Throughout his career as a writer and a publisher, Tariq Goddard has pushed the envelope and created intellectual and artistic community. In Publishing, Goddard reflects on the three essential practices that have enabled him to persist in a difficult industry—reading, writing, and wondering—and offers motivation, inspiration, and justification for an inherently unpredictable and insecure livelihood. Goddard recounts the creation, rise, and cessation of his own presses, Zer0 and Repeater Books, to offer insight into the challenges of sustaining independent publishing houses. He draws from his experience on both sides of the editor’s desk to describe the differences between writing a novel and editing one as well as how time in each role has continuously informed the other. Publishing provides a critique of the publishing industry and an insider’s view of the tension between commerce and creativity.

Tariq Goddard is a British novelist, journalist, and publisher. He was cofounder of Zer0 and Repeater Books and is author of High John the Conqueror, Nature and Necessity, and Homage to a Firing Squad.

Prologue  vii
Introduction. A Note on My Terms  1
1. Reading
2. Writing
Wondering: A Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Appendix 1. Zer0 Books Publishing Statement
Appendix 2. Repeater Books Publishing Statement
Notes