Richard Charkin was Vice President of the IPA in 2013-14 and then President in 2015-16. His time at the top included many decisions and events that have made the IPA what it is today. Recently, he published My Back Pages: An Undeniably Personal History of Publishing, 1972-2022: a book that recounts his life as a publisher, from tentative beginnings straight out of university, through some of the most important publishing companies in the English speaking world, to his current incarnation as a one-man-band at Mensch. IPA Secretary General, José Borghino, asked him a few questions.