An Interview with Guillemot Press Founder Luke Thompson by Caitlin Lydon
Luke Thompson is a true multi-hyphenate, working as a writer, publisher, editor and lecturer - with published works in both the non-fiction and poetry worlds. Fellow lecturer and writer Chelsey Flood sat down with Luke to discuss the path he took that led him to his career, how he manages his many (many) projects, and upcoming poetry events.
What was your first proper job out of university, and how did you get it?
I didn't go into university straight away, so I had proper(ish) jobs before. I basically flunked out of college with very little to show and no interest in university. I was teaching martial arts and working security at the time and then trained in close protection and did a little bit of work related to that. But I was young (19) and the jobs being offered were pretty grubby so I spent some time saving enough (I had no other responsibilities then) to get to the opposite side of the world for a while. When I came back I stayed with my parents, working days in a bookshop in Mevagissey and evenings in a local pub in Pentewan.
In the end I studied philosophy in Wales as a mature student, then became a greengrocer and a gardener for a few years, living in a friend's shed near Llandysul. They were enjoyable jobs. I wrote when I wasn't at work and a few very little publications led to a scholarship to study on an MA course, which I thought would give me time to write. After that I became a fishmonger, which supported me (and kept me sane) through my PhD.
Most of these jobs (and others besides) I got the usual way - adverts and interviews.
What is the best thing about running a small press? Being an academic? Being a poet?
There are lots of good things (I’m never very good at deciding ‘the best’) about running a small press, and lots of ways of answering the question, I think.
For instance, the emphasis could be on publishing itself, in which case my answer would include working with so many wonderful writers and artists and getting to see all sorts of interesting books coming in as manuscripts – some that we’ll take, some that will be taken by other publishers, and many that might never be published. As an editor I get a little glimpse into the future – a view of writing trends and interests, and a sense of the sorts of books that will be coming out a year or two from now.
Or the emphasis could be on the small press aspect, and one of the things I love about that is building a book from the very beginning and being involved in every process all the way through – reading submissions or commissioning them, then editing, typesetting, designing, selecting the materials and processes, working with the writers and artists, then printing and even distributing – engaging with shops, galleries and regular customers. I get to do all of this, seeing the project through from beginning to end.
Getting ready to pick up the book, back from the printer, never quite 100% sure whether it will be exactly as you hoped or imagined, is always exciting.
What has been your most useful lesson during lockdown?
I've become quite good at making pickles.
How did you learn time management, and do you have any tips?
The PhD was a steep learning curve in terms of time management. You take on such a big job and it's never finished. So it was the complete opposite of a job like working as a fishmonger. There, you wash everything down, do the deliveries and go home. (Mostly.) For the PhD you have to get used to your work not being finished for three years. So breaking up the research and reading, figuring out exactly what you have to do and by when, was completely necessary if I wanted to get to sleep at night.
It's a boring answer, but planning.
I keep a physical diary and have a pretty extensive daily ‘to do’ list, which I find useful because I have different kinds of work – academic, publishing and writing. For instance, this week I should be finishing the design and typesetting work of two books, talking through the feasibility of another with an artist and two poets, hopefully picking up some copies of a few reprinted titles and the full print run of one of our December titles. We have a Guillemot Press event on this week too, which needs a little promotion, and I have a stack of orders to process this morning. And I have two interviews to write besides this one – one from the perspective of a publisher, the other as a writer.
Talking of writing, I’ve forgotten the things I should be doing there. I had a book out a fortnight ago and need to be promoting that – recording content for social media, pitching some of the work as a radio show – that sort of thing.
It’s a fairly full and chaotic diary.
How do you feel about the idea of the 'starving artist'? Have you ever identified with it? And if so, how did you make a living in the hungry years?
It’s quite a tangled idea, isn’t it, and I don’t have very strong feelings. I can see how the struggle can help creativity in at least two ways. Firstly, life experience – the more you have the more you have to draw upon. Secondly (and probably more importantly) there’s a motivation to write and to finish projects. If it’s urgent you’ll do it. As Marvellous Marvin Hagler said, 'It's tough getting out of bed to do roadwork at 5am when you're wearing silk pyjamas.' (I think I paraphrase.)
I saw this motivation in my father, who gave up his career to pursue writing. He and my mother were broke for much of their early life together, dad sweeping floors in the china clay works in the day and writing when he got home in the evenings. He was sending off stories anywhere that paid, piling up the rejections. They were at a pivotally desperate and difficult stage when he had his big break with a novel manuscript winning an award, part of the prize being publication and a contract with Macmillan. It changed their lives completely. He would have been almost 50 when he got that break, so they'd had lots of hungry years, but he ended up writing some 35 novels before he died, always taking the graft of writing (by which I mean putting in the hours) seriously, having worked so hard for so long.
Register for the latest Guillemot Press event, which will include readings from David Harsent and Petero Kalulé, through the Cherner Books website. The event will take place on 29 Oct, 19:30 – 20:30, over Zoom.
Words by Caitlin Lydon