Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Ann Patchett: Bookstores matter, so I’ll pay to open one

The novelist tells Salon her big investment in a new independent bookstore is already worth it -- no matter what

Patchett
Ann Patchett and Parnassus Books. (Credit: annpatchett.com/Salon)

So far, 2011 has been a banner year for Ann Patchett. Her latest book, “State of Wonder,” got the book world’s version of a red-carpet rollout (and stellar reviews, to boot); and this week, she and her business partner, Karen Hayes, have launched an ambitious, much-buzzed project — a new independent bookstore in the author’s hometown of Nashville, Tenn.
Given recent news, you wouldn’t be crazy to wonder whether launching a bookstore in 2011 is such a good idea. But a conversation with Patchett suggests that to her, Parnassus Books is less a make-or-break business risk than an investment in her community — and a pulpit from which she can preach the gospel of the book.
Over the phone, the novelist described the development of Parnassus over the past few days, weeks and months — and explained why the hundreds of thousands of dollars she’s already poured into the project (and is prepared to lose) are already worth it, even if she’s placed the wrong bet on the future of the book.
Full story at Salon.

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