use of small letterpress machines by amateur printers increased proportionately to the mechanization of commercial printing. Later, the advance of practical lithography made small press publication much easier.

Many of the most famous authors in history were published by small presses, or were self-published (skipping the traditional publication route entirely).

See also

*Publisher
*Private press
*List of small presses
*Small magazine/little magazine
*Fanzine
*Amateur press association
*British small press comics
*Association of Little Presses
*List of literary magazines

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