In a globalized world, megacorp publishing is all about numbers,
sameness, and following a formula based on the latest megasuccess. Each
book is expected to pay for itself and all the externalities of
publishing, such as offices and CEO salaries. It means that books that
take off slowly but have long lives, the books that change social norms
are less likely to be published. Independent publishers are seeking
another way--a way of engagement with society and methods that reflect
something important about the locale or the niche they inhabit.
Independent and small publishers are like rare plants that pop up among
the larger growth but add something different; perhaps they feed the
soil or bring color or scent into the world. Bibliodiversity is a term
invented by Chilean publishers in the 1990s as a way of envisioning a
different kind of publishing. In this manifesto, Susan Hawthorne
provides a scathing critique of the global publishing industry set
against a visionary proposal for organic publishing. She looks at free
speech and fair speech, the environmental costs of mainstream
publishing, and the promises and challenges of the move to digital.