In the 1950s, poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s City Lights Bookstore branched out into publishing ground-breaking books such as Allen Ginsberg’s Howl and Other Poems. More recently, McNally Jackson Books in Manhattan has published several literary novels, and now the Golden Notebook of Woodstock is joining the ranks of bookstore-publishers.
The first volume by Golden Notebook Press will be Still Life at 80: The Next Interesting Thing, a new memoir by acclaimed local author Abigail Thomas. Publishers Group West has signed on to handle promotion and distribution of the book to stores nationally and internationally. Publication is scheduled for January of 2023.
The Golden Notebook’s owners, Jackie Kellachan and James Conrad, started discussing the idea of stepping into the publishing world several years ago, when they were concerned that some of their bestsellers might go out of print. Customers buy from one to five copies a week of Small Town Talk, a book about the Woodstock music scene of the 1950s and 60s. Guidebooks and accounts of local history are also perennial sellers. Whenever it’s been hard to obtain copies of highly requested books, the proprietors’ thoughts have gone toward taking on a publishing role.
Conrad is friends with Abigail Thomas, whose work has been produced by such big houses as Houghton Mifflin and Scribner. As she worked on her latest memoir, explained Conrad, “She didn’t want to be one of hundreds of authors at a big house. They have so little staff for a lot of books, and you can get lost in the shuffle.” The Big Five, with their emphasis on hoping for the next bestseller, don’t necessarily have a finger on the pulse of the local market, the way a bookstore does. “We know our customers, we know what sells, and we can launch a book. It can grow from there.”
However, Conrad was wondering how he was going to tell every bookstore in America to buy the book and then ship it to them. That problem was solved with the signing up of Publishers Group West, which represents about 50 small publishers and is linked to bookstores around the U.S. and in other countries. “My rep was interested,” Conrad said, “since Abigail’s name has cachet.”
Although COVID spelled tragedy for many businesses, enforced isolation led to more reading and proved to be a boon for bookstores. Vacations abroad gave way to local travel, and working from home meant book-loving city dwellers could spend more time in the country. The influx of new residents enlarged the Golden Notebook’s customer base, and the store continues to thrive.
During the pandemic, the store’s upstairs room could no longer be used for author readings and book release events. “A whole second floor of retail space was empty,” said Conrad. The upstairs was converted into a spacious, colorful children’s book area, with cushioned benches along the walls and a charming nature mural by local artist Will Lytle. “It makes everyone happy. The adults can stay downstairs, and the kids are happy upstairs.”
Meanwhile, readings have flourished at other sites in town. “We thought of the readings as bringing people into the store,” said Conrad, “but it’s hard to park here on the weekends. People would say, ‘I tried to go to your reading, but I couldn’t find a parking space.’” The parking problem has been solved by holding most author events at Nancy’s Creamery in the Bearsville Center. “We like the coffeehouse atmosphere. Even if only five people come, it’s cozy.” Some readings have been held in churches, including St. Gregory’s on Route 212, the Reformed Church on the town Village Green, and the Christian Science church, to the west on Tinker Street.
An events coordinator, Drew Broussard, was hired to take over the details, giving Conrad time to focus on the publishing venture. He is getting to know every step of the book publishing process, and then he may hire an assistant.
Since the pandemic, paper shortages have delayed one in 10 publications, so there is a backup plan in place if the January pub date has to be pushed back for Still Life at 80. The memoir is an assortment of musings on the realities of aging, outlined in Thomas’s vivid, ironic style, with flashbacks and arresting insights. Praise has already been garnered from Stephen King, memoirists Ann Lamott and Elizabeth Gilbert, and People Magazine, among others.
The new press currently has four more books in development. In Mary Giuliani’s new memoir How to Lose Friends and Influence No One, the caterer to the stars takes stock of her life when work and the world are suspended by the pandemic. Award-winning mystery writer Greg Herron will bring out the first book in a new mystery series with a unique LGBTQ+ twist. Another title will cover an exciting chapter of the music industry, one of many music-related books the press hopes to publish, given Woodstock’s musical identity. Towards the end of next year, there are plans to produce a gift book focused on local townspeople.
“There is such great writing talent here,” said Conrad. “If a customer asks for a book that doesn’t exist, we can ask, ‘Who in this area could write it?’, and then we can develop it. And we can go at our own pace.”
The Golden Notebook Bookstore is located at 29 Tinker Street in Woodstock. See their website at goldennotebook.com.
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