Not only do they not have work, they are depressed, isolated, and wishing for anything to do. I understand the feeling and have experienced it myself. We all have. The idea is not to turn to depression, despair and hopelessness as the only options. If you do that, you cannot see that other options exist. They exist if a) you love to read, b) you want to connect to your community with books and c) you love to talk to people about books.
If you fulfill those three criteria (and you have a car) then you too can become a Bookie. And what a wonderful way to become part of what we see as a win/win strategy for the Bookies, for the small presses whose books we sell and for the communities where this kind of event can be held.
So, who loses when our Bookies go out to the coffee shops and performance spaces with a trunk load of small press books? The coffee houses make money. The Bookies sell the books, they make money, the presses make money (as well as the authors) and then so does Sullivan Street Press (http://www.sullivanstreetpress.com).
Our elves this time of year are putting together a long list of small presses new Bookies can check out to find the books they want to sell. We are putting together a training program for the new year where within a short period of time the new Bookies learn how to do it all from reserve a venue, alert the press, get the fliers out, pack up the car and give the performances known to those of us who do them (well that would just be me for now) and begin to see a difference in one's life. And begin to see a difference in the lives of the communities you visit.
Somehow it seems to me that there are loads of writers out in this vast country who have written some truly wonderful books that none of us has ever heard of. There is a reason for that. But the Bookies can put an end to that obscurity and create for that writer the audience he/she needs.
Somewhere in this vast country are crowds of readers who cannot find their buddies to hook up with and talk about books. Bookies can help to make that happen.
Somewhere in this vast country there are people who studied English and love to talk about books and have dreamed about standing in front of a class and talking about those books. That job may have disappeared as imagined but it can be revived by becoming a Bookie and traveling around your area and talking to all kinds of groups about the books you carry with you.
And each time one of those Bookies goes out into the field and talks to the groups and makes friends with these new members of a growing culture, he/she is helping all of us to do something important in this political climate.
The Bookie is helping a reading public to return, to be open to new ideas and situations and stories that will help us all. Because by creating a truly alive and large reading public we are also helping to keep democracy alive and well. You cannot have a closed mind and be a Bookie. You must want to see the world represented in all its varied and diverse needs, problems, complexities.
That is the wonderful thing about democracy. It can speak to everyone without you ever having to join a club or a party. You just have to take an interest, stay informed and practice a little helpful support to those who are not as fortunate as you.
So that is the new publishing paradigm speaking out and making its program known.
Sign up at our website and let us know where you are and why you want to be a Bookie. We are looking for a goodly number of really dedicated readers to keep the show on the road. And if that means we hear from 15 people a day who want to join us in this program, then I guess we can deal with that. This is a win/win situation for us all.
