This Poem Here is …Here

traditional box of books shot. Cover image Covid Blooms by Paul Summers

One of my favourite moments in the publishing process, arrival of the first batch of books.

These will be going out to the author, Rob Walton, reviewers, and people who place pre-orders with us. You can do that in our webshop. If you want to buy it elsewhere you’ll have to wait until the end of March.

We first spotted Rob’s lockdown poems on his social media, because we follow him as we publishing several of his stories, and a couple of poems, in earlier anthologies.

After reading the first few aloud to my wife, I thought, this has to be dealt with, and enquired over the number of extant poems and how the creative splurge was going, and made an offer. A doesn’t remember all our author’s names, so when I told her we were going to do the book and she said who? my response was ‘What did you do on your first day back , darling? /Lick Yusuf. (1st June) and she knew immediately.

Then Rob went quiet on me, and on social media, and a tentative email revealed a covid related bereavement, shielding and a blaze of more poetry.

The light-hearted, funny and furiously angry observations of how life is lived in the Covid world remain, alongside the personal grief at how lives are also lost.

This book is dedicated to Rob’s dad, Frank Walton, 1933-2020

Frank Walton

Tymes Goe By Turnes has arrived

I’m almost as excited by the bilingual boxes from TJ Books as I am but the GORGEOUS cover by Kevin Threlfall.

fabulous cover by Kevin Threlfall
bilingual delivery boxes.

Get your order in now for delivery pre-publication. free ticket to the festival with every order received before 17th December.

The Solstice Shorts Festival, Tymes goe by Turnes is online this year, 21st December 2020 8pm GMT tickets suggested donation £5.

‘The Don’t Touch Garden’ books have arrived

Did you offer to review Kate Foley’s new poetry collection, The Don’t Touch Garden?

Did you preorder a copy?

Then watch out for a parcel headed your way… The printer just delivered…dont touch garden booksFeeling left out? Order your copy now. They won’t be available in the shops until October, get yours early.

dont touch garden pile

Pre-ordering Weird Lies and Mosaic of Air

mosaic glyphIt’s always nice to know your marketing works – how do we know? People buy things!

We’ve just had our third pre-order for Weird Lies and first for Mosaic of Air. Yes, it’s modest, but its a start.

So to get the message really clear: YOU DON’T HAVE TO WAIT! You can preorder our September books NOW (at a reduced price) and you will receive them ahead of publication as soon as we have them, at the same time as the reviewers. (And if you know anyone who might review for us, please tell us.)

Of course, the absolute best marketing is word of mouth, so please tell your friends, family, colleagues, your bookshop, your library, your reading group, the person sitting next to you on the bus…

weird handsSomething else we’d like you to tell them is that there are only 28 hours left to back our Kickstarter campaign. I know, I keep on about it, but if we don’t get all the money we don’t get any, so a big thank you to Steven in the USA who is our star backer so far (most recent and most generous), and who has also just ordered a copy of each of the existing books and preordered both September titles: we don’t know who you are, but we like you! (Thank you also to Rebecca, Wendy, Heath, Clare, Doris, Kenneth, David, Stephen, Carrie, Gloria, Edel and Lyn, whose generous pledges mean an enormous amount to us.)

There are still some great rewards left, including a copy of Weird Lies Author Joshan Esfandiari Martin‘s short Film Test Driving on DVD or BlueRay, or a guided walk around the City of London for up to 12 people with award-winning blue badge guide, (and Arachne Author) David Mildon, or a HANDWRITTEN unique, one-off episode of ‘Mrs Darcy versus the Aliens’ from Weird Lies Author Jonathan Pinnock, featuring YOU (or a nominated other if you are thinking of it for a gift) as a named character. A guaranteed collectors item of the future. (If it wouldn’t mean giving money to myself I’d have that one… Ooh! if anyone is stuck for a birthday present for me…).

Obviously, not everyone is in the position to be promising us money, so if you feel passionately about what we are trying to do here at Arachne Press and want to help, check out our support us page, there are lots of things that will help us, including pre-ordering Weird Lies and Mosaic of Air. And don’t forget, you technical whizzes you can now get our books on Kindle and ePub devices from your prefered retailers.