The crack team of publishers at Sacramento-based Flatmancrooked pushed wry and moving new works like James Kaelan’s zero-emission book We’re Getting On. Taking a page from Kickstarter’s playbook, emerging authors were sponsored by their audiences before publication through the “LAUNCH” model. In a world of stale, behemoth publishing houses, Flatmancrooked’s innovative approach offered a glimmer of evolutionary hope. Then, they too closed. Is there really no future at all for indie publishing houses?

Turns out they took what worked (the LAUNCH concept), narrowed their focus (no more full-length novels or poetry), and started a new outfit called Nouvella. From their website:

Nouvella is an independent publisher dedicated to novellas by emerging authors. Established in 2011 after the closure of Flatmancrooked, Nouvella utilizes the LAUNCH program, wherein the reading community can invest in the career of an emerging author by purchasing a share in the author during a designated one-week period. For every share purchased, the patron will receive a limited edition, hand-signed copy of the novella and a letter from the author.

When in doubt, straighten things out, and specialize.

Blake Butler is the author of three novels (There Is No Year, Scorch Atlas, and Ever) and numerous short stories. He also edits HTMLGIANT.

Are you a writer worried about rejection?

Click to see this list of “Everything I Submitted from 2006 – 2008 And What Happened To It.”