But I do have a somewhat old-fashioned sense of the slow-burn—lots of books have a long shelf life, and just because they’re not blockbusters right away, doesn’t mean they aren’t long-lasting, important, and live-giving works of timeless literature. In fact, I think ALL of 1913’s books are exactly that!
Running 1913 for the past 10 years as a mostly solo act—with design help from my partner Ben Doller—has definitely shown me my limits in extreme detail. Like, maybe I’m just not good at marketing and selling (true—I’m self-banned from 1913’s AWP book table because I give all the books away and am socially anxious). So I’ve enlisted the help of a new team of assistants and interns, who will take 1913 into the future as of this summer, and I think this might be the energy boost we need. Working on a press is really such a great way to engage in literary community, especially when you’re coming up as a writer. But after 10+ years, I’m exhausted…and I really dislove getting rude emails and dealing with the many gripes and snipes that come in regularly, ugh, so it’s good to be passing the matchstick.