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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Like many people across the business world, publishers have a skeptical view of so-called Big Data, seeing it as “the next big hype.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Premier Media Group publishes two local magazines aimed at Seattle suburbs, but the company is betting there's wider appeal for its yet-to-be-launched title: 425 Business. Just like the name suggests, the title will cover business news and culture for the 425 area co Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2014-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Little, Brown is to publish an “exceptionally beautiful and inspiring visual memoir”... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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German publisher Bastei Lubbe is the latest overseas publisher to use digital distribution to enter the U.S. market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sameer Hashmi reports from a bookstore in Mumbai, where a thirst for political insight is driving up book sales. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2014-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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To Kill a Mockingbird (William Heinemann) is to be published as an ebook for the first time by... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Journalist and author Edward Klein is returning to Regnery Publishing to release "Blood Feud," an account of the relationship between the Obamas and the Clintons. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Seven of the 17 titles shortlisted [see below] for the Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Disney Publishing Worldwide and Del Rey Books are teaming up to do a new line of Star Wars adult fiction novels. The publishers will be working directly with brand creator, Lucasfilm. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scott McCloud, cartoonist and author of the acclaimed trilogy on the nature of comics storytelling that includes “Understanding Comics,” will publish “The Sculptor,” his first major release in six years, in February 2015. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Response to "God and the Gay Christian" kicks off new Southern Baptist imprint; awards and honors; Logos offers Episcopal Church titles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Laurie Parkin, v-p and publisher of Kensington Publishing, will retire May 30 after serving in those positions since 1999. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New England is home to a number of large and mid-size publishers—the headquarters for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt are there, as is Perseus’s Da Capo Press and part of one of the big five trade houses, Hachette. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For more than a decade, PW’s annual fast-growing independent press feature has included a number of New England–based publishers, with 30-year-old Chelsea Green Publishing leading the way. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After months of uncertainty, efforts by former authors of MacAdam Cage, the now-defunct San Francisco independent publishing house, to retrieve the print rights to their books appear close to a resolution. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The L.A. Register's debut reflects a belief by the owner of Freedom Communications that print still sells well in the modern era of digital media.Commuters at Union Station in downtown L.A. got an early look Wednesday at the first edition of the Los Angeles Register. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2014-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dr. Thant Thaw Kaung is the founder of the Myanmar Book Center and executive director of the Myanmar Book Aid and Preservation Foundation. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Baker Publishing Group and Gospel Light announced that Baker will acquire Regal Books, the trade line of Ventura, Calif.-based Gospel Light. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Katie Bond, formerly Bloomsbury director of trade marketing and publicity, has been appointed... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Laurence King Publishing, an art and design house founded in the U.K. in 1991, is gearing up for the debut of This Is, a series of titles about 20th-century artists presented in the style of graphic novels, with illustrations, original art, and text. The first three titles—This Is Dali, This Is... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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