The Machine Sessions

My new podcast. Plus: exclusive book offers for subscribers to the Abbey

Hello readers. It’s exactly six weeks until the publication of my book Against The Machine, so it’s time to crank up my slick publicity machinery and start promoting it. Commerce, as I explain in some detail in the book, is what the Machine is all about, so I hope you will now enjoy the spectacle of me trying to engage in it to promote my book about why I don’t like it. A man has to eat, which I suppose is why the Devil is always so busy.

But never mind the idle theological speculations. Although I don’t much like promoting things, I think you might like this book of mine. It represents the coming-together of much of my thinking for the last thirty years, and it seems both timely and necessary: and I’m not the only one who thinks so. I’m excited to have it hitting the shelves, and I hope it does some good out there.

So without further ado, allow me to unveil two pieces of news:

The Machine Sessions

What you see at the top of this page is the first episode in my little podcast miniseries The Machine Sessions. Each Tuesday, from now until publication day, I’ll be releasing a new episode in which I am in conversation with interesting people about the themes of my book. Depending on time, inclination and the state of my health, there may be more episodes after publication too. We’ll see. Each episode will be free to view, both here and on my YouTube channel.

You can watch my introduction to the series here. The first episode is a conversation with writer, psychiatrist, philosopher and all-round lovely fellow Iain McGilchrist.

Exclusive Reader Discounts

That this book exists at all is really thanks to this Substack, and to its readers. The essays that would become the book debuted here nearly five years ago, and this space was my laboratory in which I performed my intellectual and literary experiments. It gave me the space to think aloud and hone my arguments and work out what I thought. My readers here, especially my paid subscribers, gave me the time and space to do all of that.

For that reason, I wanted to offer something back to members of the Abbey. So my publisher and I have designed two reader offers for subscribers here, which will apply to anyone who pre-orders the book between now and publication date:

• Paid subscribers can get access to an online event (if an event can actually be online … but that’s another essay) in which I’ll be answering any questions you have about the book, and discussing its themes and publication. You will also be entitled to 50% off my online writing course ‘Rewild Your Words’.

• Free subscribers can get a three month full subscription to the Abbey, which means full access to five years of writing here, access to the discussions and access to all new content for the next three months.

In order to take advantage of these offers, all you need to do is to provide us with your email address, tell us where you bought a copy of the book, and give some proof of purchase:

• Paid subscribers should fill in this form.

• Free subscribers should fill in this form.

I hope that’s all clear, but if it’s not, leave a comment below and we will sort things out.

I hope you enjoy these podcasts - and, of course, the book, should you choose to get yourself a copy. It’s been quite a journey to get to this point. Thank you to all of you who have travelled it with me.