Publisher of the Month with Barry Scott

Barry Scott is the publisher at Transit Lounge, an independent press he started with fellow librarian Tess Rice in 2005. He has worked in literary programming, been the recipient of an arts management residency in India and a Copyright Agency grant to research small press publishing in the United States. Beginning with an emphasis on writing about other cultures, particularly Asia, Transit Lounge is now focused on publishing an eclectic mix of Australian literary fiction and non-fiction.

What was your pathway to publishing?

Being a librarian who worked in the literary programming space, I decided that publishing was the obvious the next step. I was involved with administering the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards in 2003 when the Unpublished Manuscript Prize was conceived. At that stage, I became acutely aware that there were many talented writers unable to achieve publication. Transit Lounge always has been and always will be about giving some of those new writers a voice, as well as publishing more established authors.

How many titles do you publish each year?

In 2023, Transit Lounge will publish ten books – all fiction. In years where we have published non-fiction as well, that number may be twelve to thirteen. I find with ten we can truly focus our marketing energies and deliver the best outcomes for our authors.

Do you edit the books you commission?

No, the wonderful freelance editors we employ do a brilliant job. Editing is both a craft and a true art, especially when it comes to literary fiction. That said, I do like to give the author some broad-brush suggestions to consider before their manuscript goes to editing.

What qualities do you look for in an author?

Originality, verve, and an understanding that publishing is a collaborative process that requires a huge amount of effort on the part of all involved.

In your dealings with authors, what is the greatest pleasure – and challenge?

It has been an absolute thrill to publish talented authors who thought their work might never find a home and to see them go on to critical recognition and awards listings – for example, A.S. Patrić winning the Miles Franklin with Black Rock White City – and to publish some of the authors (Carmel Bird, Angela Savage, Philip Salom, etc.) I first met when organising library literary events. The biggest challenge is author disappointment when their work doesn’t do as well in the market as they hoped.

Do you write yourself? If so, has it informed your work as a publisher?

Janet Frame talked about the will to write not always being accompanied by the indefinable essence or gift one might wish for. With so much talent out there, I have learnt that my skill is in making books out of other people’s amazing work.

What kinds of books do you enjoy reading?

I’ve just enjoyed Olivia Laing’s The Lonely City. It’s all about outsider artists. I keep returning to Firmin by the late Sam Savage. The story of a rat who lives in a bookshop and devours literature, it has both the hook line and heart that publishers dream of.

Which editors/publishers do you most admire (from any era)?

I was lucky to meet the publisher of Firmin, the late founder of the US-based Coffee House Press, Allan Kornblum. He saw an opportunity to create the sort of publishing house that he wished existed in the world and he did it. I admire what Rhonda Hughes has done at Hawthorne Books in Portland Oregon. Both local and national in feel, and not publishing just for the sake of filling a schedule. We have shared the odd author. It worries me that multinational publishers are increasingly creating ‘indie’ imprints to monopolise every niche market.

What advice would you give an aspiring publisher? Run with your passion, but learn the economic realities of the market.

How significant, in a protean age, are book reviews?

They are gold, even when negative. As Oscar Wilde said, ‘There’s only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.’

In a highly competitive market, is individuality one of the casualties?

Well, BookScan can foster a sort of copycat, rear-vision mirror writing and publishing that is dispiriting, but whatever the genre or subject matter, I ultimately believe that fresh and individual voices are what most independent publishers are looking for.

What’s the outlook for new writing of quality?

I think it is challenging, but there are hopeful signs. The consolidation of publishing companies is creating enormous opportunities for indie presses to give voice to the best and most individual of Australian writers. g