Maggie Lowery is co-manager of Lemuria Bookstore in North Jackson. The lifelong Northsider and graduate of Jackson Prep and Belhaven College recently spoke with Northside Sun Staff Writer Anthony Warren about the book industry and the recent changes she’s seen in it.
How long have you been with Lemuria and what has changed in the publishing industry in that time?
“Nine years. Trends in book publishing change every year, in part, because of changes in what people want to read. I’ve worked here during major events, like the September 11 attacks, and there was such a huge surge in books on 9/11 that we created a special section that has developed into a Middle Eastern history section. Additionally, many publishers are releasing paperback originals, meaning that books that would originally be published as a hardcover are going straight to paperback.”
Why are publishers doing that? Is it a result of the weak economy?
“Publishers are doing it a lot with newer authors. It costs less money to publish a book in paperback and less money for the consumer to purchase it. This has been going on for the past couple of years and isn’t happening because of the economy’s downturn.”
Is this a positive move for publishers?
“In some ways, I think it’s a positive for an unknown author. But it’s not keeping people from buying hardbacks. We still have customers who only want to purchase hardbacks. Even if the book has been in paperback for five years, people still come in and ask for the hardback and we hunt it up for them. I think anything that keeps books in print is a positive move. I’m not crazy about Kindle, a wireless device from Amazon.com that allows you download an electronic copy of a book.”
As manager of a bookstore, how can you combat things like Kindle?
“We fill a niche in the community. We have events where people can meet and greet authors and get signed first editions of their books. This makes reading and purchasing the book a lot more personal. At Lemuria, we also have a staff of readers. People can come in and we happily discuss books with them.”
How often do you read?
“I probably read two to five books a month, depending on the type of books. I’m primarily a fiction reader. I do like biographies and have discovered historical narratives, like ‘Sin in the Second City.’ A historical narrative isn’t fiction, but it reads like a novel.”
What is that about?
“It’s set in Chicago’s levee district at the turn of the 20th century. It focuses on two sisters who are madams at an infamous brothel.”
What are the more popular books right now?
“Our biggest two sellers, as far as fiction goes, ‘The Help,’ by Kathryn Stockett, and, of course, John Grisham’s newest book, ‘The Associate.’ For a while, books on Barack Obama, both positive and negative, were flying off the shelves. We’re also selling a lot of economic books and a lot of gardening books because it’s that time of the year.”
How do you select books to sell at Lemuria?
“Publishing companies send sales representatives and provide us with catalogs. We also look at past sales histories on known authors and what we’ve sold by them before, and judge how many new books we need to bring in. One of the perks of working here is that the staff gets advance copies of different books. One of the best things about Lemuria is that we all read and have different tastes. We talk to each other about what we’re reading and what we think would be a good book to sell. I think everybody on our staff has read ‘The Help.’”
One of the things I understand about Lemuria is that you showcase local authors. Tell me about that.
“We want to support authors in the community. One of the biggest success stories is John Grisham, who self-published his first novel, ‘A Time to Kill,’ with Wynwood Press. Not many stores across the country would sell it. There were about seven, including us, on this side of the Mississippi River below the Mason-Dixon Line that helped him out. Now that’s big and famous, the only bookstores that he does signing events at are the ones that helped him with his first book. We want to help our local authors. It’s always good to help people become successful in what they do.”
Do you write?
“I am a reader, not a writer.”
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