WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE BELIEVE
We—the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses—are hundreds of small publishers creating print and digital books, magazines, online publications, chapbooks and zines, who have come together to do our work as publishers better and to organize around a shared set of beliefs:
- We believe that small literary publishers play a vital role in our culture by connecting the greatest diversity of distinctive writers to equally diverse communities of readers.
- We believe that literary publishing is an artistic practice that helps writers realize their artistic vision and readers discover their work.
- We believe that by increasing the organizational capacity of small literary publishers we contribute significantly to the vitality and vibrancy of our literary culture.
- We believe that being a member of our community means participating in an environment of mutual support with both rights and responsibilities.
- We believe in actively engaging those who share our passion for literature—readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, students, educators, funders, business leaders and others—to ensure that small literary publishers, and the work they help shape and make public, will continue to thrive.
CLMP celebrates excellence in both the how and why of what our publishers do: bring readers and writers of literature together in the true spirit of community.
MISSION
CLMP ensures a vibrant, diverse literary landscape by helping small literary publishers work better. We communicate the art of literary publishing to readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, educators, funders and other literary stakeholders, and work to bring all of these communities together. CLMP carries out this mission so that essential literary voices from all corners can make their way from writers to readers.
CLMP exists to serve magazines, presses, Internet publishers, and chapbook and zine publishers mission-driven to publish literature. Independent literary publishers make up an underserved, uniquely vulnerable and essential field that connects the greatest diversity of writers to equally diverse communities of readers. Since 1967, CLMP has worked to bring these literary publishers together to form a mutually supportive community that is often at the vanguard of progress. CLMP provides technical assistance, facilitates peer-to-peer learning and group action related to publishing practices, and builds bridges to connect diverse communities of literary stakeholders.
For more than 50 years, CLMP has been a sustaining lifeline—raising publishers’ organizational capacity, helping them connect their writers to more readers, and serving as a dependable, essential hub for nurturing community support.
WHAT WE DO
CLMP provides direct technical assistance to independent literary publishers and produces programs designed to bring the many communities our work touches together, including readers, writers, literary translators, booksellers, educators, and librarians.
For Publishers, we offer technical assistance workshops and roundtables; one-on-one consultations; access to our Resource Library; access to our database of publishing contacts, funders, and consultants; and work to build bridges between them and the many communities that care about literature through networking events and other programs.
For readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, translators, educators, and all who care about literary publishing being diverse and vibrant, we offer the annual Firecracker Awards, small press and literary magazine fairs, news about what’s happening in the world of literary magazine and small press publishing, and a free, online Directory of Independent Literary Publishers.
HISTORY
Originally founded as the Coordinating Council of Literary Magazines in 1967, on April 1, 2015, CLMP, since becoming known as the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses, rebranded as the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses to better reflect how we serve our mission. CLMP’s membership of more than 1,000 organizations incorporates a wide diversity of publishers: those with budgets of less than $5,000 to those of more than $1 million; those working in large cities, rural areas, and every place in between; and those representing an astounding array of aesthetic and editorial literary missions. CLMP has informed funders and other arts groups about literary publishing’s role in American culture, conducted research about the field, and ensured that literature has an active voice in the politics of cultural policy. Since 1997, CLMP has administered the NYSCA New York State Technical Assistance Program [NYSCA NYTAP] for NYS independent literary publishers, a series of outreach and organizational development services that serves more than 150 publishers annually.
CLMP’s core programs and services include direct technical assistance (provided through workshops, one-on-one mentorships, and phone & e-mail consultations); www.clmp.org (CLMP’s primary portal to information and resources); and roundtables, clinics, conferences, online discussions, and networking sessions. Through these CLMP provides guidance and instruction in such areas as marketing, audience development, business management and fundraising and facilitates relationship-building between independent literary publishers and other communities of literary stakeholders.
