They are a badly needed emerging force in a hidebound, greed-controlled industry. Thom Metzger First, a chat with Thom Metzger . Thom is the author of four books, published by large and small presses. He is a professor of literature at the State University of New York and a media consultant whose articles and short stories have been widely published. He is on the staff of the Wordwright critique service.
Books published by the big conglomerate presses tend to have a much shorter lifespan.
And he wasn't kidding. If it doesn't sell in a couple of days, it's pulled, stripped and pulped. By contrast, my book of short fiction published by a so-called small press in 1992 is still in print and available. Because of tax laws and he exigencies of corporate life, books done by the big presses must succeed quickly or they are total failures. There are almost no large presses still in the hands of individual owners.