zero books: c/d, s&d

I only found a handful of references to this publishing imprint across some of the UK/London threads. I've read one or two at the recommendation of assorted bloggers/friends, but have heard some interesting insinuations about the founding/management of the publisher. Opinions?

http://www.zero-books.net

I thought Capitalist Realism was pretty good overall, though I had some issues with certain parts. Don't think I've read any of the others, and haven't heard any of the insinuations... are you planning on revealing?

I wanted to read the Nina Power book for quite a while. That's about it.

Looking through some other titles I'm not drawn in AT ALL. Might read Fear of Music for a laugh: think the title has the seeds for a great idea but I'm not confident on the execution.

I honestly don't remember what the issue was! Maybe it was the more woo-related titles the parent company has released or something to do with the publisher.

reading the horror one, not as much about black metal as i hoped, shows me for letting hope have anything to do with a book on horror

i'm interested in the publishing model, get anglo-(anglo-style) academics to talk about bitchen stuff, but am suspicious of the use of 'readings' of artworks, cultural artifacts, etc. - seems a little meretricious

what was the horror one? not this?

http://www.zero-books.net/assets/docs/books/1171/jhp4fb0de45263f2.jpg

As Hölderlin was to Martin Heidegger and Mallarmé to Jacques Derrida, so is H.P. Lovecraft to the Speculative Realist philosophers. Lovecraft was one of the brightest stars of the horror and science fiction magazines, but died in poverty and relative obscurity in the 1930s. In 2005 he was finally elevated from pulp status to the classical literary canon with the release of a Library of America volume dedicated to his work. The impact of Lovecraft on philosophy has been building for more than a decade. Initially championed by shadowy guru Nick Land at Warwick during the 1990s, he was later discovered to be an object of private fascination for all four original members of the twenty-first century Speculative Realist movement.

all four of them, eh

In 2005 he was finally elevated from pulp status to the classical literary canon In 2005 he was finally elevated from pulp status to the classical literary canon In 2005 he was finally elevated from pulp status to the classical literary canon In 2005 he was finally elevated from pulp status to the classical literary canon In 2005 he was finally elevated from pulp status to the classical literary canon In 2005 he was finally elevated from pulp status to the classical literary canon In 2005 he was finally elevated from pulp status to the classical literary canon In 2005 he was finally elevated from pulp status to the classical literary canon In 2005 he was finally elevated from pulp status to the classical literary canon In 2005 he was finally elevated from pulp status to the classical literary canon In 2005 he was finally elevated from pulp status to the classical literary canon In 2005 he was finally elevated from pulp status to the classical literary canon

now we might be charitable and think that was laden with irony but my interpretative charity is too meagrely apportioned to be given unto blog-philosophes

Library of America no different from any other classics re-pub brand in choosing non-classic canon authors to lend spice up its catalogue (or cos they've run out of cc authors more like).

I remember the LoA bookshop rep. She was an asshole.

On the insinuations, it's maybe that the parent company are John Hunt, who are really quite woo and there's something a bit odd about John Hunt's publishing model - it doesn't look vanity exactly, but the trick with vanity is not looking vanity if you get me.

You'd sort of run across that info if you tried to find Zer0 stuff when they started, but they're a bit more firmly separated now.

I don't think Zer0 should be tarred with that - I imagine it's some kind of marriage of convenience, left-entrepreneur/enthusiast hooking up with a company who can get things to press - but it does look odd.

I've said my bit on them more generally in other threads: really like the idea, occasionally tempted, but they're unattractive books. Just Marcello's for me at the moment, maybe the Pushing Against the Dame books when they're out.

Admit sometimes I'm aghast at just how much of this stuff there is. Infinite supply of zer0 writers.

They don't appear to do any editing so you can't tell until you've started if it's going to be good (Marcello, Capitalist Realism, Owen Hatherley's Pulp book) or just a tarted-up student thesis. The hipster book is profoundly terrible. No quality control at all.

Ah, no editing? Right, that would make sense.

Marcello, if you're about, did you get an edit from Zer0?

j. is probably referring to Eugene Thacker's In the Dust of This Planet --

http://www.zero-books.net/assets/docs/books/1316/66dfc2702f22fe40bf22b6faf95a9dbc.jpg

I enjoyed it but agree the black metal chapter was not all that.

yah, huge, sry

Ah, no editing? Right, that would make sense.

Marcello, if you're about, did you get an edit from Zer0?

Mark Fisher did the editing on my book. In retrospect I would have done a lot more editing but the turnover at Zer0 is so large and rapid that there isn't time for that.

I think the BiA book failed to find an audience, largely because (a) it was published with next to no publicity; (b) hardly any bookshops stocked it, and almost no one talked about it or even mentioned it - two good reviews in the monthlies but that was about it; (c) nearly everything in it was available to read, for free, on the blog; and (d) the PR summary of what was in the book was not the sort that attracts passing readers, indeed probably did a lot to repel them.

I'm very grateful to Zer0 for offering to publish the thing but on reflection I don't think they were the right publishers for me. I've no idea who would be.

Just bought the Kindle edition. I'll give it a read over the holidays, Marcello!

http://doctorzamalek2.wordpress.com/2013/01/23/photo-of-zero-books-at-blackwells-on-charing-cross-road-london/

Initially championed by shadowy guru Nick Land at Warwick during the 1990s, he was later discovered to be an object of private fascination for all four original members of the twenty-first century Speculative Realist movement.

all four of them, eh

'he was later discovered…', like, by the same process of literary history that—oh no wait now this sentence is about the dude writing the sentence

Anyone read Neil Kulkarni's book?

http://thefantastichope.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/goodbye-zero-enter-repeater-books.html

i saw graham harman, the guy who discovered hp lovecraft, speak once at goldsmiths and it was the most pointless gibberish. speculative realism is straight nonsense. summary: "maybe tables have feelings...?"