How self-published novel Jalan Jalan took flight with an Asian publisher

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 ]
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France's publishers pay tribute to Charlie Hebdo staff

The French Publishers Association (Syndicat National de l’Edition, SNE) said in a statement this afternoon that it was “deeply upset” by today's terror attack against publication Charlie Hebdo and “freedom of the press, expression and right to publish, the foundations of democracy.”  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Police guard at Houellebecq's French publisher

A reinforced police guard has been installed at the offices of Flammarion, publisher of Michel Houellebecq's latest novel Soumission (Submission), according to the website of French daily Le Parisien. The novel, published in France today (7th January), is set in 2022 and tells of a new Muslim... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nathan L. Brown: The Self-Publishing Poet Laureate

Oklahoma's former Poet Laureate Nathan Brown discusses how his career was transformed by his decision to transition into self-publishing, tripling sales. The post Nathan L. Brown: The Self-Publishing Poet Laureate appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Weekly's Top Comics Stories of 2014

The 10 most popular stories about graphic novel and comics published on publishersweekly.com in 2014. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kickstarter publishing projects raised $22m in 2014

Publishing projects launched on crowd-sourcing website Kickstarter raised $21.8m (£15m) internationally in 2014, according to the company’s end-of-year round-up. Last year, 22,252 Kickstarter projects reached their funding goals thanks to $529m of pledges from 3.3m backers. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Belarusian publisher on trial for selling books without state registration

Declared ‘extremist’ by repressive regime, Ihar Lohvinau faces heavy fine and the closure of shop described as ‘vital hub for the country’s fragile literary community’An award-winning publisher in Belarus who angered the country’s government by publishing a book containing an image of police... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Buzzfeed's New Publisher Says Data Shows Emotional Content, Shareability Key to Viral Success

  Photo: Alfred Maskeroni Specs Who Dao Nguyen New gig Publisher, BuzzFeed Old gig Vp of growth and data, BuzzFeed Age 41 Twitter @daozers What do you do as publisher? Publishing is literally the act of making information available to the public. For a purely digital operation like... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Court Rejects Publishers’ Latest Appeal in GSU Copyright Case

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Four Questions for...Intrinseca Publisher Jorge Oakim

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Microcosm Mergers with Elly Blue Publishing

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What does ‘premium publisher’ mean, anyway?

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[ Digiday | 2015-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Weekly's Top Cooking Stories of 2014

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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UK Publishers Discuss Favorite Books of 2014

The Guardian looks back on 2014 from the perspective of a long list of British publishers, asking, what books made their year? The post UK Publishers Discuss Favorite Books of 2014 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Ways of Publishing Translations

Janklow & Nesbit literary agent Rebecca Carter discusses how independent publishers specializing in translation are changing the market for the better. The post New Ways of Publishing Translations appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is self-publishing a good idea? I can’t get a deal for the novel I’ve written

I’m worried it will cost too much and don’t know what cover price to chargeEvery week a Guardian Money reader submits a question, and it’s up to you to help him or her out – a selection of the best answers will appear in next Saturday’s paper.This week’s question Continue reading... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gift Books Are Big Business for Christian Publishers

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Belarus publisher faces January trial

Ihar Lohvinau, who won the International Publishers Association's Freedom to Publish Prize 2014 earlier this year, is to face judgement and sentencing in January, charged with selling books from his Belarus bookshop without state registration. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Smashwords Self-Published Bestseller List, November 2014

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Best books, bestsellers, and the most-anticipated new titles—here are the 10 most popular stories on publishersweekly.com in 2014. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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German newspaper publisher wants reporters to use English

Axel Springer goes Anglophone to seek an international audience Continue reading... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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