Indie Publishing Takes a Big Hit

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Any bookish type will tell you that some of the most interesting and innovative copy in bookstores and libraries often comes from a small independent publisher that is willing to take a chance on an author. So when PGW (Publishers Group West), one of the main distributors for these scrappy DIY publishing houses, got put on the chopping block back in January, it was looking like rough waters ahead for indie publishers.

When PGW’s parent company went bankrupt, all of its assets were frozen, which meant that publishers were not paid for any sales from the last quarter of 2006 (which includes December, the most profitable month for any retailer). Eventually the company did get taken over, but publishers only received 70 percent of what they were owed. Being a bookish type myself, I have been following the ongoing drama via Shelf Awareness for the last six months, but you can get the full story over at Salon.

Some small publishers folded, others were bought out, and among the indie houses still standing, many are struggling. Included in this list is one of my personal favorites, author Dave Eggers’ publishing group McSweeney’s, which lost an estimated $130,000 in actual earnings. They’re having a big sale on their website in an effort to raise money to offset their losses. Keep one of my favorite publishing houses alive by buying some cool stuff. My personal recommendation? This shirt.

—Martha Pettit

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

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