Courtesy of Ladder Bookstore / Interviewee
A three-minute walk from the city landmark Wukang Building, Text & Image Bookstore perchs on the quiet little road of Tianping Road. In less than 20 square meters of space along the street, and photographer and graphic designer Andy Zhou carefully construct a small universe around books. There is no coffee for sale, no waiter in sight, not even too many cultural and creative peripherals, and a few waywardly scattered small stools at the entrance of the store, as if yawning to pay attention to the bookworms who come and go. Only when the owner, Andy Zhou, coughs occasionally, will you find that there is an independent publishing and design studio hidden behind the original bookstore — reading, publishing, translating, designing, selling, everything is running in a disciplined and quiet manner.
With many questions, we went behind the scenes of the Ladder Bookstore, grabbed Andy Zhou and asked him: Who is still addicted to reading physical books? Do you really make money doing independent publishing?
Shopkeeper Andy Zhou / Courtesy of interviewee
Why did you choose to open a bookstore?
Andy Zhou: From the perspective of business model, opening a bookstore is a very cost-effective thing, and if it is not supported by other economic interests, it is not a rational choice. I was not born in the traditional sense of "shuxiang mendi" - my grandparents responded to the state's call to build frontiers when they were young, and thus missed some educational opportunities; although my fathers were very knowledge-minded, they also went to the sea to do business. It is precisely because of this that books have become tools for the older generation to make up for the lack of education, and have become sacred carriers containing special meanings. When I was a child, I did not regard reading as a sense of ceremony, but as natural as today's young people on the Internet. One of my childhood favorite books, "100,000 Whys," was like a blind box full of curiosity in an era when there were not many avenues of inquiry—every time you turned the page, a new world was born. So like many people, I open a bookstore not only to sell books, but also to have – very happy to be surrounded by the things I love.
Before founding The Terrace Bookstore, did you have a career that had nothing to do with "books"?
Andy Chow: I attended a liberal arts college in the United States, which meant that I had more opportunities to take some subjects that interested me. When I was in college, I mastered graphic design, printmaking, and type design, and after mastering the basic skills, I practiced small tasks everywhere, symbolically charging, which laid a deep foundation for the typesetting and design of books later. Later, I went to School and work in Tokyo, worked in the advertising department of a large e-commerce company, and worked as a product manager at a friend's startup after returning to China, all of which were not particularly directly related to "books", but made me feel a sense of accomplishment in contributing to a company in an organized and disciplined manner.
What are your day-to-day responsibilities in the Text&Image team?
Andy Chow: The Text & Image team has 4 employees, including me, and there is no specific division of job responsibilities. But the company's division of physical space is clear — half of which are open bookstores, and the other half of which are relatively private design and publishing studios. Company members can switch freely among the identities of designers, translators, and book sellers, although this is not the most scientific and efficient personnel system, but at present, bookstores can bear their own profits and losses, and publishing studios have produced more than a dozen books. A large part of my energy is usually used to plan topic selection, coordinate translators, and apply for ISBN with large publishing houses.
Is the current state of independent publishing optimistic?
Andy Zhou: First of all, there are not so many good translations in China, most of them can only be done at the level of proper literal meaning and smooth reading, and the ability to be accurate at the emotional and stylistic level is rare. Of course, this is not difficult to understand - the standard translation cost of the publishing industry is 85 yuan per thousand words, if it is not "power generation for love", I believe it is difficult for excellent people to accept such unfair remuneration. In fact, China's entire publishing industry lacks high-quality talents, because capital and wisdom will be attracted by high-return industries. Of course, I don't have the luxury of having a large number of new forces join this shrinking team, because the industry is not growing, and everyone is wasting their lives. Because of this, the precipitated creators and consumers will have higher and higher requirements for paper books, so we can feel that in recent years, a variety of high-quality independent bookstores, independent book fairs, and independent magazines have surfaced. Of course, an independent publication prints hundreds of copies, and its dissemination may not be as good as an ordinary public account. Therefore, we can't expect independent publishing to be able to quickly monetize, we can only calm down, do it slowly, and finally have a chance to precipitate a good brand.
Ever thought about seeking help from capital?
Andy Chow: Charlie Munger famously said: Before fishing, find a pond with fish. I suspect that the brick-and-mortar book market is a pond without too many fish, so I don't expect much from financing either.
What is your attitude towards the lifestyle bo host who comes to the bookstore to "punch in"?
Andy Zhou: I think it is acceptable that the trend in society now is like this, as long as you don't disturb the people who are really reading books, don't damage books, and take a few good photos is harmless. Anyway, I am quite tolerant of the matter of vassalage elegance - the willingness to be vassalage is a sign of active life. A person who cannot read drama, cannot understand music, and cannot understand advanced philosophy, at least he is willing to associate these beautiful human spirit crystals with himself as a label of pride, such an intention is not to become a Buddha, but also to be good, at least he feels that books and knowledge are a good thing. If everyone who lives in the city is elegant, there must be hope for the future of the city. In my daily business, I also encounter customers who make requests such as: "Can you pick some books of the same color for me?" "Then, like buying clothes, one purchase is a lot, and I gladly agreed." If books as objects can really give her some sense of security, it makes sense to look at them or not.
How do you see the traffic that social media brings to brick-and-mortar bookstores?
Andy Chow: Actually, we've never felt real traffic. I am also afraid that fame will come and go violently, and my heart will inevitably be lost. I hope that we will be like the moss on the rock wall, slowly flooding up, growing slowly, and leaving a warm impression on those who have come. The influx of traffic on the Network may burn out electrical appliances like a sudden increase in current.
The first book you translated was The Declaration of the Passer, does this book have any special significance?
Andy Chou: I got involved with this book in 2009 when I was still in college. At that time, I had a sense of individuality, that is, the people around me were always in a very tired, ineffective and anxious state, including myself. I always feel the need to race against the clock to make progress, learn in the needle, and even have an inexplicable sense of guilt when I take a normal rest. The beauty of this book is that it uses humorous language to give a different idea: struggle is not just a necessity of life, and sometimes it is almost good. For most people, reconciling with the "ordinary" is also a success.
Clear-sighted, down-to-earth, honesty-based, and self-adaptable. From the cover designer of the book, to the translator of the book, the owner of the bookstore, and the independent publisher, Andy Zhou has danced with the book along the way, not only pursuing "good books", but also trying to edit his own life chapter.
At the end, Andy Zhou has prepared an exclusive book list for readers of NYLON nylon, welcome to read and explore:
John Berger's Triple Life [Beauty] Joshua Sperling
"What Artists Wear" [Beauty] Charlie Potter
Think Like an Anthropologist [English] Matthew Engelke
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