Michael Deagler Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Interview

The author discusses his novel, Early Sobrieties, with Marina Scholtz at The Longdon Magazine.

So obviously your title includes the term sobriety, and this book is very much literary fiction. What booksellers call 'quit lit' is such a prominent and profitable part of publishing—during the publishing process and your book tour did you feel pushed into any marketing pigeon holes?

That's a good question. I actually hadn't come across the term quit lit until a few months ago.

You are so lucky.
 

I hadn't realised what a social media presence it had, and that's because I got sober in 2013. I never really got into any of the memoirs, which I think is mostly what occupies that space. The book was originally sold as a short story collection. Which, you know, publishers are not as excited about. My editor talked me into putting it out without a subtitle— it wouldn't' say 'stories', but then there was some concern with the marketing people that if the book was just called Early Sobrieties with no subtitle it might be considered a memoir. It says 'novel' on the book right— on the cover?

It doesn't, but it looks like a novel and then a Percival Everett quote on the front cover says, 'this novel is surprising in all the best ways.'

Interesting. I haven't seen the British edition yet.

Oh it's lovely, but ...