Mike Stoner couldn’t find a publisher for his story of an expat’s dark days in Indonesia – until he looked eastAs soon as I read Mike Stoner’s self-published novel, Jalan Jalan, I had a feeling that it ought to be able to find a commercial publisher. The book was the last winner of the Guardian’s self-published book of the month, which picked seven books from open submissions between June and December 2014 and reviewed them on the site. I followed the series from the start, but Jalan Jalan was the first entry to really catch my attention. The tale follows a heartbroken young Brit through Indonesia, where he finds himself embroiled in a murky world at the bottom of the expat barrel after accepting a teaching job at a dodgy language school after a five-minute telephone interview.Josh Lacey called it an “involving tale of self-transformation, and a welcome blast of heat and spice”. It’s all that and more; a curious blend of Alex Garland and Nick Hornby with a ghost thrown in for good measure. It has some memorable drug- and alcohol-fuelled set pieces, lots of very funny dialogue, and lashings of tropical atmosphere. But it also has a more complex, moving and rather magical core. The protagonist – whose name is not revealed until the final chapter – is haunted by memories of his dead girlfriend, and as the book progresses it becomes clear that there is more going on here than mere misadventure in a foreign land. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2016-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with:
#good measure
#final chapter
There is "an enormous business to be built in the book subscription space," similar to that in music and film, but more titles need to be made available by publishers, Scribd c.e.o. Trip Adler told the IPA Congress in Bangkok yesterday (24th March). Meanwhile HarperCollins chief digital officer... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#publishers urged
#business models
#ipa congress
The controversial news that media outlets including The New York Times and BuzzFeed may publish straight into Facebook’s ecosystem was a hot topic at Digiday’s Publishing Summit in Vail, Colorado, where hundreds of digital publishing executives are gathering this week to hash out the issues... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2015-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#publish straight
#hot topic
#publishing summit
#issues facing
#uncomfortable questions
#reader data
#referral traffic
Russia's Samokat has been awarded the Jeri Laber International Freedom to Publish Award from the Association of American Publishers. The post Publisher Who Defied Russia’s Anti-Gay Laws Wins AAP “Freedom” Award appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#post publisher
#publish award
#american publishers
If you’re a publisher, Facebook holds a lot of power. The social media giant is already responsible for directing up to 40 percent of some sites’ traffic, and 75 percent of BuzzFeed’s. Now, according to a report in The N ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
New books coming from Templeton Prize laureate; awards for books on preaching; CBA moves to new offices. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#books coming
#short takes
#religion publishing
When you think about Marriott, the hotel chain, chances are the first word you associate with the brand is not "publisher." And yet, the hotel company is attempting to rebrand itself as a media entity, in a move that's emblematic of a broader trend in content marketing. Marriott on Monday... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2015-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#content marketing
#digital publication
#content studio
#online media
#user-generated content
For its next algorithm change, Google is setting its sites on mobile. As the site's share of mobile searches approaches 50 percent, Google wants to crack down on sites with designs that are hostile to mobile screens. Google's fear is that if it links out to sites that don't work on mobile... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2015-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#mobile screens
#algorithm change
The march towards media companies publishing content directly to Facebook continues.Barely a month after Facebook Chief Product Officer Chris Cox said publicly that the social network wants to host media companies' articles and videos, The New York Times reported that BuzzFeed, National... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2015-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#facebook continues
#cautious approach
#national geographic
#coming months
Controversy has courted a pair of Australian cookbooks this week, with one being scrapped after claims that a recipe therein might be dangerous. The post Controversy Courts Several Australian Cookbook Publishers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
English Heritage Publishing will become known as Historic England Publishing as of 1st of April 2015. The name change is a result of the splitting of English Heritage into two corporations: Historic England and the English Heritage Trust. English Heritage Publishing will be a part of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#english heritage
#historic england
The news that Facebook is working with publishers to host their content has caused a lot of hand-wringing among those who worry about ceding too much control of ad revenue and data. But in some cases, it can make sense for a publisher. For new or small ones, Facebook's exposure can help them... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2015-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#facebook appeared
#publishing directly
#ad revenue
#make sense
#established players
Bloomsbury chief executive Nigel Newton has compared the state of publishing to the bus teetering half-way off a cliff edge at the end of the film "The Italian Job", on the opening day of the 30th International Publishers Congress in Bangkok (today, 24th March). But HarperCollins c.e.o. Brian... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#opening day
#24th march
#golden age
In his opening speech, Elsevier chairman Y. S. Chi emphasized the need to regard industry changes as opportunities instead of threats or diversions. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#digital economy
#opening speech
Pan Macmillan is to publish the sequel to the late Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom (Abacus). An incomplete draft of the new book, which does not yet have a title and which was started by Mandela before his death last year, is in the archives of the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#pan mac
#pan macmillan
Proposed plan for morning, lunchtime and afternoon editions is part of wider initiative called Project DThe Times is developing a new edition-based digital publishing model that would see its website refreshed at set times throughout the day, rather than updating as news breaks. The proposed new... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#publishing schedule
A sequel to Nelson Mandela's 1995 autobiography Long Walk to Freedom is to be published next year. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2015-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#nelson mandela
Canongate will publish a new book from musician Nick Cave, including a limited edition priced at £750. The Sick Bag Song will be published by Canongate on 8th April and sold exclusively through the site thesickbagsong.com. Based around Cave's 2014 tour of the US, it was originally written on... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#8th april
#originally written
#waste land
#las vegas
The New York Times reports that educational publisher Pearson has been “monitoring student media” to find possible "leaks" of the company's tests. The post Controversy: Pearson Publishing Monitoring Students’ Twitter Posts appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#twitter posts
As Google and Facebook control an increasing amount of ad spend, publishers realize that the only way they can stay competitive is to join forces. Enter the programmatic co-op, which Europe's publishers see as a way to combine both their audiences and data. It's all about scale. Buyers,... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2015-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#ad spend
#stay competitive
#join forces
#czech republic
#makes sense
Blink Publishing has acquired the autobiography of musician Professor Green. The book, Lucky, will be accompanied by “a ground-breaking app full of additional content and exclusive videos”, said the publisher. Acquisitions director Clare Tillyer bought world rights, excluding America, to Lucky... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#blink publishing
#additional content
#excluding america
#jon elek
#united agents