lf-promotion indeed, but this year has been anything but easy, so I’m allowing myself to be indulgent. Especially because some of the projects that have finally seen the light of day this year have been years in the making. Seeing them come to life in the middle of a global pandemic has given me hope and a renewed sense of optimism.
Self-publishing is often frowned upon, seen as a vanity exercise that removes the gatekeeper function of traditional publishers and releases floods of drivel onto an already saturated media landscape. My own opinion is a bit more nuanced. I think publishing and self-publishing can easily exist together. Indie and DIY approaches have long been common in other creative sectors, such as music and film. And with everyone broadcasting themselves on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, I can’t see why self-publishing my thoughts in book form would be a weird or embarrassing thing to do.
King’s central position in contemporary cultural imagination alone merits a proper look at his work. Sure, other authors have written novels that are more aesthetically pleasing, literarily challenging, or thematically groundbreaking. But the fact that his books just keep selling and selling suggest that King is on to something.
Other than that, I’m simply a massive King fan and will jump at any reason to revisit some of his books.
A review of Armistead Maupin, writer of Tales of the City, visiting Norwich. An evening of queer activism, literature, and… crabs.
A reflection on writing and walking, and writing about walking, upon reading Robert MacFarlane’s The Old Ways
If anyone needed prrof that the impossible is possible, I’ve been shortlisted for a novella competition. Some reflections…
What is it that makes nature writing so alluring? Can nature, or even just reading about it, be an antidote to stress? On tree hugging, daffodils and karate.
My author copies of my book have finally arrived and it’s putting me in a reflective mood. It’s been quite a journey…
Most people who write for pleasure have at least heard of it: NaNoWriMo. The premise couldn’t be simpler: the initiative… Read more Doing NaNoWriMo Differently: Some Thoughts
Yesterday I received my author copy of the Palgrave Handbook to Horror Literature (and, to get the self-promotion out of… Read more The Palgrave Handbook to Horror Literature: On Academic Publishing
cococatani 