I apologize for being two months behind on my column. It’s been a busy time. My wife and I found out we’re having our second child. We bought a puppy. I’m transitioning into a new job. All of those are excuses, but the reality is Prime Books publishes collections of short fiction almost exclusively. And between you and me, I don’t really consume short fiction with any great vigor. See, I’m one of those readers who falls into the one more chapter syndrome. Novels suck me in, they demand I keep reading them well into the night. When I finished a short story I just put down the book, satisfied and ready to sleep.

For the purposes of this column, I’ve made it a point to read two new volumes from each publisher before writing about them. In the case of Prime, that left me reading two short story collections, and it just took time for me to get through them. Or, we can blame Hurricane Sandy.

Although Prime Books doesn’t call to mind quite like Tor, Del Rey, or even Pyr and Night Shade, anyone who’s spent some time combing the shelves of their local bookstore will surely recognize their logo–the circle within a circle. They dominate the space reserved for collections between the new releases and the back list. Making their commitment to short fiction an interesting marketing decision. Despite the decline in shelf space around the country, squatting above the “A” remains a choice place to be. If readers aren’t terribly aware of Prime, they’re well regarded in the field, having won the Special Award: Professional at World Fantasy in 2006.

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I’ve taken to frequenting brick and mortar book stores more often since beginning this column. I find myself needing to peruse the stacks, to see what catches my eye and what’s being stocked. It should come as no surprise that few of the presses I’ll be covering find themselves en masse on the shelves at Barnes & Noble, but some do. ChiZine Publications is one of them.

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I love new things. I bought a Kindle the first day I could. I go to film festivals and dig around for underground music. In my reading choices, I try to do the same. Although I don’t always succeed, I’ve tried more and more to read new writers and new perspectives. But, like the music and film industry, publishing has a limited risk tolerance. Not only with unknown authors, but also with unconventional narratives and controversial subjects. The result is a disproportionate number of progressive titles come from the small nimble presses that dot the publishing landscape outside the conglomerates in New York City and London.

But, what is a small press?
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