The Mookse and the Gripes discussion

My Dead Book by Nate Lippens (Pilot Press)

Pilot, verb
to act as a guide to : lead or conduct over a usually difficult course

Pilot Press is the imprint of artist Richard Porter and is an attempt to recover a philosophy of publishing and a sensibility lost to AIDS and the rampant spread of free market capitalism since the 1980s.

Not for me in the slightest I am afraid.

Though that’s true of the prize generally (and the small press scene, and books without ARCs on Netgalley and lots of buzz) so that you don’t like a book probably means it’s a good fit!

I do get the impression this year the judges have gone at times back to a more “would this have been published by PRH” approach (ultimately even for Still Life the answer in UK and US was clearly “no” as they had first dibs) rather than a “best book published by a small press” criteria.

Which as noted elsewhere means the more established small presses (eg Tramp, Galley Beggar, Charco) have also missed out.

Although of course at times there is often a reason why a work wouldn’t have been picked up by the large presses which may not (just) be transgressive subject matter or style, but might also be around literary quality excepting those things.

This one I found hard to judge as the deliberately hard to read nature of the text almost hides the literary quality for me. But it does seem rooted in the author’s lived experience and the relatively few ratings on Goodreads are almost universally positive (except you and I!).

Paul wrote: "I do get the impression this year the judges have gone at times back to a more “would this have been published by PRH” approach (ultimately even for Still Life the answer in UK and US was clearly “no” as they had first dibs) rather than a “best book published by a small press” criteria.

Presumably the judges think getting published by PRH is a measure of eventual success with this and other prizes like the Goldsmith rewarding the small presses who take the early gamble as well as bringing their authors to the attention of bigger presses

PRH will pick something up when it wins prizes and starts selling. Do they take the gamble on first authors?

I also wonder if Isabel's book would have been PRH published if she went for something completely different to their previous works. Corey Fah does sound like in the same style.

Yes sometimes - like with Natasha Brown or Derek Owusu or Jacqueline Crooks for example

Bit of a pronoun mix up BTW in your post

Given you have cancelled all your small press subscriptions as you don’t like the sort of books they produce, a Prize designed for those sort of books published by small presses isn’t likely to have books you like.

It’s a bit like me reading the longlist of a prize for long novels - the books I don’t like would be the ones most suited to win the prize.

True not a prize I can ever imagine judging, being part of the oversight committee or putting my pocket in my hand at considerable cost when there was otherwise no prize money.

Oh wait ……..

Yes but you don’t seem to like it now Ie your support comes from generosity (which is the best support of all) rather than natural affiliation.

Or to put it another way, I think this set of judges were looking for brutal (their words, one might say gratuitous) books - like this one and The Doloriad - that are the sort of books you don’t like. Ie it’s a criticism (well an observation) on these judges.

Where the books works best is where the transgressive/innovative nature of the books comes together with, indeed really comes from, quality writing - Still Life, I’m A Fan, MUEUM say.

But the first two of those it is surprising big presses didn’t publish - was more an oversight I think - rather than books you wouldn’t expect a big press to reject.

So perhaps I am arguing myself, or indeed you, into MUEUM as the winner?

I liked this book so much more than I was afraid I might based on a description of an early scene! I might even go so far as to say I loved it. I was moved.

Great review of this too, Lee. I’ll be honest, I thought it was a typo when I saw your 5 stars come up on my feed. But now that I’ve read your thoughts about it, I see why this clicked you.

Ha, yeah. Thanks! Very glad the judges put it on the longlist or I would have missed it. That’s why I love following this prize, all the great and interesting surprises.

Great review Lee.

Isabel Waidner: “My Dead Book is a rare newsflash from wherever life really happens. Written in frank and simple language, it's a moving and funny thank you, f*ck you, I'm-sorry and - above all - I-miss-you to lovers and friends lost during the AIDS crisis in the 80s and 90s. It's no coincidence that the book was picked up by Pilot Press, one of an increasing number of grassroots independent publishers in the UK that have surpassed their supposed limitations by lightyears on the basis of reader popularity and community enthusiasm alone. This is writing and publishing from the ground up.”