For some small publishers, the word “independent” refers specifically to how they’re run: by tiny staffs, out of shared office spaces or spare bedrooms, with limited budgets, without corporate backing. In such cases, “independent” simply describes presses that are not part of large conglomerates and who have fewer titles and lower print runs (though, it should be said, there’s nothing too simple about it).

For others, “independent” refers not only to how they’re owned and operated, but also to the content of the books they publish: their decidedly non-mainstream subject matter, progressive authorship, and distinctive voice. One might call such publishers fiercely independent.

South End Press-a collectively run nonprofit book publisher whose slogan is “Read. Write. Revolt.”-is one of the finest examples (scratch that, the finest example) I’ve encountered of a wholly independent press-and a fierce one at that! It’s also the finest example encountered by well-known writer, historian, and activist Howard Zinn, who said, “When I think of heroic publishers refusing to be swallowed up by mega-publishers, and refusing to go out of business against all odds, I think of South End Press.”

I first learned about SEP when I was finishing my undergraduate studies in Michigan and decided to apply for a post-college, pre-“real world” internship at a small publisher. Initially, I was researching literary presses that specialized in things like short stories and poetry (and who all had, for some reason or another, nature-oriented names: Copper Canyon Press, Graywolf Press, Milkweed Editions). Then I stumbled upon the South End Press website and was instantly intrigued: here was “a nonprofit press organized as an egalitarian collective” whose goal was to “publish books that encourage critical thinking and constructive action” and whose members were “committed to the politics of radical social change.” Two months later I moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and began my internship at this radical publisher.

The first thing I discovered at SEP was that the six members of the publishing collective were genuinely dedicated to not just the idea but also the practice of egalitarianism. Indeed, true to their mission, decision-making was “arranged to share as equally as possible the rewards and stresses of running the business.” The members worked tirelessly to edit and promote their assigned books, but they also shared clerical tasks like running copies and answering phones. Similarly, as an intern I had administrative duties like data entry and mass mailings, but I was also given the responsibility of reading, and commenting upon, unsolicited manuscripts, as well as the opportunity to weigh in on decisions regarding sales copy and cover art.

Although there have been some changes in personnel since my days as an intern, South End Press still maintains a balanced, nonhierarchical work environment. It’s a point of pride for the collective members and something they’ve worked to improve and maintain since the press was founded in 1977. (I have found that even interning for a short time under this model pretty much ruined me for more mainstream hierarchical work models-my continual (though suppressed) impulse being to question unjustified authority!) Another unique feature of SEP is that members receive the same base salary and are encouraged to adhere to a 32-hour work week, though they are often so absorbed in their projects that they tend to put in extra time.

But as stated previously, South End Press isn’t just run in a radical way; it also publishes radical books. Featuring authors like Noam Chomsky, Arundhati Roy, bell hooks, Manning Marable, Vandana Shiva, Edward Said, Howard Zinn, Ward Churchill, Mumia Abu-Jamal, and Winona LaDuke, the South End Press catalog reflects a diverse array of voices and covers a range of key social, political, cultural, economic, and environmental issues. There are books that address topics of activism, feminism, labor and class politics, African American Studies, health, and globalization (to name but a few). Recent releases include Manifestos on the Future of Farm and Seed, edited by Vandana Shiva, which discusses the necessity of healthy local food economies; What Lies Beneath: Katrina, Race, and the State of the Nation, edited by the South End Press Collective, which examines US priorities as reflected in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; and Bananeras, by Dana Frank, which explores Latin American labor initiatives, in particular the revolutionary organizing of women banana workers.

South End Press has other compelling titles on the horizon, as well as a new program called Community Supported Publishing (CSP), designed to promote sustainability in independent book publishing in much the same way that Community Supported Agriculture encourages sustainability in independent farming. CSP members become part of a book subscription program where they receive either a “new variety” from the South End Press catalog or a “choice heirloom selection” free each month.

Visit the SEP website for more information and encourage your local independent bookstore to carry SEP titles. Certainly my amazingly positive interning experience renders me somewhat biased, but I believe this is the kind of publisher we need to expend extra energy to support and preserve. The agricultural analogy is an apt one: just as small, local farms promote a healthier and more sustainable standard of living, so too do small, independent publishers feed our minds and connect us to our communities. It may sound a little corny (ha, ha), but books are a priceless-and seemingly dwindling-crop. That’s why I’m with Howard Zinn in calling book harvesters like South End Press (as well as the other small presses featured in this column thus far, and many as-of-yet-unmentioned presses) truly heroic.

Visit South End Press online

Previously in Preserving Our Independents