Michelle Dotter, Dzanc’s Publisher and EIC, Featured in Publishers weekly article

Michelle Dotter, Dzanc’s Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, was featured in an article by Sophia Sewart for Publishers Weekly called “How Women Keep Reinventing Independent Publishing”. Sophia interviewed Michelle and other women heading independent presses, including Carey Salerno, publisher of Alice James Books; Diane Goettel, executive editor of Black Lawrence Press; and Barbara Epler, president and publisher of New Directions, about why they believe so many small presses are led by women and the advantages and difficulties of working at an independent press.

From the article, “Like the scrappy, radical presses that cropped up amid the social and political upheaval of the ’60s and ’70s, most of today’s indie publishers feel they have a special responsibility amid our current cultural moment as free speech and arts funding come under threat. Reid argued that, while corporate publishers ‘will quickly bend to the pressures of shifting political landscapes,’ indies can challenge a ‘monoculture of ideas’ both with their titles and their operational structures. ‘We have to resist the tendency toward anticipatory capitulation, censoring ourselves to stay out of trouble,’ Dotter said. ‘We have to keep publishing books with teeth.’”

Way to go, Michelle! Read the full article here, and go check out our books with teeth!