If you're interested in some specifics about how small book publishers function and how they're doing -- sales, profits etc -- check out this article from The Business Journal of Phoenix( "Valley publisher hones in on mystery genre")about our publisher, Poisoned Pen Press.

In the complex and competitive world of publishing, where the big boys of the industry hang their hats in New York or Los Angeles, Poisoned Pen is the little engine that could.

For the first time last year, the company passed the $1 million sales mark, a figure that should improve by 25 percent when the books close on 2005.

Poisoned Pen also just opened an office in Bristol, United Kingdom, to expand its footprint across the pond.

Writers tend to focus on the sad fact that Big Publishing is becoming more and more inaccessible and unfriendly to non-bestsellers. However, the flip-side is that smaller publishers are becoming more numerous and getting bigger as they fill abandoned niches.

According to the Book Industry Study Group, a New York-based trade association, small and midsize publishers have been multiplying, and often prospering, while the largest publishing companies have been consolidating. Approximately 63,000 publishers with annual revenue of less than $50 million generate aggregate sales of $14.2 billion, according to the group, which represents publishers, retailers, wholesalers and librarians.

The association also reports that a subset of that population -- roughly 3,600 publishers with annual revenue of $1 million to $49.9 million -- generates $11.5 billion of that amount.

Publishers Weekly estimates that more than 7,000 new publishers come into being every year.

Most authors would probably like to brag that they are published by a Large New York House, but as a practical matter, in many cases, small publishers can offer more to an author -- more support, commitment, fairness, editorial assistance and, yes, even more remuneration -- than a Big Publisher's midlist might.