Dan Simon, the publisher of Seven Stories Press in New York City, and Eric Obenauf, the publisher of Two Dollar Radio in Columbus, Ohio, have announced that Seven Stories has acquired Two Dollar Radio. The acquisition was finalized on April 1. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Two Dollar Radio, which releases four to six frontlist titles each year and has approximately 80 titles in print, becomes Seven Stories’ fourth imprint, joining its Spanish-language imprints, Siete Cuentos and Ocean Sur, and children’s imprint, Triangle Square Books for Young Readers. Obenauf remains publisher and editorial director, while his spouse, Eliza Wood-Obenauf, remains consulting editor. Brett Gregory will continue to coordinate marketing and publicity for Two Dollar Radio, and also serve as marketing and publicity manager for Seven Stories. The trio will work remotely from Columbus.

Obenauf and Wood-Obenauf retain ownership of Two Dollar Radio Headquarters, the bookstore/café/bar they have operated in Columbus since 2017.

With the deal, Simon remains the majority owner of Seven Stories, while Obenauf and Wood-Obenauf have become minority partners, as have Seven Stories national sales director Bill Rusin and co-publisher/publicity director Ruth Weiner. “It’s an acquisition,” Simon told PW in an interview conducted with him and Obenauf. “At the same time, it’s an initial step toward there being multiple stakeholders here and minority partners.”

Obenauf said he and Wood-Obenauf regard the transition as “sort of the next generation of Two Dollar Radio.” He noted that while operating a small indie press “is incredibly rewarding,” it "can also be incredibly mentally exhausting, [especially] if you don't have access to gobs of capital.” He and Wood-Obenauf launched Two Dollar Radio in 2005 because, he said, “we just wanted to work on books; we just wanted to edit books and work with authors, and that sort of thing.”

“Our authors and our books aren't benefiting when we're spending all of our time poring over spreadsheets and just trying to exist on a day to day basis,” he said. “So we see this as the next iteration of Two Dollar Radio that doesn’t just benefit our books and authors, but also sustains Two Dollar Radio into the future for the next 20 years and beyond.”

Two years in the making

Obenauf reached out to Simon two years ago to discuss the possibility of Seven Stories acquiring Two Dollar Radio. The two first met in 2009 at BookExpo America, and Simon was instrumental in helping Two Dollar Radio obtain U.K. distribution with Turnaround Publisher Services. Obenauf noted that there is a “great confluence” between Seven Stories and Two Dollar Radio, both in their approaches to publishing and in their lists. Seven Stories is known for its mix of literature and politics with a decidedly left-wing bent, while Two Dollar Radio is renowned for its quirky, edgy list of primarily fiction and essay collections.

“It was incredibly important that Two Dollar Radio remain independent,” Obenauf said. “Being acquired by one of the multinational corporations wasn’t ever something that we considered. We wanted to feel invested continuing forward, not just with Two Dollar Radio, but with Seven Stories as well.”

"Eric and I really are true believer publishers in exactly the same way,” Simon added. "It's so personal for him, and that's like looking in the mirror for me; it's so personal to me. I think it strengthens our ability to be really good editors and publishers, and I think that the loyalty of our authors to Seven Stories and to Two Dollar Radio reflects this."

Simon praised Two Dollar Radio for “punching way above its weight” by publishing such authors as Hanif Abdurraqib, Nora Lange, Bennett Sims, and many other critically-acclaimed writers. “At the same time,” he said, “it’s a manageable entity, in relationship to our size.” Two Dollar Radio will continue to be distributed by PGW through the fall, and then will switch to Seven Stories’ distributor, Penguin Random House Distribution Services, on January 1, 2026. Turnaround will continue to distribute Two Dollar Radio in the U.K.

Reflecting upon the acquisition—the first in Seven Stories’ 30-year history—Simon said both presses "are kind of alternative in the best sense: we’re not part of the club. We're most excited when we want to publish something that nobody else wants to publish. You know, we're very rarely in an auction situation. I have so much respect for so many independent publishers, but at the same time, I don't want to be part of the club. And Two Dollar Radio is certainly not part of the club; after all, they're in Columbus, Ohio.”

With the addition of Two Dollar Radio, Simon said, Seven Stories “has an extraordinary brain trust now, including Eric, Eliza Jane, and Brett. We, I think, are positioned for success and growth—it's the only way to survive in this pretty merciless marketplace that we're in.”