LitMinds Blog and Interviews

Megan Sullivan is the blogger behind Bookdwarf, one of the leading American litblogs.  She’s also the head buyer at the Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  We were lucky to meet Megan at BEA earlier this year and learn more about her blogging and bookselling.

In her interview with LitMinds, we learned about how she got started in both of her current literary ventures, her thoughts on the future of litblogs and book reviews, and her reading list embarrassment.     


On your blog, Bookdwarf, you talk about everything from the books you’re reading, to your work at the Harvard Book Store, to your opinions on current political events.  How and when did you first begin Bookdwarf, and how has the blog evolved over the years?

I started dating someone who had a blog over four years ago. I was constantly talking about books (because that’s my life) and he suggested I start my own blog, possibly in an attempt to get me to shut up about books. With his computer expertise, I started my own blog in February of 2004.  It took a while to figure out what I was doing, not just technically, but for the format. There are enough sites out there already giving links, so I knew that I didn’t want to do that.  I try to focus on discussion of books and the book world.


One of the subjects you’ve written about frequently is the continual shrinking of book review sections in newspapers, and the competition between newspaper reviewers and literary bloggers.  You’ve said that you will do what you can to save book reviews in newspapers.  Why do you think it’s important to have both sources?  Do you think the two populations can peacefully coexist?  And where do you see the book review industry (with apologies for the use of that word) in 10 years?  

I don’t think that everyone in the world reads litblogs. There are still some non-computer people out there that like to pick up the paper. I think that losing the traditional newspaper book reviews would mean losing a valuable part of our literary tradition. This doesn’t mean that the newspaper should rule and the litblogs aren’t as valid a resource as the papers. I think they can peacefully coexist as long as we all recognize that some will never agree that litblogs are important. I couldn’t care less that Richard Ford thinks bloggers are akin to the crazy shut-in people. That’s his opinion. I know that lots of people----readers, writers, editors, everyone---read my blog. Just because he doesn’t read it, doesn’t mean I’ve failed. I’d rather focus my energy on my primary mission, which is talking about books. I think it’s a waste of time trying to convert people.


You’re now the head buyer at the Harvard Book Store.  Tell us a little bit about how you started working there, what your job is like, and what you love about it.

I moved to the Boston area to get a Masters in Classics at Tufts University. I was lucky enough to get a part time job at the Harvard Book Store working in the customer order department. After several years in school, I realized that I was enjoying working at the store much more than being an academic. So I started working full time as the Buying Office Assistant, a very glamorous job that requires lots of data entry (how do you think all of those titles make it into a store’s inventory?). Eventually someone moved and I started buying backlist (basically reorders of stock). Then I moved up to doing frontlist a few years ago and most recently was made the head of the department (Trade Buying Manager is the official job title, but I like Head Buyer).  

My favorite part of the job is having access to all the books! I spend a lot of time looking at catalogs and sitting through sales appointments. Also I have to make sure that the inventory keeps to the right levels, make sure we have the latest books in stock, etc. We have an extensive event program and I order all of the books for them. Plus keeping on top of what’s being reviewed and who is appearing where in the media. It’s a very detail-oriented job. Mostly I love being a part of the literary world. As a lifelong nerd, I’ve always read a lot, not to mention the fact that I’m a very fast reader. I didn’t know such jobs existed, but spending all day with books is a dream job. I don’t want to be anywhere else right now.


How does the Harvard Book Store, an independent bookseller, match up against some of Boston’s large chain bookstores?  What makes it so successful?   

I know I’m bragging, but I’d say that my store is one of the best book stores in the country. There’s not another store in the Boston area that’s like mine. We’ve got such depth in our backlist---one of the largest philosophy sections around---and we always have the best titles on our shelves. I like to call it separating the wheat from the chaff. At a B&N or Borders, you have to browse through so much crap before getting what you want.  My job is to do this for you. If a book is on our shelves, it’s there for a reason.


You read at least a book a week, according to Bookdwarf.  What are some of your favorites?  What book or books do you think everyone should read?  

Oh boy, I hate this question. I read so much, so it’s hard to narrow it down to several favorites. I’d say that George Eliot’s Middlemarch, Murakami’s Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and Bronte’s Jane Eyre are some of my all time favorites. Recently I loved Matthew Sharpe’s Jamestown, a post-apocalyptic retelling of the founding of Jamestown; Shalom Auslander’s Foreskins’ Lament (due out this October), a hilarious and painful autobiography by a man who grew up in an Orthodox community; Falling Through the Earth by Danielle Trussoni, which the New York Times named one of the top ten books of 2006, a memoir of a daughter of a Vietnam vet---it’s beautiful and unflinching in its honesty.


Last but not least, our favorite final prompt: Ask yourself any question and answer it.   

Q: Name a book that you’re embarrassed you’ve not read.
A: Lolita---everyone gushes about this book. I usually just smile and nod.

 
You can read Megan's LitMinds profile here and discuss this interview here.