right|thumbnail|The [[Dun Emer Press in 1903 with Elizabeth Yeats working the hand press]]
A small press is a publisher with annual sales below a certain level or below a certain number of titles published. The terms "indie publisher" and "independent press" and others are sometimes used interchangeably. However, when a distinction is drawn, there are about 100,000 small presses and about one million independent presses.
Independent press is generally defined as publishers that are not part of large conglomerates or multinational corporations. Even when owned by a larger business, an independent press is allowed to choose which books to publish, and the business will survive or fail as a result of how well those books sell.
Independent publishers (as defined above) made up about half of the market share of the book publishing industry in the United States in 2007. The majority of small presses are independent or indie publishers, meaning that they are separate from the handful of major publishing house conglomerates, such as Random House or Hachette.
Characteristics
Since the profit margins for small presses can be narrow, many are driven by other motives, including the desire to help disseminate literature with only a small likely market. Many presses are also associated with crowdfunding efforts that help connect authors with readers.
Small presses tend to fill the niches that larger publishers neglect. They can focus on regional titles, narrow specializations and niche genres. At its most minimal, 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 collector's items printed to high standards.
Unlike a vanity press or self-publishing service, a small press rarely publishes books written by the owner or publisher.
A recent burgeoning of small presses has been caused by the introduction of digital printing, especially print on demand technology. Combined with Internet based marketing, digital typesetting, design tools with the rise of eBooks, the new printing technologies have lowered the economic barriers to entry, allowing many new niches to be served, and many new publishers to enter the industry. A notable boom of small press publishing has been observed since the 2008 economic crisis.
By continent
Oceania
Australia
Small presses have played a significant part historically in recognising new voices and publishing notable works of literary fiction in Australia,
In recent years, though, the small publishers have especially made gains as big publishers have backed away from publishing literary works. Small press publications have won some of the greatest literary prizes, including the Stella Prize, the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Fiction and the Miles Franklin Literary Award. There was a strong upward trend in the number of titles published by small press and shortlisted for the Miles Franklin and the PM's Fiction Awards in the two years preceding 2017.
The Small Press Network (SPN), located at the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne, represents small and independent publishers in Australia, which promotes independent publishing and supports diversity within the industry "as a vital component of Australian literary culture". Founded in 2006, it has grown to represent more than 140 members in Australia and New Zealand. Its members include such publishers as the Griffith Review, National Library of Australia Publishing, Scribe and Wakefield Press, as well as many smaller publishers.
Africa
Kenya
The 1960s marked a significant period for small presses in Kenya following the country’s independence from Britain in 1963. During this period and into the 1970s, small press publications played a crucial role in reflecting social and political trends such as urban corruption and the legacy of colonial rule.
Universities, notably the University of Nairobi, played a pivotal role in shaping this literary culture, with student publications serving as platforms for early experimentation in creative writing for latterly well-known writers.