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 .
Plug: The Medieval Studies Society of the Philippines
Mr. Ralfy Acuña left a comment at my blog talking about his organization, the Medieval Studies Society of the Philippines (MSSP). For those who may be interested in joining, here's Mr. Acuña's announcement:
Greetings! We are in the process of forming a Medieval Studies Society of the Philippines (Mediaevalis Studii Philippinarum Insularum Societas). The core members are professors and researchers in philosophy, literature, theology, history, and political science from the Ateneo de Manila University, San Beda College, University of Asia and the Pacific, and the University of the Philippines (Cebu, Diliman, and Manila campuses). The goal of the Society is to foster the study of medieval cultures from different parts of the world. Planned activities include tours of local sites such as churches, academic lectures and conventions, exhibitions, educational outreach programs, and publications. We would like to work with various local groups interested in topics connected to medieval culture, including C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, fantasy fiction, the Gothic, and others. We would like to invite you to subscribe to our low-volume announcement mailing list, which you can join by sending e-mail to mspis-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mspis/. We'll send updates to the list once a month, including updates to the website. (The current website of the Society is located at http://mssp.kritikon.net, but it only contains a banner. I'll try to update it during the next few days.) Finally, you have any questions or comments, you may write to medievalph at gmail dot com. Feel free to offer suggestions on what you want the Society to exhibit or discuss in the future. Regards, Ralfy AcunaI confess I'm curious about how "medieval" Philippines will be represented here. Wikipedia says "The Middle Ages are commonly dated from the 5th century fall of the Western Roman Empire until the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire in the 15th century," although this is still disputed. But if we're going by the general time frame, this would be pre-Spanish era, yes? The Spanish explorers and colonizers came sometime during the 16th century, IIRC. Writers who lean toward a specific subgenre of speculative fiction (alternate history) could learn a lot from the group discussions. Also, history is fun!
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.
Philippine Genre Stories Calls for Christmas-Themed Fiction
I'm afraid I'm running a bit late on updating the blogroll, but I hope next weekend will leave me more time for that...
I'm a few days late spreading the word about this too - an event like this is best announced as early as possible!
Philippine Genre Stories is planning a Christmas theme for its December 2007 issue, and is looking for contributors. Excerpted from their official announcement:
Send us a Christmas-themed genre story for the 2007 Yuletide season. Consider it a challenge to write a horror, crime, suspense, humor, fantasy, alternate-history, sci-fi, speculative, ghost, romance, or mystery tale around the Yuletide season. Just to put some additional seed to thought: how would you weave the usual traditions we see, hear, and experience around Christmas into a genre story? You can use the holiday setting and place a crime in a department store at the height of Christmas rush for a detective story, for example, or you can even turn this on its head and place the crime in Santa's workshop ("Ho Ho...Hey! Who stole all the toys?") where the Detective who has to solve it is some diminutive, smart-aleck elf, or perhaps some sentient P.I. doll. Or how about: what would zombies eat for noche buena?Time to start thinking Christmas, and start working on your submission/s for this special issue! PS: Added a favicon: the Philippine flag, in honor of Philippine Independence Day. My younger sister, the artist, said the scrolling text is tacky. But I'm kind of getting used to it, so unless I find a compelling number of objections, I'm keeping it :P So... does the favicon scrolling text disturb you? Does it make your day? Is it just "okay"? Speak your mind!
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.
Submit to Philippine Genre Stories
It's always great to see more entrants to the local fiction market. Spec fic writers who are interested in getting published may wish to check out Philippine Genre Stories.
The following introductory info was taken from their submission guidelines.
We are looking for a few good stories. Ones that catch a reader's attention and captivate them so much that they lose sense of time and place in the real world because you, the writer, have drawn them to other times and places, ones of your own creation. We are a small publishing firm based in Manila, Philippines, and we hope to receive well-written, quality stories. Set them anywhere: in the Philippines, in another country (real or imagined), on the moon, under the sea, in outer space, anywhere. Populate them with characters of your own creation. And tell the story you want to tell! This does not mean we will only accept contributions from Filipino writers, by the by. We are looking for good stories. Well-written ones, in fact. As far as we know, good stories can be told by anyone no matter who you are. Another thing. We are looking for genre stories. Fantasy, science-fiction, speculative, crime, mystery, detective, horror, suspense. You can write and submit a very commercial, action-packed, plot-driven story, or a light, funny, and humorous one, or a very moody, artsy tale packed with lyrical prose and a lot of characterization, symbolism, irony, and what have you. Just make sure your story will fall into any of the above genres. And make them good and well-written. We can’t say that enough.Read more here. They already have two issues out, and they're still accepting contributions! As soon as I finish something that's somehow worth reading, I might try submitting :P
Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah the Musical
A post reviewing this landmark fantasy work is long overdue. In the meantime, here's a heads up on the hit musical based on the comic book, for those who haven't seen it yet.
Via missingpoints:
Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Ze Muzikal (based on the award winning graphic novel by Carlo Vergara) has performed to sold out houses at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and garnered rave reviews from both critics and the public alike. Now for its third (and reportedly final) run, Zsa Zsa will once again battle giant frogs, rampaging zombies and power-tripping extra-terrestrial Amazons, this time at the heart of the Makati CBD. KEY DETAILS: Show Date: June 15 to July 1, 2007 Venue: Carlos P. Auditorium (RCBC Plaza), Makati City Cast: ZSAZSA ZATURNNAH: Eula Valdes / K Brosas ADA: Tuxqs Rutaquio / Vincent de Jesus DIDI: Nar Cabico DODONG: Arnold Reyes / Lauren Novero / Janvier Daily QUEEN FEMINA SUARESTELLAR BAROUX: Kalila Aguilos AMAZONISTAS: Wilma Doesnt, Deeda Barreto, Mayen Estañero, Skyzx Labastilla / Wenah Nagales (Swing) ALING BRITNEY: Mia Bolaños ITAY ZOMBIE: Jerald Napoles TAUMBAYAN/ZOMBIES: Wenah Nagales, Catherine Racsag, Joann Co, Mia Bolaños, Tamara Cabaero Bong Cabrera, Carlon Matobato, Red Nuestro, Paolo Rodriguez, Leo Ponseca, Amihan Ruiz I've choice seats for opening night, June 15 (Friday) and June 22 (Friday). Text 0926-702-8495 for reservation or more details. Ticket prices: Orchestra Center: P800 Loge: P800 Orchestra Side: P700 Balcony: P500 Please feel free to pass the word to people who might be interested. =)
Celebrating the 11th Philippine Book Development Month
plugging, one post at a time!
the first announcement is from Tin Mandigma of the Manila-based Read or Die Book Club:
The National Book Development Board in cooperation with the Filipinas Heritage Library and Bookmark Inc. are celebrating the 11th Philippine Book Development Month with the theme "Love Your Books." Focal activities include "Portrait of the City Exhibit and Tour: The Literary Imagination and The City We Live In" along with a special series of discussion panels and storytelling sessions. A tentative schedule of activities can be found here. Love your books! Show your support for the 11th Philippine Book Development Month by putting this logo in your blog or website.Or something more compact:
Update on Tropics of Love, Feedback on Unmasked Winners, and Some Blog Resolutions
For those interested in participating in Quatre Gats Press' Tropics of Love anthology - yes, LBGTQ fiction is welcome :)Set your imaginations loose!
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Congratulations to the winners of the 1st Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards!
Some interesting reviews have been made about the winners, among which are Dean Alfar's, Banzai Cat's [ 1 ] [ 2 ] and Charles Tan's. Not having read all the winning entries myself, I'm loath to give out my personal opinion. But I believe everyone should be free to impart his/her opinions, and civilized discussion should always be welcome.
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Have added a bunch of links to the sidebar, specifically to the Philippines-based SFF Fandom Groups section. All links should be active. Do check them out! And if anyone has any new links, please give me a holler.
Have also decided to post at least one essay a week on this blog. Starting tomorrow, which is a Friday by my timezone. No really, I promise!
Also, should really be updating the design of this blog soon...