"Independent" Now, for Books!

To:  To the Book Trade...and Amazon!

We the undersigned say that the publishing world should add the category "Independent" to its list of book categories.

Music and film have an "independent" category—it's time for books to have the same option!

Today, an independent book has no hope of success, of being reviewed or distributed on its own merits.

Having a name could make all the difference!

For the most part this pariah status applies to literary writing. But in many other fields as well an independent book submitted to the media for review will be ignored, rejected out of hand as not worthy of mention or even of existence as far as they're concerned.

The contrast is remarkable: Independent music and film have their own columns in various major media, and in all searcheable category lists, while independent publishing has nothing!

If independent publishing gets A NAME, we say that the refusal to acknowledge it will not be able to persist!

In the book trade, a big advertising budget, an established publisher and a credentialed author (who is part of the system) are essential for consideration for review.

In the indie film and music scenes it doesn't matter that there's no advertising or distribution or credential. The art comes first!

Indie music still doesn't get general airplay on the radio—but it's widely reviewed and has its own specialty programming.

Indie film still isn't played in major theater chains—but it's widely reviewed and stocked in movie stores.

It's time for independent publishing to get at least that much respect!

We the undersigned say that to give it a category would be a step in getting such respect!

Independent writers and publishers have long had to make their way outside the system. They often do so quite well. They rely on direct access to specialized audiences. They are known for some of the best work. But they are ignored by the establishment. As a result there have been two separate publishing worlds in our culture.

It's far worse in the general interest or mainstream literary field: there is no specialized audience here. Yet the independent voice has what the general public needs! But it is prevented from accessing this audience! By using the "independent" label (or having a search engine use it for you) anyone will be able, for the first time, to find the independent voices of our society.

It's like back when African American music gave life to the cities of America—yet it wasn't reviewed, considered or played on the radio. It was big yet it didn't exist. Getting a name is the first step to existence!

It's time for independent publishers to claim their name. Outsiders have long known that controlling their name is the key to viability. Having a name means having power in today's world.

So, we the undersigned say to make INDEPENDENT a selectable name in standard book category lists!

Then let's see what happens!

One reason why the book trade makes pariahs of independents is that it prides itself on an IMAGE of independence. But the corporate and academic literary establishments have many concerns other than merit and freedom, which are the only standards of independence. Marketing, career, credential and legal concerns all take precedence. Tawdriness and conformity are two results of the dominance of corporate and academic values, values which (rightly) emphasize systemization and orderliness. Beholden media have their uses, but they are simply not the places to look for the best and most relevant art.

Publishing in general has become labeled, niche-ified and genre-fied, with books (and even thought itself) being treated like any other product. This has had several effects, one being easy inventory management and shopper browsing, but it has also meant the segregation of culture.

We say, If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! —Give us our label!

Refusing to give someone a name is a way of making them disappear. Why would anyone want to prevent a kind of literature? Because independent literature is a threat to beholden and captive literature.

The amazing thing is that the only hope for the continued popularity of literature of any kind, corporate or not, is from the independent field. It's where artforms always get their energy. It provides the greatness that corporations then spin out into product-lines and which academics study.

Today, power of place lets the corporate/academic system put its work in front of everything else, thrusting independents into the dark.

Our demand is simple. "Independent" will be a category which any publisher can elect to have assigned to their work, in addition to other categories.

The text of a book's category or categories is often printed in a corner on the back cover of a book. This helps browsers and shelvers know how to consider or handle a book. It lets search engines, like Amazon's, know what kind of books to show you.

To be able to see "Fiction / Literature / Independent" on a book cover is not such a big thing. But it might be the start of something big.

Amazon has been an interesting boon to independent media. But we say that it, and other categorizers, need to take this step. "Independent" won't help people round up particular subjects—it's instead a sign of diverse, inclusive values. It says "This book has no strings attached." Books flagged with the new tag might seem to be unrelated on the surface, but they will soon be seen to have much in common.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The "Independent" Now, for Books! Petition to To the Book Trade...and Amazon! was created by and written by Jeff Potter (jeff@ulapress.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.