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About Cantarabooks LLC
by Carol Hoenig
Originally published in LiteraryCulture.Suite101.com in 2006. Used by permission of author.
Sometimes it’s good to be small, especially if you want to promote what you love!
There are some major players in the book-publishing world. These publishers are beholden to corporations and look for the books that will yield financial rewards, often at the expense of literary merit. Then there are the smaller houses that, of course, also need to mind the bottom dollar, but have a love and respect for the written word. Such is the case with Cantarabooks which describes itself thusly:
Cantarabooks: n, pl Playful-serious works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry that imaginatively explore the dark and light of human relationships.
Authors that are being or have been published by this literary press include Michael Matheny, Jason Shamai, Jack Adler, Jim Story, M. David Hornbuckle, Marva Dasef, the late Vicki Miller, and Stephen Gyllenhaal, who is just releasing a book of poetry titled Claptrap: Notes from Hollywood. Yes, he is the dad of those Gyllenhaals. It’s not a matter of cashing in on the familiar name, and the thing is, Gyllenhaal's book of poetry is "technically brilliant...showing complete mastery of poetic idiom." Why wait until it’s readily available in your local bookstore? Order a copy here:
Cantarabooks LLC is named for Cantara Christopher, an American memoirist born to Filipino parents. As it states in her biographical notes, she claims "Barney Rosset, legendary original owner of the notorious erotic imprint Blue Moon Books, the prestigious Grove Press and politically-charged Evergreen Review," as her publishing mentor. Not a bad mentor to have since Rosset brought Becket, Jean Genet, Ionesco and Harold Pinter to readers. He also helped the Beats become a very important part of a generation and fought to publish D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover, which had previously been banned for human consumption. He won that fight, as he did for Naked Lunch and other Henry Miller publications.
"When your name’s the company’s name, it’s pretty obvious that your own taste, your own judgment, is on the line," says Cantara.
That is what small literary presses are all about! Cantarabooks is not beholden to any giants who decide how to divvy out the dough. As a matter of fact, here’s their motto, one I just love, from the website:
BEATING OUR TINY FISTS
on the BIG HAIRY CHEST
of the CORPORATE LITERARY WORLD
Anyone who reads my column here and at WhereIStand.com/CarolHoenig knows my thoughts on corporate ownership and free speech. So, naturally, I’m rooting for Cantarabooks to be around for a very long time. Please check this literary press out at www.cantarabooks.com and support not only literature, but independence.
Carol Hoenig is an award-winning novelist, commentator, and advisory board member of the Small Press Center in New York City,
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