Looking forward to it! Will hold off a bit on a pre-order, both due to personal circumstances and just in case you come up with something special for subscribers, but I'll definitely be picking up a copy when it comes out.
It's the biggest of the big corporates! Basically a mega-publisher at this point. Penguin and Random House merged some years ago in a bid to be able to stand up to Amazon. I've published books in my life with big publishers and tiny ones, and published some of them myself. There's always a question to ask about what will best serve each book. This time around I wanted, if at all possible, to get a wide reach for this one. I'd like it to be seen by as many people as possible, because I want the message out there. Penguin have been really supportive and excited about it. So I'm happy with this arrangement.
It's good to understand your rationale behind this, Paul. After all the suppression and censorship, I was disappointed you didn't go with a smaller publisher such as Chelsea Green who've taken on people such as Mattias Desmet and Charles Eisenstein. I can understand you want to have as wide a reach as possible, though. Well done on slipping through the net.
With this kind of writing I have always wanted to speak to a mainstream audience. I did the same with my very first 'activist' book twenty years back. It is easy to get caught in a ghetto and speak only to people who agree with you already. Some books are small and delicate, or odd, or specialist, and need publishers who reflect that. Chelsea Green published some of our Dark Mountain essays, for example. This book though was always designed to speak as widely as possible, and explain the Machine to people who might not have thought about it, or understand it.
Congratulations Paul, the book looks great. It's been a pleasure to have been on this journey, or perhaps pilgrimage is more fitting, with you here on substack. I very much look forward to getting my copy.
Congratulations Paul! I'm a poet and writer from the Netherlands (https://annebroeksma.nl/home_eng/) and for a very long time you were the only Substack writer I supported, because I had read some of your previous books and because the Machine essays gave words to an ever increasing feeling of unsettlement, that I knew had something to do with technology but I couldn't quite grasp it theoretically. You did. More than delighted to have these essays in the form of a book in my hands this year. And a book with such a wonderful cover (being a forest dwelling creature myself). So thank you!
I've been following you for a long time, Paul (did we contribute at Adbusters about 20 years ago?), but reading your free posts on The Machine - and missing out on the others - made me subscribe and read the lot from go to whoa. It was fire for the mind and soul and I can't wait to see how it lands. One copy for me, copies for friends incoming
Ordering now. Your writing has spread so much love and helped so many of us through very hard times. With love the machine will die, we all just need to remember how to do it! Together we can do this! x
Congratulations, Paul! The cover looks great. Really looking forward to reading it. I'm pre-ordering one right away but will buy more in september. I have a list of people I want to give it to. Do you think that it could be translated in any other languages ? I'm French and I would love to introduce your writing to some people here who do not read English...
Ordered! Congratulations, Paul. I can't wait to read this and explore with my students.
Looking forward to it! Will hold off a bit on a pre-order, both due to personal circumstances and just in case you come up with something special for subscribers, but I'll definitely be picking up a copy when it comes out.
Very exciting. Looking forward to reading this
Ordered!
I remember those first posts. Congratulations Paul! Also, what a great cover.
Agreed on the cover. It's brilliant!
I think over the years, Paul has had some superb cover artwork and illustrations.
Congratulations Paul, brilliant news!
Penguin is a bit "big corporate" though isn't it 😉
It's the biggest of the big corporates! Basically a mega-publisher at this point. Penguin and Random House merged some years ago in a bid to be able to stand up to Amazon. I've published books in my life with big publishers and tiny ones, and published some of them myself. There's always a question to ask about what will best serve each book. This time around I wanted, if at all possible, to get a wide reach for this one. I'd like it to be seen by as many people as possible, because I want the message out there. Penguin have been really supportive and excited about it. So I'm happy with this arrangement.
I suspected that might be the case and I completely agree, a supportive publisher offering the widest exposure should be taken advantage of.
It is I.portant that such a key message for our times reaches the biggest possible audience.
I was just having a little chuckle at the irony 😅
I accept your chuckle! The process is certainly full of ironies. Writing the whole thing on the Internet in the first place being one of them ...
There is certainly some satisfaction to be had from using the Machine to potentially hasten its own demise!
Either that, or it's slowly swallowing me alive. I am hoping your interpretation is the correct one.
The power of God > the Machine.
You'll be reet 😉
It's good to understand your rationale behind this, Paul. After all the suppression and censorship, I was disappointed you didn't go with a smaller publisher such as Chelsea Green who've taken on people such as Mattias Desmet and Charles Eisenstein. I can understand you want to have as wide a reach as possible, though. Well done on slipping through the net.
And an encomium from Iain McGilchrist no less. Brilliant!!!
With this kind of writing I have always wanted to speak to a mainstream audience. I did the same with my very first 'activist' book twenty years back. It is easy to get caught in a ghetto and speak only to people who agree with you already. Some books are small and delicate, or odd, or specialist, and need publishers who reflect that. Chelsea Green published some of our Dark Mountain essays, for example. This book though was always designed to speak as widely as possible, and explain the Machine to people who might not have thought about it, or understand it.
fantastic to hear— congratulations paul!
Congratulations Paul, the book looks great. It's been a pleasure to have been on this journey, or perhaps pilgrimage is more fitting, with you here on substack. I very much look forward to getting my copy.
Congratulations Paul! I'm a poet and writer from the Netherlands (https://annebroeksma.nl/home_eng/) and for a very long time you were the only Substack writer I supported, because I had read some of your previous books and because the Machine essays gave words to an ever increasing feeling of unsettlement, that I knew had something to do with technology but I couldn't quite grasp it theoretically. You did. More than delighted to have these essays in the form of a book in my hands this year. And a book with such a wonderful cover (being a forest dwelling creature myself). So thank you!
Congratulations.
Congratulations, Paul! I look forward to reading it.
I've been following you for a long time, Paul (did we contribute at Adbusters about 20 years ago?), but reading your free posts on The Machine - and missing out on the others - made me subscribe and read the lot from go to whoa. It was fire for the mind and soul and I can't wait to see how it lands. One copy for me, copies for friends incoming
Ordered! Congratulations! I, too, look forward to reading it.
Congratulations Paul! What a beautiful book.
Ordering now. Your writing has spread so much love and helped so many of us through very hard times. With love the machine will die, we all just need to remember how to do it! Together we can do this! x
Congratulations, Paul! The cover looks great. Really looking forward to reading it. I'm pre-ordering one right away but will buy more in september. I have a list of people I want to give it to. Do you think that it could be translated in any other languages ? I'm French and I would love to introduce your writing to some people here who do not read English...
I'm hoping some publishers in other countries will pick it up. I will share news on here if and when that happens.