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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The just-concluded Asian Festival Children’s Content (AFCC), which ran from May 30 to June 4 in Singapore, hosted around 100 speakers from 16 different countries. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tablet Magazine profiles Halban Publishers, which they describe as “the best little Jewish publishing house in London." Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scholarly and academic publisher Colin Jones passed away on March 1, after a bout with Alzheimer's Disease. He was 76. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kenya's Kwani? expresses frustration at the reluctance of publishers from the "global north" to deal rights for co-editions or ebooks to publishers from Africa. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Company hit by launch of Stylist in France and investment in fashion website Never UnderdressedMagazine publisher ShortList Media has reported a loss of almost £1m in its most recent annual accounts after being hit by the tough launch of Stylist in France and investing in fashion site Never... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The same content management system that helped The Dodo reach 1 million views in its first month is now available to all.When the animal news site The Dodo launched in January, it was able to bring in 1 million views in its first month without a single developer. That number has now grown to 7.5... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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J.K. Rowling's publisher is laying off some employees amid a dispute with the industry's biggest book seller. Hachette Book Group cites a "changing marketplace" for layoffs that will affect less than... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2014-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon.com's negotiations with publisher Hachette Books Group have sparked a wave of anger toward the e-commerce giant from authors and readers alike. Several authors and analysts have spoken out, saying Amazon is a threat to traditional publishers. Perhaps. But whatever is going on in the... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal
[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2014-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Religion publishers showcased big new books and previewed forthcoming titles—including the Duck Dynasty patriarch's autobiography and a VeggieTales comic book series--at BookExpo America in New York May 23-31. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Religion publishers were busy during BookExpo America's three-day run in New York May 29-31. Their participation seems to have stabilized--there were no new dropouts, and some publishers have returned after taking breaks over costs vs. benefits, finding the show valuable after all. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Religion publishers showcased big new books and previewed forthcoming titles—including the Duck Dynasty patriarch's autobiography and a VeggieTales comic book series--at BookExpo America in New York May 23-31. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nicholas Lemann has hired Camille McDuffie as publisher and Jimmy So as editor at "Columbia Global Reports," a new publishing project dedicated to coverage and analysis of under-reported global issues. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Newspaper and magazine publishers have always been rather more than pure media companies. Look back a hundred years and you’ll find a multiplicity of reader promotions and clubs designed to keep readers loyal. Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google is launching a programmatic video marketplace that it says will only include premium publishers and select brands. Neal Mohan, vp of display and video advertising, announced the video ad platform today at a DoubleClick customer conference. The marketplace is called Google Partner Select... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2014-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Byliner, a company that publishes long, literary journalism and fiction online and as ebooks, told its contributors Tuesday that it has been struggling and is seeking partners to ensure its future. The company started in 2011 with some fanfare. It ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News Corp co-chairman said competitors were 'irresponsible' to talk about a time when it would stop printing newspapers The co-chairman of News Corp, Lachlan Murdoch, has mounted a strong defence of the future of newspapers in the digital age while condemning his Australian competitors for... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#digital age
More people are buying more books than ever, and more people are making a living by writing them. Why do millionaire authors want to destroy the one company that's made this all possible?As an author of ten novels legacy-published, self-published, and Amazon-published I'm bewildered by the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Prominent African-American and Hispanic children's book publishers, publicists, agents, and authors were featured on the BookCon panel "Where Are the People of Color in Children's Books?" held on Saturday, May 31. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The biggest players in the online publishing space converged in Barcelona this week to discuss the wholesale transformation of the industry into a digital and multiplatform phenomenon. We asked a handful of them one simple question: What's next for native advertising? The post Where top... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2014-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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People magazine lost roughly a dozen staff members to layoffs and buyouts last week, according to people familiar with the matter. The departures come just before Time Inc., owner of People, starts to trade independently of Time Warner on Monday, June 9.People is the largest money maker at Time... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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