Autonomedia

Jim Fleming moved to New York City in 1979 after postgraduate study in literary theory at the University of Iowa. After working for the small publisher J. F. Bergin and packaging books for Praeger, he began developing an independent publishing operation focused on radical politics and culture. Fleming incorporated Autonomedia as a nonprofit organisation in late 1983; New York University's archival description of the press dates its founding to 1984.

Fleming's interest in the Italian Autonomia movement and in post-Marxist European theory influenced the press's early development. Before establishing Autonomedia, he commissioned the first English-language book by Antonio Negri, Marx Beyond Marx, while working at J. F. Bergin. Autonomedia subsequently developed a catalogue encompassing anarchism, autonomist Marxism, feminism, radical art, experimental literature and media theory. The Fales Library at New York University, which maintains an archive of Autonomedia's websites, describes the press as specialising in radical theoretical works "especially in the anarchist tradition".

The press has generally operated on a small-scale and collective basis. In 2003, The New York Times reported that Autonomedia was staffed by volunteers, had published more than 200 books, and typically printed around 3,000 copies of each title. Fleming has described the organisation as having had an active editorial collective of around a dozen people during part of its early history, while he supported his own publishing work through other employment.