Last June, KBS2 TV broadcasted a new variety program about independent publishing called ‘Naembibatchim(Pot Stands)’. From June 14th to 18th, twenty small independent bookstores participated in the Seoul International Book Fair. Unlimited Edition, which is an Art Book Fair, is preparing for its 9th fair in December. Many books about the stories of independent bookstores and independent publishers are steadily being published every year. Regional independent bookstores stock unique books that are hard to find in existing bookstores. The CBT is going to introduce the field of independent publishing and independent bookstores. –Ed.




What are independent publishing and independent bookstores?

  Independent publishing, also called indie publishing, is publishing where an individual or a small group of people make and distribute publications by themselves or through a small publishing company. The most distinctive thing that independent publications have is that they usually don’t have International Standard Book Numbers(ISBN). Although publishing books without an ISBN is not illegal, they can’t be sold in normal bookstores because they are not registered anywhere. Independent bookstores are the places that sell those kinds of independent publications and they reflect the bookstore owners’ tastes.

Why have they received lots of attention?

  The independent publications did not appear out of the blue. School magazines, school newspapers, and even book reports are considered to be independent publications. The crucial reason why this industry became popular was due to the development of the Internet. In the case of school magazines or classroom newspapers, the intended readers are predictable: people who made those, their family members and friends. However, through the development of social media and the Internet, more effective marketing became possible. Moreover, many computer programs about making publications became easier to find anywhere and helped people start making publications with ease. These reasons made the independent publishing industry change from books of just documenting memories into books that are also able to make profits by selling them.
  The youth generation’s pursuits of individuality, which goes against the existing publishing industries’ values, and uniqueness are also reasons for its popularity. The franchise publishing companies’ and bookstores’ goal is making as much profit as they can by selling thousands of books. As a result, they usually edit the authors’ works. On the other hand, independent publications don’t touch anything. Brent Cunningham, the operations director for Small Press Distribution said, “Nobody would ever imagine that a Filipino-American gay person’s poem about homosexuality could be published through a major publishing company. Independent publishing embraces those kinds of unique subjects and works that the huge publishing companies never accept.”
  In addition to independent books, the independent bookstores, where the owners fill their stores’ bookshelves with books of their own taste and style, are becoming more popular among people. This is very different from the huge franchise bookstores which always follow trends. Solidarity with the local community is also a strong characteristic that only independent bookstores have. Talking with the writers, lecturing for independent publishing, and even giving psychological consultations, the independent bookstore owners interact with local residents consistently, and these play a role as props that support independent publishing.

The present condition of the Korean independent publishing business

  ‘How to Sharpen Pencils’ by David Riss is a famous independent book in Korea. This book was published in 2013, and about 10,000 copies were sold through 2016. Your-mind is a representative independent bookstore which is known as one of the first independent bookstores in Korea. Your-mind started online in 2009 and opened an offline bookstore in Seoul in 2010. Also, they did their own publishing and hosted the Seoul Artbook Fair, an independent publication festival. Although independent bookstores are concentrated in Seoul, the tendency of spreading has occurred gradually and now independent bookstores are in many other regions. Aliceʼs Bookstore, a Cheongju bookstore, is famous because the owner recommends books to customers after giving a psychological consultation.
  <Special> Independent bookstores in San Francisco
  A team named ‘Hungry Socrates’, which includes a CBT reporter, was chosen by the Humanity Finder program to do research on the independent publishing industry in the U.S., so they went to San Francisco to conduct their research from August 2nd to 14th. That CBT reporter will introduce two old independent bookstores and the owners.

Omnivore Bookstore

  Omnivore bookstore, located in the Castro residential area in San Francisco, opened in 2008, and since then, it has had a good reputation among many people. This bookstore has the distinction of selling only cookbooks. In addition, a variety of events where people can meet many chefs and writers of cooking recipes are held, and a lot of local residents have also visited this bookstore. In return for their visits, the bookstore tries to make a good experience for them. Celia, who is the owner of the bookstore, said, “A long time ago, when an event was held, a man proposed to a woman. He carved a book and put a ring into the hole of the book, and he gave the book to her, which I thought was very romantic. At that time, I asked him if I could record the moment and post the video, and he readily let me do it. I remember that a great number of people saw the video.”
  Celia thinks that the cooperation between indie publishers has made a unique atmosphere, which cannot be seen in franchise bookstores. She said, “A good independent book is selected by indie publishers. We also accept many foreign books that people cannot obtain from other bookstores. This is the big difference between huge bookstores and us, and I take great pride in our work.” In addition, she mentioned about the usefulness of SNS, “When I talk with famous people via SNS, many people can see our chat and assume this bookstore is also famous, which gives a good promotional effect. These days, I started to use Instagram, and it is good for us to promote our bookstore because we can post many books on Instagram.”

Booksmith

  Although Booksmith is an old bookstore which was built in 1976, the interior of the bookstore doesn’t seem antiquated. The reason for that is Christin Evans, who is the current owner. She took over and changed the bookstore with her husband in 2006. They are consultants who graduated with MBAs, and they make effective use of their experiences in managing their bookstore by posting some memos, which include employee commendations, on the shelves to stimulate consumers’ interests and by selling some homegrown goods. One of the unique things about this bookstore is people can easily find literature about Haight-Ashbury, in which this store is located. The owner of the bookstore, Christin, calls this ‘customer loyalty’ and said, “People who have lived here for a long time can recognize me when passing by because this bookstore has existed for a long time. They come here just  to  talk  with me or ask me something.”

By Lee Ju-yeon l jy37@cbnu.ac.kr
By Jo Se-in l si38@cbnu.ac.kr