The Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) and Small Press Distribution (SPD) have "entered into a formal strategic partnership" to "maximize limited resources," Jeffrey Lependorf, the executive director of CLMP, recently announced. Lependorf has assumed the directorship of SPD, succeeding Dave Martinson, who had served as interim director of the organization based in Berkeley, California.
Lependorf, who is also the executive director of the newly-formed venture philanthropy Literary Ventures Fund, notes that CLMP and SPD have not merged—with the exception of Martinson, there have been no changes to staff—and that for the purposes of funding they will remain separate 501C3 entities. Lependorf says the partnership will allow the organizations to explore combining resources and joint programming.
Founded in 1969, SPD is the only wholesaler dedicated exclusively to independently published literature. CLMP, founded in New York City in 1967, is a service and advocacy organization for independent literary publishers.
