CC’ing Lindsay Eidel

October 16, 2025 | jordan bascom | consortium corner

Lindsay Eidel, Consortium’s manager of client relations, discusses nature memoirs, Leonard Nimoy at BEA, and a coveted reading spot at her childhood library.

Welcome to Consortium Corner, a Q&A series with staff and reps to celebrate Consortium’s 40 years of independent book distribution.

Tell us a little about yourself and what you do at Consortium.

I am currently the Manager of Client Relations. I manage our contracts, onboarding process, and the client relations team. I also work with all incoming new publisher clients, which is very fun and interesting! I’ve been with Consortium since 2005. In that time, I’ve planned conferences and trade shows, worked with the gift and specialty reps and with international sales, before focusing on client relations.

Prior to working at Consortium, I worked in a law office, then was a Milkweed intern like many of our staff over the years. I felt so lucky Consortium was hiring right when my internship ended, and I got to transition into my dream field of publishing.

Like most of us, I LOVE to read! My top categories are nature writing and literary fiction, but I’ll pick up anything that sounds interesting.

What are 5 Consortium titles you love and why?

Swimming to the Top of the Tide by Patricia Hanlon (Bellevue Literary Press)
This is in one of my favorite categories—nature memoir with a very specific, vivid location. Its setting in the Great Marsh of New England brought to life an amazing natural resource that wasn’t on my radar. The author’s voice and perspective made me want to join her for a daily marsh swim.

The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr (Coach House Books)
I loved the voice from the start, but it felt a little sleepy. Then, suddenly, I was totally hooked and before I knew it the book was over and I had been on an enriching ride. This is one of those books that feels wholly unique, the author’s voice singular and the story one-of-a-kind. I was so excited to see it receive the acclaim is did.

Case Study by Graeme Macrae Burnet (Biblioasis)
I love this author’s style, and will read anything complicated about therapy.

Letter to My Transgender Daughter: A Girlhood by Carolyn Hays (Blair)
This memoir shares the anonymous author’s experience parenting a trans child in a hostile environment. Her Catholic faith and lack of experience with anything transgender made this a unique take. Also just a beautiful story about how to be an excellent parent.

The Egg Incident by Ziggy Hanaor, illus. Daisy Wynter (Cicada Books)
It is such a clever, inspiring take on Humpty Dumpty that really lands with kids (and me). After reading it probably 100 times at my house, I’ve overheard my 8-year-old muttering encouragement to herself under her breath while trying new, hard things. I can tell it comes, in part, from reading that story and its subtle message about being brave, and not too cautious.

Outside of Consortium titles, what books have you enjoyed recently?

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. While this is technically a writing craft book, an appropriate subtitle would also be How to Make Meaning. Her perspective on seeing your life and your surroundings for what they are (interesting!), and writing with abandon is really inspiring. There is no rarified intimidation here—just a push to get out a notebook and start. I also love her Nebraska and Minnesota connections, as these are the two states I’ve spent the most time living in.

Can you share any special or formative experiences you’ve had with bookstores and libraries?

The clawfoot bathtub in the middle of the children’s section of my small-town Nebraska library, carpeted inside for comfy reading. Only now do I realize how weird (and unsanitary) it was, but at the time, I liked no place better than visiting the library, staying for hours and listening to Honey Lou Bonar (then the town children’s librarian, later my high school lit teacher) read stories in her sing-song voice. Whichever kid got there first and claimed the bathtub for their reading spot was considered lucky. I often felt stifled in that town, but books let me breathe and see the wider world waiting out there.

Also, interning at the Missouri Review in college. I can still feel the excitement of finding something intriguing in the slush pile and discussing it with the staff. They were so good at making interns feel like equals.

In your time at Consortium, what memorable or meaningful moments stand out?

In 2007, Leonard Nimoy published The Full Body Project with a small photography press we were distributing (RIP to both). His photography of nude, full-bodied women was unexpected, and pretty boundary-pushing at the time. At BEA that year, I got to hand him books at his signing. As you can imagine, that was a long, eclectic, line of Spock fans, photography buffs, body-positive folks and plain old gawkers. He was exceedingly kind and lovely to me and made a point of saving a book to sign for me at the end. My Trekkie dad and brother took more interest in that than any of my other publishing stories!

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