The world of contemporary publishing can seem a depressing place, where publishers slavishly chase trends and churn out lowest-common-denominator slop. The aversion to risk taking is frustrating - though for small presses, which are often seen as nimble and adaptable but which live from hand to mouth, the temptation to play it safe is perhaps more understandable. All of which makes the rise of And Other Stories worth noting.
As co-founder Stefan Tobler explained in Ellen Peirson-Hagger's Observer profile, the Sheffield-based imprint has been able to be bold because it receives annual public funding from the Arts Council. Some (such as Green Man's Fiona Stewart) would question whether the press can legitimately claim to be "independent" - but it seems clear that the money has been liberating as well as "stabilising", and put to good use. Even if, as Tobler points out, "[t]he bulk of money is sales", simply having a guaranteed financial platform to build on is enormously helpful.
The result is that And Other Stories has been able to pursue its mission of publishing innovative contemporary writing, often in translation, and seeking to give readers what they need rather than what they want - or at least what mainstream publishers think they want. According to co-founder Tara Tobler, "[y]ou can do all these extraordinary things without having to cater to market assumptions about how much a reader is or isn't willing to work, because those assumptions are all just about privilege and the assumption that the English market is used to having everything handed to it".
Sales, awards and growth all suggest that And Other Stories is on the right lines. The press is vital proof that arts funding can genuinely pay off - and a valuable success story to cling on to amid challenges that seem to emerge or grow every day.
No comments:
Post a Comment