Free Spots for Indie Publishers at the 2007 Manila Book Fair

I’ve got A Lot of announcements to catch up on. Let’s start with this:

More details for indie publishers interested in featuring their work in the upcoming Manila Book Fair: it costs absolutely nothing to sell your work in the event. You just have to fill up a form, as the Read or Die Book Club explains (via the Bibliophile Stalker):

With permission by the Book Development Association Of The Philippines and the National Book Development Board, Read Or Die is inviting independent and small press publishers to sell their books (including comics, folios, magazines and chapbooks) at the 28th Manila International Book Fair. All merchandise will be consigned at the booths of the National Book Development Board and will be sold either by Read Or Die or NBDB staffers.

There is no selling fee and sellers will not be required to pay a commission. If you want to sell, all you have to do is fill out this form and turn over one copy of each of your works to the National Book Development Board.

Furthermore, Read Or Die requests that you register (also for free) with the Koop, a network of indie publishers which will publish joint catalogs, host book launches and workshops, and hold indie book fairs through Read Or Die, the National Book Development Board and Libro.ph. Clicking the checkbox next to “Join Koop” will enable registration. There are no terms and conditions in joining except insofar as you will be invited to attend workshops, events and exhibits on or about independent publishing.

Please make sure that you list your planned inventory in the submission form. We will mail catalogs of indie books and comics to interested librarians and schools before the Book Fair .

Deadline for submission of forms is on August 10, 2007.
So if you’ve finished a comic, a novel, a collection of stories/poems/plays, etc, and aim to make your work/s commercially available, give the Manila Book Fair a shot! It’s great exposure. Plus, a copy of your work is archived by the National Book Development Board, which will be mailing off a catalog of indie publications to interested libraries and schools. Breaking into the Pinoy publishing industry has never seemed easier!

I have a few questions, though I may just have missed the answers in the post:

1. What about digital copies of submissions? Or is the NBDB looking to archive only hard copies?

2. I’m wondering about the guidelines for those who don’t live in Metro Manila and can’t be present at the Book Fair… is there a way to showcase their work? Or is it strictly for Manila-based publishers?

3. When should people start mailing in copies of their work? Would an electronic submission do? Who will shoulder the cost of printing for all-electronic works?