By Wendy Russell has always felt at home when writing and publishing, so it makes sense that Brown Paper Press flourishes from her office inside her home.
The small publishing company was founded in 2014, and for almost five years, Russell has been running the operation almost by herself. With production teams shifting with each book, she has struggled from day one.
“It was my first foray into book publishing, so it was all a learning curve,” Russell said. “It was such a steep learning curve, like everything was a challenge, and it still is in a way.”
When Russell and her old partner first started out, they were so excited to venture into book publishing that they almost named the company, “Whatever Press,” with a motto of “we’ll publish anything.” Later on, they realized how important it is to have a niche in the publishing industry.
Today, Russell’s mission is more about delivering new perspectives and socially relevant nonfiction works written by authors that strive to change the world.
Russell said the tide is turning for her business now as the process of publishing gets easier and the submissions she’s getting are improving. However, indie publishing hasn’t always been smooth sailing for her.
“It’s a hard business to break into,” Russell said. “It’s not like I’m making computers, a book doesn’t cost $1,000, so you have to sell a lot of books.”
Some days, the anxiety of putting something so close to her heart out into the world makes Russell question if it’s worth it. No matter the struggle, though, she always returns to doing what she loves.
“It’s tough, but it’s also really energizing, and I never say that I’m not in it for the money because I feel like that just diminishes the whole business aspect of it,” she said.
Russell doesn’t know any other indie press businesses that haven’t experienced the same things she has. Yet, despite her struggles, she finds her job immensely satisfying. She enjoys the intimacy of a smaller press and the people she works with appreciate her system.
[/media-credit] Brown Paper Press has published four books so far, with two more on the horizon, “Parent Shift” set to publish in May and “Trove” set to publish in September.
Sandra Miller, the author of Brown Paper Press’s upcoming title “Trove: A Woman’s Search for Truth and Buried Treasure,” said she feels like she hit the publishing lottery when she partnered with Russell.
“When people ask me how the publishing process is going, I rhapsodize about how lucky I feel that I’m with Brown Paper Press,” Miller said. “My memoir is deeply personal, and it would be hard to have the production piece completely out of my hands, so I love being included and valued.”
For Miller, the biggest positive of publishing with a smaller company is the collaborative process. Russell worked with Miller in every aspect of the production of her book, in order to perfect her vision.
Miller said that with less people involved in the business aspect, the process is streamlined and gives authors more freedom.
“All authors have access to the same promotional tools such as social media, so those of us with small presses can be just as visible as those who are with a big, established publishing house,” Miller said.
Even though there are struggles with being a smaller press and fighting to get the name of Brown Paper Press out there, Russell prefers having a more intimate role in the production of the books.
Her goal is to publish four to five books a year at maximum so she can focus on making each book as amazing as it can be. No matter how popular the company gets, Russell said her ultimate goal is to be involved in every step of each book she publishes.
“I don’t need it to be a New York sized huge press,” she said. “I don’t want it to be. I like the term ‘boutique press’ because it’s just me.”
She always knew books and writing were a part of her, and it just took her awhile to nail down exactly what that meant.
“I am just constantly learning new stuff, and it’s exciting,” Russell said. “That is my number one thing that I love about [my job].”
