According to a New Directions editor, high book returns, Internet browsing, and the economy are threatening the small press--but the thrifty company is betting on the backlist.

Conversational Reading's timely "How To Publish in a Recession" series began this week with Declan Spring, the senior editor at New Directions. The company has repackaged books by Djuna Barnes, Tennessee Williams, and Henry Miller, using contemporary authors to introduce new readers to the text. Here's more from the lengthy interview:

"I'd say the main way we're reacting to the climate is really taking advantage of our backlist. There are so many incredible books and authors we've published over the years, some of which have fallen off peoples' radars. Many of these books are loved by other important authors, so for instance, rather than pay an advance for a new author and bring out a new book, we've discovered we can find one of these well-known authors to write an introduction for a book we already publish which the famous writer really loves."