Interviews

Erik Marcus: Author of Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating and founder of Vegan.com

When did you become vegan and why?
I tell the story of my switch to a vegan diet in the final chapter of Vegan. Basically, I encountered some slaughterhouse footage during my first year of college. After seeing that, I suppose it was inevitable that I would end up as a vegan.

Erik Marcus

How did your friends and family react to your change in diet?
Well, this was more than twelve years ago, so it was much less common for somebody to become vegetarian or vegan back then. My friends and family seemed to think switching my diet was a pretty dumb idea. The funny thing is that most of them have since made substantial changes on their own.

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What made you decide to write Vegan: The Ethics of Eating?
Around five years ago, I was working nearly full time on vegetarian activism, and I became increasingly frustrated that there wasn't a current, accurate, and concise book on the subject that I could recommend to people. I finally realized that I could either complain about the lack of a suitable book, or I could go off and write the book I thought the vegan community desperately needed. I already had a substantial research and writing background, so I realized that I'd be an appropriate person to take on this task.

Vegan

Did you anticipate it being as successful as it is?
I don't think I could have reasonably expected the success the book has achieved. When the first edition of the book came out, the marketing budget was tiny ñ only about a thousand dollars. I actually did my first tour by purchasing a two-month Greyhound pass. Those were two brutally tough months for me! But I think there was a pent-up demand for a book like mine, so it was only a few months before the first printing was nearly sold out.

How has your public life changed since writing Vegan?
I'm not sure I have a public life. I currently live in a remote part of Northern California, and I am very much focused on my current writing projects. When I'm not working, I run and work out and spend time with my cat Conrad.

What advice do you have for vegan parents raising their children in a largely non-vegan world?
I was honored to write the foreword for the new edition of Vegetarian Baby. I think that book, along with The Vegetarian Way, is the best starting point for parents seeking appropriate nutrition information. The important thing to realize is that a properly planned vegan diet is appropriate for every stage of life from birth to old age (naturally, the one exception here is that babies should get mother's milk if at all possible.) There are some wonderful health advantages to becoming vegan, and it's important that new vegans take time to read up on the nutrition issues surrounding a vegan diet, so that their diets can be as healthy as possible.

What challenges have you faced bringing your message to the world?
My biggest problem has been a lack of funds to push out my message as effectively as possible. Even with a successful book, it's hard to stay afloat financially on book royalties. Fortunately, my financial situation has been improving, and it's enabling me to take on more projects with less worry. I'm not sure I agree with the book title "Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow," I really don't think life always works so neatly. But I think if you stubbornly follow your passion and work creatively to find financing, you can make a go of just about any project.

Do you ever get a chance to speak to children? If so, what do you talk to them about and how do they generally respond?
I don't get a chance to speak to children often, but I remember speaking at a nursery school. It's amazing how receptive young children are to issues surrounding animal rights, and you certainly can raise the topic to them without going into all the gory details.

What's in store for you next? What can we expect in the near or distant future?
I am involved in a great many projects. Vegan.com was just re-launched, and I'm very proud of what Dan Eckam and Beth Geisler have accomplished with that site. I have two manuscripts that are quite far along, but there's no telling when they'll come out. Plus, I'll undoubtedly continue doing the occasional speaking event, although I've cut way back on that to focus on my writing.

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