Vegan Publishers was launched in 2013 in order to raise awareness of the vital importance of veganism in creating a more compassionate and just society. Christen Mailler and Dr. Casey Taft, had been recently married and were expecting the first of their two daughters, and they started the small publishing company because they were struck by how limited the literature was on veganism. Vegan Publish
ers came into being in order to elevate the voices of vegan advocates and the animals themselves. Vegan Publishers has been highly successful in fulfilling its mission, publishing, selling, and donating numerous books, with many of their authors becoming prominent voices in the animal movement. The imprint has over 340,000 social media followers and has participated in various activities to raise awareness, serving an important function within the advocacy community. The philosophy of Vegan Publishers is reflected in Dr. Taft’s approach to his work as a clinical researcher: determine what is missing in the literature and fill those gaps. This has meant that they sometimes produce books that are not necessarily very profitable, but serve an important educational function. While other publishers have focused exclusively on cookbook production, for example, Vegan Publishers has addressed the large void in vegan children’s literature, animal advocacy, philosophy, and ethics – and in doing so, illuminating the many ways in which we are culturally indoctrinated to do harm to nonhuman animals. The imprint has been operating under a “non-profit” ethos from the start as service, rather than profit, has always been their goal. The landscape for small publishers has become ever more challenging due to the rise of self-publishing and the increasing costs of materials, with many retailers and distributors being forced to close their doors. This has caused Vegan Publishers to rely more on crowdfunding campaigns and other donations to continue producing important book titles while expanding their reach into other areas of vegan advocacy. One planned area of emphasis will be conducting research that assists animal advocacy efforts. Research in this realm has been dominated by non-rigorous designs and unqualified experts funding and conducting the work. Dr. Taft’s background as an internationally recognized anti-violence researcher with an extensive history of grant funding and published work should prove important in identifying and partnering with other researchers who can move the field forward. Please refer to the Submissions section of our website to learn more about submitting book ideas or research opportunities to Vegan Publishers.
