Interview with an Editor: Deborah Shapiro of B-Side Editions

B-Side Editions is a new micro-press that as of now has two titles: Deborah Shapiro’s third novel, Consolation, and Donato Loia’s 1095 Short Sentences, which was released last year.

Shapiro’s first two novels were traditionally published (The Sun in Your Eyes with William Morrow & Company, and The Summer Demands with Catapult). When she and her agent didn’t find a home for Consolation, Shapiro launched B-Side Editions in order to get the novel into the world. (To read more about that, you can check out our interview with Shapiro in 2022 following the novel’s publication.) While the imprint began as a way to publish her own book, Shapiro says there was always the hope that she could eventually publish other writers as well.

“I’ve accrued a certain amount of cynicism about corporate publishing over the years,” she says. “Scratch a cynic, though, and you’ll find a disappointed idealist. Books and reading and writing are how I’ve always made sense of the world. Without getting too grand about it, I like to think of B-Side Editions as alternative approach. As the name suggests – the B-side is the flipside. Maybe not the obvious popular hit but often the sneakily enduring song.”

Here I’ll add my own cynicism about corporate publishing—or rather, a gripe: the industry’s focus on the hot new book. Book coverage tends to carry an expiration date; reviews and interviews run around publication dates or not at all. That’s why this press feels like a small act of protest to the corporate publishing mindset: it’s built on the idea of expanding the idea of what is publishable and what success might be. Like a B-side, you might have missed hearing about these two books—or you might have learned about them from a friend, as was the case for me. The friend who interviewed Shapiro two years ago was the one who put Consolation on my radar. And I shared the novel with several friends who I knew would love it; and they shared it with their friends; and perhaps those friends did the same. Maybe not a recipe for an obvious popular hit, but that indeed made a sneakily enduring one. Good books can and should have a long life.

I asked Shapiro about a note on the press’s website about being an “occasional” publisher. “It’s ‘occasional’ in the sense that it depends on what I have the bandwidth and resources to produce, at a given time. Do I have the ability to publish a book with the care it deserves? The integrity of a book as a physical object is important to me. I want it to be thoughtfully designed, something you want to hold in your hands and read. Do I have the editorial attention and time to give to the project? Also, can I make the numbers work? It’s a tricky balance. But I think it’s do-able on an occasional basis.”

Which brings up the quality of the books themselves, something I’d be remiss not to mention. I own both of these titles and they are indeed beautiful works of literature, and also beautiful objects that feel good to hold. They are even packaged thoughtfully.

With two such different books, I was curious what makes a book a fit for B-Side Editions. “Both have been described as “companionable” and that’s incredibly gratifying to hear,” Shapiro shared. “My hope is that B-Side Editions publishes books you want to spend time with, that interacting with them energizes you emotionally and intellectually. Formally they’re different – one is a slim novel, and one is fragmentary and aphoristic (or anti-aphoristic) non-fiction, but they’re both asking similar existential and everyday questions. I’m drawn to work that is searching and thoughtful, probably a little melancholic in tone, but that also has humor and a sharp sense of irony. Contemplative and curious. There are ways to be serious but not pretentious.”

Shapiro added, “Both books are also under 200 pages. Which isn’t to say I wouldn’t publish something long and maximalist… but paper isn’t cheap.”

One of the biggest challenges Shapiro has run into is distribution and “how to do it in a cost-effective way, so this doesn’t turn into a money-losing proposition. Currently, I’m essentially the distributor – fulfilling online orders and sending them out. I know the local post offices really well.” The books are also available at a handful of independent bookstores—ones willing to buy directly instead of through Ingram, the giant wholesale book distributor. (Below is a list of stores that carry B-Side Editions titles.)

B-Sides Editions is a testament to what can be possible with a single person handling all aspects of publishing. Be sure to check out this small but mighty occasional press!

B-Side Editions wants to thank the following stores for their support and stocking* the following titles:

Bookstores where you can find B-Side Editions books:

1095 Short Sentences:

Type Books (Toronto, Canada)

Basket Books + Art (Houston, TX)

Alienated Majesty (Austin, TX)