The Small Press: Why they are Essential in our Current World
Kate Vaccaro
BIO: I grew up in Gig Harbor, WA and moved to Fresno, CA in 2012. I graduated from Bullard High School. At Whitworth, I worked at the Westminster Front Desk for 3 years. I also have been a club officer for Westminster Round, the English Department club, since my sophomore year. This year I have had the pleasure of being the club president. I was an editorial assistant with Rock and Sling for two years before I became the Fiction Editor for my final two years at Whitworth. Through Rock and Sling, I have had the pleasure of attending three AWP conferences. I am also a member of Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honors Society, and attended the 2025 Convention to present a rhetoric paper. In between my sophomore and junior years, I did a study abroad program through the CCCU called Scholarship and Christianity in Oxford. After graduation, I will be returning to Calvin Crest camp in Oakhurst, CA to be the Crestview Coordinator for a second summer. In the fall, I will return to Spokane, hoping to find a job in editing and publishing.
MAJOR: English
Minor: Editing & Publishing, Theology
Project Overview: The publishing world has become one of my passions since being in college, so I knew that I wanted my final project to be somehow related to publishing. As I have learned more about the book industry, I have found myself being drawn to the small and independent organizations more than the larger ones. Therefore, I knew that I wanted my project to be about the promotion of smaller presses so that people could join in on my passion. I wanted to increase the awareness of the publishing industry, specifically educating people on independent book publishers and their importance to the diversity of the book market. I found that the small presses are struggling more than I thought, especially when it comes to distribution. I also found that most people who are not already interested in book publishing do not know much about the whole process. My final product starts with a quick introduction into how the publishing industry works, gives some examples of small presses that I enjoy, and has an argument for why the small presses should be on more people’s radar. The final product is a zine that presents the information in an engaging, easy-to-track, and distributable manner.