Tag: self-publishing

September 2022 Reading List

John Winkelman

What I read in September 2022

Despite the craziness of my schedule, this was a pretty good month for reading. I passed 100 volumes read for the year, and 150 pieces of short prose. I have even managed to retain most of what I have read, which is a bonus.

Books and Journals

  1. Mario Levrero, Empty Words [2022.09.04]
  2. The Paris Review #230 [2022.09.06]
  3. The Paris Review #231 [2022.09.11]
  4. T L Greylock and Bryce O’Connor, Shadows of Ivory [2022.09.13]
  5. Sara M. Harvey, The Convent of the Pure [2022.09.16]
  6. The Paris Review #232 [2022.09.16]
  7. Sara M. Harvey, Labyrinth of the Dead [2022.09.16]
  8. Marguerite Duras (Kazim Ali, translator), Abahn Sabana David [2022.09.18]
  9. The Paris Review #233 [2022.09.21]
  10. The Paris Review #234 [2022.09.25]
  11. The Paris Review #235 [2022.09.29]
  12. Poetry #221.1, October 2022 [2022.09.29]

Short Prose

  1. Anuk Arudpragasam, “Last Rites”, The Paris Review #230 [2022.09.01]
  2. Diane Williams, “Garden Magic”, The Paris Review #230 [2022.09.02]
  3. Leigh Newman, “Howl Palace”, The Paris Review #230 [2022.09.02]
  4. William Styron, “From an Unfinished Novel”, The Paris Review #230 [2022.09.03]
  5. Olivia Clare, “Women and Men Made of Them”, The Paris Review #230 [2022.09.05]
  6. Matthew Baker, “Why Visit America”, The Paris Review #230 [2022.09.06]
  7. Emma Cline, “The Nanny”, The Paris Review #231 [2022.09.06]
  8. Willa C. Richards, “Failure to Thrive”, The Paris Review #231 [2022.09.07]
  9. Fernanda Melchor (Sophie Hughes, translator), “They Called Her the Witch”, The Paris Review #231 [2022.09.09]
  10. Kathryn Scanlan, “Yet You Turn to the Man”, The Paris Review #231 [2022.09.11]
  11. Taylor Koekkoek, “Dirtnap”, The Paris Review #231 [2022.09.11]
  12. Molly McCully Brown, “If You Are Permanently Lost”, The Paris Review #231 [2022.09.11]
  13. Clare Sestanovich, “By Design”, The Paris Review #232 [2022.09.12]
  14. Beth Nguyen, “Apparent”, The Paris Review #232 [2022.09.13]
  15. Jesse Ball, “Diary of a Country Mouse”, The Paris Review #232 [2022.09.13]
  16. Senaa Ahmad, “Let’s Play Dead”, The Paris Review #232 [2022.09.14]
  17. Rebecca Makkai, “A Story for Your Daughters, a Story for Your Sons”, The Paris Review #232 [2022.09.15]
  18. Ashleigh Bryant Phillips, “An Unspoken”, The Paris Review #232 [2022.09.15]
  19. Andrew Martin, “Childhood, Boyhood, Youth”, The Paris Review #232 [2022.09.16]
  20. Sarah Manguso, “Perfection”, The Paris Review #233 [2022.09.16]
  21. Emily Hunt Kivel, “The Juggler’s Wife”, The Paris Review #233 [2022.09.19]
  22. Ottessa Moshfegh, “I Was A Public Schooler”, The Paris Review #233 [2022.09.21]
  23. Jamel Brinkley, “Witness”, The Paris Review #233 [2022.09.21]
  24. Amy Silverberg, “The Duplex”, The Paris Review #233 [2022.09.21]
  25. Rabih Alameddine, “The July War”, The Paris Review #234 [2022.09.21]
  26. Shirley Hazzard, “An Unpublished Story”, The Paris Review #234 [2022.09.22]
  27. Shanteka Sigers, “A Way with Bea”, The Paris Review #234 [2022.09.22]
  28. Eloghosa Osunde, “Good Boy”, The Paris Review #234 [2022.09.24]
  29. Thomas McGuane, “Slant Six”, The Paris Review #234 [2022.09.25]
  30. Ayşegül Savaş, “Layover”, The Paris Review #234 [2022.09.25]
  31. Lydia Davis, “Six Stories”, The Paris Review #234 [2022.09.25]
  32. Patrick Barrett, “Saint Cuthbert’s Incorruptible Body”, The Paris Review #234 [2022.09.25]
  33. György Dragomán (Ottilie Mulzet, translator), “The Puppet Theater”, The Paris Review #235 [2022.09.26]
  34. Dantiel W. Moniz, “The Loss of Heaven”, The Paris Review #235 [2022.09.26]
  35. Melissa Febos, “The Mirror Test”, The Paris Review #235 [2022.09.26]
  36. Jack Livings, “River Crossing”, The Paris Review #235 [2022.09.29]
  37. Anthony Veasna So, “Maly, Maly, Maly”, The Paris Review #236 [2022.09.30]
  38. Mary Kuryla, “Hive”, The Paris Review #236 [2022.09.30]
  39. John Jeremiah Sullivan, “Uhtceare”, The Paris Revew #236 [2022.09.30]

Things Feel Back To Normal, But Are They?

John Winkelman

Newly arrived reading material for the week of September 11, 2022

I don’t know if it is because of collective delusion, or that schools are back in session, or that the zeitgeist is one of collective acceptance/resignation, or simply that I have had a few good nights of sleep this month, but the overall vibe in my life is that things seem to be returning to normal, or at least normalizing around whatever *gestures around at everything* is. Which is to say, at least temporarily, I seem to have found my groove.

Three new books and book-ish things arrived at the house over the past week.

First up is the new issue of The Paris Review, which is likely the last issue I will receive as I continue to let all of my current subscriptions lapse.

Next up are two books from Two Lines Press. The first is Visible, an anthology of poetry and prose in translation, accompanied by some beautiful photographs and artwork. The second is Days Come and Go, written by Cameroon author Hemley Boum and translated from the French by Nchanji Njamnsi.

In reading news, I finished Shadows of Ivory by T L Greylook and Bryce O’Connor. It was good! I gave it 4 stars on the usual sites, though I though it more worthy of 3.5 stars, but when in the middle, always round up. Now I can hold my head up when next I encounter one of the authors and request a signature.

Following up that 400+ page doorstopper of a book, I started and finished the 130-page-long The Convent of the Pure by Sara M. Harvey. I received this a while back as part of my subscription to the catalog of Apex Book Company. It was a light but fun fantasy read. In fact, I finished it in a little over a day of reading, and then read the entirety of its sequel The Labyrinth of the Dead in a single day.

Now I am reading Abahn Sabana David, written by Marguerite Duras, and translated from the French by Kazim Ali. I received this book several years ago as part of my since-lapsed subscription to Open Letter Books. Though only a few pages in already it reminds me of Waiting for Godot, which makes sense as the cover blurb specifically calls out Samuel Beckett.

And my pile of unread issues of The Paris Review is down to the single digits, which means, unless things go sideways over the next two months, I will definitely finish the stack before the end of the year.

In writing news, I have started worldbuilding for two stories I wrote a while back, each of which will work better as full-length books. Each is in its own world and therefore I have two folders created and two sets of characters, histories, maps, names, descriptions, etc.

A Little Warmth in the Air

John Winkelman

Arrivals for the week of May 1, 2022

There have been a couple of warm days recently, but in this upcoming week daytime temperatures are expected to be in the mid-80s every day, which is quite wonderful for the beginning of May, particularly when considering the exceptionally long and dreary April we just endured here in West Michigan.

The past week has been full of poetry-related events.

In the evening of this past Monday, May 2, I ventured to Douglas, Michigan to attend “Let’s Take Another Look at Poetry,” a workshop held by Jack Ridl, who I have not seen in person since early 2019, I think. He and his wife Julie have been friends of mine for many years, and I had the great good fortune of being invited to attend their regular Sunday morning open studio back in the Before Times. Jack and Julie’s advice was invaluable for me as we worked out the kinks of Caffeinated Press and The 3288 Review. And I loved hearing Jack read his own work, an opportunity I have not had since the launch of his most recent book Saint Peter and the Goldfinch, back in early 2019. So, three very long years.

Yesterday, May 7, I attended the “Schuler Mecca” interview for the Oral History of Poetry in Grand Rapids project organized by local poet Christine Stephens-Krieger. She interview included several former Schuler Books employees who were involved in the poetry scene (such as it was) in Grand Rapids in the 1980s and 1990s. We discussed the role of our local independent bookstore in promoting poetry to the West Michigan community, as well as the many national poets who held readings and signings at the store, and how being in that space in that time with that group of people had influenced our own poetry practice.

This was the second time I was interviewed for the project, the first being a month ago about my experience as a publisher of local poets and poetry as part of Caffeinated Press.

Three new books have arrived here at the Library of Winkelman Abbey.

First up is the May issue of Poetry Magazine. I am quickly catching up to present in my read-through of back issues, and will likely catch up to my subscription in the middle of summer. At that point I will need to consider if I want to keep my subscription. Right now I’m leaning toward “yes.”

Next is Dragon, the new graphic novel by Saladin Ahmed and Dave Acosta, from their successful Kickstarter. I have only skimmed it so far, but the writing and artwork is gorgeous, as would be expected from such talented people.

And on the right is the final, completed version of Illyrian Fugue, written over the past 16 years by my dear friend Scott Krieger. I had the honor of reading an earlier draft back in 2019, so I am eagerly looking forward to reading the final release.

In reading news, in addition to the issues of Poetry Magazine, I am reading Benedict Anderson‘s exemplary book Imagined Communities, an examination of the phenomenon of nationalism.

IWSG, April 2022

John Winkelman

It’s not that March was objectively longer than either of the previous two Marches, but it was around this time two years ago that the lockdowns began, and now that restrictions have eased considerably from even a year ago, the stress levels are much reduced, and that leaves more energy for creative endeavors.

This month’s Insecure Writers Support Group question is:

Have any of your books been made into audio books? If so, what is the main challenge in producing an audiobook?

I have not yet published any books, so the simple answer is…No.

But I have friends who have published books in both print and audio book version. Dyrk Ashton, in particular, who is a friend I met at ConFusion several years ago. He is the author of the most excellent Paternus Trilogy, of which all three are available in audiobook format. Dyrk is part of the Wizards, Warriors and Words fantasy-writing advice podcast, which recently released an episode about creating audio books for self-published authors.

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An Illusion of Normalcy

John Winkelman

Reading material from the week of March 6, 2022

Two years after the office closed, I am back to working downtown two or three days a week. Being able to spend extended hours out of the house has improved my state of mind substantially, though the office, and indeed much of downtown right now, feels comparatively deserted.

This week’s new reading material comes courtesy of two Kickstarter campaigns.

First up is the latest issue of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, which always delivers excellent short fiction.

Next is War of Gods by Dyrk Ashton, in the limited edition hardcover, next to the box which fits the complete hardcover trilogy. I have been a fan of Dyrk’s work since I first met him at ConFusion back in…2016? He had just published the first volume of his Paternus trilogy. The completion of the hard-cover boxed set feels like the end of an era, and I have heard rumors that Ashton is working on something new. Based simply on that rumor, I am already looking forward to reading it.

In reading news, I am still working my way through Seth Dickinson’s The Tyrant Baru Cormorant. I am enjoying it, but wow, is this a long book. I also got an early start in working my way through all of my back issues of Poetry Magazine, starting with issue 207.1, publishing in October 2015. I have 40 more issues after this one, not counting whatever shows up as I work my way through the stack.

In writing news, not a lot to report for this past week. I have been too distracted by the goings-on in Ukraine to be able to focus on creating new work. Like living in a global pandemic, adjusting to the reality of living in World War III will take time, but eventually I will be able to tell stories around a trash fire which will be the only source of light and warmth in the plague-ridden nuclear winter which will surely be our new normal in the coming decade.

A Good Week of Reading and Writing, and a ConFusion 2022 Update

John Winkelman

New reading material for the week of January 2, 2022

ConFusion 2022 Con Chair Lithie DuBois has just posted a transparent, detailed update on the state of ConFusion, which starts in a little less than two weeks. To sum up: ConFusion 2022 will still take place as a live event, and I will still attend as a volunteer and a panel moderator. However, the convention is in a precarious situation due to the timing of the Omicron variant and their contract with the hosting hotel. The post is well worth reading, even if you are not planning to attend the convention. This is truly a make-or-break year for ConFusion.

In more personal news, three new volumes arrived at the Library of Winkelman Abbey this past week.

First up is the latest issue of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, from one of my few remaining active subscriptions.

Next up is SPFBO 7 finalist Shadows of Ivory by TL Greylock and Bryce O’Connor. I met Greylock at ConFusion back in 2019, when Dyrk Ashton introduced me to a number of self-published authors and thus opened the door to a vast trove of books and authors I likely never would have heard of.

Next is Bastion by Phil Tucker. I met Tucker in the same conversation with TL Greylock, at ConFusion. Truly that was a banner year for self publishing.

2022 Autonomedia Calendar of Jubilee Saints

I also received the 2022 edition of the Autonomedia Calendar of Jubilee Saints, which is always a hoot. For example, this is the entry for January 9:

Holidays: Play God Day, Martyr’s Day (Panama)
1859 – American feminist Carrie Chapman Catt born, Ripon, Wisconsin
1870 – Russian social theorist Alexander Herzen dies, Paris, France
1890 – “Robot-worker” writer Karel Čapek born, Malé Svatoňovice, Bohemia
1905 – Revolution breaks out in St. Petersburg, Russia
1908 – Philosopher, feminist Simone de Beauvoir born, Paris, France
1944 – Indian-German filmmaker Harun Farocki born, Neutitschein, Sudetenland
2021 – Ultra-leftist gay Israeli human rights activist Ezra Nawi dies, Jerusalem

You get the idea. It’s quite an informative calendar.

I first became aware of Autonomedia when I worked at Schuler Books as the special orders manager. At that time there was no Amazon.com, the internet was new, and the WWW was very much in its infancy. Therefore if people wanted books and didn’t know how to suss out publishers’ addresses and catalogs, they came to me. We had an Autonomedia catalog, and received a small but steady trickle of orders for their titles. I have a few of their books in my library, and I think I had more, once upon a time, but either loaned or donated or sold them during one of my early, ill-advised book purges.

In reading news, I finished Rebecca Roanhorse‘s newest book, Black Sun, and loved it! Highly recommended. I am now a little past page 100 of Tamsyn Muir‘s Harrow the Ninth, and enjoying it every bit as much as I did her previous book Gideon the Ninth. I hope to have it finished by the end of the week, because my pile of unread books is still embarrassingly large.

In writing news, I didn’t do a lot of writing as such, this being the first full week of the month and therefore the week set aside for editing and submitting. I spent all of my writing time organizing and cataloging all of the short stories and poetry which I wrote in 2021, and reviewed several of them to see which ones are worth revising and might eventually be worthy of submitting, or at least putting in front of beta readers. This will undoubtedly be an ongoing, rolling process, as tomorrow begins a week of writing, either creating new works or adding to existing, partially-completed works.

If any of you, my two or three readers, have writing goals, stories, or successes, feel free to leave them in the comments.

And that’s it for this week. 2022 is starting off slowly and carefully, with looming dangers and wonders just over the horizon. Happy New Year, everyone!

A Month Into Summer

John Winkelman

Books arrived in the week of July 11, 2021

As I write this post I am on the last day of my two-week vacation, and I feel like I have relaxed enough, finally, that I could enjoy a vacation. And I will hold that thought front and center when I log in to my work computer bright and early tomorrow morning. I could make a long post about how a stay-cation in the age of COVID feels, compared to any other vacation in any other year, but I fear such a post would quickly devolve into petulance and whining.

Only one new book arrived this week: Michael J. Sullivan‘s new novel Nolyn, fresh from his (extremely) successful Kickstarter campaign. I had the good fortune of meeting Sullivan at ConFusion 2019 (or maybe 2018), through Dyrk Ashton, who knew Michael from the vibrant self-published fantasy community (to which I might one day belong, if I ever finish writing something).

In reading news, I am still working my way through Automating Inequality, and I still have to stop reading about every ten pages in order to let my blood cool down. I can’t remember the last time a book angered me so much and so frequently. Then again, considering the books I have been reading over the past three years, I feel this way quite a lot.

I am about two thirds of the way through Jim Harrison’s The Road Home, and it stands up to the test of time, though I am not enjoying it as much as I did Dalva. This is not to say I am not enjoying the read; far from it. The Road Home is one of the best books I have read in the last few years. But Dalva is better.

In writing news… tune in next week. Or the week after.

Maybe I’ll Build a Fort With My Books

John Winkelman

Briefly – Top left is the latest issue of Jacobin magazine, the contents of which are more and more necessary every day as Trump-instigated and Trump-led fascism comes to increasingly dominate the national discourse. Next to it is Indigo by Ellen Bass, from a Kickstarter run by the extraordinary Copper Canyon Press. Third is the newest issues of Poetry magazine, which includes a poem by local poet and professor Todd Kaneko. And on the right is The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang, which I finished reading a little over a week ago. I ordered a copy of the paperback when I was about a third of the way through the e-book, as I wanted a physical copy should I ever attend a signing. It is just that good!

In writing news I am still gathering notes, research ans musings for the book I hope to begin when my hellish project at work ends in three weeks. In reading news I am a couple of chapters into Mike Shel’s self-published novel Aching God, which was a finalist for the 2018 SPFBO awards.

Some crazy shit went down here in Grand Rapids over the past couple of days, and seems set to continue for some time yet. The national guard has arrived and in addition to the quarantine/lockdown we are also under a 7 pm to 5 am curfew until Wednesday. I will create a separate post about everything so as to not mix and dilute narratives with my day-to-day life.

 

The Big Snooze, and Some Thoughts on Self-Publishing

John Winkelman

And that’s really what this whole spring has been, hasn’t it? Just at the cusp of getting out of bed we hit the snooze button and suddenly two more weeks have gone by. Here in Michigan, Governor Whitmer has extended the stay-at-home order until June 12, though she is gradually allowing the opening of more and more businesses under specific instructions as regards social distancing and the gathering of crowds.

For me, it won’t change anything as I am on my hellish project until (at most recent notice) June 18. 10 hour days, 50 hours a week, Tuesday through Saturday, 2 pm to midnight, for three and a half more weeks. It mostly isn’t really a problem except when the weather is beautiful (as it has been for the past week) and I can hear the neighbors hanging out in their back yards, drinking beers and grilling various meats. Then it feels like something which is being done to me, even though I volunteered, to the extent that anyone volunteers for a project when the alternative is likely unemployment.

But the books do continue to trickle in, though that is not a reliable or accurate way to measure the passing of time. On the left and right of the above photo are the most recent deliveries from Two Lines Press, Echo on the Bay by Masatsugo Ono, and On Lighthouses, by Jazmina Barrera. In the middle is the new Girl Genius collection, Queens and Pirates, from Kaja and Phil Foglio, just delivered from their latest Kickstarter. World events caused many delays in the delivery of this beautiful graphic novel, but they persevered and it is now in my greedy little hands.

In reading news, I just finished M.L. Wang‘s superb The Sword of Kaigen, which recently won the 2019 Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. This is some seriously quality work, and should remove any doubts as to the quality of self-published fiction available to read. I, fortunately, had already had those doubts removed thanks to meeting stellar writers like Dyrk Ashton, T.L. Greylock, Phil Tucker, D. Thourson Palmer, Mike Shel, and many others at the ConFusion science fiction convention over the past several years, as well as Jean Davis here in West Michigan, who we worked with extensively back in the heyday of Caffeinated Press.

At ConFusion 2020 earlier this year I attended a panel about self-publishing and everyone was talking about the SPFBO, so I finally looked it up and, well, it is magnificent! 300 entries whittled down to ten finalists and then one winner over the course of about ten months. All volunteer run, and coordinated by author Mark Lawrence. The sixth year of the SPFBO has just commenced and I find myself continually distracted by the commentary on social media. It even prompted me to (o god) reactivate my Reddit account so I could keep up with everything on r/Fantasy.

All of this is timely, as now that things are less chaotic (but by no means  normal) I have the brain-space to think about writing again. I dusted off my failed 2016 NaNoWriMo novel (ran out of steam after 13,000 words), and discovered that there are the bones of something I can turn into a good book. My partner has recently finished setting up her home office and has been burning the midnight oil putting her thoughts to paper so it feels like there is something in the air, and that if I don’t at least lay the groundwork of a book in the next few weeks the opportunity will pass me by and my life will be the poorer for it.

Writing a fantasy novel is also a good escape from the stresses of the mundane world right now, as real-world travel is difficult and problematic during a pandemic-induced quarantine.

My mind, at least, has freedom to roam.