Small and Independent Presses vs. Big Five
Most of this section has been built around the scale of deal Hugh Howey eventually negotiated — Big Five imprints, agent representation, six and seven-figure numbers. That's real, but it's far from the only traditional publishing path available, and for many successful indie authors, a small or independent press is both a more accessible and, in some respects, a genuinely better-fitting option. This article covers what that middle tier actually looks like, honestly, including its real trade-offs.
What Defines a Small or Independent Press
There's no single, universally agreed definition, and that ambiguity matters practically. Generally, small and independent presses publish a meaningfully smaller list of titles per year than a Big Five imprint, operate with smaller teams where staff often cover multiple roles at once, and aren't owned by one of the handful of major publishing conglomerates. Beyond that, the category is genuinely varied — some operate close to Big Five standards in terms of professionalism, advances, and distribution reach; others are closer to a passionate, under-resourced operation with real limitations.
The Honest Trade-Offs
A Genuine Risk Worth Naming Directly
⚠ The small press category includes everything from excellent, professionally run operations that have produced major award winners and finalists, to under-resourced operations with little real advantage over self-publishing, to outright predatory operations using "independent press" framing to disguise what's actually a paid vanity service. Due diligence here matters as much as anywhere else in this section: ask for a clear, specific contract with all rights, fees, and royalty rates explicitly spelled out, request author references you can actually contact, and apply the same red-flag awareness covered in this section's article on walking away.
A Terminology Note Worth Clearing Up
The phrase "indie publishing" is used two genuinely different ways in this industry, and it's worth being precise about which one is meant in any given conversation. Historically, and still within the small press community itself, "indie publisher" or "independent publisher" refers to exactly the small-press category covered in this article — a traditional publisher operating independently of the Big Five conglomerates. Separately, and far more commonly today, "indie author" — the term used throughout the rest of this resource library — refers to a self-published author. The two are not the same thing, and conflating them in a conversation with an agent, editor, or fellow author can cause real confusion about what's actually being discussed.
When Small Press Makes Sense for an Already-Successful Indie Author
You're specifically drawn to traditional publishing for the editorial relationship, professional design, and credibility it offers, more than for a large upfront advance or maximum distribution reach
You're considering a genre, niche, or literary project distinct from your primary commercial indie work, where a small press specializing in that specific space may offer a stronger fit and more genuine enthusiasm than a Big Five imprint primarily interested in your established commercial genre
You want traditional publishing experience and credentials without first investing in querying for agent representation
Your existing indie royalty rates are strong enough that a higher small-press royalty percentage, even without a large advance, represents a genuinely competitive financial proposition
Conclusion
The choice isn't only between staying fully indie and landing a Big Five deal — a real, varied middle tier exists, with its own honest trade-offs and its own due-diligence requirements. With the full landscape of this section now covered — agents, offer mechanics, hybrid structures, screen rights, evaluation, walking away, and this middle tier — the final article in this section closes with a practical synthesis: choosing your own path among everything covered here.
- Randall