Hello from the tail of the publishing pig
Tales of Brave Bookstore is about bookselling, but also about love!
Here: musings on bookselling, the publishing industry, readership, the art of the hand-sell, and community. Also, some stuff about our store cat who died last summer (RIP Molly, 2008-2023.)
I’m Mo, a novelist and bookseller in Portland, Oregon. I did an MFA at the University of Michigan a decade ago and published my debut novel, Every Anxious Wave, in 2016. I’ve also worked as a bookseller (and events person) at BookPeople in Austin and just a bookseller at the now-defunct airport location of Powell’s.
After many years of flailing around trying to figure out a career for myself that wasn’t just writing (I find that just writing is not good for the brain, or for paying bills), I’ve found great satisfaction in working in a bookstore. I’ve always wanted to be a bartender, but I have a citrus allergy, so I can’t squeeze limes all night. Bookselling is a social practice, and I do love the product and always have.
I’ve sold books at the Texas Republican Convention, many large theatrical venues, a fancy country club, and the legendary music venue where Janis Joplin once sang.
My agent told me I should make a Substack about my bookselling adventures, and she’s never wrong, so here I am.