Bob Gray: A New Favorite.

The other day, some other students in the Creative Writing department and I had the chance to conduct a phone interview with Bob Gray, master bookseller for Northshire Books in Vermont. He answered all of our questions with a firm sense of reality, which I definitely appreciated, and a great sense of humor (of course, it doesn’t hurt that he’s also a fellow fan of David Markson – I nearly leapt out of the chair). We first discussed Northshire Books specifically, how he managed to bring a display of independent presses to Northshire (which I, as an experimental writer, loved) and how the younger booksellers that are just coming into the business are more willing to take the risks involved with defending the quality literature put out by small presses and literary journals (another sigh of relief). We also talked about how having a good book is what matters – not necessarily the publisher listed on the cover – and in the right hands, quality literature can go as far as any other book (he noted William Young’s The Shack, which was actually self-published and has sold almost a million copies because of the careful planning and marketing that went into the book’s distribution). Because of the pure volume of work a marketing person is expected to do, brilliant books can get the same marketing as bad books, so the idea of authors marketing themselves is one of the most important ideas we discussed. Promotion and marketing led us to Fresh Eyes Now, which is described as a bridge between the reader, author, bookseller and publisher, and how Mr. Gray has begun working to make authors more aware of the roles they can play in getting their book published, rather than relying on the system already in place. Since he created Fresh Eyes Now to “fill a void” in the publishing industry, we asked him what other voids there are and he responded that he is like “a tiny starship” on the edge of the universe of voids within the publishing industry. But he then went on to explain that some of those voids are what make the publishing industry so great – the endearing imperfection of the industry allows for so many different ways in. When asked to demystify the “heavy-hitters” of the writing world, Mr. Gray reminded us of the fact that all writers are just that – writers. I think we forget that sometimes, especially in the stages that my classmates and I are in – it’s easy for me, I know, to forget that even the most prolific writers are sometimes unsatisfied with their work and are just as much people as writing students are. When describing M.F.A. programs, Mr. Gray said that they are similar to a band – that some sections are stronger than others the way a writer is more talented at some aspects of writing than others and the programs work like recitals, to strengthen the weaker aspects and bring them up to par with the stronger aspects. This view of writing programs really brought them into perspective for me and now I’m even more excited about pursuing my writing on the next level. When my chance to speak to Mr. Gray occurred, I asked him about the markets for experimental writing and how he views them. While they’re not large, they are loyal, he said, and that can go a long way. Additionally, I got some excellent advice for marketing my own work: instead of trying to market it as experimental writing, focus on the writing’s quality – show readers that just because the format is played with, it doesn’t mean that they can’t read and enjoy it the same way they do traditional narratives and literary choices. Since I love experimental literature so much, I never thought of this approach – I already see it as quality writing and the experimentation becomes part of the quality of it – but I now know how to approach readers who may not hold that same view. And on top of that, Mr. Gray is a fan of David Markson, author of Wittgenstein’s Mistress (which I adore), so the conversation only went up from there. We discussed translations (and that they should be marketed much the same way as experimental writing – not as something you should read because “it’s good for you,” but as something you would enjoy reading because of the literature’s quality) and why everyone should read reviews but not trust them (which makes perfect sense – up your literary game by seeing what’s being read and then judge the work for yourself).

The whole interview was fantastic, very enlightening and inspiring – and of course the mention of Markson didn’t hurt that impression a bit.