When I started doing author interviews and scouring the small-press landscape for Storyscoutes Co, I quickly realised that the best route to discovering an overlooked voice often runs through the people who make books happen: small-press editors. They are curators, risk-takers and quiet archivists of taste. If you want to unearth the next hidden gem, talking with them is indispensable—if you do it well.

Why interview a small-press editor?

Small-press editors see manuscripts the big houses bypass. They work with limited budgets, strong aesthetic convictions and the patience to nurture a writer’s development. An interview with an editor can reveal why a book exists, what a manuscript sounded like in earlier drafts, and which formal or cultural conversations the editor thinks are overdue. For readers and reviewers, those conversations give context and generate leads—authors, backlists, regional scenes or collective projects—to follow up on.

Before you ask for an interview

Preparation matters more here than with many other interviews. Small presses are often run by a handful of people juggling many roles, so being respectful of time and demonstrating genuine knowledge will get you farther than a generic request.

  • Read the press’s catalogue—especially recent titles and any manifestos on their website. Editors will be pleased if you reference specifics.
  • Follow their social channels for a week or two. It’s useful to know how they talk about books publicly and what projects they currently highlight.
  • Know the market position of the press: are they experimental, regional, translation-focused, politically committed, or interdisciplinary? This shapes the kinds of questions that make sense.
  • Be flexible about format and timing. Offer options: 20–30 minutes on Zoom, an email interview, or answers via a short questionnaire. Many editors prefer asynchronous formats because of time constraints.

    • How to frame your request

    Write a concise, personalised pitch. I usually open by saying why this press matters to me—often citing a book of theirs that surprised me—and what angle I want to explore. Make your intent clear: is this about an author, a press ethos, a new series, or the editor’s curatorial practice?

    Include practical details up front:

  • Proposed length and format
  • Suggested dates and a clear deadline
  • Where the interview will be published (include Storyscoutes Co URL) and any cross-posting plans
  • Whether you’ll send questions in advance

    • Editors respond well to professional transparency. If you’re on a tight turnaround, say so; if you offer to take notes and draft quotes for the editor to approve, say that too.

    What to ask—topics that open up discovery

    The most productive interviews move beyond the routine promotional questions. Aim for questions that illuminate editorial decision-making, marginalised networks, and the craft of publishing on a small scale.

  • Origin story: How did the press begin? Which books or moments convinced the founders that there was a gap to fill?
  • Selection criteria: What do you look for in a manuscript? Ask for concrete examples (a sentence, an image, a structural choice) that made them say “yes.”
  • Editing practice: Describe a memorable edit you made on a book now in print. What changed and why?
  • Acquisitions and discovery: Where do the most surprising submissions come from—literary festivals, local workshops, translator networks, unsolicited slush? This often points to communities worth following.
  • Risk and constraint: Which risks are you willing to take—and which are you not? Budgetary and distribution limits shape the books a press can realistically champion.
  • Communities and ecosystems: Which writers, independent bookstores, magazines or reading series do you consider part of your extended community?
  • Translation and reach: If they publish translations, ask about the source languages and how they find translators. Translation choices often map onto broader cultural recoveries.
  • Failure stories: Which book didn’t find its audience and why? Failures can be as instructive as successes for understanding a press’s values.
  • Future scouting: Who should readers watch? Are there regions, themes or forms the press is particularly excited about next?
  • Practical advice for writers: For authors seeking to submit—what practical steps improve a manuscript’s chance of being noticed?

    • How to listen—questions that invite anecdotes

    Editors are storytellers about books; they respond warmly to prompts that invite anecdotes. Rather than asking only for abstract policies, encourage them to recount a specific manuscript rescue, a late-night proof correction, or a serendipitous encounter at a book fair. These stories reveal networks and tactics you wouldn’t find in a press release.

    Use follow-ups: “Can you give me a concrete example?” or “What was the sentence that sold you on this project?” Such queries coax out the texture of editorial taste.

    Ethics, anonymity and sensitivity

    Small presses frequently work with vulnerable writers and political texts. Be explicit about whether the interview will be on record. Offer anonymity if the editor requests it—some insights about sensitive projects or author relationships are better reported off the record.

    If an editor speaks about a living author’s struggles, ask whether you should seek consent before quoting. Respect for reputations and professional relationships matters more in small literary ecosystems than in larger ones, because everyone knows each other.

    What to do after the interview

    Follow-through is where trust is built.

  • Send a thank-you note promptly and a copy of the published piece.
  • Offer fact-checks or the chance to edit for clarity—not to change meaning, but to correct specifics like dates, series names or sales channels.
  • Share the piece with the press and the authors mentioned; encourage social amplification. Small presses run on word-of-mouth.
  • Keep the relationship alive. A follow-up email six months later—sharing an observation, linking to a related review, or flagging a writer the editor might like—turns a one-off interview into an ongoing conversation.

    • Practical tools and formats I use

    Over the years I’ve found a few tools and formats that work especially well with small-press editors:

  • Email-first interviews: many editors prefer to answer asynchronously. This yields thoughtful, quotable responses and helps with time zones and schedules.
  • Short audio calls: a focused 20–30 minute Zoom or phone call can surface vivid anecdotes. I record (with consent) and transcribe key passages.
  • Mini-profiles: rather than a long Q&A, I often write a short portrait of the editor interwoven with quotes—this contextualises their practice and points readers toward their list.
  • Roundtables: pairing two or three editors from complementary presses in a single conversation can illuminate differences and networks in a way a solo interview rarely does.

    • Interviewing small-press editors is one of the most generative practices I know for discovering overlooked voices. Done with curiosity, respect and a readiness to listen, these conversations map the hidden routes through which books arrive in the world. They point you to translators, micro-presses, reading series and stubborn manuscripts that are quietly reshaping the literary landscape—exactly the sort of discoveries I love sharing on Storyscoutes Co.