History of Small Press Distribution
The History of Small Press Distribution, From 1969 to Today
Small Press Distribution has been part of independent publishing for more than fifty years. This page tells the history of the name: how it began in Berkeley in 1969, what it did for small presses, how the original organization came to a close, and where the name stands today.
How It Began: Berkeley, 1969
The organization began in December 1969 as Serendipity Books Distribution. It was set up in Berkeley, California, to carry books from a handful of small literary presses that larger distributors ignored. According to published histories, the founders were Peter Howard of Serendipity Books and Jack Shoemaker of Sand Dollar Press. It began with eight publishers.
In the late 1970s it took the name Small Press Distribution, and for years it ran a bookstore and public events alongside its distribution work.
Growing Into a Literary Distributor
In 1991 the organization became a nonprofit. In the 1990s it stopped running its retail store and reading series so that it could focus on one job, getting small-press books to readers. When Publishers Weekly reported on its 30th anniversary in December 1999, it was serving 572 small presses from a 6,400 square foot warehouse in Berkeley. The article described it as the only exclusively literary distributor in the United States.
Poetry was always at the heart of the catalog, followed by fiction, essays and experimental work. From 2006 to 2023 the organization published regular bestseller lists, and a public dataset of those lists now records more than 4,000 titles from about 700 presses. You can explore it in our bestseller archive, our book library and the list of presses.
A Timeline
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1969 | Founded in Berkeley as Serendipity Books Distribution |
| Late 1970s | Renamed Small Press Distribution |
| 1991 | Became a nonprofit organization |
| 1999 | Served 572 small presses from a 6,400 square foot warehouse |
| 2006 to 2023 | Published monthly and bimonthly bestseller lists |
| February 2024 | Moved more than 300,000 books from Berkeley to Ingram and Publishers Storage and Shipping |
| March 28, 2024 | The original organization announced it was closing |
| 2025 | A California court completed the legal wind-up of the original nonprofit |
| Today | The Small Press Distribution name and portfolio continue under new ownership |
The Closure of the Original Organization
On March 28, 2024, the original nonprofit announced that it could no longer make ends meet and closed immediately. The closure was widely reported, including by Publishers Weekly, and the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses published a guide for affected presses. Its inventory of about 300,000 books was held by Ingram Content Group and Publishers Storage and Shipping, and presses were directed to those companies for their stock.
Small Press Distribution Today
The name and portfolio continue under new ownership. Today we help authors write, edit, design, publish and market their books, and every author keeps 100% ownership of their work. If you are a former press looking for information about the original organization, the resources linked above are the right place to start.
If you are an author, learn about our team, see our services, or get a free consultation.
FAQs
When was Small Press Distribution founded?
The name goes back to December 1969, when it began in Berkeley, California as Serendipity Books Distribution. It was renamed Small Press Distribution in the late 1970s.
What did the original Small Press Distribution do?
It distributed books from independent and literary presses to bookstores, libraries and readers, and it grew to represent hundreds of small presses.
Is the original organization still operating?
No. The original nonprofit announced its closure on March 28, 2024, and a California court completed its legal wind-up in 2025. The Small Press Distribution name and portfolio continue under new ownership.
What does Small Press Distribution do today?
Today we offer ghostwriting, editing, design, publishing, audiobook and marketing services for authors, with every author keeping full ownership of their work.
Free consultation
Tell us about your book. We'll tell you what it needs.
Every enquiry is read by a publishing consultant, not a sales script. You'll get an honest view of your project, a recommended route and a fixed written quote.
- 01Reply within one business day
- 02Fixed quote with milestone payments
- 03100% ownership, credit and royalties
- 04Confidential from the first message