July 2003
KEEPING IN TUNE
Some say books have withstood the onslaught of technological innovations
like televisions, computers, hand-held electronic books and DVDs and still
come out on top. In fact, they say that the book industry has used technology
to its advantage in the form of accelerated book printing, e-bookstores,
online-sales, online updates and self-publishing. Others say the printed
book will not disappear with new inventions but that the book industry
and reading as a whole will be revolutionised. The book, as such, becomes
one item in a whole package of products related to a literary work which
include CD-ROMs, audio cassettes, online publications and videos. Another
school of thought says technological growth may render the book obsolete
but not reading or writing. New forms of publishing tools and platforms
coupled with electronic outlets would increase the accessibility of works,
which would not have been published before due to small reader interest,
in the mass markets. This would also leave readers with an abundance of
choice at their fingertips and reading will not be limited by the literary
agenda of publishers.
Nevertheless, the news coming out of the West is that book industries are steadily tapping into the web-savvy youth market of today with the slogan "reading is cool" and through the proliferation of virtual bookstores and online publishing. It is quite evident that the book industry cannot ignore technology nor does it need to be afraid of it and that readers and writers will always be there. It is up to the industry on how it wants to reach out to them, keeping in tune with the times and the technology.
WE WANT YOUR NEWS!
To all of you out there, please help us make this newsletter your very
own by e-mailing us on any developments, news and events involving the
book industry making this monthly bulletin more informative and relevant.
This is a great opportunity for industry members to publicize your efforts
and share important information among the book fraternity. So do not hesitate
to e-mail us if you have something worthwhile to share or report. Please
e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
READASIA
Readasia is a book club organised by the Book Council and the National
Library Board 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. This book
club aims to enable readers to get more out of their reading experience
through a lively and informal session of discussion. A different book
will be selected for each session hence, every session promises to be
a different experience!
Date: 17 July 2003 (Thursday)
(An easier way to remember: every third Thursday of the month)
Time: 7 p.m.
Book to be discussed: The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri
Venue: library@orchard, Programme Zone
Registration and enquiries: Do drop us an
email to let us know if you would like to attend the book club. This will
give us a feel about the expected turn out.
Email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
COMING UP!
COPYWRITING a 1-day
training workshop
15 July 2003, 9am – 4pm
This workshop, newly adapted to meet the needs of publishers in Singapore,
looks at a fundamental skill required by both marketing and editorial
personnel. It is based on Marketability’s very popular Copywriting
Workshop which runs regularly in the UK and has been adapted as an in-house
training day for many of the UK’s biggest publishers.
Venue: Purple Studio, National Volunteer Centre
7 Maxwell Road #05-01MND Complex Annex B
Fee: $180 nett per participant, includes one lunch & two teabreaks
OR $300 nett per participant for both E-marketing and Copywriting workshops
(16 July 2003).
Log onto http://www.nbdcs.org.sg/ for more details and registration.
E-MARKETING a 1-day training workshop
16 July 2003, 9am – 4pm
It is a non-technical course designed to help marketing personnel be more
aware of the possibilities available to them, and equip them with sufficient
knowledge for them to brief an internal or external webmaster. This Workshop
brings one of Marketability’s most popular courses to Singapore
for the second time, having last run in December 2001 when it received
enthusiastic reports.
Venue : Purple Studio, National Volunteer Centre
7 Maxwell Road #05-01 MND Complex Annex B
Fee : $180 nett per participant,
includes one lunch & two teabreaks OR $300 nett per participant for
both E-marketing and Copywriting workshops (15 July 2003).
Log onto http://www.nbdcs.org.sg/ for more details and registration.
THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE THE BOOK BUSINESS
SOULS THE GODS HAD
FORSAKEN: FROM A 'SLAVE FARM' IN CHINA TO A 'DEATH HOUSE' IN SINGAPORE
(2003)
by Ralph Modder; Horizon Books, Singapore.
Set in China, Singapore and Britain from the mid-20s to the immediate
post-war period, the story revolves around the lives of three women. It's
a remarkable story that opens your eyes as it chronicles the harsh lives
of Singapore's immigrants in Chinatown and of the sorry state of females
in China who if not subjected to infanticide, were abandoned in 'slave
farms' to be reared for slavery and prostitution. The main character Ching-Ling's
mother was a runaway slave who brought up her daughter in a death house
in Sago Lane. Feeling at times sad and at other times astounded over the
content, Souls the Gods had Forsaken, provided an illumination of Singapore's
history.
MDA NATIONAL SCRIPTWRITING COMPETITION 2003
The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) is organizing a National Scriptwriting Competition to help scriptwriters get recognised and produced. The First Prize winner will get an MDA Golden Pen Award of $7,500 cash, a trophy and certificate. The competition will close on 1 December 2003.
For more details, please visit http://www.mda.gov.sg.
BOOKABURRA BOOKS WINS HARRY POTTER PRIZE!
Bookaburra Books won the award for the most creative display for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, a competition among local retailers organised by Pansing. The prize was tickets to London to be part of the event at the Albert Hall to see JK Rowling in conversation with Stephen Fry. Not bad for a small independent children's bookseller! Log onto www.bookaburra.com to visit their website.
MALAYSIA – ACTION AGAINST PIRATE COPIERS
In cooperation with local
officials, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) successfully raided
two copyshops. During the raid, 204 copies of illegally copied textbooks
were seized. They were pirate copies of economics, physics and maths textbooks
published by Pearson Education, McGraw-Hill, Thomson Learning, John Wiley
and Cambridge University Press. The raid on the copyshops in the vicinity
of the Multimedia University in Malacca was part of the AAP's overseas
anti-piracy campaign which is coordinated by its International
Copyright
Protection Committee.
Source: BookMonday, Vol. 8, No. 20, 9 June 2003.
Website: http://www.subtext.net/monday/monday.htm
POETRY SLAM CABARET
Tue 29 Jul 2003
7:30pm, Zouk, Jiak Kim Street
E-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
for more info. Cover charge of $10.
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL
POETRY FESTIVAL READING
Fri 12 Aug 2003
Singapore's Felix Cheong, Alvin Pang, Toh Hsien Min and Cyril Wong will
read at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. For more information,
log onto http://programme.edbookfest.co.uk/events/event-175.
For more on their other travels, please visit http://www.qlrs.com/news.html.
PLAYTALES - (Born
to Read, Read to Bond)
Learn how to sing, play and read a story with your child. Yes! Parents
will have to learn to play and act silly. Have lots of fun while singing
rhymes and reading stories with your children and our librarians. Limited
to 15 pairs of parent and child for each session.
Location: Jurong
West Community Library
Date: Saturday, August 16, 2003
Time: 3.00pm to 3.30pm
Admission: $2 per pair
Please visit http://www.nlb.gov.sg/fr_events.html
for more information.
