> an alarming email on her phone. After 55 years, Small Press Distribution (SPD)—one of the last remaining independent book distributors in the US—was shutting

> an alarming email on her phone. After 55 years, Small Press Distribution (SPD)—one of the last remaining independent book distributors in the US—was shutting down immediately, with no advance notice or transitional support. Its website went dark, its Twitter account was deleted, and no one was answering calls. Why not give warning of imminent shutdown? > To make matters worse, many small presses say SPD owes them money. “We’re owed upwards of $8,000,” says Gzemski. “We just released three books [at Noemi], and all of the preorder and event order revenue from those books has disappeared. [...] Goettel says SPD owes Black Lawrence Press more than $17,000—an enormous sum for a small press.* Was the reason for no warning that they needed or wanted the incoming revenue, which they might not have gotten if they'd given a warning?