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Humorist Books Announces the Release of Dystopian Workplace Satire “Cash Grab” by Andy Spain

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New York, NY – Humorist Books Announces the Release of Dystopian Workplace Satire “Cash Grab” by Andy Spain. In today’s entertainment industry, it takes more than just talent to make it big. Buddy Buppsen dreamed of working in television ever since he was a kid glued to the game shows on his foster parents’ TV, but now, with a college degree of questionable value in hand, Buddy discovers that a dream job is still just that—a job. Part absurdist satire of the entertainment industry, part slacker’s response to Atlas Shrugged, this debut comic novel by Andy Spain (McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Weekly Humorist, Points in Case) explores the nature of selling out, common decency, and dystopian workplace woes.

Bill Martin, writer and co-creator of The Unicorn and Grounded For Life, executive producer of 3rd Rock from the Sun says “If you’re a show biz insider, this book will make you laugh and cringe in equal measure. If you’re a show biz outsider, it’ll make you happy to stay that way. Cash Grab is dark, funny, and will definitely piss some people off!”

The book’s publisher, Weekly Humorist Editor-in-Chief, and Humorist Media CEO, Marty Dundics is thrilled at the book’s release. “This book is so funny and relatable to all of us toiling away day after day.”

Already a new release favorite! Cash Grab ranked in the TOP 50 for Absurdist Fiction on Amazon new releases!

CASH GRAB is available now. Buy it from amazon or cashgrabthebook.com

Watch trailer:

Watch Book launch event:

PROMO IMAGES:

Book images

Download cover

and Infosheet!

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About Humorist Media:

Humorist Media LLC is a comedy media company that publishes WEEKLY HUMORIST magazine, comedy podcasts- including TALKWARD (their flagship interview show), stand up comedy showcase show GUARANTEED DELIVERY! Humor fiction, parodies, cartoon collections, and joke book publishing via HUMORIST BOOKS, and develops streaming and traditional live action and animated scripted/unscripted entertainment through HUMORIST STUDIOS.

Number 1 in New Releases ‘A Devilishly Fun Book’ The Release of ‘Greg Maxwell’s Inferno’ The Erotic, Judeo-Christian, Modern-Day Odyssey No One Asked For

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New York, NY: Today, Humorist Books, imprint of Weekly Humorist Magazine, announced a new book release: Greg Maxwell’s Inferno by Keith James: “The erotic, Judeo-Christian, modern-day odyssey no one asked for.” 

It has been a long time coming but the release of Keith James’ new book Greg Maxwell’s Inferno is finally here. The Erotic, Judeo-Christian, Modern-Day Odyssey No One Asked For is now available to purchase and download from major retailers. This satirical take on Dante’s classic poem takes place in modern day San Diego where demons circle the city, Hell has come to claim the last mortal universe. A bleeding tower has burst through the 24-Hour Fitness parking lot, and one name is called to challenge Lucifer’s Champion –  Greg Maxwell. 

Who is Greg Maxwell? Imagine the person you would want to fight for humanity’s survival. Now think of the opposite person. Now think of that person’s dad. Cocaine. Talking animals. Weekend trips to Cape Cod. Secret JFK sex videos. This is the erotic, Judeo-Christian, modern-day Odyssey no one asked for. This is Greg Maxwell’s Inferno.

Mike Sacks, author of Stinker Lets Loose, Randy!, Poking a Dead Frog, calls it ‘“The funniest piece of fiction I’ve read since Trump’s ‘The Art of the Deal.’”

What a devilishly fun book is this.” says Brian Boone, contributor, Vulture;

“A good novel ought to knock a reader out of their own head and into the thoughts of an individual much different from themselves, and Greg Maxwell’s Inferno does just that, sending one headlong into the mind of a truly — but hilariously — deplorable individual as he somehow nonchalantly experiences some of the most impossible, imaginative, and consequential sequences ever attempted in a comic novel. What a devilishly fun book is this.” says Brian Boone, contributor, Vulture; author of Great Men of Science, and So You Want to Be an Old Person: Everything to Know for the Newly Old, Retiring, Elderly, or Considering

“This is a wild, bonkers, funny epic quest of a story.” says Marty Dundics, CEO of Humorist Media and Editor-in-Chief of Weekly Humorist Magazine. “The worlds created and characters are so extreme and the humor so blunt and raw, I think this is a read that will be hard for people to put down. You don’t have to like Greg Maxwell to care how this story ends. I look forward to seeing it as a streamer in the future.”

In its first 2 weeks Greg Maxwell’s Inferno has ranked #1 in New Releases for Absurdist Fiction, American Horror, Folklore, Urban Legends Humor, and in top 100 for Humorous Erotica! 

Keith James is a writer and performer from San Diego, California. He has trained and performed at Pack Theater, iO West, and UCB. His written work can be found in McSweeney’s, Second City’s Points in Case, the Taco Bell Quarterly, and others. He also writes and hosts the Gus Biblowitz: Basketball Legend audio series.

Greg Maxwell’s Inferno will be available starting August 10, 2021, at 13.99 paperback and 5.99 e-book on Amazon.com and wide release to bookstores and web outlets. For more information , visit  gregmaxwellsinferno.com

The audiobook for Greg Maxwell’s Inferno, read by the author, is available now. 

To purchase visit the Amazon page.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Humorist Books (August 10, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 172 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1954158084
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1954158085
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.39 x 9 inches

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About Humorist Media:

Humorist Media LLC is a comedy media company that publishes WEEKLY HUMORISTmagazine, comedy podcasts- including TALKWARD (their flagship interview show), stand up comedy showcase show GUARANTEED DELIVERY! as well as humor books and merchandise. They also develop streaming and traditional live action and animated scripted entertainment in addition to branded multi platform media. Press inquiries: info@humoristmedia.com

 

“Mom Jokes” Joke Book #1 On Amazon, Beats Out 99 Dad Joke Books

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NEW YORK, NY – Sometimes, you just need a laugh, but the whole world is in need of a good chuckle right about now. Perhaps that’s why the first release by New York City based independent comedian, writer and musician Jessica Delfino, “Dumb Jokes For Smart Folks” has shot up to the number one Kindle spot on Amazon in the Puns and Wordplay category. It’s also holding steady at the #23 bestselling Kindle in the Jokes and Riddles category.

 

In paperback, it’s in the top 100 in Puns and Wordplay and ready to break through the top 100 at #104 in Jokes and Riddles.

 

The book, a 130 page collection of impractical puns, juvenile jokes, bonkers bits, ridiculous references, witty wordplay and silly snippets is selling for $6 (Kindle) and $13.99 (Paperback). The book’s publisher, Humorist Books, created by Weekly Humorist magazine founder, Marty Dundics, is thrilled at the book’s success. “This book is so funny,” he said in an email. “I am so excited to be able to share it with the world.”

 

The writer, @JessicaDelfino is a veteran stand-up comedian, writer and “dirty folk rock” musician who pivoted into creating more parenting-based and written humor since the birth of her son in 2016. Her many years of tenacity in the gritty NYC comedy scene earned her high ranking celebrity endorsements, including comedians Colin Quinn, Jim Gaffigan and Dave Hill, writer and comedian Sara Benincasa, Seth Myers’ head writer Alex Baze, writer and illustrator Bob Itzkoff, New Yorker Cartoonist Bob Eckstein, and more. Her satire has been featured in the New Yorker, The New York Times, McSweeney’s and other publications.

Get your copy here:

https://www.amazon.com/Jokes-Smart-Folks-Jessica-Delfino-ebook/dp/B08P2BS444/ref=zg_bsnr_16232540011_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=WXP7VHP3BPS8WE8YRFSB

 

Contact: 

Andy Newton
andy@humoristbooks.com

NYC-Based Mom’s Debut Book of Puns, Wordplay Dumb Jokes for Smart Folks Aims to “Take Back Dad Jokes”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

NYC-based mom’s debut book of puns, wordplay Dumb Jokes For Smart Folks aims to “take back dad jokes”

NY, NY

 

A book of “dumb jokes”, as she puts it, is the first release and writer, comedian and musician Jessica Delfino’s debut book in a two-book deal with Humorist Books, the publisher of the online satire website, Weekly Humorist. The title borrows inspiration from “dad jokes”, children’s joke books and even risque humor.

 

Dumb Jokes For Smart Folks ($13.99) combines her original takes on puns, riddles, wordplay, traditionally-styled bits (consisting of a set up followed by a punchline) and deep meta dives into the classic joke form to deliver laughs for anyone who digs a good–or dad–joke. To get the most from it, readers must be willing to chuckle or guffaw at some and groan at others. The book is written for adults, and for kids whose parents like to answer awkward questions.

 

Her comedian friends took to Twitter to show support of the book’s upcoming release: retweets and well-wishes @JessicaDelfino included Jim Gaffigan, Sarah Cooper, Alex Baze, Jena Friedman, Nell Scovell, Alison Becker, Negin Farsad, Marina Franklin, Myq Kaplan and Sarah Solemani, among others.

 

Kidding around

 

Writer, comedian and musician Delfino grew up in New England. This allowed the perfect quiet, boring backdrop for a precocious girl such as herself to take in a wide spectrum of comedy above her age level. Maine humorist Tim Sample, the music of The Dr. Demento Show and Rodney Dangerfield’s “It Ain’t Easy Bein’ Me” are some of her early comedic influences (and later, 2 Live Crew), along with a varied literary humor canon, including “The Little Golden Book of Jokes and Riddles”, the poetry of Lewis Carroll (which her mom read to her as a child), “Truly Tasteless Jokes”, and every book that Stephen King ever wrote.

 

Jessica moved to New York City and worked steadfastly as a stand-up comedian and comedic musician there in the early ‘00s, sharing stages alongside then newbies Kevin Hart, Chelsea Peretti, Nick Kroll and Amy Schumer, among others. Ahead of the curve with a ribald 2006 YouTube viral comedy music video, twisted trailblazer Delfino’s early ode to a woman’s body part may have even helped pave the way for Awkwafina and Cardi B’s WAP.

 

She toured on the success of the aforementioned video until 2016, when motherhood took center stage. She shifted her focus to writing satire, essays and articles for publications such as The New Yorker Shouts, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, The New York Times, Working Mother, Mother Magazine, The Atlantic, SELF Magazine, High Times and Huffington Post. Her short, comedic parenting essay, “Driving Under The Influence Of Child” was featured in “Family Travel”, a book published by Gestalten in August 2020. Her writing was also included in Lenka Clayton’s “Mothers’ Days” journal. “Writing satire is a form of comedy that I can acceptably do in front of my child,” she explained.

 

Samples from her book

 

In addition to jokes that are straight-forward (and clean), such as:

 

How do you poach an egg? 

You just take it when the chicken isn’t looking

What do british people call chips? 

Bloody delicious, mate!

 

There are plenty of NSFWs (and bizarre references) in the mix:

 

What happens when a woman gets impregnated by a Moby Dick?

She births the Triplets of Melville

 

How long does it take for a man with a large penis to wash his goods?

A very schlong time

 

There are also “runs” of jokes, where a series of jokes are told together, building on each other:

 

What do you call someone who is hungry and mad at the same time?

Hangry

 

What do you call someone who is hungry and sexy at the same time?

Horngry

 

What do call someone who gets hungry after sex?

Donegry

 

What do you call a one legged pair of pants?

Dungaree

 

What do you call someone who works up an appetite while engaging in witty wordplay?

Pungry

 

And some that even resemble crossword puzzle clues, sort of:

 

The opposite of out +

the thing a fish swims with +

what you say when you don’t know the answer +

what the Brits drink all the damn time =

Infiniti

(In / Fin / Uh / Tea)

“Mom jokes”

 

Some of her references are literary or slightly advanced, yet, still playfully dumb; others nod at what is historically known as a “dad joke”. Delfino, mom of one toddler, claims that a goal with this book is to take “dad jokes” back.

 

“Dads aren’t the only ones who can tell dumb jokes,” Delfino explains. “It just seems that way, because they get to be the fun, cool ones while moms are constantly busy and overextended–but I’m a mom, and I can tell dumb jokes, too. Except I call them mom jokes.”

 

Anyone in need of a laugh (which is pretty much everyone?) can pre-order their copy at DumbJokesForSmartFolks.com, to arrive just in time for Thanksgiving.

 

No refunds.

 

Press contact:

Andy Newton
Andy@HumoristBooks.com

Endorsements and Quotes

“Jessica Delfino is an awesome storyteller, performer, writer, and general raconteur. She’s a hilarious, thought-provoking heroine of a defiant downtown NYC art world. She has blown me away every time I’ve seen her perform, and her tales are moving, strange, smart, funny, poignant, and beautiful. Read everything she writes, please.”

–Sara Benincasa, author of DC Trip and Real Artists Have Day Jobs

“Jessica Delfino is a bright, bright light in dark times. And when times are good and Jessica is around forget it – you better put on some damn sunscreen pronto or you’re gonna wind up in the hospital. I guess what I’m trying to say is Jessica is a hilarious, beautiful, and unique voice that brings me great joy constantly. Also, she has a flying V ukulele and I am super jealous.” – Dave Hill, comedian, WFMU host and author of Tasteful Nudes: …and Other Misguided Attempts at Personal Growth and Validation

“I’ve never known anyone as thoroughly dedicated to joy and silliness as Jessica Delfino. She’s a workhorse, but instead of a horse, a unicorn.” — Alex Baze, Head writer, Late Night with Seth Meyers

“Jess was a one woman mixed media event before people knew that could be a thing!” — Colin Quinn

“She’s a brilliant writer.” –Wil Wheaton, Wil Wheaton dot Net

“Of all the literary greats, Jessica is my favorite. Jessica Delfino is the best writer to walk this planet! Wait, is it Jessica or Jennifer? How do I know you again?”– Jim Gaffigan, Comedian

“Jessica Delfino has sang, danced, and comedianed her way to LES notoriety– some feat” –Time Out New York

Humorist Books Announces 2 Book Deal With Comedian Jessica Delfino

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NEW YORK- Weekly Humorist imprint Humorist Books to publish Dumb Jokes For Smart Folks (due out November 27th) and Moms Who Kill, by comic and New Yorker contributor Jessica Delfino.

Dumb Jokes For Smart Folks combines wordplay and humorous themes to deliver laughs to anyone who digs a good–or at least a heartfeltfully written–joke. To get the most out of this book, readers should be willing to chuckle or guffaw at some and groan at others. It’s written for adults and any precocious kids left out there who still read their parents’ joke books. 

The second title, Moms Who Kill, is a collection of humorous essays by mothers about raising children and family. It should be noted that these are no ordinary mothers, but such luminary comedians and writers as NPR’s Ophira Eisenberg, The New Yorker’s Emily Flake, and many more.

Dumb Jokes For Smart Folks is inspired by the children’s joke books and even some of the more adult humor that Jessica Delfino grew up reading and listening to in her New England hometown. Maine humorist Tim Sample, the music of the Dr. Demento show and Rodney Dangerfield’s “It Ain’t Easy Bein’ Me” are some of her earliest humor influences (and later, 2 Live Crew). These, along with such a wide and varied literary humor canon as “The Little Golden Book of Jokes and Riddles”, to the poetry of Lewis Carroll that her mother used to read to her, to “Truly Tasteless Jokes,” along with every book that Stephen King ever wrote. Always precocious, she read and took in comedy, movies and music

Jessica writing jokes from a remote location in the woods.

above her age level, and was ahead of the curve with a 2006 YouTube viral comedy music video: an ode to a woman’s body part that Awkwafina and WAP might have even been inspired by.

Jessica worked as a stand-up comedian and comedic musician in New York City from the early 2000s, touring on the success of the aforementioned viral video from 2006 until more recently, when motherhood took center stage. She shifted her focus to writing satire, essays and articles for publications such as The New Yorker Shouts, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, The New York Times, Working Mother, Mother Magazine, The Atlantic, SELF Magazine, Huffington Post and Pitchfork. Her short, comedic parenting essay “Driving Under The Influence Of Child” was also featured in Gestalten’s parenting book published in August 2020, and her writing was included in Lenka Clayton’s, “Mothers’ Days” journal.

Humorist Books is an offshoot of Weekly Humorist, with Andy Newton as editor and Marty Dundics as publisher.

For more, go to DumbJokesForSmartFolks.com. Jessica can be found on Twitter @jessicadelfino, and her personal site, www.jessicadelfino.com. 

 

Humorist Books is Open for Submissions

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NEW YORK CITY, New York – Weekly Humorist’s publishing humor imprint, Humorist Books has launched it’s first submission call for the month of May! All humor types are accepted, fiction, comics, gift books and more! From the release:

Humorist Books is open for submissions for the entire month of May! We’re casting a wide net. Novels; essay, short story, and humor collections; parodies; novelty books; comics; poetry—we want to see it all.

Since launching last year, Humorist Books has come out with two titles, From the Campaign Trail or Thereabouts, a novel by Michael Bleicher and Andy Newton, and If You Give the President a Twitter Account, a children’s book parody written and illustrated by Matt Lassen, and there are more to come in 2020.

What to include in your submission: Please email a query letter and the first 50 pages of your manuscript to submissions@humoristbooks.com  (If your manuscript is fewer than 50 pages, send the whole thing over.) Simultaneous submissions are absolutely fine. Just let us know if you need to withdraw your manuscript from consideration.

Responses will be slow to come—likely, glacially so. Thank you for bearing with us and not filling our inbox with follow-up messages.

Any submissions received after May 31st will be ignored with all the steadfastness of your protestant father. If you aren’t able to submit your query before the end of May, don’t worry, we will reopen for submissions again in the fall/winter.

 

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About Humorist Media:

Humorist Media LLC is a comedy media company that publishes WEEKLY HUMORIST magazine, comedy podcasts- including TALKWARD (their flagship interview show), stand up comedy showcase show GUARANTEED DELIVERY! as well as humor books and merchandise. They also develop streaming and traditional live action and animated scripted entertainment in addition to branded multi platform media. Press inquiries: info@humoristmedia.com

Debut Satire Novel ‘From The Campaign Trail Or Thereabouts’ Comes Out Sept 12th From Humorist Books!

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Book Announcement: From the Campaign Trail or Thereabouts

Political Novel to be Released Under New Humor and Satire Imprint!

 

NEW YORK, NY, September 3, 2019 – Humorist Books, the new imprint of comedy website the Weekly Humorist, will release its first title on September 12, 2019, From the Campaign Trail or Thereabouts, by Michael Bleicher and Andy Newton (ISBN 9780359807260 | Paperback | 320 pages | $24.99). A political satire set during the 2016 election, the episodic novel dissects America’s often-carnivalesque electoral process and the beginnings of the Trump era just as readers will be gearing up for another round at the polls in 2020.

 

From the Campaign Trail or Thereabouts is the story of two insulated Upper West Side journalists, Harold Carlyle, a self-serving, incompetent reporter desperate to save both his career and marriage, and his wife, Pattie, an observant, sharp-tongued, and successful television critic. When Harold is assigned to report on the 2016 Presidential Election, he hatches a scheme to save his marriage by taking his wife Pattie with him across the country, pledging that they’ll be able to reach San Diego’s idyllic shores on his publication’s dime. As Harold lackadaisically covers the Republican campaign, the couple encounters America’s absurdities and dark contradictions, from a Neo-Nazi group preoccupied with following parliamentary procedure, to Iowa state fairs, a pair of 9/11 Truthers celebrating their golden anniversary on a cross-country train trip, a Russian food cart vendor who seems to pop up at campaign events around the country, pay-by-the hour motels, online trolls, combination truck stops and adult emporiums, I Love Lucy, and the dubious efficacy of their marriage counselor’s communication exercises. Despite his elaborate schemes and quick-witted excuses, Harold’s career and marriage continue to unravel, until he stumbles upon a flash drive with transcripts of off-color conversations revealing collusion between Donald Trump and a Kremlin emissary. 

 

From the Campaign Trail or Thereabouts dives into the contradictory, divided, and all-too-often unsettling state of the union. Like Huck Finn meets Game Change, the novel examines the politicians and popular figures who played starring roles in 2016 and holds up a mirror to the electorate that ultimately made Trumpism possible. At the same time, the narrative is propelled by the comic friction of the reader’s two guides on this trek, a class-conscious striver continually failing upward and a sardonic workaholic with codependency issues. Characterized by brisk, witty banter, Harold and Pattie’s marriage grounds the satire in a jocose, humanizing story of a troubled relationship and foiled ambition.

 

Corey Brettschneider, professor of political science at Brown University and author of the book, The Oath and the Office: A Guide to the Constitution for Future Presidents, says of Michael and Andy’s work, “In their debut novel, Bleicher & Newton make it clear they are in the forefront of a new generation of political satirists.” Veteran comedian Richard Lewis writes, “I almost died laughing. In fact, I probably should be dead.”

 

The Webby-nominated Weekly Humorist is a comedy website that publishes cartoons and print humor, produces podcasts, and hosts a monthly standup comedy show in downtown Manhattan. Headed by Founder and Editor-in-Chief Marty Dundics and Managing Editor Kit Lively, Paste Magazine named it in their article, “7 Humor Websites You Should Be Reading.” They announced their book publishing venture in July 2018. From the Campaign Trail or Thereabouts will be the first of several planned releases from new and classic authors alike.

Michael Bleicher and Andy Newton write fiction and short humor about politics, money, and privilege. Their work has appeared in the Weekly Humorist, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Vulture, National Lampoon, Points in Case, Public House, and Crack the Spine. Michael is a graduate of Harvard Law School. He is an attorney living in Washington, D.C. Andy has a Master’s degree in Italian literature from UCLA. He is an editor living in New York City. Their debut novel, From the Campaign Trail or Thereabouts, will be published September 12, 2019 by Humorist Books. They are above average in height and know the harmony parts to most Simon and Garfunkel songs.

 

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For more information about From the Campaign Trail or Thereabouts and Humorist Books, contact Michael Bleicher and Andy Newton. You may also visit the following websites:

 

From the Campaign Trail or Thereabouts: http://campaigntrailbook.com

Weekly Humorist: https://www.weeklyhumorist.com/

Humorist Books: http://humoristbooks.com/

Humorist Media Launches Comedy Book Imprint with Lulu Distribution

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NEW YORK CITY, New York – Humorist Media has launched a book publishing imprint, HUMORIST BOOKS with Lulu distribution. Humorist Books will feature new, fresh, satire voices. Among the first scheduled releases will spotlight author Johnny Wright and his Meanwhile In Donald Trump’s White House series and Andy Newton & Michael Bleicher’s 2016 election campaign road story.

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About Humorist Media:

Humorist Media LLC is a comedy media company that publishes WEEKLY HUMORIST magazine, comedy podcasts- including TALKWARD (their flagship interview show), stand up comedy showcase show GUARANTEED DELIVERY! as well as humor books and merchandise. They also develop streaming and traditional live action and animated scripted entertainment in addition to branded multi platform media. Press inquiries: info@humoristmedia.com