So we’ve decided to publish a line of paperbacks. Yes, I know, we’re as shocked as you are. But this new publishing stream only has emerged after much consideration and planning.
Our long-time readers will know Swan River Press primarily focuses on limited edition hardbacks. Sometimes these print runs disappear quickly, leaving some readers paying large sums for second-hand copies. Similarly, it is unfair to our authors to allow their works to languish out of print. We hope, also, that these paperbacks will help new readers find our books.
And so we’ve decided to reissue as paperbacks a selection of our out-of-print back catalogue (or those nearly out of print).
But there were some decisions that we had to make along the way too.
First, we’ve decided to go the print-on-demand route. There are two main reasons for this. The first being storage—we simply cannot stock more books outside of our hardback selection, which remains our priority. A full print run would also tie up money, something we are not in the position to do. But rest assured, the design quality of our paperbacks is what you’ve come to expect from Swan River. We think you’ll be pleased.
Second, we will very likely not reprint our anthologies or issues of The Green Book. While we would like to ideally reissue all of our out-of-print books, too many rights and royalty payments would be involved, and I don’t want to become a full-time accountant. So you’ll want to make sure you get our anthologies during their initial hardback issues.
Third, we’ve decided to go with IngramSpark. In doing this, Swan River paperbacks, unlike our hardbacks, will be available across a number of platforms, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, plus others. However, while you could order through Amazon, et al., if you’d like to more directly support independent publishing, you can order the paperbacks from us. They will be dispatched via IngramSpark.
Finally, our focus will continue to be on the hardback front list. This means we will not be inclined to produce paperback originals.
I’m pleased to announce that our first paperback, available now, is Dorothy Macardle’s Earth-Bound and Other Supernatural Tales. This will be followed in due course by Insect Literature by Lafcadio Hearn and The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson. We’ll go from there. If you want advance notice, be sure to join our mailing list.
In any case, I hope you like our new paperback line. A lot of work has gone into them to make them look and feel as good as we possibly could. Go ahead and give one a try, let us know what you think.
If you have any comments, be sure to leave them in the thread below.