Thursday, November 11, 2010

Talking About My Gasperation: A Fix for The Giller Dilemma

By now most of us have heard that Johanna Skibsrud’s Giller win this week for The Sentimentalists has provoked heated controversy. Countless Tweets and blog posts have offered opinions on whether or not Skibsrud’s publisher Gaspereau Press is right to limit the available copies for sale to those they can produce by hand—roughly 1,000 copies per week—in their in-house print shop. The company has reportedly rejected offers from other publishers to collaborate on a commercial printing that would put more copies in stores more quickly.

The debate goes something like this: those who commend Gaspereau’s stand applaud the press for its commitment to high standards and craftsmanship; those who don’t criticize the publisher for failing to seize and leverage the rarest of moments for one of its authors. (See Tasha Kheiriddin’s recent National Post column and Nic Boshart’s accompanying comment for an illustration of both points of view.)

The argument is fuelled, especially within the book trade, by the knowledge that the opportunity provided by the “Giller effect” (the term used to describe how a win like Skibsrud’s can massively increase sales) can be fleeting. The spotlight is on Skibsrud and her book right now, but readers are fickle, Christmas is coming, and the shelves are loaded with readily available alternatives to The Sentimentalists. For Skibsrud, right now is an incredible but shrinking window of opportunity that won’t be served entirely by the always-on eBook edition.

Here’s an idea for the hopper: why not continue to print the handmade editions for which Gaspereau is so justifiably famous and collaborate with another publisher or printer to put a second, commercially printed edition into the market quickly? Maybe even attach a modest premium to the price for Gaspereau’s handmade editions, and/or look at other manageable enhancements (signed by author, anyone?) for those beautiful handmade books. This would respect (even highlight) the publisher’s commitment to craft and further differentiate the value of its original edition for readers who want it, while also allowing the press to meet its responsibilities to its author and her would-be readers by ensuring the book is more readily available across the country.

Above all, why not put the focus back where it belongs? On Skibsrud’s and Gaspereau’s fantastic achievement in writing and publishing a very fine book. And on many more readers discovering it than either of them could ever have dreamed.