Welcher Notizbuchfan kennt ihn nicht? Den Blog notebookstories.com, der regelmäßig in Englisch rund um das Thema Notizbücher berichtet. Sicher einer der großen Blogs weltweit zum Thema Notizbücher. Betrieben und geschrieben wird der Blog von Nifty, den ich nun als Interviewpartner gewinnen konnte. Das letzte Interview liegt schon einige Zeit zurück und ich werde versuchen, die Interviews wieder etwas mehr zu forcieren. Den Blick in die Kulissen der Notizbuchwelt finde ich zumindest immer sehr bereichernd.
Da ich kein Foto von Nifty habe, hier ein Screenshot seines Blog-Headers:

Zum Vergrößern bitte klicken

Hier nun das Interview, das natürlich in Englisch gehalten ist. Ich habe es aus Zeitgründen nicht geschafft, es zu übersetzen.

Q1) What is your relationship to notebooks?

I have always loved notebooks. I started folding pieces of paper into little booklets when I was about 3, and have probably never been without one since! When I was little, I didn’t even know what to use my notebooks for sometimes, but I loved them anyway. Now I have plenty of uses for notebooks, but I still buy more of them than I actually need. I mostly like pocket-size notebooks– I find the size and shape of about 3 x 5 inches very appealing for objects beyond notebooks too, such as small books, old tobacco tins, Palm Pilots, iPhones and other PDAs, but notebooks are still my favorite. Sometimes I just like to hold them in my hand, for no reason at all.

Q2) You are running the web site notebookstories.com. How/when did you start? What was your idea?

I started the website in September 2008. At first, I thought I might be using it as a sort of memoir/storytelling writing exercise blog, hence the title „Notebook Stories.“ I thought I would go through old notebooks, open them to random pages and find interesting or funny stories to tell about what was in their pages. But then I realized it was more fun to write about the notebooks themselves. I was amazed at the variety of different notebooks I had, and remembering how much I’d loved buying them all. In recent years I’d been using only Moleskines for a period of time, but after discovering websites like Moleskinerie and Black Cover, my interest in other current notebook brands was re-ignited and I decided to focus the website less on personal stories and more on reviewing a wide variety of notebooks and discussing ways people use notebooks and showcasing others like me who are addicted to notebooks.

Q3) Where do you want to go with your blog?

I’d like to continue to show off lots of new and old notebooks, and increase the community participation in the site. It’s very difficult, though! I find it hard to make time for all the photography I need to do, and answering all the emails I get with questions about notebooks. In the future, I may try to include more guest posts if others are interested in reviewing notebooks for me.

Q4) I assume that blogging is not your main job. What is your main business?

I work in book publishing, where I see lots of people using notebooks every day, and hear a lot about how writers use their notebooks, so my two jobs are somewhat related!

Q5) I assume, you have lot of notebooks that you reviewed. What are you doing with all that books? What are you personally using the books for?

The bulk of my notebook collection are things I have bought for my personal use, plus some samples received for reviews. If I get extra samples I know I won’t use, I try to use them for giveaways on my website. I do have a large pile of notebooks that I will use someday– I keep lists in them, write journal entries, log my food intake and exercise, and do sketches with pencil, markers or watercolors, especially when traveling. I also have a lot of random jottings and doodles, and sometimes re-copy KenKen puzzles in them when I’ve made a mistake and messed up the puzzle in the newspaper!

Q6) Where do you find all your books for reviews?

I have some great stationery stores near me in New York: I often visit Paper Access, A.I. Friedman and Sam Flax at lunchtime to see what new notebooks have come in. I also do a lot of searching online to find interesting notebooks and I’ll sometimes email the manufacturer to get samples. Etsy.com is also an interesting source for handmade or customized notebooks. I’ve also had some very nice readers send me notebooks as gifts– I’m amazed at the generosity of fellow notebook-lovers!

Q7) How looks the ideal notebook for you?

I have always loved very traditional, plain notebooks, so when I first saw Moleskines about 10 years ago, it was like a dream come true. I’ve always loved the size of approximately 3×5″ and black leather covers, so for me, the pocket Moleskines were almost perfect. But part of being addicted to notebooks is that there is never just one perfect notebook.

Q8) Do you like hand-writing? What do you think: what influence has the digital world to hand-writing and notebooks?

I love hand-writing. My own printing tends to be very small and careful and neat at times, but I wish it looked nicer when I scribble things more quickly, and I’ve never been very good with cursive and calligraphy. I learned them in school, but it wasn’t beaten into us the way it was in my parents‘ and grandparents‘ generation! And I think today’s digital world has a big effect on that– it’s much more important for kids to learn how to type. I love technology and I do a lot of writing on the computer as well as writing on paper– the two are quite different, somehow. I tend to do more creative writing on paper before typing it out, but I can’t imagine trying to write a blog post on paper instead of typing it directly into the computer.

Q9) Which are your preferred web sites – notebook related?

I follow quite a few notebook-related blogs, so it’s hard to name favorites. Also, many of them spend more time covering pens than notebooks! I find some of my favorite notebook links at blogs that have nothing to do with notebooks or office supplies, but where they just happen to have an article relating to notebook use. If I had to name one single site where I find the most inspiration, it might have to be Flickr– so many people post photos of their collections, or what they carry in their bag each day, or of the sketches they do in their notebooks, it’s a constant source of beautiful notebook images.

Thanks to Nifty for the interview! Good luck and a lot of readers for your blog!

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