2) What's your opinion of the current state of GLBT publishing?

Bold Strokes: I think independent LGBT publishing is as healthy as it can be in an economic climate of uncertainty and cutbacks. By that, I mean, I believe we are in an exciting period of heightened awareness of and interest in LGBT publishing by industry professionals as well as readers. At every event where I’ve had the opportunity to interact with readers, who are, after all, what drives the industry, I hear individuals say they had stopped reading LGBT fiction 10 or 15 years ago and are just rediscovering all the wonderful authors and exciting works available. I believe that we are bringing our community back to our literature through creative marketing (using various Internet vehicles, for example) and at Bold Strokes, at least, by intensive grassroots marketing through book-focused festivals and other events. I am saddened to see several of the gay and lesbian imprints of major publishing houses close in the last year, but that has certainly inspired me to work harder at promoting independent gay and lesbian publishing.

Circlet: GLBT publishing is suffering the same doldrums as all publishing. The increasing domination of the chain stores is hard on everyone, but the small presses have it the worst, and the same craze for "reality TV" is pushing nonfiction to dominate fiction eve more than it always did. Traditionally GLBT publishers always survived with a mix of issues nonfiction and genre fiction, but as the up and coming generations of GLBT readers no longer need the validation that coming out books and political issues books used to give them, and they find "queer entertainment value" even in the "mainstream" fiction (and movies, television, etc...) where they didn't used to, the GLBT publishers no longer maintain a hold on a captive audience like they used to.

Intaglio: It’s thrilling because it’s a growing market. I’m so happy when I go into a bookstore or see a Web site where GLBT titles are represented, regardless of the publisher. I think all GLBT publishers are working very hard to produce books of quality for our respective audiences. Anyone involved in this business will tell you that’s no easy feat. Printing, editing, and graphic arts fees are steep for small presses. I think those of us who produce GLBT books knew coming into the business that it wasn’t going to be a get-rich-quick scheme. But we can’t sit back and hope that “mainstream” businesses will acknowledge us and produce products that can be enjoyed by the GLBT community, so we have decided to do it for ourselves. And I’m proud to say that the community as a whole is doing a fine job.

Lethe: Well, it's certainly a chaotic one. With several imprints and presses closing, and others in financial trouble, it seems that smaller presses will have to fill the gaps. Can they do so effectively? I'm not entirely sure. While the Internet does allow a press to reach a wide variety of readers, the sheer number of books released these days, thanks to print-on-demand technology, means it's hard to know what is gold and what is dross. I'm surprised there aren't more review sites and blogs devoted to queer fiction. Word of blog seems destined to replace counter help at the vanishing breed of gay booksellers.

P.D.: We think it's changing as quickly as the technology around us. We think there is a place for large publishing houses, medium to small publishing houses, and self-publishing authors. We keep our eyes open and are always open to learning or trying new things. Of course, money is usually the determining factor. Publishing, if you'll allow this analogy, is a living and breathing creature. It has to continually grow and change or it will die. Again, there is room for great variation.

RedBone: GLBT publishing in general is going through a rough patch due to the condition of the U.S. economy and politics. In tough economic and political times, society in general tends to tighten rather than expand; people are not willing to spend money on what they'd consider non-essentials. Fortunately for GLBT writers, books have always been essential to our identity, so GBLT writers will find some kind of way to get their work out, no matter who is holding the publishing purse strings.

Spinifex: It is nowhere near as strong as it used to be in the 1990s although I think it is feeling the pinch a little later than feminist presses. On the whole, the media no longer wants to know that it is a lesbian book as they think it's old hat - and anyway isn't it all the same. This is a result of the depoliticization of lesbian and gay publishing to queer publishing where queer is almost anything. We have therefore lost our distinctiveness through a process of assimilation. In such an atmosphere it's okay to publish lesbian/gay/queer books provided you don't make a fuss - i.e. you think it's okay to pass as heterosexual. Imagine asking Blacks to pass as white!! Heteronormativity is mainstream and inclusivity disappears lesbians (and to some extent gays).

STARbooks: I think it is great. There is a lot of competition, and there are many great authors out there just waiting to be discovered. We have discovered a few ourselves at STARbooks Press.

Wildcat: There is good news and bad news. The good news: some great new writing talents and new imprints have appeared on the LGBT book scene. Many of these people can be found appearing at the Saints & Sinners Literary Festival in New Orleans, which is upcoming in May. www.sasfest.org. (Editor note: see article about this in this issue.) Without these new talents and resources, we can't hope to have a future for LGBT publishing. 

The bad news:  the book-publishing industry is in a sharp downturn right now, with everybody (including the chain stores) feeling that pinch of recession.  People are cutting back on spending...they're just not buying books the way they used to.  Or they buy used books.  The used-book market has gotten huge, but publishers and authors aren't helped by this new market because they don't get a percentage of these sales.

So LGBT publishers are also feeling the pinch.  In the last decade, a dozen gay-friendly book distributors have gone chapter 11; their disappearance has  narrowed our ability to get into bookstores.  Also, we see the closure of many LGBT-owned bookstores across the country.   It's probably true that some of our community people buy fewer gay-themed books than they did 20 years ago.  But we are also being hurt by our own media's growing disinterest in books.  Few LGBT magazines review books now, or do features on writers.  They are mostly interested in politicians, film stars and tabloid celebrities.  Ad rates for the national magazines have gone sky-high, meaning that few LGBT publishers can even afford to advertise their new titles in the gay press.

Frankly I don't see things getting any better unless there is a general upturn for the industry as a whole, and a revival of interest in books.