Small Press Realities
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"The great adventures of life begin in imagination."
In search of readers...
Technology has created a revolution in the publishing industry. In the past, the costs of transforming
a manuscript into a book were so high that only traditional publishing houses could accomplish it.
Virtually all books passed through this process and the major publishers had a lock on
production and distribution.
With the advent of computers and high speed printing, all this has changed. Anyone with a
computer and enough words in their head can generate a typed manuscript. In turn, printers with
the right equipment can print small numbers of books. These low-volume editions often rival the
quality of the major players. The result has been an explosion in the number of books available
to potential readers. Commentators have cynically noted that under the old technology, a single
book might have a million readers, but now we could have a million books, each with a single
reader.
The truth is that most of the books being printed today should stay on the author's hard drive
until the writer has mastered spelling, grammar, and editing. Still, these books are readily
available through large on-line publishers who made their money when the author anteed up the
cash to get the book printed. While some of these books are quite good, they get swamped
under the tidal wave of indiscriminate printing.
Traditional publishers feel the pressure from this grassroots phenomenon. Books only show
profit if there are readers who see the value of the product and buy them. Any first book by a
new author is a risk. It is safer to generate books by known authors or celebrities. Almost any
struggling writer will tell you that the best strategy for getting a fat book contract is to have a
famous parent or be the foreperson on the jury of a high-profile murder case. (If these are your
credentials, you might even be spared the actual struggle of writing the book! The book can be
written by a "ghost" and you just add your moniker.)
Many talented writers can get trapped between the dismal swamp of books that
should-not-have-been and a lack of personal fame. As artists, they cannot "not write" and
continuously work to perfect their craft. Few achieve commercial success, but all appreciate
readers who give their work a chance. Getting their work to readers is the task of small regional
publishers who take the risk of printing the books that they believe in. Along with the authors of
these books, these small presses accept the uphill struggle to secure readership.
Drinian Press, LLC is in search of readers! We believe in our publications and maintain that they
rival the quality of traditional publishers. Getting our volumes in actual brick and mortar
bookstores is a one-by-one victory. On the other hand, they are found in all the major on-line
retailers like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Powell's (not our own private "in-house" site). Our
costs are in line with high-volume distributors. At the current time, we are able to provide a
number of free copies to public libraries who will catalogue and circulate our books. Our
mission is to create a link between writers and readers in the exchange of ideas. Only by the
closing of this circle does the artist's dream become a reality.
a manuscript into a book were so high that only traditional publishing houses could accomplish it.
Virtually all books passed through this process and the major publishers had a lock on
production and distribution.
With the advent of computers and high speed printing, all this has changed. Anyone with a
computer and enough words in their head can generate a typed manuscript. In turn, printers with
the right equipment can print small numbers of books. These low-volume editions often rival the
quality of the major players. The result has been an explosion in the number of books available
to potential readers. Commentators have cynically noted that under the old technology, a single
book might have a million readers, but now we could have a million books, each with a single
reader.
The truth is that most of the books being printed today should stay on the author's hard drive
until the writer has mastered spelling, grammar, and editing. Still, these books are readily
available through large on-line publishers who made their money when the author anteed up the
cash to get the book printed. While some of these books are quite good, they get swamped
under the tidal wave of indiscriminate printing.
Traditional publishers feel the pressure from this grassroots phenomenon. Books only show
profit if there are readers who see the value of the product and buy them. Any first book by a
new author is a risk. It is safer to generate books by known authors or celebrities. Almost any
struggling writer will tell you that the best strategy for getting a fat book contract is to have a
famous parent or be the foreperson on the jury of a high-profile murder case. (If these are your
credentials, you might even be spared the actual struggle of writing the book! The book can be
written by a "ghost" and you just add your moniker.)
Many talented writers can get trapped between the dismal swamp of books that
should-not-have-been and a lack of personal fame. As artists, they cannot "not write" and
continuously work to perfect their craft. Few achieve commercial success, but all appreciate
readers who give their work a chance. Getting their work to readers is the task of small regional
publishers who take the risk of printing the books that they believe in. Along with the authors of
these books, these small presses accept the uphill struggle to secure readership.
Drinian Press, LLC is in search of readers! We believe in our publications and maintain that they
rival the quality of traditional publishers. Getting our volumes in actual brick and mortar
bookstores is a one-by-one victory. On the other hand, they are found in all the major on-line
retailers like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Powell's (not our own private "in-house" site). Our
costs are in line with high-volume distributors. At the current time, we are able to provide a
number of free copies to public libraries who will catalogue and circulate our books. Our
mission is to create a link between writers and readers in the exchange of ideas. Only by the
closing of this circle does the artist's dream become a reality.
P.O. Box 63, Huron, Ohio 44839