Transcription of interview conducted by email on 21 November 2014. Parts of this interview were used in Farthing, A. & Priego, E., (2016). ÔGraphic MedicineÕ as a Mental Health Information Resource: Insights from Comics Producers. The Comics Grid. 6(0), p.3. DOI: http://doi.org/10.16995/cg.74


STEVE WALSH, BOOKSELLER FROM GOSH! COMICS

HOW MUCH INTEREST IN GOSHÕS LIBRARY SERVICE COMES FROM HIGHER-EDUCATION/UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES?
None. All of our library orders come from local authorities for high street libraries.

ARE YOU EVER ASKED TO ADVISE LIBRARIES OR ACADEMICS ON SUITABLE MATERIAL FOR SPECIFIC FIELDS OF STUDY? IF SO, HOW DO YOU APPROACH YOUR RESPONSE?
I have presented to librarians recently on comics suitable for teens but, again, that was for a local authority rather than an educational institution 

DO YOU SEE ANY BARRIERS THAT CURRENTLY PREVENT MORE USE OF COMICS HIGHER EDUCATION SETTING AND CAN YOU DESCRIBE THEM? ARE THERE WAYS FOR CREATORS OR PUBLISHERS TO OVERCOME ANY BARRIERS?
The traditional view of comics as not being of academic worth is the biggest barrier but this seems to be improving all the time. The more comics are accepted, the more publishers are willing to invest in comics that are of value of academics which in turn leads to comics becoming more accepted. It's a virtuous circle!

CAN YOU BRIEFLY DESCRIBE RECENT TRENDS, BOTH IN TERMS OF VOLUME/ECONOMICS AND ART/THEMES IN SMALL PRESS AND SELF-PUBLISHING?
Sales of books continue to grow as comics find new audiences. A big part of this is a resurgence in good kid's comics and properties like Adventure Time bringing in new readers. In Small Press and Self Publishing it seems as if the movement is away from autobiography and into general or genre fiction. There's also been a huge growth in design-heavy work.

HOW DO YOU SEE SMALL PRESS AND SELF-PUBLISHING DEVELOPING IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE?
I see a lot of micropublishers and collectives forming that will allow creators to collaborate in terms of publishing and distribution as much as creating the comics themselves.

HOW DO THE DIGITAL COMCIS RETAIL PLATFORMS AND ONLINE WEBCOMICS INFLUENCE GOSHÕS CURRENT APPROACH TO RETAILING, AND HOW MIGHT IT CHANGE IT IN THE FUTURE?
They don't have any impact on us at all at the moment in terms of the way we approach the shop. We appreciate the additional readers they bring in though!

COULD YOU EXPLAIN WHETHER COMCIS DESIGNED MORE TO FUNCTION AS TEXTBOOKS OR EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL, WITH LESS EMPHASIS ON ARTISTIC PRESENTATION, BE APPROPRIATE FOR GOSH?
Absolutely. If they were well produced and interesting. We already have a section of reportage and non-fiction that's very popular.

DO YOU EVER SEE THE SHOP HAVING A SEPARATE SECTION FOR ÔGRAPHIC MEDICINEÕ BOOKS (i.e., HEALTH OR MENTAL HEALTH RELATED AUTOBIOGRAPHIES AND GRAPHIC NOVELS)?
No. While we stock books on those subjects we would never bother to subdivide sections that thoroughly. It just creates more work than it creates sales.


ENDS