Seibold believes that being based in Chicago has some other, intangible benefits. "There's never any risk of succumbing to the herd mentality that often afflicts major conglomerate publishing," he says. "Here, publishers are pretty free to make their own way."
In fact, local publishers often have to make their own way if they want to survive. Although Chicago has a rich publishing environment, its publishing scene is diffuse, with various interest groups, associations, and organizations spread far and wide. Despite its at times disparate nature, Chicago remains home to scores of publishers and thousands of publishing professionals. As the country's second-largest publishing center, it is an important cog in the wheel. The Windy City's publishing scene is defined by a lot of publishers, operating in numerous fields, creating books for many different kinds of readers.