Eric Obenauf and Eliza Wood-Obenauf discuss the beginnings and evolution of Two Dollar Radio, an independent publisher, bookstore, and vegan café based in Columbus, Ohio. They share insight on starting a small press without a budget or connections; the origin of the “Two Dollar Radio” name; the benefits of being based outside of New York; what they look for when acquiring manuscripts; how they manage submissions; why they accept unsolicited and unagented manuscripts; their publisher mentoring program; publisher consolidation and industry challenges; why bookstore visitors are greeted by a unicorn mural; how a limerick by Lemony Snicket came to grace their menu; and a DIY spirit that extends to the bookstore and café, where Eric and Eliza have had a hand in making everything themselves, from the books to the furniture to the food.

The Book of X by Sarah Rose Etter

They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib

I Will Die in a Foreign Land by Kalani Pickhart

Crapalachia by Scott McClanahan

Binary Star by Sarah Gerard

Two Dollar Radio Guide to Vegan Cooking: The Pink Edition by Jean-Claude van Randy and Speed Dog (with Eric Obenauf)

Purple Palm Press

Akashic Books

For a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page at https://ohiocenterforthebook.org/podcast. To get in touch, email [email protected] and put “podcast” in the subject line. Find us on Twitter @cplocfb.