This piece alongside a recent post by Sam Kahn on the future of books as physical objects has made me wonder if at this stage of "The Discourse" we are entering into more substantial discussions on what the (teleological) purpose of the internet is and what the (teleological) purpose of books are for. Though the internet has collapsed time and space and enabled transcontinental communication at an unprecedented scale, it's a limited means of long-term knowledge storage. Most of what is said and done on the internet will disappear (Thank God!). Books are the superior method of storing information and passing it on to the future. As a bibliophile, i.e.. an obsessive and ne’do-well, I became interested in the history of book printing. I got to know a bookbinder who had studied with the last living direct protégé of William Morris. He informed me that traditional bookmaking persists as a fine art. It's the only commercial and social model out there that this tradition can sustain itself - as art-objects and through elite patronage. Novels and book culture might need to do the same. Much like how playwrights understand that their artform is in dialogue with actors, novelist must be in dialogue with books as beautiful objects. Who makes it and how its made is important. The novel is dead! Long live the novel!
(PS you and I have a recent discussion in the comment section on your post on Asian-American literature. I had to delete my Substack account and recreate for various reasons.)
(PSS I noticed that the binding on the print run of Incel was perfect binding which is far from perfect - the end of the pages are not stitched in separate bundles but block cut and glued to a cover. It makes rebinding it difficult and labor intensive. Signature binding, which can be done mechanically, is the superior method since the cover can be removed and the book dissembled and reassembled as needed)
> Novels and book culture might need to do the same. Much like how playwrights understand that their artform is dialogue with actors, novelist must be in dialogue with books as beautiful objects. Who makes it and how its made is important. The novel is dead! Long live the novel!
I think it would be really cool if more indie presses did custom runs of books with really premium binding, but only Passage Press has pulled that off. Would be cool if there was a centralized service that could push that quality out.
> PSS I noticed that the binding on the print run of Incel was perfect binding which is far from perfect
Personally I think we are the stage of the internet and IRL-moment where we need to exit the endless discourse of negative critique and deconstruction to construction and participation. Hell if selvedge denim could have a renaissance why the hell can’t traditional bookmaking!!! Come on white collar professionals, instead of taking up [insert useless expensive activity to fight off the slow, gradual soul death of corporate life] collect and restore abandoned printing presses.
A novel is a tough sell to your average Internet denizen. A visual artist need capture your attention for but a moment; a musician, but a few moments. But a novel? Way more of a commitment.
Knowing this, I paid an artist on fiver to draw me a cool cover:
I'm a fan of the simple and minimal design in the vein of Gallimard, Adelphi, or Fitzcarraldo. One color, no pictures, just title and author. Admittedly that might not be right for a self published book as it signifies the aesthetic of a publishing house. It would however make a book stand out among many of the over the top American covers.
Excellent post. If I ever finish mine, I have plans for the physical presentation, which will be expensive to pull off, but as you correctly say, it's up to the artisan to find the means.
This piece alongside a recent post by Sam Kahn on the future of books as physical objects has made me wonder if at this stage of "The Discourse" we are entering into more substantial discussions on what the (teleological) purpose of the internet is and what the (teleological) purpose of books are for. Though the internet has collapsed time and space and enabled transcontinental communication at an unprecedented scale, it's a limited means of long-term knowledge storage. Most of what is said and done on the internet will disappear (Thank God!). Books are the superior method of storing information and passing it on to the future. As a bibliophile, i.e.. an obsessive and ne’do-well, I became interested in the history of book printing. I got to know a bookbinder who had studied with the last living direct protégé of William Morris. He informed me that traditional bookmaking persists as a fine art. It's the only commercial and social model out there that this tradition can sustain itself - as art-objects and through elite patronage. Novels and book culture might need to do the same. Much like how playwrights understand that their artform is in dialogue with actors, novelist must be in dialogue with books as beautiful objects. Who makes it and how its made is important. The novel is dead! Long live the novel!
(PS you and I have a recent discussion in the comment section on your post on Asian-American literature. I had to delete my Substack account and recreate for various reasons.)
(PSS I noticed that the binding on the print run of Incel was perfect binding which is far from perfect - the end of the pages are not stitched in separate bundles but block cut and glued to a cover. It makes rebinding it difficult and labor intensive. Signature binding, which can be done mechanically, is the superior method since the cover can be removed and the book dissembled and reassembled as needed)
> Novels and book culture might need to do the same. Much like how playwrights understand that their artform is dialogue with actors, novelist must be in dialogue with books as beautiful objects. Who makes it and how its made is important. The novel is dead! Long live the novel!
I think it would be really cool if more indie presses did custom runs of books with really premium binding, but only Passage Press has pulled that off. Would be cool if there was a centralized service that could push that quality out.
> PSS I noticed that the binding on the print run of Incel was perfect binding which is far from perfect
Sadly I have to rely on Amazon POD, haha
Personally I think we are the stage of the internet and IRL-moment where we need to exit the endless discourse of negative critique and deconstruction to construction and participation. Hell if selvedge denim could have a renaissance why the hell can’t traditional bookmaking!!! Come on white collar professionals, instead of taking up [insert useless expensive activity to fight off the slow, gradual soul death of corporate life] collect and restore abandoned printing presses.
A novel is a tough sell to your average Internet denizen. A visual artist need capture your attention for but a moment; a musician, but a few moments. But a novel? Way more of a commitment.
Knowing this, I paid an artist on fiver to draw me a cool cover:
http://www.thedragonbehindthecrown.com/
I'm a fan of the simple and minimal design in the vein of Gallimard, Adelphi, or Fitzcarraldo. One color, no pictures, just title and author. Admittedly that might not be right for a self published book as it signifies the aesthetic of a publishing house. It would however make a book stand out among many of the over the top American covers.
Alan Rossi’s Our Last Year is a beautiful minimalist instance of this.
Wait a minute, I got the grey copy of your book, what's that white one?
https://www.decentralizedfiction.com/p/self-publishing-101-maybe-dont-market
Wow quite a ride! I never noticed the Stoner thing but I do agree it’s a perfect book, one that everyone, but especially young men, should read
Excellent post. If I ever finish mine, I have plans for the physical presentation, which will be expensive to pull off, but as you correctly say, it's up to the artisan to find the means.
Thank you sir!
The piece today by Sam Kahn seems to be covering much the same territory as this post.
https://substack.com/inbox/post/160133728