Why Litbox?
Big publishing has a problem.
Over the years, publishing has become even more focused on chasing profit over art. (For more on this, read Dan Sinykin’s Big Fiction: How Conglomeration Changed the Publishing Industry and American Literature. Publishing’s modern history is a story of repeated consolidation for commercial reasons, into publishing’s current corporate state.)
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Does this impact me?
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Yes! It impacts what you find in bookstores. Generally, only literature that can be mass marketed for popular appeal makes it to the major publishers, and big publishers dominate the stock of most bookstores. In practice, this means that in most bookstores across the country, you are likely to see many of the same few authors on the shelves, often chosen because they are likely to appeal to the greatest number of readers.​
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Though we love many of these authors, this model of production also crowds out local variety. It crowds out books that may be beautiful, award-winning, quirky, avant garde, genre-defying, but not deemed profitable enough to stock.
​So can a book vending machine change this?
​Well, not exactly. But it’s our little drop in the bucket of pushing for change in publishing and book distribution. Here’s how:
Our book vending focuses exclusively on literature by local authors.
That’s because we believe it’s important to read widely AND locally. It’s kind of like the farmers market. You still keep shopping at Safeway or Giant or Aldi for many of your groceries, but when you go to the farmers market, you can also get a strawberry that’s sweet and unique and delicious and unlike anything you are likely to find at the big box stores. And it’s special because you can also meet the person who grew it, because they live nearby. And that creates community.
We want to emphasize literary works.
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We believe in the beauty of well rendered artistic works and the power of literature to spark deep conversations and to expand and challenge our understanding of the world. We like other kinds of books too, but we just don’t carry as many of them.
We want big publishing names right alongside books from smaller presses that you’re less likely to have heard of.
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We love both and believe it’s important to have them side by side. (In case you’re wondering, small presses are simply traditional publishers with annual sales under a certain level. They publish many profound works that are often initially overlooked because their books may not be widely available or may lack mass appeal.) Many have won important national awards.
We want to build community.
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Your neighbors may be writing incredible books, but you probably don’t know it. The DC metro area is not just for politics. It’s a region full of artistic talent and heart and amazing lines that will surprise and captivate you. We hope you enjoy what the DC-area’s authors have to offer.
