March 2009 Feature: Stona Fitch

10 Mar 2009 in Writing

Marching To A Different Drum

DOUG JOHNSTONE on the novels of STONA FITCH, a revolutionary publishing model and the boldness of one Highland publishing house…

HEARD THE one about the esteemed American novelist being published by a couple on a croft outside Ullapool? Or the one about the American publishers giving away all their books for free in exchange for charity donations? Wonder how the two are connected? Read on as we enter the wonderful world of Stona Fitch, Two Ravens Press and Concord Free Press.

Stona Fitch is an American writer of Scottish-Cherokee ancestry whose second novel in this country, Printers’ Devil, has just been published by Two Ravens Press, the small independent publisher run by Sharon Blackie and David Knowles from their croft on the banks of Loch Broom. Two Ravens have been creating a stir since they started in 2006, and in a time when major publishing houses are full of doom and gloom, the small independent press has been a beacon of light in the darkness, publishing quality work on a tight budget to considerable acclaim.

Stona Fitch

Fitch fits right in with Two Ravens, not least because his ancestors originate from the Ullapool area, but also because his books are fearlessly original pieces of work, novels that are not afraid to ask big questions about society and human nature.

I mean, what should a book be? Should it be like the last one you wrote, or should it be really good and interesting? That’s what people want to read, ultimately, good and interesting books.

Printers’ Devil is set in a bleak dystopian future in which an environmental catastrophe has left the earth ravaged and humans struggling to survive. In a nameless city plagued by deadly storms, two rival printers’ guilds are at war, while a young apprentice dreams of a better life. It’s a remarkable piece of work, one which deals with issues like religion, consumerism and environmentalism, but never heavy-handedly.

“It’s really about the emptiness of consumerism,” says Fitch. “Just now is a golden age for cultural debris, but what comes after this? Where does society go from here? Do we have to descend into chaos, or can we more gracefully get rid of that element of society and move on?”

The hollowness of consumerism is also a theme in Fitch’s previous Two Ravens novel, the awesome Senseless. A violent and disturbing book about an American businessman kidnapped and tortured by extremists, it also asked where society is heading, managing to combine a visceral thrill ride with existential and philosophical discussions. Two Ravens have built a reputation for publishing ground-breaking work that bigger publishers are too scared to touch, and Fitch is certainly appreciative of their approach to the industry.

“I love Two Ravens, they’re what a publisher should be,” he says. “They’re smart, they use the internet cleverly, they’re efficient and careful, and that’s how you keep going in publishing these days. Also, I think it’s important that they have more sheep than employees.”

Livestock issues aside, Fitch knows what he’s talking about with regards to publishers, because he’s recently become one himself. Frustrated with what he saw as a deeply conservative industry, he came up with a quite amazing unique idea. The result is Concord Free Press, a small publishing house named after the town of Concord, Massachusetts where he lives with his wife and two daughters. The press, run completely by volunteers, publishes novels then give them away for free, asking only that recipients donate money to a local charity then pass the book on to someone else to do the same.

Many industry insiders consider Concord Free Press to be a completely revolutionary concept, one which could spell real trouble for the big guns in the business, but Fitch isn’t concerned about that.

“It’s been less than a year since we started it, but the response has been amazing,” he says. “So far people have given away well over $30,000, and that’s all over the world. It’s really exciting to see all these people I don’t know in different parts of the world doing things because they got a free book.”

Everyone involved, from authors and editors to the designers and printers, works for nothing. And putting his (lack of) money where his mouth is, Fitch published one of his own novels first. Give And Take is a wonderful story of a touring jazz musician who spends his downtime stealing BMWs and diamonds from rich people and giving the proceeds to the poor. It’s a story which resonates with the selfless attitude of Concord Free Press.

“It’s interesting to see what it inspires in other people,” he says. “We took great care to make sure you get something of value, then it’s up to you to do something, and everyone seems to be getting excited about that.”

Fitch is reluctant to see Concord Free Press as a blueprint for future publishing models, however.

“We’re not saying all books should be free,” he says. “I mean, we’re only a tiny operation, so it’s unlikely we’ll turn out to be the nail in the coffin of publishing. But there is still a palpable excitement about what we’re doing.”

And there are spin-off benefits for those involved. Since Give And Take was given away, it’s found a conventional American publisher for a proper release, and it’ll also be published in Britain next year by, you guessed it, Two Ravens.

Fitch has had a circuitous career. The 47-year-old studied creative writing at Princeton before his debut, Strategies For Success, was picked up for a large advance by a major American publisher. When that didn’t sell as well as expected he was dropped, that early rejection resulting in a remarkably relaxed attitude to the vagaries of the business today. Several years without a publisher didn’t phase him and he continued to write original and diverse work, confident that he would eventually reach an audience.

“Every book of mine has been very different, that’s probably why my writing career hasn’t been as linear as some,” he says. “That’s why I prefer independent publishers like Two Ravens, smaller presses can be more supportive of writers who refuse to stick within genres. I mean, what should a book be? Should it be like the last one you wrote, or should it be really good and interesting? That’s what people want to read, ultimately, good and interesting books.”

Something which both Fitch and Two Ravens provide in abundance.