Posted on December 20, 2019 at 10:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
We weren’t exactly charitable in our questions about an upcoming free performance of To Kill a Mockingbird, a play whose producers spent the first months of the year threatening to pick legal fights.
So we’ll balance things out and present the following story as unambiguously feel-good.
The UK's Galley Beggar Press, until just a few days ago, had enjoyed a spectacular 2019 — it published Lucy Ellmann’s Ducks, Newburyport, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, among other honors.
The publisher, of course, wanted to seize that momentum and make sure bookstores were stocked with copies of the novel.
It was a financial stretch, but one that seemed worth it and likely to pay off.
That is, until British online discount bookseller The Book People announced it would go into administration (similar to the US’s bankruptcy protection) — meaning the £40,800 (over $53,000) it owed Galley Beggar wasn’t going to materialize anytime soon, if at all.
As a last resort, Galley Beggar co-directors Eloise Millar and Sam Jordison decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign.
Within twenty-four hours of its launch, the campaign had brought in the necessary money.
For more highs and lows, you can check out Jordison’s short essay about Galley Beggar Press's incredible roller-coaster ride in the Guardian.
Categories: Today in Books