Take charge!

Derin Thorpe

Local publisher

THE DIYer: Eugene Lim, writer-publisher

THE CAUSE: Lim’s endeavor began with failure. “I finished an experimental novel in 2001 and sent it to every decent independent press I could think of,” he says. “No luck.” So in 2007, the Brooklynite cofounded Ellipsis Press (ellipsispress.com) with writer-editor Johannah Rodgers. “The world of commercial literary publishing had begun that entertaining act of self-destruction we read about,” Lim says. His aim was to fill an ever-growing hole in the market with what he calls “structurally innovative” novels, while also publishing his own work.

THE EFFECT: “Because of Ellipsis I’ve had the opportunity to meet some very cool people in the small-press scene,” says Lim. Ellipsis published two books last year, Lim’s own Fog & Car and Waste, by Harlemite Eugene Marten, with another three in the works. “This year we’re going to publish two [more] novels,” says Lim. “Ellipsis isn’t making any money, but I think we’re set up to be sustainable for a good time to come.”

HOW TO DO IT: “If you can fumble through InDesign and Photoshop and have the time to read manuscripts for hours on end, then it’s a relatively cheap endeavor,” Lim says. Go with a small-batch or print-on-demand printer, he adds, and you can set up shop for less than the cost of a new iMac or two. “If you’re careful to put the money you saved into promotion and distribution, it’s a very smart way to run a small literary press.”—Drew Toal

NEXT: Hoodie innovator, Clinton Van Gemert

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