The critical role independent publishers play in a market dominated by multinational corporations took center stage at "From Latin America to the World: Publishing Today," a conference held April 7-8 by Princeton University Press in Princeton, N.J. The discussion brought together publishers from across the Americas and explored the meaning, challenges, and unique advantages of publishing independence.

Defining independence in publishing

Panelists offered varied perspectives on what independence means in today's publishing landscape. For Tynan Kogane, senior editor at New Directions Publishing, the term represents autonomy in editorial decisions. "We can choose to publish things that we know won't make money or aren't very likely to make money," Kogane said.

Michael Reynolds, executive publisher of Europa Editions, challenged conventional notions of independence, suggesting the term itself may be insufficient. He emphasized that Europa has increasingly prioritized "interdependence more than independence," focusing on relationships, collaborations, and synergies between various stakeholders in the book ecosystem.

"I set out for years thinking of independence as a sort of absolute value for a publisher. And I'm starting to re-examine that actually," Reynolds said. "It's very clear in this moment how dependent we are on so many different things—distributors, stores, readers."

Brazil was represented at the event by Cecilia Arbolave, of publisher Lote 42, who offered a nautical metaphor that resonated with fellow panelists. "I like to think of it like we have these big ships, these big companies, and maybe independent publishers could be like these little ships, these canoes that are simple and humble," Arbolave said. "They're small, they don't fit too many people, and they're sometimes faster. They can reach places big ships cannot reach."

Gustavo “Maca” Wojciechowski, a well-known author in his native Uruguay and founder of the publishing house Yaugurú, provided a more categorical definition. Speaking with an interpreter, he suggested a categorization system for publishers based on three models: multinationals focused primarily on economic success, national publishers balancing business demands with cultural contributions, and independent publishers who "focus on making visible the invisible."

The day-to-day realities of independence

When it comes to the practical challenges that independent publishers face in a market overshadowed by conglomerates, Reynolds rejected the notion that larger publishers' dominance equates to competence. "Perhaps one mistake is to believe that because the corporate publishers control so much of the market, they're actually good at it. They're not," Reynolds said. "They're just bumbling around like the rest of us, and most of us are better than them, because we're flexible."

The panelists highlighted several competitive advantages available to smaller publishers, including organizational flexibility, a clearer brand identity, and the ability to take editorial risks without the pressure of quarterly profit targets. Kogane noted that New Directions benefits from its own recognizable identity. "I think people who do know of New Directions know what a New Directions book is," he said, "whereas I don't think anyone in the room could tell me what a Penguin Random House book is."

For Arbolave, the economic constraints of independent publishing can, paradoxically, lead to better books. "I don't think limits—economic limits—are necessarily something that you can't overcome," she explained. "Actually, because of those limits and because of that lack, we could do better books because that lack forced us to search for other alternatives."

When asked how independence shapes their daily operations, panelists described multifaceted work environments where staff wear multiple hats and rigid hierarchies are absent. "All of the people, all of the time, are involved in everything," Reynolds said of Europa's structure. "Every department and everybody's input carries weight. Experience in a particular field is never sort of limited or siloed in that particular department, but it spills over into every other department."

Lote 42's approach, Arbolave said, involves treating each title as something new and worthy of attention. "Each book is unique, and that uniqueness—we think about it like, 'Well, what does this book ask from us?' The way we deal with the authors, the way we choose the format, the materials, and handle production, are equally important aspects of the publishing process." she said.

Uruguay’s Wojciechowski emphasized his publisher's commitment to custom-crafting books. "The idea is to treat each book specially precisely because each book is special," he said. "I have to make the hat custom to make myself aware of the text, put myself inside of it to figure out the materiality of the book—from its format, its paper, its binding, its ink, its typography, its margin and spacing."

Persistence and passion

The panel also addressed how independence allows publishers to maintain long-term commitments to authors who might otherwise be dropped by corporate publishers after modest initial sales. Reynolds cited Elena Ferrante, Europa's most commercially successful author, whose early books performed modestly.

"If she had been published by a corporate publisher after those three books, she would no longer be published by that corporate publisher. They hadn't sold well enough," Reynolds explained. "An independent publisher has the flexibility to say, 'I believe in this author. Sooner or later, it's going to work, and I'm going to keep trying.' "

Kogane shared a similar story about Japanese author Yoko Tawada, whom New Directions first published in 2002. "We probably sold 300 copies," he recalled, but the publisher continued releasing her work regularly. "Every couple years, we would put out a new book by Yoko Tawada, and about 10 years ago, one of her books took off.” He added that the press now regularly pushes print runs of 25,000 copies for Tawada's titles.

During the panel, Arbolave displayed a recently published complex pop-up poetry book by Brazilian poet Augusto de Campos and Spanish artist Julio Plaza. She suggested that other publishers might have avoided the project due to production challenges, and that such books exemplify the creative risks independent publishers can take. Another indication of the company's dedication to independence, she added, is its retail outlet, Banca Tatui, a former newsstand that the company converted into a micro-bookstore focused on selling books from independent publishers.

The panelists unanimously praised the vital role of independent bookstores in their business models, with Reynolds noting they account for a quarter of Europa's sales. "They are our first and our best friends in the business, for sure," he said.

For Wojciechowski, whose poetry-focused press operates in a country where half the provinces have no bookstores at all, alternative distribution methods are essential. His publishing house has developed a subscription model, with "100 to 120 subscribers that pay something each month, and they receive the book in their home."

The panel concluded with the publishers reasserting their commitment to literature—one that goes well beyond financial considerations and is fueled by passion and an appetite for risk. "I never saw the economics of indie publishing as an impediment," Wojciechowski said, acknowledging that the choice to become an independent publisher comes with inherent challenges. "It's just what's normal."