Chris Fischbach
@fishmpls.bsky.social
Literary agent @ Fischbach Creative; former publisher at Coffee House Press (25 year tenure); board member, MN Prison Writing Workshop, etc. Mr. Nobody from Nowhere.
Pinned
Chris Fischbach
@fishmpls.bsky.social
· Dec 12
What if there were no more hot takes
Efficiency is the enemy of art.
October 30, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Efficiency is the enemy of art.
Thinking that to me, literature is much more akin to prayer than it is to the NYT best-seller list.
October 10, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Thinking that to me, literature is much more akin to prayer than it is to the NYT best-seller list.
People who make fun of "lit bros" are really only talking about like 25 people. Also, you're making fun of anyone who decides to read literary fiction? Of whatever gender?
October 10, 2025 at 3:54 PM
People who make fun of "lit bros" are really only talking about like 25 people. Also, you're making fun of anyone who decides to read literary fiction? Of whatever gender?
This is a great post. I like to think that I ticked all these boxes during my time at Coffee House Press:
substack.com/@blakebutler...
substack.com/@blakebutler...
What I Want In an Ideal Publisher
What traits make a book publisher an ally of the artist rather than a corporate warden holding you back?
substack.com
October 6, 2025 at 4:49 PM
This is a great post. I like to think that I ticked all these boxes during my time at Coffee House Press:
substack.com/@blakebutler...
substack.com/@blakebutler...
From a review of Murderland:
"Her fury blazes beyond balance sheets and into curated spaces of elites. She singles out Roger W. Straus Jr., tony Manhattan publisher, patron of the arts and grandson of Daniel Guggenheim, whose Tacoma smelter may have scrambled Bundy’s brain.
1/4
"Her fury blazes beyond balance sheets and into curated spaces of elites. She singles out Roger W. Straus Jr., tony Manhattan publisher, patron of the arts and grandson of Daniel Guggenheim, whose Tacoma smelter may have scrambled Bundy’s brain.
1/4
August 21, 2025 at 5:25 PM
From a review of Murderland:
"Her fury blazes beyond balance sheets and into curated spaces of elites. She singles out Roger W. Straus Jr., tony Manhattan publisher, patron of the arts and grandson of Daniel Guggenheim, whose Tacoma smelter may have scrambled Bundy’s brain.
1/4
"Her fury blazes beyond balance sheets and into curated spaces of elites. She singles out Roger W. Straus Jr., tony Manhattan publisher, patron of the arts and grandson of Daniel Guggenheim, whose Tacoma smelter may have scrambled Bundy’s brain.
1/4
People complaining that literary criticism and serious book reviews are dying and then . . .do absolutely nothing about it.
August 14, 2025 at 9:54 PM
People complaining that literary criticism and serious book reviews are dying and then . . .do absolutely nothing about it.
It can happen to you: I just found my airpods, which I lost TWO YEARS AGO.
July 14, 2025 at 4:28 PM
It can happen to you: I just found my airpods, which I lost TWO YEARS AGO.
I'd love to know who the actual people are who own the Big Five publishers. Not the corporate entities, but the actual people in charge, the hidden people, the majority shareholders who call the shots. They have names. Can someone please write this article?
July 8, 2025 at 4:08 PM
I'd love to know who the actual people are who own the Big Five publishers. Not the corporate entities, but the actual people in charge, the hidden people, the majority shareholders who call the shots. They have names. Can someone please write this article?
James Daunt of B&N says: "it is more likely that the Big Five and other publishers of comparative size will have “better books” than their smaller competitors."
This is such a terrible and untrue thing to say! It's laughable, if it weren't such a terrible thing for every indie publisher to read.
This is such a terrible and untrue thing to say! It's laughable, if it weren't such a terrible thing for every indie publisher to read.
June 26, 2025 at 4:02 PM
James Daunt of B&N says: "it is more likely that the Big Five and other publishers of comparative size will have “better books” than their smaller competitors."
This is such a terrible and untrue thing to say! It's laughable, if it weren't such a terrible thing for every indie publisher to read.
This is such a terrible and untrue thing to say! It's laughable, if it weren't such a terrible thing for every indie publisher to read.
Why not ask the Big 5 Publishers to replace the lost NEA literature money?
May 12, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Why not ask the Big 5 Publishers to replace the lost NEA literature money?
God I love the Minneapolis Mayday parade.
May 10, 2025 at 3:50 PM
God I love the Minneapolis Mayday parade.
I wish I were seeing more people from corporate publishing also decrying the defunding of the NEA.
May 8, 2025 at 8:17 PM
I wish I were seeing more people from corporate publishing also decrying the defunding of the NEA.
For those on here and elsewhere who say that empathy in the context of art is bad, you have some great company!
apple.news/AUVIOa6ujQrK...
apple.news/AUVIOa6ujQrK...
The Christians Who Believe Empathy Is a Sin — New York Magazine
When suffering is irrelevant, anything can be justified.
apple.news
May 8, 2025 at 1:14 AM
For those on here and elsewhere who say that empathy in the context of art is bad, you have some great company!
apple.news/AUVIOa6ujQrK...
apple.news/AUVIOa6ujQrK...
“American publishing is not in a healthy state; the more directly its judgments are determined by the market and the mass media—the more sources of funding, like the NEA, disappear—the sicker it will become: homogenous, inert, inexpert, cheap.” —Merve Emre, re the Pulitzer in Fiction this year.
May 7, 2025 at 9:19 PM
“American publishing is not in a healthy state; the more directly its judgments are determined by the market and the mass media—the more sources of funding, like the NEA, disappear—the sicker it will become: homogenous, inert, inexpert, cheap.” —Merve Emre, re the Pulitzer in Fiction this year.
Why aren't there more U.S. publishers like this Swedish one?:
chrisfischbach.substack.com/p/why-arent-...
chrisfischbach.substack.com/p/why-arent-...
April 15, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Why aren't there more U.S. publishers like this Swedish one?:
chrisfischbach.substack.com/p/why-arent-...
chrisfischbach.substack.com/p/why-arent-...
I didn't realize that Joan Didion had such sketchy politics. That explains some things.
April 14, 2025 at 4:37 PM
I didn't realize that Joan Didion had such sketchy politics. That explains some things.
I would like to read a piece about Jon Fosse's fiction and quantum mechanics. Especially for Septology, but for a few others as well. Throw mysticism in there and I'll be all over it.
April 10, 2025 at 4:14 PM
I would like to read a piece about Jon Fosse's fiction and quantum mechanics. Especially for Septology, but for a few others as well. Throw mysticism in there and I'll be all over it.
Please tell me what you think fiction should be doing now. Please tell me what you think poetry should be doing now. Please tell me what you think publishing should be doing right now (And please please tell me what you think publishing should NOT being doing right now).
April 1, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Please tell me what you think fiction should be doing now. Please tell me what you think poetry should be doing now. Please tell me what you think publishing should be doing right now (And please please tell me what you think publishing should NOT being doing right now).
Little Free Libraries as samizdat distribution vehicles.
April 1, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Little Free Libraries as samizdat distribution vehicles.
I just signed up for a $ subscription to Patrick Nathan's Substack after having been a regular reader for a while now. He has very smart posts re books & lit mostly, but never just that. He's writing about how to be a human, or how not to be a human?
patricknathan.substack.com/p/april-hate...
patricknathan.substack.com/p/april-hate...
April Hates U
Eliot and I have at least one thing in common: Some people never get over being raised in the Midwest.
patricknathan.substack.com
April 1, 2025 at 3:18 PM
I just signed up for a $ subscription to Patrick Nathan's Substack after having been a regular reader for a while now. He has very smart posts re books & lit mostly, but never just that. He's writing about how to be a human, or how not to be a human?
patricknathan.substack.com/p/april-hate...
patricknathan.substack.com/p/april-hate...
@joshthelibromancer.bsky.social Love the new Lithub piece!
March 31, 2025 at 10:27 PM
@joshthelibromancer.bsky.social Love the new Lithub piece!
Instead of learning about what kind of fancy suit a publisher wears, I'd like to hear more about how they will use their role to combat tyranny.
March 27, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Instead of learning about what kind of fancy suit a publisher wears, I'd like to hear more about how they will use their role to combat tyranny.
Reposted by Chris Fischbach
Thrilled to share that my novel DAD HAD A BAD DAY will be published by Astra House! I’m excited to work with Emily Bell & the team at Astra House. Thank you to my wonderful agent Chris Fischbach @fishmpls.bsky.social
for making this happen!
for making this happen!
March 6, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Thrilled to share that my novel DAD HAD A BAD DAY will be published by Astra House! I’m excited to work with Emily Bell & the team at Astra House. Thank you to my wonderful agent Chris Fischbach @fishmpls.bsky.social
for making this happen!
for making this happen!
I wonder, what will corporate publishing do?
February 4, 2025 at 3:24 PM
I wonder, what will corporate publishing do?
I wish I remembered the person who wrote this but I don’t:
Did you all know that sometimes it depends
Did you all know that sometimes it depends
January 10, 2025 at 3:13 PM
I wish I remembered the person who wrote this but I don’t:
Did you all know that sometimes it depends
Did you all know that sometimes it depends