We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mandy Jackson-Beverly. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mandy below.
Mandy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?
During the early months of the first lockdown of 2020, I hiked with Karla Olson, the publisher at Patagonia Books. We talked about the closures of businesses, particularly independent bookshops, and how publishers had to delay scheduled publishing dates and in-person events for authors. Knowing the amount of work a writer puts into finishing a manuscript, finding an agent, building their platform, and gaining a publishing deal, I started thinking about how I could help writers, publishing companies, and independent bookshops globally. While I’d interviewed authors and specialists in various subjects in person or for articles, this time, I wanted to stretch myself and learn a new skill.
When I was a child, my parents listened to radio shows. I guess that’s where my love for audio began. In school, I became involved with high school theater and singing. Now, decades later, I thank my parents and teachers for encouraging me to get on stage and have fun while learning the fundamentals of public speaking and listening to others.
Back in 2020, I spent six weeks teaching myself about the art of podcasting. I listened to myriad podcasts, figuring out what made an enjoyable listening experience. My husband, Brian Beverly, spent his teens and twenties in bands in Los Angeles and had a record deal. He now has a studio at our home and kindly donated a mic stand and mic to my newfound career as a podcaster. He composed several theme songs for the show, which I’ve used. He also does the final mix before uploading the show to Buzzsprout.
Once we’d recorded and edited six episodes, The Bookshop Podcast went live. I experimented with the format, sometimes interviewing an indie bookshop owner and an author in the same episode. At one time, we were uploading three shows a week, which didn’t allow me much time for writing, research, and teaching, nor did having more than one episode a week increase downloads. Developing the show to where I was happy with the format and style took about eighteen months. We now release one episode every Monday, featuring an interview with an author, independent bookshop owner, manager, or publishing professional. Now and then, I check in with Stephanie Stillo at the Library of Congress.
As a creative, I understand the difficulty of finding your voice and perhaps the more challenging task of getting your voice heard. I support other creatives because I believe in the power of the arts to educate and stimulate. As for why I support indie bookshops? Well, it’s all about helping our communities. My motto is, “I Support Creativity Not Marred By Conformity.” I want my tax dollars put back into my local community, not into giant corporations. I shop at farmer’s markets, small businesses, and indie bookshops where booksellers like me are avid readers.
When I started The Bookshop Podcast, I envisioned developing a speaker series directed toward authors. In 2022, I created the Lunch With An Author Literary Series at El Encanto, a Belmond Hotel in Santa Barbara, with General Manager Janis Clapoff. This series has become highly successful and will hopefully continue through 2025. I’m also looking at developing a similar series in Los Angeles. Through The Bookshop Podcast, I’ve also held writing workshops in Ojai, California. In September, I’m hosting a short story writing workshop with Northern Irish author and winner of the EU Prize for Literature, Jan Carson.
Previously, I mentioned that in 2020, I wanted to find a way to support indie bookshops, authors, and publishers. At the time, I didn’t see other podcasts with this format. Now, there are a few, and that’s great. Creatives need all the support they can get! As to why I thought The Bookshop Podcast would work, I have to say it’s because I believed in the idea and saw a space for the format of my show.
I dream of seeing the arts and creatives cherished and protected in the United States, just as in countries such as Ireland. To make this a reality, I’m building a platform where authors (and other artists) are more accessible to communities so they can share their stories in person. My dream is for children from every realm of life—children with disabilities and ethnic and sexual diversity—to see themselves represented on the shelves of libraries and bookshops worldwide. This is what gets me excited. I truly believe in my heart and soul that art can heal the wounds we bear from political, social, and cultural polarization and dysfunction.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
As the youngest of four children, I spent my early childhood with adults while my siblings were at school. I played alone, and this, I believe, triggered my imagination. My sister, Susie, is nine years older than me, and after our mother died, we opened up to each other about how we felt Mom pushed us away but nurtured our brothers. In no way do I think Mom consciously did this. However, looking back, Susie and I concluded that as a feminist and ardent supporter of equal pay for women, it was necessary to Mom that her daughters become independent women. She wanted us to think for ourselves and believe in our purpose. In essence, this was a pearl of a gift. Now that I have two grown sons, I understand how difficult it is to let go of your children and encourage them to fly. To become the adults they need to be. But seeing them fly is remarkable.
I left home when I was sixteen and moved from Launceston, Tasmania, where I studied music at the University, to Sydney for a few months to study the flute. I have no idea what I thought I would do with this skill, but I had a blast in Sydney! In early 1982, I relocated to cosmopolitan London, where the fashion, music, and art scene was original and vibrant. To make ends meet, I worked as a chambermaid and breakfast cook, but everything changed the day I walked into Browns of South Molton Street to say hello to a friend of an Australian friend of mine. I’d never been that close to high-end fashion and didn’t think twice when asked if I’d consider working there.
At Browns, I was guided by the talented Joan Burstein, head buyer and co-owner of the store. Mrs. B, as she was fondly known, taught me about style, quality, creativity, and fashion. Stern in her demeanor, I found her kind, intelligent, and, like my mother, a feminist.
From the UK, I moved to Los Angeles, where I continued working in high-end fashion before switching to styling. During this time, I worked with an incredible array of Creatives, such as photographer Herb Ritts, directors Joel and Ethan Coen, David Fincher, Steve Barron, Peter Care, and music icons David Bowie, Madonna, George Michael, Billy Idol, Tom Petty, Gloria Estefan, and Tina Turner to name a few.
With the birth of our sons, I took a step back from styling and focused on ensuring the boys gained a stellar education. We traveled, explored museums, and read. I taught AP art, costume design, and theater at the high school level before taking time off to write a series of supernatural thrillers and learning about the publishing industry.
The idea for The Creatives Series came late one night while grading students’ artwork for end-of-year reports. As I approached a particular painting, I realized I was crying. I knew that once my students left the safety of my art studio, they would face the realities of life as creatives should they decide to continue on that path. I looked out the window and, in the distance, saw a figure standing among the trees. Whether he was real or a figment of my imagination, I don’t know. Still, when I went home, I began writing The Creatives Series, a story about a group of humans and supernatural beings who have protected creatives throughout history. These stories led me to support other creatives.
As for what I’m most proud of (apart from my two sons) is the sheer joy of having someone come up to me and say, “Mandy, I read the book you recommended and loved it!” or, “Mandy, thanks for building this author luncheon community. I was nervous about attending alone, but I’ve met many like-minded people who, like me, love to read, and you make all of us feel truly welcome.”
I believe reading fiction helps develop empathy and that the arts have the power to change the world. I saw this when the artist, graphic designer, and activist Shepard Fairey designed the “Hope” portrait of then-Senator Barack Obama in 2008. Other artists, such as Banksy, Barbara Kruger, Faith Ringgold, Keith Haring, and Shamsia Hassani, create art with a social impact that makes us feel and think. Art takes courage.
The Bookshop Podcast’s listeners are curious; they believe in buying local and supporting their communities. My listeners want social justice, intellectual stimulation, equal rights, and to feel heard. What keeps my listeners up at night? The climate crisis, financial stability, health, political instability. They want to hear relatable stories, be carried off into a fantasy world, or learn about people overcoming challenges—they want to be inspired by stories.
Supporting readers, writers, and indie bookshops is my brand. In the nearly four years since launching The Bookshop Podcast, we’ve uploaded 265 episodes and interviewed over 140 authors, publishing specialists, rare book curators (Library of Congress), and 140 independent bookshop owners and booksellers. We’ve shared an episode every week, and we have listeners in 3107 cities across 104 countries. We work with the Big Five publishers, small and medium presses, hybrid publishers, and select self-published authors. Our schedule is booked into 2025 with a waiting list of guests.
My intent with The Bookshop Podcast is to support the global reading, writing, and publishing community by giving voice to authors and indie bookshops. When I asked Pete Mulvihill, co-owner of Green Apple Books in San Francisco, what he would say to those arguing that books from Amazon are cheaper than indie bookshops, he replied, “I’d say there’s a hidden cost to everything cheap. Fossil fuels might be cheaper than solar power right now, but there’s an effect to that. Every spending decision is like voting; every time you put your money somewhere, you’re voting for its continued existence. Every time you buy something from Amazon, you vote against a vibrant retail corridor and independent businesses.”
To ensure all children in the United States have a home library, The Bookshop Podcast recently became the partner podcast for Books In Homes USA. I’m always interested in speaking with potential sponsors and partners who want to make the world a kinder, happier, greener, and more educated society.
Have you ever had to pivot?
1986 and 1987 were pivotal years for me. I worked as a stylist for some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Tina Turner for the music video for her song “What You Get Is What You See” and David Bowie’s “Day In, Day Out.” I clearly remember the afternoon director Julien Temple and his wife, producer Amanda Temple, met me at a hotel in Westwood to introduce me to Bowie.
While I knelt on the floor pinning up Bowie’s jeans, I inwardly smiled and thought, “Wow, how does a girl born in Pyramid Hill, Victoria, Australia, population 491, find herself hemming David Bowie’s black jeans?” To my joy, he was a true gem: kind, thoughtful, and one of the most creative people I’ve ever met.
Bowie insisted on hiring a troupe of homeless actors from a theater group in downtown L.A. for the video. They were a great bunch of people, humble, hardworking, and excited to be there. During the video, Bowie’s assistant mentioned needing a stylist for the upcoming Glass Spider Tour and asked if I’d be interested. I said thank you, but no. I reasoned that my career was doing well, and I’d heard it was challenging to get back with directors and producers if one left L.A. to do a tour.
When Bowie’s manager called a few weeks later, I accepted the offer, figuring the break from Los Angeles would be good for me. As fate would have it (yes, a cliché, I know), before I left for London, I met my now husband, Brian. We were both working on an Eddie Money music video with David Fincher directing and Dan Hainey as the Director of Photography. We completed the video over two nights in a downtown L.A. alley, where the stench of urine mixed with water from a rain machine was enough to make one gag.
On my way from the set to the Winnebago, a guy with dreadlocks touched my arm, and I felt an electric shock shoot down to my toes. I looked at the California surfer guy with dreadlocks and thought, “Oh shit! I’m going to marry this man!” I’ll add that neither of us was the type of person we were typically attracted to.
To cut a long story short, we got together a few days later. While this threw a wrench into things, I decided from experience that it was best to stick to my plan and see how things played out. One of the deciding factors for me to join the tour was that I thought being away from L.A. and my partying persona would allow me time to get sober. Boy, was I wrong about that!
I made it through the after-party for the first live show. However, being near alcohol and whatever else was available made me increasingly anxious. I was hanging onto sobriety by a thread. Looking back, I made mistakes and said things I didn’t mean to people on the crew, and by the time we arrived at the hotel in Gothenburg, Sweden, without thinking twice, I said yes when the rest of the glam squad invited me to join them in the bar. The next thing I remember was a roadie knocking on my hotel room door, saying he needed my luggage and the bus would depart in ten minutes.
To give a better picture of me and my punctuality, I’m the one who is always early. I hate being late anywhere. I can’t stand the guilt of making people wait for me. By the time I dragged my sorry self onto the tour bus, I felt emotionally drained and embarrassed. That night, I made the tough decision to leave the tour. I knew I needed a support system of friends to help me stay sober. I needed to go home. Home to L.A.
June 27, 1987, was the last time I drank or did drugs. Was it difficult returning to L.A. without my party persona? Yes, absolutely. I had to disconnect with friends I’d known since arriving in the city and figure out places I could go where I wouldn’t be tempted to drink. I focused on my health, journaled my dreams, and experimented with design and fashion.
Pivoting in anything—business, career, relationships—is difficult. You must be clear about your direction and be true to yourself.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Many times in my life, I’ve relied on resilience to get me through a situation. I mentioned earlier how Mom wanted my sister and I to be able to stand on our own and be independent women, and apart from the jobs I took when I left school, I’ve worked independently, for better or worse.
In the 80s in L.A., every man and his dog wanted to be on a music video crew. In no way was this work glamorous; it was the opposite. Budgets in key departments were low, and turnaround was ridiculous. But music videos were a relatively new platform, and creativity was rampant. Need a full-sized watermelon costume in an hour? Done! Need two sets of wings in a week? Sure! Need an eighty-foot red car cover that blows in the wind—but not too much—in four days? I’m on it!
Like most of my art director, prop master, hair and make-up, and other stylist friends working during that time, I worked hard and was a perfectionist. I drank too much coffee, never exercised (well, maybe hiked or swam once a month), and when I had a free day, which was a rarity, I worked on designs or researched upcoming clients. I guess being in my twenties and early thirties helped, but I know if I’d kept going at the pace I was before deciding to go on tour with Bowie, I’m pretty sure I would have suffered severe health issues.
Was my resilience a positive trait? At that time, I guess it was. I wouldn’t trade the early music video and still shoot days in the 80s in Los Angeles for anything. I’m just glad I switched it up when I did, and I’m here to tell the story.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thebookshoppodcast.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandyjacksonbeverlyauthor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mandyjacksonbeverlyauthor/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandy-jackson-beverly-91abb516/
- Twitter: https://x.com/MJacksonBeverly
Image Credits
Please make sure to mention author TJ Klune (the recording images) and author Katya Cengel (outside the bookshop)