The Network of Colombian Independent Publishers, Red de Editoriales Independientes Colombianas (REIC), was created to respond to the concerns of a group of publishers eager to strengthen independent publishing in Colombia. The Ministry of Culture and CERLALC (Regional Center for the Development of the Book in Latin America) have demonstrated a clear commitment to national independent publishing by joining efforts to support the creation of the Network of Colombian Independent Publishers. This initiative initially brought together some 30 publishing houses, rallied around the notion of bibliodiversity and the need to sensitize the country to the fact that independent publishers exist, allowing Colombian writers, and others, to express themselves. Since its creation, the REIC has ensured that independent publishers receive state support to promote the allocation of public libraries, to encourage fairer commercial conditions, etc. Colombian independent publishers, unlike major publishing groups, have shown that they are active advocates for Colombian authors, and that they are major players in bibliodiversity. On April 28, 2008, the REIC was established as a legal entity headquartered in Bogota, and in association with independent Latin American collectives. Through the Spanish-speaking network of the International Alliance of independent publishers (AIEI), the REIC contributes to the Ibero-American regional editorial integration.

Here, an interview of Gustavo Mauricio García, president of the REIC, directed by the CERLALC, September 2018.

Since 1987, Txalaparta has been the name of a free and independent Basque publisher. Txalaparta is committed to the cultural and editorial sovereignty of our country, Euskal Herria (the Basque Country). We also try to be the voice of whatever literary creation that improves the relations between the people of the planet, that helps to transform reality, that guards our historical memory, that opens paths towards diversity, to utopias…

We publish on average between 30 to 40 books a year in Basque and Spanish: Basque and world literature, political and historical essays, social criticism, classics of the political left, historical encyclopaedias. Our most distinctive feature is the wide base of readers who support Txalaparta´s projects by subscribing to one of our collections. Under the name of “editores independientes” we work and publish together with various publishers in other countries (Era in Mexico, LOM in Chile, Trilce in Uruguay) in order to guarantee our editorial freedom and diversity against monopolies and unified thought.

Founded in 1985, Trilce has published some 600 titles and continues to publish 30 to 40 titles every year. Although initially focused on fiction – which is still an important element today – essays have taken on increasing importance in Trilce’s catalogue. These essays discuss national identity or identities, and report on debates aimed at finding solutions to today’s challenges in the areas of culture, political science or history.
Because it firmly believes that independent publishing is crucial to the preservation of cultural diversity, Trilce has been a member of “Independent Publishers” since 1998, which includes Lom in Santiago, Chile, Era in Mexico and Txalaparta in Spain – Basque country. What is more, Trilce has been a member of the Alliance of Independent Publishers since its inception.

Plural Editores is the most active publishing house in Bolivia, with annual output of 90 works, divided into 34 collections. Founded in 1987 as an Information Centre for Development (CID), it started publishing social science and human science books as Plural Editores in 1992, and as from 1999, it consolidated its position as an independent publishing house. Plural Editores has published over 500 works to date, many of these in co-publication with academic institutions, research centres, multilateral organisations, NGOs and artistic bodies. Moreover, the firm has opened two bookshops, one in Cochabamba and the other in La Paz. Plural has co-organised the Yolanda Bedregal National Poetry Award since 2000 and the Franz Tamayo National Tale Award since 2006.

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LOM Ediciones, a publishing house founded in 1990, started out by working to preserve the social, political, literary and cultural heritage of Chile in the last decades of the 20^th century; LOM aims to foster creativity, thinking and criticism. Lom publishes poetry, accounts, theatre, works on human sciences, education and photography, by well-known authors as well as new ones. LOM has an up-to-date catalogue of 850 works, and every year publishes 80 new works by Chilean, Latin American and other authors. Lom is a member of the network of independent publishers, with Era, Trilce and Txalaparta, and of the Chile Publishers Association.

LOM significa sol en la lengua de los Yamanas o Yaganes, pueblo nómade del extremo sur de América. Con el gesto de recuperar su voz, el rostro de una de ellos en el logo de la editorial, buscamos mantener en la memoria sus miradas; fortalecer la creación, la reflexión, y el pensamiento crítico a través de la palabra escrita, desde el sur.

To listen: an interview of Paulo Slachevsky, during the Forum of Scientific Publishers of Chile, in 2017 and here an interview on the theme of “Diversity” (Ivoox, August 26, 2020).

This publishing house was founded in 2000 by Octavio Kulesz, philosopher, and his brother Lopoldo, mathematician. Their first publication, Leyendo a Euclides (Reading Euclid), by the great Italo-Argentine mathematician Beppo Levi, met with success (three editions, all out of print). Gradually, Libros del Zorzal has added to its catalogue authors of both national and international renown, such as Silvia Bleichmar, Ivonne Bordelois, Alain Badiou, Pierre Bourdieu and Immanuel Wallerstein. Today, over 130 works have been published, written by authors from all over Latin America and Spain. Some have been translated into French, Italian and Portuguese.

Libros de la Araucaria, an independent publishing house, was founded in 2004. It mainly publishes works in the following areas: anthropology, human and social sciences, philosophy, literature and religious debate.

Hay muchas variedades, son unos árboles muy antiguos que crecen en la Patagonia argentina y chilena. Son una sabia combinación de fortaleza y belleza.

Founded on 1992 by Guido Indij, la marca editora is an independent publisher specialized in art, photography, essays and poetry. In the last few years it has ventured into the publication of multiple numbered portfolios and experimental art books, along with more famous authors such as Michel Foucault, J-F Lyotard, Paul Virilio, J-L Nancy, Sylviane Agacinscki. The main innovation of la marca editora is to experience in the relation between formats and contents. Thus, in each project it looks to extend the limits of the concept of what is known as a “book“.

Cuando creamos la marca hace 25 años, sabíamos que queríamos producir cultura y creatividad. Y sabíamos que para eso debíamos forjar una marca. El primer sistema de isologos que nos entregó el estudio de diseño incluía la marca videos, la marca cine, la marca música, la marca diseño y la marca editora. Aunque desde que alineamos una estrategia de trabajo y solo usamos el último...

Listen here the interview with Guido Indij, directed by the CERLALC, September 2018.

Editorial Laboratorio Educativo was founded in 1973 in Caracas, Venezuela. Since 2019, it is also established in Bogota, Colombia.
This publishing house aims to encourage and propose a true educational renewal. We want to make available to Latin American educators the resources that we believe to be the most relevant and useful at the present time: documents, articles, information and experiences. We cannot stop at a deep critique of traditional education; we must seek – together – effective alternatives, appropriate methods, creative proposals. We try to articulate theoretical contributions and practical experiences in order to respond to the diverse needs of educators.
Twitter and Facebook: @labeducativo
Instagram: @labeducativos

El Conejo is a not-for-profit publishing house, focussing on the publication of books by Ecuadorian authors and the promotion of reading to children, young people and adults. Since its inception in 1979, it has added considerably to its backlist and has become the leading publishing house in Ecuador. It boasts some 500 works in its catalogue, including books, cultural supplements and fascicules, with as its backdrop the protection of liberty and democracy. Its editorial line is to promote Ecuadorian and Latin-American literature, in a wide variety of genres: novels, short stories, poetry, plays, human and social sciences. It has gained respect and support from Ecuadorian institutions and intellectuals.