The Deixis Press Weekly - Issue #58

Aloha, prose posse,

I feel like this newsletter is often one of a few types:

• “hey, there’s a new book, you should buy it”

• “hey, there’s an event coming up, you should come to it”

• [rage against the book machine]

But today I believe a different theme is bubbling to the surface, and that is a sense of individual futility because of my spatiotemporal inability to be more than one person¹. So if you aren’t so into the whine, whine, whine, you might not like this one.

Reading for people

I really enjoy reading work that people send me, even when it’s not really my bag in terms of publishing it, or even when it’s not the type of literature I personally prefer.

I’ve mentioned the novel prize I manage, for authors who are self-published or not yet published. For that contest I read all kinds of things that are not normally up my alley. And one of the hardest things I’ve done was picking just ONE book from my open submissions period (that was Hangdog Souls, by the way). I got about 70 books and I liked almost all of them. I loved about 10, but I couldn’t afford to publish 10.

So I don’t really personally² mind when unagented³ authors try to sneak into my inbox with submissions even though submissions are not open. I do my best to read them and provide at least a little feedback. But right now I have a pretty massive backlog of people’s work where I’ve agreed to have a look. I’m months behind where I intended to be.

And so I think now I have to draw a line under it and say: look, it doesn’t prejudice me against any author who tries to submit outside of an open subs period. I absolutely believe in breaking the rules, and often that’s the only way to get ahead in this shitty industry. I get it. I support you. I love authors and their drive and their amazing work. But I can’t read any more speculative submissions⁴. And this is only because I am a human-presenting being who has succumbed to the seductive illusion of linear time, which means that if I say I will read your book, it will take me months and I will piss you off⁵.

I hate holidays

Yeah, so as I said, I manage that novel prize, which obviously I love doing. I was extremely on track with it, which is important because of the volume of submissions we typically get. Then I went on holiday.

I know that most people love holidays. I used to love holidays, too, when I had jobs that I didn’t give a shit about. But now that I do what I do, I need to make it clear: holidays wreck my life.

Let me be clear: my five typical States of Being are⁶

1. working efficiently

2. working inefficiently

3. work-rooted paralysis characterized by doomscrolling

4. doing childcare/housework/basic personal hygiene

5. sleep [rare]

Holidays mean that everything gets turned on its head. And for every one week of holiday I take, States of Being 1-3 go into maximum overdrive for at least two weeks upon my return⁷. So yeah, a week of staring at the horizon? sounds good but I’ll pay. Oh, I’ll pay alright.

Money

Speaking of oh, I’ll pay alright, the book creation process is getting smoother and smoother all the time, but that’s because I now pay more people to do more stuff. Which should in theory mean that I could, in turn, do more, but in practice means that I’m wondering how long I can really keep treading this very cold, sharky water. Through 2025 for sure.

The good news is that all of my books for 2024 are, in at least some sense, done. I mean, there’s a little outstanding editorial work for all three, but nothing major. Covers are progressing. Advance reading has begun for Chloe Turner’s Blue Hawk. I’ll be able to tell you more about William Parker’s The Last Doorbell and Richard Gadz’s The Eater of Flies soon.

But, with added expenditure, the pressure feels very much on—as it should be, of course—to make sure that every book I make is maximally visible and attractive to those who would like to buy good books. Unfortunately for everyone involved, I’m merely a single entity who has, for reasons unclear, not opted to be perfect in this incarnation, and while I’m undeniably the GOAT at the “find good books” part, I’ve humbled myself when it comes to the “sell good books” part⁸.

Right, I could just keep going here, but now seems a good place to stop. If I can leave you with just one thought, just remember: my approach to work and life is extraordinarily healthy for both body and soul, and it should be emulated by everyone.

Yours,

Angel

1. Please be aware that I despise this about myself.

2. Would-be authors! Do not try this with everyone! I am in a Discord with a bunch of indie publishers and they mostly haaaaate this approach. Most will just delete your submission unread. There’s no point.

3. Agents who try this should know better!

4. I will read the ones that are outstanding. Jon, Alex, Alistair, Grant, Mark: if you’re reading this, I haven’t forgotten you. I have also emailed some other folks but haven’t heard back. Please do check your spam folder if you think you should have heard from me.

5. Please be aware that I despise this about myself.

6. You’ll notice the things that do not feature on this list:

• watching television or films for enjoyment

• doing physical activity for enjoyment

• doing needlework/crochet/knitting for enjoyment

• reading for enjoyment

• playing video games for enjoyment

• singing for enjoyment

• walking around in a forest for enjoyment

I used to do things for fun. Now “fun” just feels like “wasting valuable incapacitation-by-fear-and-anxiety time.”

7. Please be aware that I despise this about myself.

8. Please be aware that I despise this about myself.