Name: Small Press, Big Opportunity: The Unique Potential for Authors in Small Publishers
Start: 2027-01-16T10:15:00-0500
End: 2027-01-16T11:15:00-0500

Small Press, Big Opportunity: The Unique Potential for Authors in Small Publishers

Saturday January 16, 2027 10:15am - 11:15am EST

TBA

Small presses don't have the marketing budgets or name recognition of the Big Five — but they often have something just as valuable: creative control, closer relationships, and a willingness to take chances on books that don't fit a neat commercial mold. This session explores what small presses can actually offer authors — from editorial attention and a fuller seat at the table, to unique opportunities for genre-bending or niche projects that might get passed over elsewhere. We'll talk through what to look for in a small press, questions to ask before signing, and how to weigh the trade-offs against a bigger deal. Whether you're considering a small press for the first time or wondering if you made the right call, you'll leave with a clearer sense of the real opportunity small publishers can offer.

Moderators

Tommy Dean

Talcott Notch, Literary Agent

Tommy Dean is a literary agent at Talcott Notch, specializing in mystery, suspense, thrillers, crime fiction, and upmarket fiction with danger and secrets. He is also interested in literary novels with beautiful language and deep characterization, true crime that reads like a novel... Read More →

Speakers

Jaynie Royal

Regal House Publishing, Publisher

Jaynie Royal founded Regal House Publishing in 2014 and has since guided its growth over the past twelve years to include the imprints Fitzroy Books, Pact Press, and House of Kel, as well as its nonprofit arm, Regal House Initiative. Named Independent Publisher of the Year in 2021... Read More →

Viengsamai Fetters

Erewhon Books, Associate Editor

Viengsamai Fetters (pronounced wing-sum-eye fed-erz) is a queer Laotian-American fiction editor and professional bookworm.

A 2025 Publishers Weekly Star Watch finalist, they are currently an Associate Editor with Erewhon Books, working with award-winning and bestselling authors such as Kalyn Josephson, Foz Meadows, Lee Mandelo, Tlotlo Tsamaase, Brittney Arena, Linda H. Codega, and Ai Jiang. Prior to their editorial career, Viengsamai... Read More →

Jedediah Berry

KILL ALL WIZARDS, Author

Jedediah Berry's latest book is Kill All Wizards, the first in the Barbaric Ledgers series. His novel The Naming Song won the Massachusetts Book Award for fiction and was an LA Times Book Prize finalist. His first novel, The Manual of Detection, won the Crawford Award and the Hammett Prize, and was adapted for broadcast by BBC Radio 4. He lives in Western Massachusetts, where he runs Ninepin Press, an independent publisher of fiction, poetry, and games in unusual shapes... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 10:15am - 11:15am EST
TBA

Track 3: The Book Ecosystem

Tickets

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TBR 2027

Tommy Dean

Jaynie Royal

Viengsamai Fetters

Jedediah Berry

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Success you have shared X tickets.

TBR 2027

Tommy Dean

Jaynie Royal

Viengsamai Fetters

Jedediah Berry

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