Independent Publishers of New England

IPNE Publishers Webinar

How to Choose a Hybrid Press:

Pre-Publication Research You Need to Know

May 20, 2026 – 6:30- 7:30PM

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Join publishers Deidre Randall of Peter E. Randall Publisher, Samantha Kolber of Rootstock Publishing, and Rachel Carter of Onion River Press for a conversation about their experiences running New England–based hybrid presses. This panel will explore how to choose the right hybrid press for your work, including realistic expectations, common pitfalls, timelines, and more. Attendees will get an inside look at how hybrid presses operate and what publishers are specifically looking for in potential projects. You’ll leave with a stronger understanding of what questions to ask and the necessary research you should do before beginning the publication process.

Samantha Kolber

Samantha Kolber runs Rootstock Publishing, a Montpelier, Vermont-based hybrid and traditional press that publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction and children’s literature. She is the author of a chapbook, Birth of a Daughter (Kelsay Books), a 5-Star Readers’ Favorite, Gold Winner in Realistic Poetry in the Human Relations Indie Book Award, and Poetry Winner in the 2023 San Francisco Book Festival. She received her MFA in creative writing (fiction) from Goddard College, and completed a post-graduate semester in poetry at the Solstice MFA Program at Pine Manor College. Previous jobs include event & marketing coordinator at Bear Pond Books, associate director of sales & marketing at Tupelo Press, managing editor of Hunger Mountain at Vermont College of Fine Arts, and publications & communications manager at Goddard College. Hobbies include baking, reading, writing, gardening, and walking her dog Ziggy. You will often find her at the local library or bookstore with her book-loving 9-year-old daughter. Website

Deidre Randall

Deidre Randall is the CEO of Peter E. Randall Publisher, a 56-year-old, independent publisher located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She received a M.Ed. in Business Administration from Antioch New England Graduate School in 1999, following thirteen years of direct service to literacy programs; grant preparation, teaching, college instruction and project coordination. She worked closely with her father, Peter Randall, from 1998 to 2008, learning publishing from the ground up. Deidre has consulted with and published over 350 authors, promoting more than 450 titles since 1998. She is an award-winning songwriter, and a poet who received nominations for Poet Laureate of Portsmouth in 2003 and 2007. Deidre has been an avid reader and book lover for as long as she can remember. She is a mother of three wonderful children, and she is raising a small herd of Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats in southern Maine Website

Rachel Carter

Rachel Carter works the editorial director for Onion River Press in Burlington, Vermont. She is the author of the So Close to You series with HarperCollins, and her nonfiction work has appeared in The New Republic, The Faster Times, and Booktrib. She holds an MFA from Columbia University in nonfiction creative writing, and she currently teaches fiction writing in the MFA writing program for the University of Nebraska and at Montclair State University, where she recently spent four years as a visiting professor of fiction. Additionally, she has taught undergraduate creative writing at Columbia University and Champlain College. For two years, she was the executive director of the Green Mountain Book Festival, where she coordinated a three-day festival with national authors. She is also a freelance editor who has helped many writers shape their work for publication. She currently lives in Vermont with her husband and two naughty cats. Website