‘We’re here for physical media and we’re not wavering from that path’: Good Press Bookshop

Good Press is a workers cooperative run bookshop that has been serving its community in Glasgow since 2011. A collaborative and welcoming space, they also host events, a printing service and bookmaking studio. We spoke with the collective to learn more about how and why Good Press are championing independently and self published work and creating a community-centred space. 

What inspired you to open (or take over) the bookshop, and what mission drives you today?

We’re driven by the ongoing importance of providing a community centred space that focuses on self- and independently published printed material. 

How would you describe the ethos of your bookshop? What’s at the heart of what you do?

Our open submission policy is at the heart of what we do. It maintains that at Good Press, you will find projects which may not be given space in shops or galleries where the drive for profit dictates what is ‘marketable’ or ‘sellable’. In this way, a scope of material and practice lives side by side. Through this we hope to build a participatory mechanism in opposition to capitalism and the inequitable pursuit of profit.

How do you select the books on your shelves? What criteria is particularly important to you, be it authorship, genre, impact or something else?

The majority of what’s in the shop comes to us via open submission but over the years we have added some titles to the body of stock which we seek through distributors. As a group, we determine what we order based on the currents of interest that run through the publications submitted. We hope these publications offer a complementing ground of critical theory and discussion on art, music, design, politics and publishing in dialogue with the wider body of material. This, however, is not a closed circuit. We welcome suggestions, wish lists, even demands.

How do you balance showcasing underrepresented voices with the commercial realities of bookselling?

These are, for us, intrinsically tied. Our whole reason for being here is to provide a platform for underrepresented voices, so I guess there’s not a balance to be struck, so much as there’s something we do and we just keep doing it and doing it. 

What are the most pressing challenges your bookshop faces in the current climate?

Everything is getting more expensive: books, postage, materials, everything. So that is challenging and we have to remain agile when dealing with it, as we want to keep things as affordable as we can. 

How have shifts in consumer behaviour, such as the rise of online shopping, affected your operations?

Our position is unique… We tend not to be in competition with Amazon, Waterstones, etc. as we stock different things. So it’s hard to gauge really. Everything in our shop is available on our website too so people can decide how they’d like to browse our stock. 

What strategies have you employed to maintain financial sustainability while staying true to your mission?

If everyone stopped buying and/or making books and getting things printed tomorrow, then we’d shut down. And that would be that. We’re sustainable because we’re accountable to our customers and the people that sell their publications with us. 

It’s kind of bluntly simple, so there isn’t much room for any hacks or strategies. I also don’t think we’re that savvy. We just sort of plod on.  

How does your bookshop engage with the local community?

I think on a very fundamental level, our promotion of self publishing engages with the community around us. Self-publishing has become more and more viable and attractive as autonomy in general sadly seems to be fading. Self representation is perhaps more important than ever as is supporting physical media. The ability to have a direct process of idea>making>sharing is eternally exciting and kind of inherently resistant to fads, trends and processes that involve any sort of bureaucracy. Self-publishing allows a freedom and flexibility that resonates with plenty of folks in Glasgow and it helps the growth of smaller, artist-run spaces and practices. 

How do you envision the future of independent bookselling, and what adaptations do you anticipate making?

For longer than we’ve been open, you will often hear how print is dead and/or how the younger generation at the time has stopped reading. Maybe that’s true, maybe it’s not. I think when people say that though, they’re belittling just how important and vital tangibility is. This is getting truer and truer with the digitisation of the world. We’re here for physical media so we’re not wavering from that path. 

What support or resources would be most beneficial to help your bookshop thrive in the coming years?

Keep buying books and zines! Support independent artists, publishers, shops and organisations!

You can support Good Press by visiting the shop at 32 St Andrews Street in Glasgow and having a look at their upcoming events. You can find their access information here. 

If you can’t make it in person, you can also browse their stock online or follow them on instagram. They also run a subscription service, where you can receive a hand picked package delivered right to your door once a month!