Distribution continues to be one of the most consequential pain points for independent publishers, and with fewer and fewer distributors from which publishers can choose, it seems like major changes need to occur to fix the system. Microcosm Publishing’s Founder and CEO Joe Biel joins "Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA)” to chat about ideas for how distribution can be improved for indie publishers; the repercussions of the recent closure of Small Press Distribution; why so many independent distributors have shut down; and much more.
Joe Biel is a self-made autistic publisher and filmmaker who draws origins, inspiration, and methods from punk rock. Biel is the founder and CEO of Microcosm Publishing, Publishers Weekly's #1 fastest-growing publisher of 2022 and #3 in 2023. Biel has been featured in Time Magazine, Esquire, Art of Autism, Reading Glasses, Bulletproof Radio, Spectator (Japan), G33K (Korea), and Maximum Rocknroll, as well as on NPR and PBS. Biel is the author of A People's Guide to Publishing: Building a Successful, Sustainable, Meaningful Book Business, Good Trouble: Building a Successful Life & Business with Autism, and dozens more. Biel is the director of five feature films and hundreds of short films, including Aftermass: Bicycling in a Post-Critical Mass Portland, $100 & a T-Shirt, and the Groundswell film series. Biel lives in Portland, OR.