Indie Inklings
There are a lot of ways to publish a book, and a lot of different groups doing it. For the most part, I write about the changing nature of the Big 6 traditional publishers and self-publishing options in print and digital for authors like you and I.
But there are a lot of other approaches. One of them that I'm seeing a lot of innovation in is the small startup publisher model.
Indie Inklings, a brand new publisher out of London, is a good example of the brash, exuberant type of attitude that new publishers are showing. Their Twitter bio says a lot without too many words:
Indie book publishing. Quality ideas. Talented authors. Publisher of debut series, Acclamation, by Vee Hoffman.
I like that the things they are touting are their ideas and their authors. They even name one of their authors. Now that's promotion.
Here's a deeper look at what they are going for:
We walk the digitally-enabled middle grounds of publishing. Part literary agency, part publishing house, we intend to collaborate with a stellar group of authors, empowering them at every step of the publishing life cycle.
And that's where I see the magic.They see themselves as and act as an ally for authors.
Last summer I wrote a post about Random House's "behind the scenes" video. They were trying to show why authors still need a traditional publisher. One of the first things said in that video is, “Writing a book is an extremely complicated job. It isn't just that one sits down at a computer and just… let’s it rip.” Well, yes. We know that.
The overall message I got from the video was them saying, "We are great, you need us." I think that's the thing that sets new, exciting, independent publishers apart.
Indie Inkling says, "...we intend to collaborate with a stellar group of authors, empowering them at every step of the publishing life cycle."
I love this. And I love it because it sets out their mission in a very clear way that says loud and proud that they are going to support the authors that are with them.
It's a great first step.
Image courtesy Screenshot via Indie Inklings