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Anne Trubek

@atrubek.bsky.social

7.1K followers 1.7K following 6.9K posts

founder & publisher, Belt Publishing. author, former academic, recent Pittsburgh transplant. https://notesfromasmallpress.substack.com Belt Publishing: beltpublishing.com

notesfromasmallpress.substack.com

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Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 24m

sus

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 26m

Carnegie

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 51m

What’s the word where you’re from that, when pronounced exactly as it looks, identifies a tourist immediately?

Reposted by Anne Trubek

Richard Morris @ahistoryinart.bsky.social · 28m

The choice of books in Felix Vallotton’s 'The Bookcase,' (1915) play nicely into the picture's palette: the shelves are filled with the yellow spines of the Bibliothèque Charpentier collection, in a nod to the (then) supposed female preference for thrilling novels.

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 29m

often up late writing briefs I guess

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 29m

Really shouldn’t let your nephew be named Bushrod if you’re the first prez of a country imho

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 51m

latest acquisition has quite the note

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 1h

If Zelenskyy Wins the Nobel Peace Prize I win $624 🤞🤞🤞🤞

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 2h

Cover of the day

Reposted by Anne Trubek

Belt Publishing @beltpublishing.bsky.social · 5h

In honor of our forthcoming The Rockford Anthology, we have city anthologies on sale for the rest of October! www.arcadiapublishing.com/collections/...

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 1d

I am short circuiting due to too many words what is the past anyway

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 1d

Appears (based on biometric data) I have reached my lifetime quota of words written about American publishing today. so I am retiring. Going forward I will only be weighing in upon the past. 🫡

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 1d

psst 👀 (coming July, with extremely pretty pictures)

The Architecture of Chicago's Beverly Hills/Morgan Park

Mati MaldreJuly 28, 2026 The Architecture of Chicago’s Beverly Hills/Morgan Park is the first complete large-format visual record published of these Southwest Side twin communities in Chicago. The his...

beltpublishing.com

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 1d

As I always say, nonprofit is a tax status, not a business model.

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 1d

The money wouldn't be profit--the cut would be to fund operating costs, which would be huge. SPD & CMLP are for tiny presses- when you get larger (ones named earlier in the thread) it doesn't work. If Emerson wants to help presses they should....just give money to presses. IMO!

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 1d

Agree! Indie bookstore or directly from publisher

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 1d

Self-publishing is hugely successful partially b/c it does not require a distributor. I think more trad publishers should take cues from that. We started out that way and it was fine. Indie bookstores hate it b/c they have to order from more places; I think they should just get over that and do so.

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 1d

And if they are then big enough to do that work they will need to charge presses a big cut (see above)

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 1d

I don't think new distro for larger Indies would work. You have to realize that Ingram (PGW, Consortium, etc.) negotiates with all the big accounts (Amazon) on our behalf. The terms are still terrible, but you need to be big even to get a meeting.

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 1d

way to run a viable biz. Distributors take too large of a cut to make numbers work. Big 5 all have their own. 4) I'm shocked Asterism is working, and if they survive and are healthy in 5 years that's amazing news

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 1d

Well, to back up: 1) B&T closing is no surprise. It's been in the cards for years. Many publishers already stopped accepting orders as they owe everyone money. 2) Distro is fucked, pretty much irretrievably imo, and ruins many small presses (it's why I sold at least) 3) Self-distro is the only

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 1d

strikes me that Faire could wipe out the need for a huge number of sales reps. Gonna be interesting to see.

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 1d

Now that we're with Arcadia, it's incredible to see what self-distro can do. Also, Faire is making inroads, and it's interesting. I'm seeing Indies order us through there.

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 1d

yes! I was a complete doubter when they first were discussing doing this and thrilled to seem to have been proven wrong

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 1d

Whoa many typos sorry

Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 1d

It’s absolutely not viable to start a new one line this imp. Supporting extant ones (Asterism, Chicago, etc) seems much wiser. And as many as can should move to self-distto. That’s the pnly answer imo (tho indies would hate it)