Today we’d like to introduce you to Melynda Nuss.
Melynda, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My husband Jose Skinner is a writer, and when I started going to creative writing conferences with him I discovered a whole new world of small presses that — as a reader — I’d never known existed. Most bookstores get their books from the four big corporate media conglomerates that dominate the publishing industry. But if you scratch the surface, there is an incredible ecosystem of small publishers who are putting out books that they love. I also discovered that only a small percentage of books sold in the US had been translated from other languages. This experience made me really curious about books translated from other languages and cultures.
When Jose and I moved to Austin, we discovered an amazing bookstore that specialized in small publishers and works in translation. It was started by Joe Bratcher, a visionary guy who had had the same experience we had. He also went to creative writing conferences and was fascinated by all the small publishers and works in translation. In fact, he was so fascinated that he started Host Publications, a small press based in Austin, and Malvern Books, the amazing bookstore we found. We started buying books at Malvern, and since Jose is a local author, he was asked to read there.
Sadly, Joe was one of the fantastic people we lost during the COVID pandemic. The store was his personal passion, and without him, it was set to close. We couldn’t imagine the Austin literary scene without an outpost for the small publishers that we loved, so we decided to open a store with the same mission in the same space.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Yes and no! When you consider that Jose and I had very little bookstore experience when we opened the store — Jose worked briefly at a friend’s bookstore back in the 90’s — things have gone amazingly smoothly. We owe that to our amazing team. Two key employees from Malvern stayed with us: Stephen Krause, our amazing book buyer, who has established connections with small publishers throughout the world, and Fernando Flores (the author), who keeps track of what’s happening in the literary scene. C. Rees, display genius, and Sarah Matthes, the poet and storyteller, rounded out our opening team, and when Sarah left to pursue other projects, Michelle Zhang arrived to take over our publicity and social media. She’s the best! Even our shift-filler, Aud Kohler, is an awesome reader. And I have to mention Mat Zuniga at Tiny Sounds who books the musical events that keep people coming to the store. It’s an understatement to say we couldn’t have done it without them. They supply the knowledge that keeps the store running smoothly and the energy and excitement that make it fun. That being said, there have been plenty of hair-raising moments — like when the books didn’t arrive in time for our first author event and our friends at BookPeople agreed to sell us the books at wholesale so we didn’t have to show up without them, or the time a band member got too enthusiastic and set part of a cardboard cyber truck on fire in the store. But those are the moments that keep things exciting, right?
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Our store specializes in books from small presses and works in translation. There are fantastic books out there that rarely get carried in bookstores, and our mission is to introduce them to readers. We are proud of our well-read staff. Our booksellers can always find you a book that you want to read. And we’re proud of our comfortable environment. We hope you’ll put up your feet and stay a while! And finally, we try to put on fun and interesting events that invite both readers and non-readers to enjoy the bookstore and find things they love!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alienatedmajestybooks.com
- Instagram: @alienatedmajestybooks
- Facebook: Alienated Majesty Books
Image Credits
Store photos (quote, reading table, and Austin Chronicle sign) by Reilly’s Bad Photos
Reading photo (black woman with Halloween banner) by A J Miranda
