OUR ETHOS AND PUBLISHING MODEL

+ Our ethos: Firing the literary canon >

Central to Subbed In’s ethos is experimentation, disobedience and failure, intersectionality and innovation. Our 'mission' is one based on failing and relearning failure as a rejection of a system built by colonial-capitalism. In this context, Subbed In is keen to fail. Unlike traditional publishers and major publishers, our catalogue is not informed by markets or the Nielsen database.

'No one wakes up in the morning hoping to be as vapid as possible. But eventually you internalize the squeeze. Everyone down the chain adjusts their individual decisions to the whim of the retailer, or to their best guess at the whim of the retailer.' - From 'Smorgasbords Don’t Have Bottoms: Publishing in the 2010s' by the Editors at n+1

Publishing continues to be narrowed and pushed into a homogenous blob by the neoliberal tendencies of large publishers. As major publishers merge into one another in order to monopolise and expand their bottom line, they have become less and less interested in taking risks on 'innovative' or 'experimental' work (whatever that means). The decision-making processes of major publishers are firmly tethered to the weathervane of market trends.

'The retreat of large publishers from literary publishing is particularly visible in their virtually non-existent investments in low-selling but culturally significant forms, such as short stories or poetry.' - From 'The remarkable, prize-winning rise of our small publishers' by Emmett Stinson at The Conversation

Opportunities for new and 'untested' writing to find a home at a major publishing house have shrunk to almost non-existence. Subbed In's ethos is guided by both the rejection of this seedy capitalist map and using the map against its own structures, if only in a small way. Which is to say we are keen to fail.

TLDR; We jam econo.

+ Our publishing model: We jam econo >

‘Jamming econo’ was a DIY philosophy popularised in the 1980s by the Minutemen, a working-class punk band from San Pedro, California. Jamming econo is defined by working-class politics, resourcefulness, and self-education.

We have taught ourselves how to run a high quality, low-cost small publisher by utilising print-on-demand services and distribution channels. We edit and design books ourselves in collaboration with our authors and run our own grassroots distribution and marketing campaigns to bring our authors to the attention of new readers.

Grassroots distribution

Subbed In titles exist in the distribution databases of more than 39,000 bookstores, retailers, and libraries worldwide. If they don’t stock a Subbed In title, request it!

We work hard running grassroots distribution campaigns to bring Subbed In titles to the attention of booksellers. This is achieved in many ways. As well contacting bricks-and-mortar retailers one-by-one, we also rely on Subbed In supporters attending their favourite local bookshop (or any bookshop) and requesting copies of our titles. This makes it easier for us when approaching booksellers as management will be more likely to say, "Yes!" if they've already sold copies of a Subbed In title previously. Doing this also helps us build relationships with independent bookshops and create distribution channels for future Subbed In publications.

As well as selling books directly from our online store, Subbed In is connected to IngramSpark’s expansive national and international distribution network. IngramSpark’s distribution partners include: Lightning Source, Ingram Book Company, Ingram Content Group, and Ingram Book Group, depending on what country you’re in. Subbed In titles are available from almost any online or bricks-and-mortar bookshop or library around the world.

Subbed In book distribution markets in Europe: United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Poland, Italy.
Subbed In book distribution markets in Oceania: Australia and New Zealand.
Subbed In book distribution markets in North America & South America: Canada, USA, Brazil.
Subbed In book distribution markets in Asia: South Korea, China, India, Russia.

We also offer consignment options to booksellers directly from us. Check out our Bookseller and Retailer Guide for more information.

Head over to our stockists page to check out the retailers currently stocking Subbed In books around the world.