Book buying has seen a boom during the pandemic, which is of course a good thing. But with physical bookshops remaining closed for at least a little longer and book fairs being cancelled or adopting digital formats, publishing hasn’t escaped unscathed from the pandemic. As with most industries, the hardest hit have been the independents. Working on smaller scales, budgets and resources, indie publishers have spent the the year adjusting how they work or temporarily stopping production completely. 

Independent publishing in the spheres of graphic design, illustration and art is vital for giving audiences access to obscure, unexpected or under-recognised projects. Here we speak to three publishers – Four Corners Books, TXTBooks, and Nieves – who tell us why they wanted to create their own publishing houses, plus discuss the impact the pandemic has had on their business and the ways they’ve had to adapt.