when life gives you lemons, sell books

an interview with Emily Helck

Today I bring you an interview with Emily Helck, owner of The Lost Bookshop in the Catskills. This is one of my favorite interviews I’ve ever done for this newsletter. I started tearing up when I got her answers by email, and as soon as I was done reading, I immediately opened Google maps on my phone to find out how long it would take me to drive to her bookstore. I’m actively fantasizing about a roadtrip.

Emily is someone who has endured a series of losses and disappointments but has nevertheless remained focused on what she can create and build herself, and I find her self-reliance and drive to be inspiring and hopeful.

Read on to find out how running a bookstore became a meaningful way to be part of the book world in the wake of rejection, and the best way to approach booksellers if you’re an author with a book to sell!

Emily living her best life (Photo credit: Nini Ordoubady)

1. Why open a bookstore in the 21st century?

You mean, why take such a risk in our current hellscape? 

Like a lot of book lovers, owning a bookstore is something I've always dreamed about, but it took my life semi-falling apart to get the courage to try. I spent three years on my second novel but couldn't find an agent (again! Didn't find one for the first book either). I had been working in digital marketing, and the thought of doing that till I died was...not great. My husband and I tried to have a kid, but experienced multiple pregnancy losses. I realized that my life was going to look very different from how I'd imagined it. (Side note: a lesson I keep learning over and over! Maybe everyone does?)

There was a freedom in realizing the life I thought I'd have wasn't happening—I became less worried about failing, and more worried about not trying. My dad died unexpectedly when I was a couple months into the process of starting the store, and at first I wavered, but ultimately pushed harder, feeling the need even more intensely.

This informed the name of the store, The Lost Bookshop. Our tagline is "books for getting lost and finding your way," and one of the things I think a lot about when I'm buying for the store and when I'm making recommendations is how a book can help someone move through their life. 

Bookstores can be magical places, and there's always a need for magic in the world. Especially now, when we think about things like the loneliness epidemic, we need places where we can exist together, and bookstores provide that in a unique way. 

2. How do you see your bookstore as rooted in the Catskills—both physically and spiritually?

The Catskills have been a balm for me for many years, even before I ever set foot here: one of my favorite books as a kid, My Side of the Mountain, was set in Delhi, NY, which is where the store is. An accident, but also maybe not an accident. Delhi is a really special place, and Jean Craighead George must have felt that too.

I had cancer in my twenties, and it was in the aftermath of treatment that my husband and I started coming to the Catskills, mostly because of our dog, Pancho.

Pancho living his best life

He became so animated, so fully himself when we were in the woods, that we went on hikes, explored new places just for him. (We were not "outdoorsy.") Having adventures with him introduced me to the Catskills in a way I never would have experienced otherwise, and it was very healing. He died a few months before the store opened, so he never got to see it (or, more importantly, smell it!) but I know without a doubt that if not for him, I wouldn't have a bookstore in these hills.

3. Did you have any indie bookstore "role models" you were thinking of, when you were creating and building and launching your own bookshop?

A bookstore is so much about how I feel when I'm inside; if I feel able to make discoveries. There are all kinds of things that can help or hinder that, and I love puzzling through them in my own store. My favorite stores are cozy, with a distinct point of view (but not an agenda), and plenty of weirdness. Some of my favorites: Three Lives & Co in NYC, Brickbat in Philly. Brickbat in particular feels like going inside an interesting person's mind and poking around.

And I have to admit that it's also The Shop Around the Corner, Meg Ryan's store in You've Got Mail.

During my store's renovation, I felt this inexplicable need to paint the floor of my store in a checkerboard pattern, which took days and days. (My back will never forgive me!) And I realized it's because her store has a checkered floor.

4. What is your favorite part of running a bookstore?

I think my favorite aspect is that the shop is a creative expression that happens in community. So that's sharing my favorite books with people, that's finding interesting and lesser known books, that's hosting the kinda off-the-wall events we have. (A recent favorite: a visit from an owl and her rehabilitator!).

After writing two novels that did not get published, I wanted a way to be part of the book world that felt different from what I'd experienced as a writer and student. I still write, but I also put a ton of creative energy into the store, and that has been really gratifying. 

5. What advice do you have for authors who would love to have their books on your shelves? Do you have any advice for authors who want to approach bookstores about hosting a live event for them?

Begin by finding out how they would like to receive your pitch—some places may be fine with a writer walking in with a copy of their book, but many can't accommodate authors pitching in person. Many book stores will have information on their website about how to approach them, so do some research before reaching out.

When you pitch your book, make it easy for the buyer to say yes: tell them what your book is about (you would be shocked by how many pitches lack this basic info!), why it would be a good fit for this specific store, where you see it sitting on the shelf, who the audience is, who you are and any special expertise you have, and what your relationship is with the store. 

This last part can be tricky—some folks might feel if they're not a regular in-person customer they can't approach, but that's not the case. You can have a relationship from afar, on social media, or through your community. Does your mom shop in our store, for instance? If so, have her make the introduction. Leigh, you talk a lot about platforms in this sense, that it's about an interactive community vs. a passive audience. Connecting with indie bookstores is another way to use your platform. Find out where your family and friends buy their books and start by approaching those shops. (And if they're buying books on Amazon, for the love of dog talk to them about why it's important to support local bookstores. Amazon isn't going to host your reading!)

If you want to do an event, try to think about what you could offer beyond the traditional reading/signing. I find those kinds of events to be a little bit of a tougher sell in terms of filling the room, and the opportunity for connection is minimal. That's what events are about for me: connection and community. Some examples: a graphic novel author/illustrator leading a kids' draw-along; a novelist who's also a therapist teaching a class on mental health in fiction.

Lastly: be thoughtful about when you approach. Walking into a bookstore on December 23rd and wanting them to buy your book then and there is not the move.

---

If you are looking for a good book to “get lost” in or one to help you “find your way,” Emily has graciously offered to give book recs in the comments section of this post! Leave her a comment. You can also visit the bookstore in person, or shop their Bookshop.org storefront (a portion of your Bookshop.org purchase goes directly to The Lost Bookshop).

---

Work with me

I’m a top book coach whose clients have sold novels, memoirs, and non-fiction books to imprints of Penguin Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster, as well as Audible, Bloomsbury, and MIT Press, among others. I closely follow changes in the book publishing and media industries (e.g., BookTok; Substack) so that I can give my clients the most relevant, honest, and up-to-date advice about building a brand and growing an audience.

I’m offering one-hour career coaching calls the week of June 17. Click here to schedule! This is a rare opportunity to pick my brain about what’s bedeviling you. I won’t be offering these again this summer.

Here’s what the novelist Dena Soffer emailed me after our one-on-one:

I just wanted to say thank you so much for meeting with me last week! Thanks to you I was able to completely re-work the ending of my novel. I so appreciate your careful listening and all your advice as I try to wrap up this latest draft.