Our Q&A with Kevin Allardice
Publishing with a new press, nearly withdrawing a manuscript, and finding common ground in Dan Chaon’s writing
Kevin Allardice isn’t new to the publishing world. The author graduated from the University of Virginia’s MFA program, published his debut novel with Counterpoint, and subsequently published three more books, including two novels with Spuyten Duyvil. The Weft novelist has spent a decade working with independent presses and learning about the publishing world from this vantage point.
In conversation with Kevin Breen (Publisher, Madrona Books), Allardice talked about why he chose to publish Weft with an emerging press, what the publication process has been like so far, as well as advice for authors who'd like to pursue similar avenues. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Kevin Breen: What made you want to partner with a brand-new publisher?
Kevin Allardice: It just seemed like an exciting opportunity, to be part of something at the very beginning. When you look at the catalog of an independent press, fascinating stories emerge — that is, stories about stories — and as Madrona’s catalog expands, it’ll be great to see how my novel is part of that.
KB: What about Madrona specifically?
KA: There was some language in the initial call for submissions that got me thinking about place, books whose details become like your own sense-memory, and that made me think of this manuscript of mine. As I’d been working on it, I tried to keep my focus on all those strange details that keep a place — in this case, Colorado in the late 90s — alive in your memory.
KB: Can you tell me about the acquisition process from your perspective? How did that go for you?
KA: A few days after submitting the manuscript, I opened up the document and was so embarrassed to see some errors that I immediately withdrew the manuscript. But then you got in touch — you’d already started reading it, and convinced me that I shouldn’t withdraw it. When we spoke on the phone, you mentioned the novels of Dan Chaon, and I knew you and Madrona would be the right fit for Weft. I hadn’t been consciously thinking of Chaon’s work while writing, but as soon as I heard his name, I realized that those books had been lurking in the shadows.
KB: What was the editorial process like? How do you think the book has changed or evolved since you first submitted it?
KA: This might sound a bit much, but the ideal editorial process is not unlike therapy, in that the feedback you get is largely made up of things you’ve known but haven’t been able to admit on your own, followed by the room to play around with those ideas until something concrete and actionable emerges. And that was pretty much my experience editing this book — that is to say, ideal.
KB: What would you say to other authors who are thinking about submitting work to Madrona?
KA: I’d say, Do it! Consider the kind of novels that your work is in conversation with, consider the kind of books Madrona’s website cites, and join that conversation.