I think this is where small presses (or specialized imprints/brands from larger publishers) can make a big difference, even in the post-paper-book world, for au

I think this is where small presses (or specialized imprints/brands from larger publishers) can make a big difference, even in the post-paper-book world, for authors that appeal to a niche market. Last week I was browsing the SF shelves at the local about-to-close Borders, and I ended up buying a book I had never heard of by an author I had never heard of without even reading the first chapter. One reason I took that risk, of course, was that it only cost my five bucks. But the reason I picked that book out of all the titles on the shelf, most of which were even cheaper, was that it was put out by Haikasoru (a small press specializing in translations of Japanese SF), and I really liked the last Haikasoru book I bought, and I read the editor’s LJ, and I like his taste.