SOS—SAVE OUR SCAT!

HELP KEEP BLACK SCAT BOOKS FLOWING...

Norman Conquest (aka Derek Pell) has been publishing ever since he was a teen. In his own words: “I published my first lit mag, Pulse, when I was fifteen. It was photocopied and I don’t remember how many copies I unleashed on the unsuspecting public. A year later, I edited another xeroxed magazine called Black Journal and managed to produce 4 or 5 issues. I saved up a whopping  $250 and purchased a used mimeograph and began publishing saddle-stitched pamphlets of poetry and prose and "Freedom Zap" broadsides. The quality left plenty (if not everything) to be desired. So when I could afford it, I’d splurge and have the covers offset by a local printer. After my years as a teenage publisher, I was fortunate to receive funding through the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts which allowed me to publish seven issues of an offset printed  lit mag called Not Guilty!  I managed to publish many of the poets, writers & artists I admired: Michael McClure, Anne Waldman, Ed Sanders, Tuli Kupferberg, Patti Smith, Janine Pommy-Vega, Norman Rubington, Russell Edson, and others.”

Today, the weird/wild/wicked  books that Black Scat  publishes  are the result of Norman's passionate devotion to non-commercial art & fiction and his many years of  hard work. Specializing in absurdist humor and offbeat titles, this little press is unlike anything on the indie scene.

You may be surprised to learn, Black Scat Books is essentially a one-man-band! Since July 4th, 2012, Norman Conquest has managed to publish nearly 100 books, including limited edition chapbooks, broadside posters, and 15 issues of the magazine Black Scat Review --  all by himself.  Black Scat has published experimental novels, short story collections, art, absurdist humor, and original translations from the French--including the first English translations of 6 books by the great French humorist Alphonse Allais.

Norman devotes his time to hand-picking strange & unusual texts and art, editing, proofreading, laying out editions, creating eye-popping cover designs, typesetting, marketing, and correspondence. He is not compensated for the work and Black Scat sales do not offset his basic overhead costs.

NOW -- oh no! -- his computer is down and he needs to replace it along with the outdated software. He also would like to pay his authors and contributors. Your donation can make this happen and keep the good Scat flowing. There are lots of exciting projects in the pipeline -- including the first American edition of Alphonse Allais’s DOUBLE OVER!

By donating  now you can get some cool free  perks, too. Check them out on the right side of this page. And we'll be adding to the list as the campaign goes on.

Please help support Norman so Black Scat  can continue publishing its special brand of sublime art and literature.