Event Coverage: The Story of Europa Editions from Michael Reynolds
Europa Editions editor-in-chief visited Avid Bookshop for a book talk and to encourage Athens community members to buy from local bookstores.
Above: BEHIND IT ALL: Avid Bookshop owner and founder, Janet Geddis (left) and Europa Editions editor-in-chief Michael Reynolds (right) hold Europa Editions published books in Avid Bookshop on Sept. 15. Reynolds gave a talk and wanted audience members to understand the process of getting books published, specifically with his company. “I hope that they are turned on by the story of Europa, and we become a company that is a point of reference for their reading in the future,” Reynolds said. “And maybe they're leaving with the Europa book that they read and love, and will come back.” Photo by Olivia Hendershot
Avid Bookshop hosted Michael Reynolds, Europa Editions editor-in-chief, on Sept. 15 to speak about the history of the independent trade publishing company, as well as previously published books.
The event ran for an hour and included an introduction from Janet Geddis, Avid Bookshop owner and founder, which was followed by Reynolds' discussion about Europa Editions, which continued throughout the rest of the event.
“Since I started my business in 2011, I would see (Michael) at conferences and I really liked his passion and his interests,” Geddis said.
The night was centered around Reynolds and his work in the publishing industry.
“Particularly with a small press, like Europa, most of what we do is somehow influenced by the personalities of the people who work there,” Reynolds said, “I like this sort of collective personality to the publishing house itself, and I like to be able to communicate that to people.”
Reynolds discussed Europa Editions' evolution since their start up. He presented the audience with physical copies of a few books that helped Europa Editions prosper.
“(Europa Editions has) grown in many ways. Most importantly, is the fact that we do different kinds of books, now compared to the more limited list that we had in the beginning. That's been a big area of growth,” Reynolds said. “It's the successes that prop up the entire list and the entire publishing house.”
Above: A LOVE FOR BOOKS: Deidre Sugiuchi stands in the Avid Bookshop on 1662 S Lumpkin Street during the Michael Reynolds book talk on Sep. 15. Athens community member Deirdre Sugiuchi has been a follower of Europa Editions and was glad to have attended. “I liked the way he was talking about (how) publishing works in America versus with an independent press like Europa,” Sugiuci said.
Geddis was pleased with the turnout for the event and the crowd’s response to Reynolds.
“We focus so strongly on genuine interactions and people being able to look each other in the eye and connect,” Geddis said. “It's so much more important to me that the people who are here seem really engaged and interested and connected with Michael and the stories he told.”
Audience members, like Deidre Sugiuchi, engaged with the stories Reynolds told about Europa and were willing to ask questions at the end of the discussion.
“I love Avid, first of all. Second of all, this is (Avid’s) first event since the pandemic,” Sugiuchi said. “I also love Europa the publisher, so it was very fascinating to be able to hear Micheal Reynolds talk about how they acquire books and their catalog.”
Story by Olivia Hendershot
Olivia Hendershot is a junior at Clarke Central High School in Athens, Georgia. She serves as the Editor-in-Chief for the iliad literary-art magazine. Hendershot hopes to expand iliads outreach as well as make positive improvements to the program. In her free time, she likes listening to music, sketching/painting and hanging out with friends.