Honest Publishing Blog

Articles, news and latest writings from alternative, original voices.

The Existential Life of the Lonely Writer

Saturday, May 14th, 2011

Paul Kavanagh’s recent blog about the use of the word existentialism got me thinking about this utterance and how, more than any other profession, a writer must be an existentialist in order to simply survive while he or she still claims to call one’s self a writer. (more…)

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The Problem with Blurbs

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

Masterpiece. Tour-de-force. Genius. Visionary. Momentous. Gripping. Unique. Hilarious. Phenomenon. Luminous. Take ten random books from your shelf. Turn them over. Chances are, you’ll see a few of those words. (more…)

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Pipe

Monday, May 9th, 2011

I am perplexed by the word existential. I can’t fathom the word. I don’t know how to use it. When it appears in one of my sentences it glows neon and mocks me. (more…)

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Thank You for Not Answering

Saturday, May 7th, 2011

I know I don’t offer much – I’m no Tom Cruise or Tom Thumb, fame and fortune does not blow doors open for me. I need to actually prise them open, force them sometimes, dislodge them. I also realise that the issue here is this: I require something from you. It may be a review, a favour, distribution, a place on your shelves, something along those fevered lines. (more…)

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Chair

Saturday, April 30th, 2011

Where and how the writer sits or stands is maybe not as important as the final product but nevertheless it is important. A writer cannot escape the fact that he or she must have space to write.  A chair is just as important as a pen or a typewriter or a computer, the chair maybe a conventional chair, four legs, a stable, raised surface, or it could be unconventional; Erasmus tells us that he composed The Praise of Folly while sat on a donkey. There is a great deal of humour in this fact as there is in the book. One wonders if a slight bump in the road caused a passage to be composed. It is a very funny book. A small book but very funny. It is not surprising that it is a small book. I do not think Gaddis could have written The Recognitions on the back of a donkey. (more…)

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Honest Publishing Requests the Pleasure…

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

Honest Publishing would like to cordially request the honour of your presence…
(more…)

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Do you re-read?

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

Do you re-read books? I do, but I wouldn’t call myself a serial re-reader; perhaps one book out of every twenty I open is a repeat read.

Though I wasn’t aware of this until recently, re-reading seems to baffle or even offend some people. (more…)

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Dear Spammers,

Monday, April 25th, 2011

I just wanted to write a letter thanking you for your phenomenal perseverance. You show real character in the way you just never give up, never give in, hoping that one day I would stumble, possibly while hungover, and click Approve instead of Delete. I may well do that for you, for that wonderful comment that so highly praises the great content of this site. (more…)

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Wedding Underwear for Mermaids Out Now in Paperback

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

If you’re looking for an alternative read this Easter then you’ve come to the right fish, I mean place. Linda Ann Strang’s beautiful collection of poetry is now available in scintillating paperback – and we mean scintillating (see below). So if you happen to love subjects like femininity and African culture then this poetry collection will prove to be a real treat under the mistletoe, I mean lamb. (more…)

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F*** eBooks – ‘The Killing of a Bank Manager’ Now Available in Paperback

Sunday, April 17th, 2011

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s been a long time coming, but finally Honest Publishing’s rip-roaring, James Joyce-esque, experimental, roller coaster, kick-ass, beer-swilling novella ‘The Killing of a Bank Manager’ by Paul Kavanagh, is finally available in good old paperback format – just the way we like it. (more…)

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