Listen ad-free

Sarah Jessica Parker on Her Life in Publishing

The Book Review

02-08-2024 • 35 mins

Sarah Jessica Parker has been a familiar presence on TV, movie screens and Broadway stages for five decades. But since 2016 she has also been a force in the book world, initially at the helm of the fiction imprint SJP for Hogarth and for the past two years with SJP Lit, an imprint at the independent publisher Zando.

Parker visits the podcast this week to chat with the host Gilbert Cruz about her lifelong love of reading, the kinds of books that excite her most and her entry into the publishing business, among other topics.

“I just keep learning,” Parker says. “And I think, every time I feel ill equipped, I just recommit to the idea of what books have meant to me since, well, my entire life, literally my entire life, and how I can help an author. … Every year we do this whistlestop of going to literary agents’ offices and just reminding them of the imprint and what we've published and who we're about to publish and the mission of our particular imprint. Because I think people have every right to assume those ideas — ‘dilettante,’ ‘not deserving’ or, like I said, ‘ill equipped.’ People have spent, you know, their whole lives in higher education, and then they come out and pursue this dream of being in publishing in a variety of jobs. And I didn't. And I was very concerned about perception, but also my own concerns for myself about taking care of a writer.”

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

You Might Like

The Moth
The Moth
The Moth
99% Invisible
99% Invisible
Roman Mars
Spooked
Spooked
Snap Judgment
Myths and Legends
Myths and Legends
Jason Weiser, Carissa Weiser, Nextpod
The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio
The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio
Adam Graham Radio Detective Podcasts
Snap Judgment
Snap Judgment
Snap Judgment and PRX
Free Audiobooks
Free Audiobooks
Appbly.com
GZM Rewind
GZM Rewind
GZM Shows
Fantasy Fangirls
Fantasy Fangirls
Fantasy Fangirls | QCODE
Web Novels
Web Novels
Ashbalala