Writer John Colapinto: Move the publishing business to Detroit

By Michael Jackman

Jul 22, 2015 at 4:11 pm

Audio By Carbonatix

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An interesting item came in at MT today. It's an interview with New Yorker and Rolling Stone scribe John Colapinto. He's an award-winning feature writer and novelist based in New York. The interview was conducted by Detroit's own Karl Wenclas, a literary rabble-rouser who's long had the New York literary establishment in his crosshairs. (I know from personal experience, having rabble-roused with him for some time more than a decade ago.)

The interview is mostly about the hassles Colapinto faced trying to find a publisher for his new novel Undone. Colapinto's manuscript was praised — and then rejected — by more than 40 American publishers. Clearly, something is amiss in the U.S. publishing world when a talented writer has to finally resort to a Canadian imprint to reach readers. And Wenclas is on that subject like white on rice.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the interview is the kicker: Colapinto is asked if it's time to move Big Publishing out of New York. Colapinto answers: "Yes. Move it to Detroit."

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About The Author

Michael Jackman

Born in 1969 at Mount Carmel hospital in Detroit, Jackman grew up just 100 yards from the Detroit city line in east Dearborn. Jackman has attended New York University, the School of Visual Arts, Northwestern University and Wayne State University, though he never got a degree. He has worked as a bar back, busboy,...