October 2003
PRINT ON DEMAND
Do writers and small publishers in Singapore saddled with a small market
base have a need for ‘fast-food’ type of publishers who can
publish on-demand? Print-on-demand (POD) is an emerging trend in the United
States that has potential in Singapore where the domestic book market
is relatively smaller. POD which can print and bind a book in minutes
is a form of technology that makes publishing books much cheaper and easier.
As POD books have a higher unit production cost than more traditionally printed books due to the economies of scale, most of them are trade paperback size as opposed to the mass-market size. However, more and more independent publishers are turning to POD technology because of the overall cost savings in terms of initial capital investment. POD may be the way to go for independent or smaller publishers as long as they can convince book reviewers, booksellers and readers to overcome a not uncommon perception about credibility and the quality of POD services and products.
The three leading POD publishers in the US, iUniverse, Xlibris and 1stBooks Library, are slowly repositioning themselves in the POD market which is growing at the rate of 40% annually. Their business models leverage on book sales and tie-ups with large publishing houses to help with reviews and booksellers to promote and display books that have had good initial sales or are deemed to have potential.
The detractors, however, consider iUniverse and the rest as ‘instant-gratification’ peddlers because they allow writers to publish at ease without making the effort or striving to reach their potential. The book quality also suffers as most writers and small publishers would not have adequate knowledge of book production and design to compete with those published through traditional means. The bottom line is, however attractive the idea of self-publishing through POD is, writers and small publishers do need to be aware of the potential drawbacks of POD.
(Sources: Publishing Trends -- Beyond Vanity Fare? May 2003, http://www.sfwa.org/beware/printondemand.html, http://www.peakwriting.com)
NOVEMBER PROGRAMMES
The Book Council will be organising its major programmes for the year
in November and we hope that you can attend some of these events and support
the Council's activities and goals. The four major programmes are the
Asian Congress of Storytellers, Storytellers' Showcase, the Asian Children's
Writers And Illustrators Conference and the Book Industry Nite. Please
forward this e-mail to all of your colleagues and friends who would be
interested. The details of these events are listed below. Look forward
to seeing you at the events!
ASIAN CONGRESS OF STORYTELLERS 2003
14 & 15 November
Novotel Apollo Singapore
Keynote Speakers: Eth-Noh-Tec of America, Dan Yashinsky of Canada
Workshop leaders: Ryoko Sato
of Japan, Jeeva Raghunath of India, Tanya Batt and Mary-Alice Arthur of
New Zealand; Christine Greenough and John Hockney of Australia, Margaret
Read MacDonald of America and Cassandra Wye of England. With a stronger
cast and greater variety in programming (workshops on early childhood,
parenting, senior citizen care, teenage counselling and self-healing),
ACS 2003 promises to outdo itself. Book early to enjoy early bird discounts
or come as a group to enjoy group rates.
To register, log onto http://www.nbdcs.org.sg/acs.htm
STORYTELLERS' SHOWCASE 2003
an evening of Asian tales
16 & 17 November, 7pm
Esplanade Recital Studio
Tickets to be on sale through SISTIC from 16 Sept 03, adults $28.00, students $18.00 (http://www.sistic.com.sg)
Storytelling – entertainment at its purest. All we need is a story and a voice to tell it. The Storytellers’ Showcase 2003 brings together some of the biggest names in storytelling on one stage, from Eth-Noh-Tec of America to Jeeva Raghunath of India. Each of the 11 storytellers will tell an Asian tale, you will be tickled pink or sometimes moved to tears. So come hear!
ASIAN CHILDREN'S WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS CONFERENCE 2003
20 & 21 November
Novotel Apollo Singapore
Keynote Speakers: Vaiyu Naidu, Lioba Betten of Books for All, and Tanya Batt, successful children's book writer/storyteller
Workshop leaders: Jessie Wee, Sandhya Rao, Radhika Menon, Diane Taylor, Dr Murti Bunanta
ACWIC 2003 will be more compact this year, with established keynote speakers to inspire and experienced workshop leaders to teach. Use this as a platform to network or showcase your work as well. There will be manuscript critiques and illustration exhibitions. Book early to enjoy early bird discounts or come as a group to enjoy group rates.
To register, log onto http://www.nbdcs.org.sg/acwic.htm
THE BOOK INDUSTRY NITE 2003
21 November, 7pm
Venus Ballroom, Novotel Apollo Hotel
The Book Council will be holding this dinner event which brings together
writers, publishers, distributors, booksellers, illustrators, librarians
and book lovers in order to give you, the book community, greater recognition.
This is a social networking function you can call your own.
Guest of Honour : Mr David Lim Tik En
Group President & CEO, Neptune Orient Lines (NOL)
Member of Parliament, Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC
Co-organisers: Publishers Association (Singapore) and Singapore Book Publishers Association.
Per Table: $600, Per Seat:
$65
So mark your diaries and make a date with us to celebrate the book industry
and network with your colleagues at this not-to-be-missed gala evening!
To register visit http://www.nbdcs.org.sg/dinner.htm or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
For more details call 6848 8290/4.
COMING UP!
READASIA
16 October
Readasia is a book club organised by the Book Council and library@orchard to promote Asian literature. This is where you will meet like-minded people, fellow book lovers and find a captive audience to share your thoughts and views on the book you’ve read.
Time: 7 p.m.
Book to be discussed: "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress"
by Dai Sijie
Venue: library@orchard, Programme Zone
Registration and enquiries: Email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
COURSE IN BASIC EDITING
27 – 30 October
This course provides a step-by-step introduction to the wide range of
professional editing skills and techniques required to edit books and
journals. Hands-on and activity-based with a combination of group and
individual work, it will be suitable for new editors with less than two
years’ experience. Participants will emerge with a strong understanding
of editorial skills and a comprehensive foundation for them to further
their careers as professional editors.
Time: 9am - 6pm
Duration: 4-day, 32-hour course
Venue: National Volunteer Centre, 7 Maxwell Road, #05-01 MND Complex Annex
B
Fee: $590 nett per participant, includes one lunch and two tea-breaks
Please visit our website at http://www.nbdcs.org.sg or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to register or find out more details about this course.
WRITERS NETWORK NIGHT
31 October
The Writers Network Night aims to provide a platform for Singapore writers, young and old, published or unpublished, to come together and exchange tips and share experiences. At the same time, we bring in speaker/s to speak on relevant issues. This is a good opportunity to interact with other like-minded people, exchange tips, build contacts and share thoughts and ideas about writing.
Contact Josephine at 6848 8293 or e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) if you need more information.
Time: 7pm
Venue: library@orchard
Speakers: Local poets Felix Cheong, Alvin Pang, Toh Hsien Min and Cyril
Wong
The foursome were invited to read their poetry at the prestigious Edinburgh International Book Festival in August. This is the first time Singaporean writers were reading at the Festival and we invite you to join them as they talk about their roles as Singapore’s literary ambassadors.
TALK: ENGLISH IN SINGAPORE: MYTH AND REALITIES
1 November
Time: 2 - 4.30 pm
Venue: National Volunteer Centre, 7 Maxwell Road #05-01, Annexe B, MND Complex
Admission fee: $25 per person (includes a copy of the book English Language Myths, retail price $19.95 and light refreshments)
Speakers:
Dr Adam Brown: Myth-Guided Beliefs
David Deterding: Research on Grammar
Low Ee Ling: Singapore English Pronunciation and Intelligibility
The speakers are experts in the field of English and have many years of experience in training English language teachers. They are currently with the National Institute of Education.
Contact Josephine at 6848 8293 or e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for booking and enquiries.
THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE THE BOOK BUSINESS
NAC APPOINTS NEW CEO
The National Arts Council
(NAC) has appointed Mr Lee Suan Hiang as its new Chief Executive Officer
with effect from 15 October 2003. Mr Lee will concurrently assume the
appointment as a Fellow at the Ministry of Information, Communications
and the Arts to drive its Creative Industries Strategy Group.
For more details, log onto http://www.nac.gov.sg/fullnews.asp?psno=274
19 DISTINGUISHED PATRONS OF THE ARTS RECOGNISED
A record number of 19 recipients
were recognised as Distinguished Patrons of the Arts on the 20th Anniversary
of the Patron of the Arts Award. The prestigious Distinguished Patron
award is conferred on arts sponsors who have made sustained or substantial
contributions of over $1.5 million to the arts. Five long-time Arts patrons
have received this award for the first time: Nokia Pte Ltd, TIME Magazine,
MSN Singapore, Ngee Ann Development and Hong Leong Foundation.
For more details, visit: http://www.nac.gov.sg.
WRITER’S TALK 2003
9 October
6 - 7pm, University Cultural
Centre Gallery Studio, Level 3
K.S. Maniam will examine writing as well as explore issues and influences
in his works as part of the Centre for the Arts (CFA) Literary Arts group's
activities to promote and explore the wide range of themes and issues
that influence Singapore's growth in the literary arts scene. K. S. Maniam's
short stories have been widely published. His first novel, The Return,
was published in 1981, and his second, In a Far Country, in 1993. He won
the first prizes for The Loved Flaw in The New Straits Times-McDonald
(1987), and Haunting the Tiger in The New Straits Times-Shell (1990) short
story competitions. Free admission
Log onto http://nus.edu.sg/cfa or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for more info.
DOME LITERARY READINGS: IDENTITIES
10 October
1 - 2pm , Dome Café
@ Kent Ridge, University Cultural Centre
Featuring: K.S. Maniam, Aaron Lee, Alvin Pang, Elangovan, Robert Yeo,
Aaron Maniam, Leonora Liow, and Chong Tze Chien.
Dome Literary Readings consist of one-hour sessions offering poetry, prose
or drama readings by leading personalities, established and newer writers.
The series is a means of showcasing the literary arts and highlighting
current creative work in poetry, fiction and drama as well as sustaining
the development of a discerning interest in literature – especially
Singapore writing. The theme, Identities, focuses on an aspect of Singapore
which many of our writers have consciously or sub-consciously presented
in their poems, plays, short stories or novels. Each invited writer will
present a selection of original excerpts or whole works in the course
of the readings.
Log onto http://nus.edu.sg/cfa or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for more info.
CYCLING FOR CANCER
11 - 12 October
A 24-hour Cycle-Thon will be held at the Youth Park to support the Children’s Cancer Foundation (CCF). There will be a carnival with food and games, band performances and appearances by local celebrities. The Book Council has mobilised storytellers to perform during the cyclathon to keep everybody entertained as well. For more details, visit http://www.yuffy.com
DAREN SHIAU READING TOUR
FALL 2003
7 - 17 October
National Arts Council’s Young Artist of the Year 2002 (Literature),
Daren Shiau will be performing material from his upcoming fourth book
at Columbia University’s Weatherhead East Asian Institute (7 Oct)
where he will be Visiting Writer in October 2003. He will also be reading
at MIT (14 Oct), Harvard University (15 Oct), UC Berkeley (17 Oct) and
other bookshop venues in New York, Boston and San Francisco. If you are
interested to attend, please email the writer at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Supported by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Singapore
SHADOWS AND VOICES
25 October
8pm, The Substation Guinness Theatre
In a Celebration of Two Autumnal Feasts: Deepavali and Halloween, vampires,
Darth Vader, ghosts and Deepavali celebrants come together in the 4 Crying
Out Loud presentation, Shadows and Voices, a performance of song, dance
and poetic texts on the main themes of Deepavali and Halloween. Commune
with the creatures of the night in a show mixing the best of two great
traditions. Tickets are at $12, call Tel: 6337 7800 for them.
PULP: A RECIPE FOR COLLABORATION
Street vs Art
28 - 30 November, The Substation.
Calling all young people with talent to perform at the Pulp Festival.
All art forms are welcome -- those interested in the literary arts can
submit written pieces, or do spoken word events. Set up a poet's
show-down
with rappers. Combine written arts with visual arts. Develop stories based
on the language of hand signs. Artists keen on doing live works, e.g.
getting people to respond to their poetry, doing live "translation"
from normal speak to street-speak, etc, can go wild too. All are welcome.
Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). for more details.
WILD PLUM POETRY
A US-based journal is calling for poetry submissions from all over the world. The grand prize is US$1000 and two finalists will get US$100 each. Publication will be in June 2004. Visit http://www.wildplumpoetry.com for more details.
FLAME BOOKS
Flame Books is a new and innovative book publisher based on ethical foundations. Their aim is to publish the most exciting contemporary English-language fiction by the best new authors. They sell their books solely online through their website and thus can offer higher royalties to support future work. The first Flame Books titles were officially launched on 1 October 2003. If you are a writer then Flame Books are still accepting submissions for Spring 2004. If you are a short story writer then you will be interested in the Short Story Competition 2004. The winners will be published in Summer 2004. To know more about Flame Books, visit http://www.flamebooks.com
TASMANIAN WRITING RESIDENCY
The Tasmanian Writers' Centre is offering international writers residencies
in Tasmania in 2004. Applications close on 19 January 2004. For more information,
go to http://www.tasmanianwriters.org and follow the links.
BOOKS SPOTLIGHT
A BIT OF EARTH (A READASIA SELECTION)
Suchen Christine Lim
Singapore: Times Books International,
2001
Malaya. A land of unparalled richness. For centuries, the peninsula has
attracted fortune hunters, money-grabbing pirates and migrants seeking
a better life. Among those whose lives are rooted in the Malayan soil
are three families - the Wongs, sons of the Chinese earth; the Wees, subjects
of the English gods; the Mahmuds, scions of the Malayan soil - each with
different dreams for the bit of earth they live on. Their destinies meet
and this clash of hope inevitably leads to tragedy.
THE SONG OF SILVER FROND
Catherine Lim
London: Orion Books, 2003
The Sunday Times said of Catherine Lim's previous novel: 'The author is
meticulous in building up a picture of a society where the taboos and
proscriptions that govern a fraught and passionate love story make sense
to a reader in the West.' Here, with her trademark wit and compassion,
Lim explores an exotic, unlikely love between an old Chinese man and a
very young woman. One morning in Singapore more than fifty years ago,
The Venerable One - a wealthy, respected, handsome Chinese patriarch,
head of a large household of three wives and many children and grandchildren
- takes a walk by a cemetery. There, a young village egg-seller, Silver
Frond, is amusing herself with a comic song-and-dance act based on popular
gossip - about him! The meeting instantly changes their lives. Is he not
too old? Is she not too young? Are their worlds not too far apart? With
characteristic verve and wit, Catherine Lim traces the struggles of an
unusual couple through the jungle of human quandaries and predicaments
created by the force of tradition, and celebrates the ultimate triumph
of an even more extraordinary force - love.
ASIA-PACIFIC SECURITY: POLICY
CHALLENGES
Edited by David W Lovell
Singapore: ISEAS, 2003
Since September 11, 2001, our newspapers have been filled with the war
on terror; our governments have mobilized their resources for homeland
security; and people everywhere are braced for more terrorist attacks.
Yet while the new threat is genuine, we must not lose sight of the continuing
security concerns in the Asia-Pacific. Tensions persist on the Korean
peninsula, in the Taiwan Straits and the South China Sea, and in Kashmir.
The region is well supplied with weapons of mass destruction and may face
an arms race, and there are a range of pressing human security issues.
"Asia-Pacific Security" examines the developing strategic relationships
in the region, and clarifies the dilemmas for Australian policy-makers
as they try to balance genuine engagement with the region against a long-standing
and valued alliance with the United States. This book has particular relevance
for foreign-policy professionals and international relations scholars
of the region.
For full details about this book, log onto http://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/bookmarks/SEC24/index.html
THE OCEAN OF AMBITION
Koh Buck Song
Singapore: SNP Editions, 2003
"The Ocean of Ambition", Koh Buck Song's third collection of
poems, takes us on a journey of familiarity and emotion. Nothing is too
small or too large for his perceptive eye - a squirrel, Batman, the Taj
Mahal. Describing scenes and feelings with artistic ease and drawing connections
between these subjects and our workaday lives, Buck Song reminds us of
what we miss by being too focused, by failing to pause to absorb and appreciate
what surrounds us. "The Ocean of Ambition" is a habitat that
is not always hospitable, and in this ocean hapless squids struggle to
survive. The author hopes that it sums up the essence of all the ambitions
of art - to give voice to the human condition.
