I will admit, this is my sweet spot. Qualified Small Houses are the up and comers that have the big-guys quaking in their boots. Some of these people have jumped ship from bigger houses. Some are experts in their fields, while others are succeeding because they are not afraid to break the rules.
These companies have the ability to do everything that the bigger houses do, without the name recognition of the larger houses. Royalty rates, in general, are higher, and contract terms (in some cases) are easier to swallow.
While these companies may not have the big sales forces of the large houses, that’s not stopping them from publishing best sellers. Not only that, these houses still see the value in MARKETING, and not just the big titles. They back every book that they publish.
The list of these little gems is not as long as some other lists, because there are not as many “independent publishers” that can boast best sellers. If you know of any that are not on my list, please let me know so I can add them.
Ellora’s Cave (Romance only – Could be considered a big-guy these days.)
Entangled (Strong Romantic Elements Required)
GMMG (Month9Books, Swoon Romance, Tantrum Books)
Lyrical Press (Recently acquired by Kennsington – Romantic Elements Required)
Jennifer M Eaton 
I’m very happy with my small press, Sky Warrior. You can ask questions and get direct answers, no hemming and hawing. In the case of SF/Fantasy, which I publish, they understand deeply what it is and I don’t have to argue the merits of my genre with a resistant editor.
That sounds like a great company. I’ve never heard of them. Do they have any bragging rights (As in best sellers) Do they do a descent job on the marketing?
We brag, but no best-sellers. They’re about 2 years old, basically a mom-and-pop publisher. However they get good quality editors.
I know one of the concerns with a very small house is that they really only publish one author (themselves).
Editing is important, as is Cover design. Bad editing could lead to a bad book.
And this is the second time I’ve heard the name Month9Books today. Hmmm. Not sure if that means anything or not.
Thanks for sharing this info with the still-to-be-published crowd. Helps inform our decisions.
They are a very competitive up and coming publisher. They just snatched a best-selling author (My son’s favorite author) from a Big Six house. They are pretty big potatoes in the small-house game.
I’m all for supporting the smaller houses. 😀
Totally. More bang for your buck if you can get into a good one.
A couple of years ago an author won the Booker Prize or the Governor General’s. Her publisher was a small house and didn’t have the ability to print fast enough for demand afterwards.. The problem was resolved–can’t recall how–but what a win-win. They took her on and she made them money. 🙂
There are tubs of great novels that the big houses miss just because of timing. It is do great that we have other options now
~(*_~)~~