50
Used, New, and Out of Print Books - We Buy and Sell - Powell's Books
Cart |
|  my account  |  wish list  |  help   |  800-878-7323
Hello, | Login
MENU
  • Browse
    • New Arrivals
    • Bestsellers
    • Featured Preorders
    • Award Winners
    • Audio Books
    • See All Subjects
  • Used
  • Staff Picks
    • Staff Picks
    • Picks of the Month
    • Bookseller Displays
    • 50 Books for 50 Years
    • 25 Best 21st Century Sci-Fi & Fantasy
    • 25 PNW Books to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Books From the 21st Century
    • 25 Memoirs to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Global Books to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Women to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Books to Read Before You Die
  • Gifts
    • Gift Cards & eGift Cards
    • Powell's Souvenirs
    • Journals and Notebooks
    • socks
    • Games
  • Sell Books
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Find A Store

PowellsBooks.Blog
Authors, readers, critics, media − and booksellers.

Indiespensable

How We Assembled Indiespensable #8

by Kyle, January 28, 2009 11:26 AM
Dear Indiespensable subscribers,

Erika Goldman, the editorial director at Bellevue Literary Press, was the second person to read Tinkers (after Booker Prize winner Barry Unsworth, one of Paul Harding's instructors at Iowa). Erika fell for the book immediately.

"For her to immediately say, 'This is the cover I want to use for it,'" Harding remembers, "that was a good sign. And then, even better news: When I saw the cover she wanted to use, I thought, Jesus, that reminds me of what I wrote!"

At Powell's, Megan read Tinkers first, an advance copy she'd scored from Bob Harrison, our Consortium rep. With high praise, Megan passed it on to Jill, whose reaction proved much the same. Next in line, Dave agreed, yes, what an impressive novel, and a debut no less, by an unknown author, from a tiny publisher we didn't even know. The exact format of our custom edition changed first this way and then that way during production; we're thrilled with the final product. We hope you are, too.

A wholphin is a cross between a whale and a dolphin. Now you know. The DVD magazine called Wholphin is yet one more kick-ass spawn of the way-less-evil-than-Google-even McSweeney's empire. Pronounce it accordingly.

Benjamin Parzybok lives in Portland. In Couch, three 20-somethings, just a few blocks from Powell's on Burnside, decide to carry a couch across America, but it turns out that the couch has other ideas. Small Beer Press co-founder Gavin Grant came up with the idea of the signed print now in your possession, showing off Andi Watson's great cover art. Together we came up with the idea for a greeting from Ben on its back.

We sent Harding a copy of Couch the week before our happy hour celebration at Someday Lounge in honor of Indiespensable: Volume 8. Paul emailed us to say: "What a mobydickheartofdarknesslordoftheringswhitejacket-foucaultspendulumhitchhikersguidetothegalaxy freak out. Delightfully absurd."

To see what Harding has to say about his own book, check out Dave's interview at Powells.com.

Happy 2009 reading!




Books mentioned in this post

Couch

Parzybok, Benjamin

Tinkers

Harding, Paul
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##

Most Read

  1. Best Books of 2022: Fiction by Powell's Staff
  2. The Big List of Backlist: Books That Got Us Through 2022 by Powell's Staff
  3. 25 Books to Read Before You Die: 21st Century by Powell's Staff
  4. Powell's 2023 Book Preview: The First Quarter by Powell's Staff
  5. 7 Essential Authors Recommend Their 7 Essential Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books by Powell's Staff

Blog Categories

  • Interviews
  • Original Essays
  • Lists
  • Q&As
  • Playlists
  • Portrait of a Bookseller
  • City of Readers
  • Required Reading
  • Powell's Picks Spotlight

One Response to "How We Assembled Indiespensable #8"

Crazy Carly January 21, 2009 at 12:33 PM
The happy hour event at Someday Lounge was a lot of fun. You should do it with every edition!

Result(s) 1

Post a comment:

*Required Fields
Name*
Email*
  1. Please note:
  2. All comments require moderation by Powells.com staff.
  3. Comments submitted on weekends might take until Monday to appear.
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram

  • Help
  • Guarantee
  • My Account
  • Careers
  • About Us
  • Security
  • Wish List
  • Partners
  • Contact Us
  • Shipping
  • Transparency ACT MRF
  • Sitemap
  • © 2023 POWELLS.COM Terms