Alice Munro - Writing Her Lives

time. Knopf took a bit longer, for Munro did not hear from Close until April 23.
    By then Gibson and Munro had begun to work out an order for the stories at Macmillan. In early April he wrote Munro offering two suggested arrangements. In putting them together, Gibson was trying to space “out the
really
strong stories,” and trying even more to have them “follow a logical life-flow pattern,” childhood to old age. So he offered an arrangement that after some adjustment became the final order. Once Close joined the discussion, she successfully pushed for placing “Accident” ahead of “Bardon Bus.” When he first wrote Munro about this change, Gibson also suggested grouping the first- and third-person stories together but, given Munro’s experience with the first version of
Who
, that predictably went nowhere. By mid-May they had agreed on the final order, and Close and Gibson were working on their respective covers, the book’s design, and a possible co-printing arrangement. Since Macmillan was publishing in fall 1982 and Knopf in spring 1983, Gibson was again in the position of trying to induce Close into sharing overhead (and lowering costs) by using the same design. He had more success with
Moons
since Knopf elected to use Macmillan’s typesetting, though, because Knopf published a physically smaller book, they redesigned the look of the page. As for the dust jacket, Gibson initially intended to use Christopher Pratt’s
Woman at a Dresser
but ultimately decided on a detail from his
Young Woman in a Slip
. He offered this design to Close, who opted for a drawing of a hospital roomwith a window opening to a night sky. Even so,
Moons
began a collaboration on Munro’s book production that has continued since. 11
    At the same time, Barber was working on the contracts. While they had doubtless discussed terms before the manuscript was sent, Barber sent Gibson a list of changes to the contract that were duly made. It called for a $20,000 advance against Canadian sales and a graduated royalty to 15 per cent after 10,000 copies sold. As these increasing numbers suggest, Munro’s reputation in Canada warranted higher payments. True enough, but it was Macmillan’s sale of the paperback rights (something controlled by the publisher with a straight 10 per cent royalty to the author once the advance had been earned back) for
The Moons of Jupiter
that garnered Barber’s special attention. Early on the bidding between interested firms was at $20,000 but when the dust settled Penguin Canada got them for a record-breaking $45,000. 12
    The Canadian edition was published by Macmillan on October 16, 1982. That day Munro was interviewed on
Anthology
by William French, and “The Turkey Season” was read to listeners. She then embarked on a cross-country publicity tour, as she had with
Who
, visiting Windsor, London, Waterloo, and Guelph between October 13 and 20 and, after a few days off, heading west to Winnipeg, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Victoria, stopping in Calgary on the way home. In Victoria, she stayed at the Empress Hotel but this time autographed books at Munro’s. Back home for a week, she headed east to Burlington, Toronto, Kingston, Ottawa, and Halifax. Along the way she garnered considerable publicity for both herself and for the book, and the headlines of some of the profiles that appeared indicate just how Munro, and her new book, were then being seen: “She’s a Person First”
(Windsor Star)
, “Munro Says Artistic Backwater Was Boon to Early Endeavors”
(London Free Press)
, “Alice Munro Takes Her Success in Stride”
(Kitchener-Waterloo Record)
, “Munro Battles Huron County”
(Winnipeg Free Press)
, “Age Brings Urge ‘To Do Something Great’ ”
(Edmonton Journal)
, “Alice Doesn’t Live There Anymore”
(Vancouver
magazine), “Alice Munro Prefers the Risk of a Life Filled with Choice”
(Burlington Post)
, and “The Enigmatic Alice Munro: Literary Paradox with a Purpose”
(Ottawa Citizen)
. The
Globe and Mail’s
“Writing’s Something I Did, Like the Ironing” was among these profiles.
    Such headlines and the profiles themselves confirm that, with
The Moons of Jupiter
, Munro’s status as a major Canadian talent was acknowledged across the country. The book was published by Knopf on February 28, 1983, in the United States and just after that by Allen Lane in Great Britain. The reviews it received – in Canada, the United States, and Britain – vary by the position Munro