December 2nd, 2009 / 2:08 pm
Author Spotlight
Blake Butler
Author Spotlight
Everything Here Is The Best Thing Ever
Having heard Justin read a few of the stories from here, and having read others in New York Tyrant, Canteen, and elsewhere, I can say that even if I weren’t friends with Justin, and a labelmate, I’d be pretty fucking excited about his forthcoming book, Everything Here Is The Best Thing Ever. You don’t have to listen to me though, here’s Padgett Powell: “Mr. Taylor has perfect touch, to frightening effect, does not presume, has power, and promises us new things. There is a debt paid to Donald Barthelme… and a strange undertow of Philip Roth, which makes for a new literary beast.”
You can preorder it now. It’s under $10 on Amazon. Or you can go direct to the publisher. Yes. Excited.
Tags: Everything Here is the Best Thing Ever, Justin Taylor
i am excited too actually.
i am excited too actually.
This doesn’t look good.
It looks great.
This doesn’t look good.
It looks great.
really love the cover.
really love the cover.
really wish you guys would take an anti-amazon stance. i know this isn’t my blog or anything, but come on, think about it.
really wish you guys would take an anti-amazon stance. i know this isn’t my blog or anything, but come on, think about it.
i want to be anti-amazon. but realistically, they are the cheapest. i buy from publishers and authors if possible, but at the end of the day i can’t buy every book for full price. it’s just too much. but i included both links specifically here so that people could choose between low price and direct support. i don’t like shitty overlords anymore than the next guy, but a deal is a deal.
i want to be anti-amazon. but realistically, they are the cheapest. i buy from publishers and authors if possible, but at the end of the day i can’t buy every book for full price. it’s just too much. but i included both links specifically here so that people could choose between low price and direct support. i don’t like shitty overlords anymore than the next guy, but a deal is a deal.
cover is sweet
cover is sweet
congratulations justin, looks fantastic – best of luck with it, i hope it does well for you
congratulations justin, looks fantastic – best of luck with it, i hope it does well for you
Where is the look inside feature!?
Nah, looking good though Justin. Killer Powell blurb
Where is the look inside feature!?
Nah, looking good though Justin. Killer Powell blurb
fair enough, a deal is a deal – there are a lot of good deals at wal-mart, it’s a beautiful thing – but every one of those deals made good is tightening a noose around your own publisher’s heart-neck. amazon isn’t just a shitty overlord, blake, they’re colon cancer.
sorry justin – book looks really cool. i like the font, feels hardy, like it belongs in a library – glad to see that, at 200-pages, it will have some girth to match.
fair enough, a deal is a deal – there are a lot of good deals at wal-mart, it’s a beautiful thing – but every one of those deals made good is tightening a noose around your own publisher’s heart-neck. amazon isn’t just a shitty overlord, blake, they’re colon cancer.
sorry justin – book looks really cool. i like the font, feels hardy, like it belongs in a library – glad to see that, at 200-pages, it will have some girth to match.
i shop at walmart too, when it fits. like i said, i like to support directly with $$ when possible, but it’s not always possible. if i were a billionaire, sure.
regardless, options are options. but i know what you mean. in ideal world we could all pay the publisher directly and the middle man would shrivel. in the meantime.
i shop at walmart too, when it fits. like i said, i like to support directly with $$ when possible, but it’s not always possible. if i were a billionaire, sure.
regardless, options are options. but i know what you mean. in ideal world we could all pay the publisher directly and the middle man would shrivel. in the meantime.
i hear you, man. but someone has to create the ideal world. it’s not gonna happen on its own. actually, not just ‘someone’ but ‘a group of people who gather round to blast that shit with radionuclides, or whatever you’ve gotta do to take the damn thing down.’ like at the end of akira, say.
also, i don’t want the middle man to shrivel up and die unless that middle man is acting like a sociopath. it’s easy to say, that’s not my fight, but it’s everyone’s fight. anyway, you get the idea, this is nothing new, it’s always the same, blah blah blah.
i hear you, man. but someone has to create the ideal world. it’s not gonna happen on its own. actually, not just ‘someone’ but ‘a group of people who gather round to blast that shit with radionuclides, or whatever you’ve gotta do to take the damn thing down.’ like at the end of akira, say.
also, i don’t want the middle man to shrivel up and die unless that middle man is acting like a sociopath. it’s easy to say, that’s not my fight, but it’s everyone’s fight. anyway, you get the idea, this is nothing new, it’s always the same, blah blah blah.
you apparently are an idealist. i’m not. and i just want justin’s book
:P
you apparently are an idealist. i’m not. and i just want justin’s book
:P
which i will be buying directly, in this case, for certain
though also, isn’t there some complicity in this support argument on the behalf of publishers? most small presses who aren’t ‘on amazon’ get barraged with the ‘why aren’t you on amazon’ question. if they didn’t benefit from it, even if indirectly, would they not then not use amazon?
which i will be buying directly, in this case, for certain
though also, isn’t there some complicity in this support argument on the behalf of publishers? most small presses who aren’t ‘on amazon’ get barraged with the ‘why aren’t you on amazon’ question. if they didn’t benefit from it, even if indirectly, would they not then not use amazon?
Hey, thanks Blake! And everybody!
Hey, thanks Blake! And everybody!
nice cover
nice cover
Me, too. It’s all Watership Down-y, but on LSD.
Me, too. It’s all Watership Down-y, but on LSD.
i’m okay with being an idealist. that sang ‘if you shoot for the moon’ did a number on me, i guess. although i think it should be the other way around, one would do better to ‘shoot for the stars.’ i think i can be an idealist and a pragmatist at the same time. sorry, i believe in magic.
small presses should answer that question when people ask it, because i think they have their own reasons for not being on amazon – unless it’s just because they haven’t set it up yet. it’s the responsibility of the people in positions of power to say, no, we’re not going to be on amazon, we’re not gonna contribute to this debilitating garbage because of x, y, and z.
but you’re right though, like other industries, until that becomes a profitable stance, it is unlikely to happen.
i’m okay with being an idealist. that sang ‘if you shoot for the moon’ did a number on me, i guess. although i think it should be the other way around, one would do better to ‘shoot for the stars.’ i think i can be an idealist and a pragmatist at the same time. sorry, i believe in magic.
small presses should answer that question when people ask it, because i think they have their own reasons for not being on amazon – unless it’s just because they haven’t set it up yet. it’s the responsibility of the people in positions of power to say, no, we’re not going to be on amazon, we’re not gonna contribute to this debilitating garbage because of x, y, and z.
but you’re right though, like other industries, until that becomes a profitable stance, it is unlikely to happen.
Congratulations, Justin Taylor!
I like that Harper Collins has been doing a number of short story collections by relatively new writers in an affordable trade paper format. This is one I’d be likely to pay full price for at my local independent bookstore. I’ve bought a couple others on impulse and have been pleased. Trade paper is likely to give these writers much wider circulation. I’ll take a chance on an author new to me at 14 or 15 bucks — at 25 for hard cover, probably not.
apparently ‘shoot for the moon…’ can be attributed to two sources via google, brian lattrell (of the backstreet boys) and les brown, ‘the world’s leading motivational speaker.’ http://www.lesbrown.com
but confucius say, ‘shoot for the stars.’ good idea.
Congratulations, Justin Taylor!
I like that Harper Collins has been doing a number of short story collections by relatively new writers in an affordable trade paper format. This is one I’d be likely to pay full price for at my local independent bookstore. I’ve bought a couple others on impulse and have been pleased. Trade paper is likely to give these writers much wider circulation. I’ll take a chance on an author new to me at 14 or 15 bucks — at 25 for hard cover, probably not.
apparently ‘shoot for the moon…’ can be attributed to two sources via google, brian lattrell (of the backstreet boys) and les brown, ‘the world’s leading motivational speaker.’ http://www.lesbrown.com
but confucius say, ‘shoot for the stars.’ good idea.
word
word
congrats, justin–have had this one preordered for a while.
congrats, justin–have had this one preordered for a while.
Big pig.
Big pig.
i’m going to take lsd and stare at the cover and read the white lettering over and over
i’m going to take lsd and stare at the cover and read the white lettering over and over
more people should believe in magic
more people should believe in magic
the cover:
TWO BIG THUMBS UP!
the cover:
TWO BIG THUMBS UP!
Yes. Another congratulations to you, Justin! Great cover.
Yes. Another congratulations to you, Justin! Great cover.
Can’t wait to read it. Looks great!
Can’t wait to read it. Looks great!
Sounds like a good book, but take a look at the New York Tyrant’s list of writers for each issue. Hegemony!
Sounds like a good book, but take a look at the New York Tyrant’s list of writers for each issue. Hegemony!
kudos to justin, can’t wait to read it
kudos to justin, can’t wait to read it
Congrats, Justin. Looks mega enticing. The big question is….is there a blurb on the back cover from Harold Bloom?
Congrats, Justin. Looks mega enticing. The big question is….is there a blurb on the back cover from Harold Bloom?
Big ups, Just. Big ones!
Big ups, Just. Big ones!
Looks great, Justin, congrats!
Looks great, Justin, congrats!
dug
dug
Cool cover. Bookstores? I’ll buy it at a bookstore. One with troubled loners at the cash desk and band stickers on the door or community meet-up board, if I can help it.
Cool cover. Bookstores? I’ll buy it at a bookstore. One with troubled loners at the cash desk and band stickers on the door or community meet-up board, if I can help it.
[…] You are probably going to like this Justin Taylor guy. […]
Congratulations, Justin. Looks great. You HP guys are taking over the world.
Congratulations, Justin. Looks great. You HP guys are taking over the world.
So excited for this one! About a year went by between my last reading Justin’s manuscript and my reading the galley. I picked it up and thought I’d read breeze through it to make sure everything looked OK before the final book went to print, and I ended up completely engrossed in every story and reading it cover to cover like I’d never seen any of it before. Everything was perfect. And I’m not just saying this because I’m his co-conspirator or anything. For reals.
So excited for this one! About a year went by between my last reading Justin’s manuscript and my reading the galley. I picked it up and thought I’d read breeze through it to make sure everything looked OK before the final book went to print, and I ended up completely engrossed in every story and reading it cover to cover like I’d never seen any of it before. Everything was perfect. And I’m not just saying this because I’m his co-conspirator or anything. For reals.
less people should associate magic with commercialism
less people should associate magic with commercialism