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):
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?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 .
Libro.ph soft launch
I wasn't able to plug this yesterday! This is going to take place later at 4 PM. Those who could, please do attend.
Join Read Or Die at the Libro.ph soft launch on June 30, 2007 at 4PM at the “Portrait Of The City†exhibit at the Glorietta 3 Park. Adarna House will also be on hand for a storytelling session for children. This event is part of the 11th Philippine Book Development Month and is made possible by the National Book Development Board and the Filipinas Heritage Library. FREE FOOD WILL BE SERVED. Or UCC Coffee, at least. And cakes.The lovely poster was designed by Mia of Miamor :)
Independent Publishers Welcome at the Manila Book Fair
This may be of special interest to independent publishers, and artists who wish to showcase their finished, unpublished work. The upcoming 2007 Manila Book Fair (August 29 - September 2) is open to indie publications!
From Read or Die:
[...] So to reiterate, if you are an independent publisher, you can sell in the Manila Book Fair. We have Mr. Ed Sabolvoro and Atty. Flores of the NBDB to thank for this and of course Mr. Sandoval of the Book Development Association of the Philippines as well. Indie! In the book fair! This ties up so nicely with Read Or Die’s collective function in the book fair called “Ang Bagong Libro.†We can host an event for independent publishers if enough people turn out. Atty. Flores told me that the NBDB will also support a discussion seminar/workshop about independent publishing. The website of “Ang Bagong Libro†is technically up–it’s here–though I’ll make a formal announcement about it in another entry since this post is already long enough. But! if you’re an indie publisher–that is, you’ve independently printed or produced literary works (komiks, stories, novels, zines, folios)–contact us at readordie.ph@gmail.com. If you’re reading this and you’re acquainted with an indie publisher (or publishers), please tell them about this offer.Read more about it at the Read or Die Weblog.
About the LitCritters
Discussions on Philippine speculative literature are by no means confined to Metro Manila. If you're interested in participating in a workshop on writing held outside of Manila, take a look at the workshops offered by the LitCritters.
The LitCritters is a small reading and writing group based in Manila, as well as in Dumaguete. Every week, we read and discuss several pieces of short fiction from various genres from different writers with the goal of expanding our reading horizons, improving our ability to critique, and learning how to write from the good texts. In addition to speculative fiction, we read Philippine literature in English, as well as world literature. Once in a blue moon, we are requested to conduct writing workshops (such as our recent 3-weekend stint at A Different Bookstore), and are planning to hold a more formal one, maybe next summer, as schedules and realities of life permit. For those who'd like to join us, we recommend participating in one of the workshops, or signing up for the LitCritter mailing list (which is basically me sending the readings once a week). We also accept the occasional sit-in (when we conduct sessions in restos or cafes). If you'd like to be on the mailing list or want to sit in on one of our sessions, email me at deanalfar(at)gmail(dot)com.check out this post by Dean Alfar for more details.