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This thread is for dropping ideas, questions, resources, comments, and discussion about Task 4: A Book Published by an Indie Press.

Here are a few lists to get you started:

Planning on doing The Empathy Exams: Essays for this as well.

Suicide in Tiny Increments by Riya Anne Polcastro published by Raw Words. I won this in a giveaway last month and I've been looking forward to reading it so I'll give it a go in 2015

I am reading Red or Dead as I've heard so many good things about it and I'm a big Liverpool fan! Also, it's on Oyster now, so I can read it immediately.

Strings and Bones had an interesting premise, so it's on the TBR.

Kathryn wrote: "Strings and Bones had an interesting premise, so it's on the TBR."

Hadn't heard of that book till your comment, and it sounds really interesting! Think it'll be my choice as well.

Flat-Out Love sounds interesting.

Swans are fat too, by Michelle Granas.
I won her other book, Zaremba, or Love and the Rule of Law through first reads and it was actually really good. So why not read this book as well?

I plan to read On Immunity: An Inoculation so I can see what all the buzz is about.

So what exactly is a small or indie press? I want to read Along Those Lines by Peter Cashwell, pubbed by Paul Dry Books, but I have no yardstick to measure these houses by.

I was looking at the IPPY winners and I saw that Into the Forest by Hegland won for fiction years ago. Great book, I highly recommend it! I'm trying not to do rereads so chose Between the Flowers by Simpson.

Corey wrote: "So what exactly is a small or indie press? I want to read Along Those Lines by Peter Cashwell, pubbed by Paul Dry Books, but I have no yardstick to measure these houses by. ...."

I'm with you. I'm not entirely clear on what counts as an indie press.

Looking through the IPPY award past winners/nominees and noticed a book I really liked when I read it years ago if anyone's interested: The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break. Does self-published count as indie press? I might read Wool, I absolutely loved Sand by this author.

I have Flat out Love in my TBR pile, as well as New Jersey Noir - leaning torwards New Jersey Noir I think.

I think this will be by far the hardest part of the challenge. I have very little exposure to anything independent. I can't wait to see what you all read and love in this category.

I won Titan Magic in a reading challenge last year so I will be reading it for this category.

I'm dipping into my unread books on my bookshelves for this challenge and reading Capitalism: A Ghost Story from Haymarket Books, which I would think qualifies.

Is a non profit press an indie press or are they two distinct things?

Kelli wrote: "I plan to read On Immunity: An Inoculation so I can see what all the buzz is about.


For the purposes of this challenge, I'd use the definition of indie presses that the Independent Press Book Award uses:


1. Independently owned and operated
2. Operated by a foundation or university
3. Long-time independents that became incorporated but operate autonomously and publish fewer than 50 titles a year.

For reference, the Big Five publishers are Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, and Simon and Schuster.

Kathryn wrote: "Strings and Bones had an interesting premise, so it's on the TBR."

Agreed! On my TBR now!

Hi I was wondering if books from taschen are considered as indie?

Is Quirk Books considered an indie press?


They publish only 25 books per year, but Penguin Random House helps with distribution.

Are Seven Stories Press considered indie press? They look it to me but I'm not very familiar with indie.

If you read much contemporary poetry, you've probably read something from an independent press.

I'll be reading Suction Cup Dreams: An Octopus Anthology. I ordered it on the 23rd and it was printed after I ordered it. It seems to printed on demand.

Reading Late Lights by Kara Weiss for this category--published by Colony Collapse Press, an indie press out of Madison, WI.

I have down 11 Stories by Chris Cander as it won a couple different small Elit awards but I am going to keep an eye on this thread and may change that. This one was by far the hardest for me.

I'll be reading Pissing in a River

Does a self-publishing site or book count for this task?

Bea wrote: "Does a self-publishing site or book count for this task?"

I don't think so. I was going to read a different book for this but then realized it was self-published, not indie-published. I could be wrong, though.

Amy wrote: "I think this will be by far the hardest part of the challenge. I have very little exposure to anything independent. I can't wait to see what you all read and love in this category."

I agree this is going to kill me....

I found another award list:

and joy of joy, I have one of last year's winners on my kindle!

I just finished 419 by Will Ferguson published by Head of Zeus (what a great name!). When I bought the book from a used bookstore (at a public library), there was no blurb on the book. Not sure I would have bought it if there had been, but I now know a lot about the modern history of Nigeria and how the 419 (what we call phishing) scams work.

I read All the Dancing Birds and thought it was just lovely.

Aurora wrote: "If you read much contemporary poetry, you've probably read something from an independent press."

You think anything from Words Dance Publishing (used to be Verve Bath Press) counts then ?

Books published by Two Dollar Radio should count for this (I beleve) and if so they have some really good ones to choose from. Crystal Eaters and Made to Break have both gotten solid reviews. Crapalachia: A Biography of a Place is also supposed to be awesome!

How can I tell if the book is from an indie press, I feel pretty stupid asking this it I really don't pay much attention to the publishing companies when I buy a book. I know several authors that self publish certain books because their publishers didn't want to continue the series, would that count?

I finished JackabyJackaby (Algonquin Young Readers / Workman Publishing) for this task.

I just finished O Democracy by Kathleen Rooney, published by Fifth Star Press- which I think meets the definitions above.

Becky wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Strings and Bones had an interesting premise, so it's on the TBR."

Agreed! On my TBR now!"

And added to mine :)

Looks like for me as well, as it is only $4.99 for Nook and my library doesn't have it or any other books I was interested in from this thread so far.

I picked up an interesting looking & Australian award winning book at a local indie bookstore recently. Publisher is Allen & Unwin.

Vauna wrote: "How can I tell if the book is from an indie press, I feel pretty stupid asking this it I really don't pay much attention to the publishing companies when I buy a book. I know several authors that s..."

I have the same problem

Vauna wrote: "How can I tell if the book is from an indie press, I feel pretty stupid asking this it I really don't pay much attention to the publishing companies when I buy a book. I know several authors that s..."

No, self-publishing does not count for this task. An independent press is an actual press that is:

1. Independently owned and operated (i.e., not owned by the Big Five. Big Five publishers are Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, and Simon and Schuster)
2. Operated by a foundation or university
3. Long-time independents that became incorporated but operate autonomously and publish fewer than 50 titles a year.

To supplement BR's comment, here's the URL for , a distributor that works with over 700 independent/small presses. It gives an idea of the range of small presses out there.

I have to plug my favorite independent publishers: , with their wonderful Neversink Library and Art of the Novella series, and , with an astonishing array of translated works from all over the world in their Classics imprint.

If you like YA, you might enjoy this book by my friend Bill Blume that he published with an independent press. It's a fun take on a high school-aged vampire hunter (also called Gidion's Hunt). Tales of a 10th Grade Vampire Hunter

Thank you, thank you!!!! I didn't figure self published counted but wanted to be sure I was covering all bases. I will have to start paying better attention to publisher marks in my books.

Again, thanks!

If you go to Powells' Indispensable webpage you will find a list of books from independent publishers.

I'm readingA Highly Unlikely Scenario, or a Neetsa Pizza Employee's Guide to Saving the World (published by Melville House)

I'm rest The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon and the publisher is CreateSpace Publishing (Amazon owned company)