Iodine Literary Conference
Connecting Readers and Writers with the Small and Mid-size Press
Beaufort, SC ~ January 26 & 27, 2007
What small, mid-side and independent presses are, and what they do for writers and readers, and vice versa.

The Iodine Assertion: There are more options for literary works than big corporate publishers can provide. Small, mid-size, and indepedent presses are a part of the artisan movement, just like Slow Food, heirloom seeds, off-the-grid cabins, and cars that run on biodiesel from the oil of local chicken wing restaurants.

According to Wikipedia: Small press is a term often used to describe publishers who typically specialize in genre fiction or limited-edition books or magazines. It should not be confused with "vanity press", which usually implies payment by authors to publish. With a small press, the publisher is much more likely to be motivated by the desire to make writing of limited immediate commercial value available through formal publication. link

Insight from Iodine Poetry Journal, in Charlotte NC (not affiliated with the Iodine Literary Conference):
Iodine Poetry Journal grew out of a series of monthly Poetry Readings in 1999 at a cafe near UNC at Charlotte, which has become the longest running Open Mike event in Charlotte. When I first thought about editing/publishing a literary mag, I began thinking about what I could call it. At the time I had my own work being published in the small press and there were so many interesting and unique names of the various mags that were out there. At first,I thought about using Mercurachrome, something my mom used to put on scrapes and cuts when I was a kid. I discovered that it was a brand name for an Iodine compound. Then I thought, Iodine! That's easier to spell and pronounce, and it still has that medicinal image that most people can relate to, hence the name. Since then, I have been working hard to make it a quality publication. My short term goal was five years, which basically beat the odds in the small press world. Now my goal is ten years and I have stacks of MSS to read, and not as much time to write my own poetry. link

From the Small Press Center for Independent Publishing:
As major publishing houses are consolidating, contracting, and groaning under the weight of returns and operating costs, small independent publishers are thriving. Driven primarily by a desire to publish what interests them, what they believe in, this dedicated group is growing rapidly. And yet, the desire to do their own thing is not without financial reward. Some fail or get by on a shoestring, of course. But Barnes and Noble notes that purchases from the top 10 publishers declined to 46% from the 74% figure it had been three years back. The shift has been to independents, small publishers and university presses. link

What more can be said? Please send your comments and questions.

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