How can small presses fight corporate publishing geared for the quick sale, rather than for cultivating an audience for interesting, challenging literature? "The operative word for these presses is independent, not small. Their lists, budgets, and workforce may be far less 'large' than corporate publishers, but it's their independence that actually makes them a worthy enterprise. Many writers have heard corporate editors say, 'I wish I could...' or 'My hands are tied.' Some writers may believe these are excuses to let them down easily, but I believe there's some truth in these statements.

Once at the American Booksellers Convention [now Book Expo America] I was at Coffee House Press' booth in the Consortium Distribution aisle. A couple of commercial editors came strolling down the aisle looking at the titles of publishers like Sun & Moon, Greywolf, Coffee House, and the other consortium presses. One of the editors sighed and said, 'You guys get to do all the good books.' There's a lot behind that wistful statement."

How is Fiction Collective 2 a model for the independent presses or anyone who wants to start a publishing house? "FC2 has had to change with the changing landscape. This is how any independently owned business stays alive. But since FC2 is a nonprofit organization, the key has been dedicated writers who have donated their time working for FC2--as editors, as fundraisers, as a network of business knowledge and ideas--passing the ball to one another when the endless juggling of duties becomes overwhelming. Each season's authors also work closely with FC2's publishers to help promote their books. FC2 runs similarly to a university press in that manuscripts are read by an anonymous editorial pool of readers. (This is always the case with my novels published by FC2.) The publishers are the ones dealing with marketing and promotion, so making books they truly believe in helps them maintain the energy and passion to fight for a book's life."