DEEP VELLUM PUBLISHING Competitors

The mission of Red Hen Press is to discover, publish, and promote works of literary excellence that have been overlooked by mainstream presses, and to build audiences for literature in two ways: by fostering the literacy of youth and by bringing distinguished and emerging writers to the public stage. Our purpose is first to create and promote good writing. We wish to create a place in the world for good writers, whose work is ignored by the conglomerate publishers, but whose voices deserve to be heard, particularly writers whose work has been marginalized. We seek a diversity of voices that speak to what it means to be human and speak it well. We will endeavor toward the promotion of cultural literacy in the community. We will share books; readings, poetry, literature and ideas. Our goal is to allow good work to swim to the surface and then to share that work so that literature can create a common language space for global, community and individual transformation.

Graywolf Press is a leading independent publisher committed to the discovery and energetic publication of contemporary American and international literature. We champion outstanding writers at all stages of their careers to ensure that diverse voices can be heard in a crowded marketplace. We believe books that nourish the individual spirit and enrich the broader culture must be supported by attentive editing, superior design, and creative promotion. Graywolf Press was founded in Port Townsend, Washington, in 1974 by Scott Walker. Graywolf’s first publications were limited-edition chapbooks of poetry, which were printed on a letterpress and hand sewn by Walker and his colleagues. Over the years Graywolf has expanded its list to include novels, short stories, memoirs, essays, as well as poetry. Today, Graywolf is considered one of the nation’s leading nonprofit literary publishers.

Just as the common milkweed plant is the site of metamorphosis for monarch butterflies, Milkweed Editions seeks to be a site of metamorphosis in the literary ecosystem. We take risks on debut and experimental writers, we invest significant time and care in the editorial process, and we enable dynamic engagement between authors and readers. We operate as a nonprofit to pursue these ends without overbearing financial pressure. And yet, though profits aren’t our primary focus, helping our authors succeed certainly is. Just so, since our founding in 1980, we’ve published over 350 books of literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry and now have over four million copies in circulation. We believe that literature has the potential to change the way we see the world, and that bringing new voices to essential conversations is the clearest path to ensuring a vibrant, diverse, and empowered future. Milkweed Editions is an independent publisher of literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Our mission is to identify, nurture, and publish transformative literature, and build an engaged community around it. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, our work is made possible by the generosity of sustaining funders and readers. Join our community of sustaining members today: milkweed.org/membership.