Jessa Crispin: The Accidental Tastemaker
Did you expect Bookslut to be what it is today? Where do you see it in five years?
Oh no, absolutely not. I was actually really happy at my day job. Okay, I was bored, but I liked working in nonprofits and especially at a pro-choice nonprofit, and I thought I would do that the rest of my life. Bookslut was just supposed to be a hobby.
I don’t know for certain that it’ll be around in five years. Our income is advertising based, it’s a bad time for advertising, especially from publishers and I’m not the type to be okay with running those ads for teeth whiteners. And there are maybe other things I want to do. I really don’t know! I don’t think about things like that, really. I’m not great at planning ahead.
How many readers/followers do you have?
You know, I’m not entirely sure because I have a deathly fear of checking my stats. When I do, sometimes, when I’ve been drinking, like right after I Google my name, it’s generally around 9,000 unique readers a day.
Do you have any other bookish projects in the works?
Oh you know, there’s always something I’m thinking about taking on…
What has Bookslut taught you?
Self-reliance. Over and over and over again. Also, how to exist within a community. I love some of the people who work with Bookslut like family. (Michael Schaub may as well be my twin brother.) And it’s collaboration, and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Working with that, not letting it be just about my ego, figuring out how to highlight the brilliant work of these writers has been a learning experience.
What was your biggest challenge in starting the site?
I had sort of idealized the world of letters for a long time. You know, not having any access at all to the real literary world, you can build up this idea that everyone in the industry is so smart and noble and working for the sake of good and for art. And that’s not true. And realizing that was a big, disillusionment process. And yet! They have these nice parties and the people tell you you’re really interesting, and they ask you if you want to write a book, and sometimes these people who have said really nasty things about you also want to get you into bed. It’s easy to get distracted by all that. So maintaining a distance, but not so much that I just say, ‘Fuck it, I’m moving to a goat farm,’ that was tough to figure out.
What are you reading now?
I have been living with Coco Chanel in my head for the past two weeks. I read a couple biographies and watched biopics on her in order to write an essay. It’s really pleasant to have Chanel in your head. What else? How to Roast a Lamb: New Greek Classic Cooking is currently on my table. Lucinella by Lore Segal. And this amazingly beautiful book about the art world in the Silver Age of Russia (the ‘20s and thereabouts).
