Joining the dots with author and publisher Tariq Goddard

A Huck Podcast — Joining The Dots is a Huck podcast. In the latest episode, we talk to author and publisher Tariq Goddard about his work with Repeater Books.

As the co-founder of groundbreaking indie publishing imprints Zero and Repeater Books, Tariq Goddard has spent years championing scores of voices that may never have been heard otherwise. An acclaimed novelist himself, the mission of both Zero and Repeater has mirrored that of Huck – to provide a platform for narratives shut out of the mainstream. In our latest episode of the Joining the Dots podcast, Tariq joins us to talk about a decade in the publishing industry, an unlikely and enduring friendship with British musicians Suede, and the ever-influential Mark Fisher.

On being a writer and publisher

“Being a writer and a publisher is like being a player-manager in football. You understand what it is to play and want to be picked, how your entire world depends on your game. And then from the other side, you are having to manage many other people like that, including yourself. I think my time as an author gave me a good insight not only into what it feels like to be an author but why writing is important to authors, why it is their entire universe. As a publisher, I have respect for that. I am at the service of authors, in the way that I wanted publishers to be with me when I was writing.”

On the shift from the esoteric to the mainstream

“When we started Zero, it was very much an anomaly, unusual, strange, nearly esoteric on the fringes and on the margins. Whereas with Repeater now, without really changing our mission statement, our goals or our writers we work with, is solidly mainstream. And that is partly because of the way millennials have created a new political climate that hopefully, we might have modestly influenced.”

On post-COVID conservatism

“Perhaps if anything lasting comes out of the COVID period for us, it is that Repeater will be able to take advantage of a new conservatism that kicks in, a new aversion to risk. Because in the last 10 years since Zero, the mainstream publishers don’t seem to have taken the hint. They don’t seem to have adjusted or changed, or embraced anything challenging, which is why we are still necessary.”

On the alchemy of literature

“One of the great things about being a writer is that no matter how many bad things happen to you, it could all be material. It could all be redemption and salvation. You can take the blackest, most dead-end cul-de-sac experience, and hopefully, through the process of writing, the alchemy will turn it into redemptive gold. Books are still the most effective way of distilling and presenting what you have to say and have to offer to the world.”

On Mark Fisher

“He didn’t arrive with one massive systematic theory, he wasn’t a system builder. Instead, he took a passionate interest in what people liked, and from there looked to philosophise, universalise and understand why the world was working in the way that it was.”

Listen to Joining the Dots on acastSpotifyiTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts and be sure to subscribe to get each new episode delivered straight to your feed.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Ad

Latest on Huck

Red shop frontage with "Open Out" branding and appointment-only signage.
Activism

Meet the trans-led hairdressers providing London with gender-affirming trims

Open Out — Since being founded in 2011, the Hoxton salon has become a crucial space the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Hannah Bentley caught up with co-founder Greygory Vass to hear about its growth, breaking down barbering binaries, and the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Cyclists racing past Palestinian flag, yellow barriers, and spectators.
Sport

Gazan amputees secure Para-Cycling World Championships qualification

Gaza Sunbirds — Alaa al-Dali and Mohamed Asfour earned Palestine’s first-ever top-20 finish at the Para-Cycling World Cup in Belgium over the weekend.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Crowded festival site with tents, stalls and an illuminated red double-decker bus. Groups of people, including children, milling about on the muddy ground.
© Alan Tash Lodge
Music

New documentary revisits the radical history of UK free rave culture

Free Party: A Folk History — Directed by Aaron Trinder, it features first-hand stories from key crews including DiY, Spiral Tribe, Bedlam and Circus Warp, with public streaming available from May 30.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Weathered wooden building with a tall spire, person on horseback in foreground.
Culture

Rahim Fortune’s dreamlike vision of the Black American South

Reflections — In the Texas native’s debut solo show, he weaves familial history and documentary photography to challenge the region’s visual tropes.

Written by: Miss Rosen

A collage depicting a giant flup for mankind, with an image of the Earth surrounded by planets and people in sci-fi costumes.
Culture

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind

Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.

Written by: Emma Garland

Three orange book covers with the title "Foreign Fruit" against a dark background.
Culture

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”

Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.

Written by: Katie Goh

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.