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This paper examines small independent literary presses that have emerged in Argentina, Chili, and Colombia, mainly since the 1990s. These presses, dominated by the same transnational publishing corporations, subsist in a context where public subsidies are scarce. They are characterized by their conception of books being primarily cultural goods and by the vocational aspects of their profession. Based on the analysis of 24 small presses from the three countries mentioned above, this work aims to examine how theoretical principles—like the concept of editorial independence, for instance—help articulate the idea that books, understood as cultural and symbolic goods, must be drawn away from economic financialization. Above all, this research analyzes the conditions of emergence of small presses and the courses of action and strategies used to perennialize their publishing activity.