In April 2020, an international group of left-wing publishers formed a new coalition —The Radical Publishers Alliance — to support each other during the world shutdown as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Independent radical publishers struggle for survival in the best of times. With the entire book and magazine industry in jeopardy, the only response from radical publishers could be one of unity and solidarity.
Uniquely embracing a non-competitive approach to the publishing industries, the Radical Publishers Alliance endeavours through mutual support to develop anti-capitalist publishing strategies benefiting publishers, authors, and readers alike. Although formed in response to the COVID-19 crisis, the Radical Publishers Alliance exists to support these common ideological commitments well into the future.
Publishers in the Alliance share online promotions and author events of fellow members, work together on virtual panels and book launches, and maintain an online hub for readers to find their next great radical read from a left book or magazine publisher. We support each other through skill-sharing sessions and collective marketing and publicity efforts. You can find all of the publishers participating in the Radical Publishers Alliance here.
The first initiative of the Radical Publishers Alliance was #RadicalMay, a month-long online radical book fair featuring panel discussions, talks, and teach-ins with authors from 50 radical publishers from the US, UK, Canada, France, Spain, Catalonia, Basque Country, Italy, Germany, Argentina, and Indonesia. The book fair was held in partnership with LITERAL, a radical festival of books and ideas that’s held annually in Barcelona.
The need for critical left thinking is more urgent than ever. The aim of the Radical Publishers Alliance is to lift up the voices that challenge our broken social and economic systems and to come together around radical ideas for a more just and equitable world. By supporting each other, radical publishers will emerge from the current crisis ready for the long fight against capitalism still ahead of us.