Q&A: Jeff Martin of Booksmart Tulsa

by Dick Loftin

There are few things I enjoy more than going to book signings. I love the opportunity to interact with the author of a book and having it signed is a particular thrill for me. I love books for their art, the feel of the pages, the knowledge they hold. I love authors for their ability to create careers out of words and I am particularly admirable of writers who can create a heavy volume of work, collected in one-thousand page bricks. I am a fan of books and authors and was absolutely star struck when David McCullough signed my copy of “1776,” after his speech at the Harry Truman Presidential Museum and Library in Independence, Kansas, in 2007. I practically chased him up a flight of stairs to ask him to sign my book. He said, “Sure, but, let’s step inside [the library] where it’s a little cooler.” It was summer and had to be a hundred degrees. He signed my book, I shook his hand, and from that moment, signed books became a passion. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, we have Booksmart Tulsa, operated by Jeff Martin. Jeff and his team have presented several readings by celebrated authors. The readings are fun, not too formal, the authors are polite and take the time to visit with you, sign your book and take a picture if you want. Blake Bailey signed my copies of “Cheever” and his biography of Richard Yates, “A Tragic Honesty,” but I can’t believe I forgot to have my picture taken with him. Maybe he’ll come back for his next book. I wanted to know more about Booksmart Tulsa so I asked Jeff if I could send him some questions. Here is his response.

Endpaper Review:  Define your role in the book business. What do you do?

Jeff Martin: I started at the lowest possible level, working part-time in a bookstore. I eventually took an interest in book-related events and worked my way up the chain until I handled book events and began bringing in all sorts of authors to Tulsa through the bookstore. Everyone from Mike Huckabee to David Sedaris and every possible variety between, and that is a big gap. In the spring of 2009, after leaving the retail world, I started Booksmart Tulsa and since then we have made it our mission to turn Tulsa, perhaps even Oklahoma, into a more literary and literate place.

ER: With Booksmart Tulsa, are you finding the market changing for books? [Larger crowds for certain types of books, smaller crowds for others? Are you surprised by the turnout for some books? Are people asking about “e-book versions” of books you present?]

JM: It seems that with my audience, the focus remains heavily focused on the traditional book. Although, we do have the occasional person have their e-reader case signed with a sharpie.

ER:  Do you think e-books will take on an “introductory role” in book selling by offering an avenue for emerging writers to be introduced to the book buying public? Could e-books be the appetizer, with a traditional book follow-up release being the entrée?

JM: I honestly feel that e-books will become more than just an “appetizer.” When you factor in the interactive possibilities (audio, video) the real question becomes, is this a book at all. In my mind, books will always be books. These are something else. We just haven’t figured out what to call them.

ER: How is social media impacting the book business? As e-books grow in popularity, could “online author chats” replace book signings?

JM: I think about this often. In much the same way that musicians have had to refocus their efforts on live performance and getting out on the road, it is my belief that authors will more than ever be forced out of the shadows. Booksignings, or at least public events of some sort, will become more important in making that connection to an audience.

ER: How do writers stay current as the culture of book buying and selling changes?

JM: While it’s not always the case, because some things do get lost, for the most part I believe that good is good no matter the format or time.  New, original ideas and voices will find a way into a marketplace, via the printed page, the screen, or whatever else may come along.

ER: How can books stay current with the number of entertainment choices available today [iPhone, online games, web surfing]?

JM: Following up with what I was saying earlier, books don’t need to be current, they just need to be. The biggest mistake is thinking that books need to change at all. They’ve been around much longer than almost any piece of technology we have. There has to be a reason for this.

ER: While e-books may be a more convenient way to read and enjoy books, there is no true “product” to buy and own. There are no books to shelve, no book “collection.”  Do you think we will still be able to buy a “book” in ten years, or do you think the book as we know it will go the way of the vinyl record?

JM: The vinyl comparison is one I make often. I was recently at Best Buy and was pleased to see a nice collection of new vinyl for sale. Not a huge amount, but decent. And this was not just old reprints of Dylan and The Beatles. These were new records by Jay-Z, etc… If there weren’t a market of some size for these, Best Buy wouldn’t be selling them. If you had asked me 5 years ago if this would be happening, I would have said you were crazy. But these things find a way. So books, may have a moment of panic, but they will come back and always be around.

ER: Is there anything you would like to add?

JM: People talk about the “death of books” as if books, like the Mayans, will simple vanish. But books, because they are a physical object, are all around us. How many books are there in this world for each of the now 7 billion people on the planet. I would guess at least a few. If we were to never print another book again, there is no way that books will cease to be a part of our lives in this tactile world. It’s not going to happen.

ER: Thank you.

Sources: Booksmart Tulsa website Here. BooksmartTulsa.com image from Booksmart Tulsa.