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@ianwinwood.bsky.social

170 followers 170 following 110 posts

Bodies: Life & Death In Music published by Faber & Faber. Music and culture writer for the Telegraph and New European. Barnsley FC, New York Mets, New Jersey Devils. Lives in Camden Town, London.

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ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 1d

It’s about an ex-footballer. I think it’s 110% right.

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 3d

This is an exceptionally perceptive and knowledgeable piece about an exceptional writer, courtesy of @augstone.bsky.social and @thequietus.com

Aug Stone @augstone.bsky.social · 3d

Tomorrow's the big day!
thequietus.com/culture/book...

Nocturnal Admissions: Thomas Pynchon’s Shadow Ticket Reviewed | The Quietus

Aug Stone explores the myriad riddles and resonances of the new novel by the author of Gravity’s Rainbow

thequietus.com

1 1 1

Reposted

Aug Stone @augstone.bsky.social · 3d

Tomorrow's the big day!
thequietus.com/culture/book...

Nocturnal Admissions: Thomas Pynchon’s Shadow Ticket Reviewed | The Quietus

Aug Stone explores the myriad riddles and resonances of the new novel by the author of Gravity’s Rainbow

thequietus.com

1 4

Reposted

Simon Marks @simonmarksfsn.bsky.social · 6d

Mine for @theipaper.com:

inews.co.uk/news/world/t...

Trump’s threats are unprecedented – America’s laws are being shredded

Trump's desire to brutalise his opponents is like nothing we've seen before

inews.co.uk

5 15

Reposted

Iranzy Art @iranzye.bsky.social · 26d

Today I celebrate 1 month since the release of my graphic novel, if u haven't read it yet, it's free now with an option to tip, so go read it or I'll eat you 🍽️ 😂😂.

47pages- fully illustrated.
Tittle: STELLAR

9 78 430

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 7d

Her writing? Oh my days.

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 9d

Fair

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 10d

Oh, he has plenty of those. (I like to think I’m at least sufferable.)

I’ve read it 11 times, would you believe?

As well as being wonderful in every way, it’s also (I think) a good “in” to his wider body of work.

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 10d

Have you read Vineland, Kate? If not, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

(I’m sure you know this but Pynchon’s book was a major inspiration on the film.)

1 1

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 10d

It’s why breakthrough bands don’t come from London any more.

No one has a garage, and rent at rehearsal spaces is a major obstacle.

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 10d

It was doing better than a book by an “unknown” author should have been doing, and promoted more heavily.

Then Rowling leaked the truth of the situation in full.

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 10d

No, I don’t believe that I did. But of course it’s legitimate for you to interpret it that way.

So, I’ve just spoken to someone in publishing who knows the story. Initially, the first book was doing well enough that it was suspected that someone at Waterstones had been told of its provenance…

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 10d

That would be stipulated in the contract.

I’m saying “poor” by the metric of the publisher and the author, not by me.

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 10d

I think for Harry Potter it would, increasingly, be larger by a distance of galaxies.

But a book published pseudonymously? Much, much less.

Unless there was a clause in the contract that her name could be leaked if sales were poor.

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 10d

Question asked in good faith (and politely): what is the alternative inference?

Profitability (or lack of) and literary worth are doing business in the same post.

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ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 10d

Now *that* is very good.

👏👏👏

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 10d

Maybe. But you’re not one of them.

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 10d

Once again. I am not defending JK Rowling. I am defending the idea that books (in general) don’t have to turn a profit before they can be said to have literary merit.

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 10d

But according to the logic of the original post, the Harry Potter series has immense literary value… because it made immense profits.

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 10d

How will I cope?

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 10d

The point that was made was that the book had no merit *because* it made a loss. That’s what I was disputing.

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 10d

I’m doing no such thing.

I’m disputing the logic that only books that turn a profit have literary merit.

I’m not your pal.

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 10d

There’s some nice capitalist takes you have there.

5 1

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 10d

Only a very small number of books recoup their advance. Ninety percent of titles sell fewer than 2000 copies.

Your post implies that only books that turn a profit have literary merit.

Respectfully, I disagree.

10 1

ianwinwood.bsky.social @ianwinwood.bsky.social · 11d

At a wedding in New York, last week, I was introduced to Zohran Mamdani’s speechwriter. If you like people who constantly look past you to see if there’s anyone more important they could be chatting to, then he’s great.

But he’s a mad keen Derby County supporter. An expert. That I did not expect.