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The fantastic The Snowing and Greening of Thomas Passmore by Paul Burman has been reviewed by Scott Pack on his blog Me and My Big Mouth.
'A young man falls asleep on an Australian beach only to wake up on a plane just landed at Heathrow. An intriguing set up, a great title and a strong cover. Not sure if any book chains promoted it but they should have done, it is rather good.'
To see the review click here!
Lucy
As you know, the monthly final ten titles are chosen by an industry based panel.
We try to keep the panel as diverse as possible, therefore representatives from a wide range of aspects to the industry are involved.
Our independent bookshop representative has unfortunately had to leave the scheme. However, we are happy to announce that Roz from Peckham Review Bookshop will now be meeting with us, once a month, to help decide on the new selection.
While already stocking and promoting the project, Roz has been involved from the very start of the initiative. The store is always busy, offering a variety of titles in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.
We're really happy to have Roz on board, and hope she likes her new position on the panel!
Lauren
Visit www.reviewbookshop.co.uk for more information about Review Bookshop.
Exclusively Independent is now on Twitter!
Seeing as Twitter has become somewhat of a growing phenomenon, it probably seems about right that EI should be taking part! I know very little about the networking site, but it can't be that hard, right?
All publishers and authors who are - or have been - involved in the project can now login and 'tweet' away.
I'm hoping this will establish itself as a more immediate and faster way of announcing or simply airing thoughts on the latest from the project.
So if you are on Twitter, go ahead and follow us, staying up to date with the latest EI news!
Lauren
The new selection for Exclusively Independent has now been chosen!
The titles are:
If I Never by Gary William Murning (Legend Press)
Something Hidden by Nick Blackstock (Picnic Publishing)
Black Mongoose by Jon Haylett (PaperBooks)
The Darker Sex short stories selected and introduced by Mike Ashley (Peter Owen Publishing)
Grace, Tamar, and Laszlo the Beautiful by Deborah Kay Davies (Parthian)
The Gourmet by Muriel Barbery (Gallic)
The Noughtie Girls' Guide to Feminism by Eleanor Levenson (One World)
The Wall-Menders by Kate Noakes (Two Rivers Press)
Taynikma Book 1: Master Thief by Jan Kjaer and Merlin P. Mann (Young World Digital)
Due to distribution issues, we have unfortunately had to shorten the list, leaving nine for this cycle's selection.
Author blogs will be posted on Exclusively Independent, where hopefully Jon's blog will follow shortly.
The current call for Exclusively Independent submissions is now open. To submit titles, please email me the AI and ms' of up to three titles. The call closes 4 September.
Lauren
The fantastic The Ice Cream Army by Jessica Gregson has received a great review in the Daily Mail today.
'Charmed by dreams of freedom in the new state of Australia in the early 20th century an intrepid young Turk leaves his homeland for a golden beginning.
With compassion and artistic prowess, Gregson has created an instantly likeable character in Hamil, an eager to please Muslim who gets caught up in racial tension when World War I begins and Australia turns on the Ottoman Empire... Gregson's prose is mesmerisingly lyrical and her observations astute...'
The book is available to buy now from our online shop for half price!
Order your copy of The Ice Cream Army now - £3.49 
Lucy
We are delighted to announce an innovative idea for writers – a ‘half book’ to promote novel writing and offer a new way for us to discover writing talent.
The book titled ‘A Novel Ending’ will be published in October 2009, and will begin with 10,000 words written by Paperbooks author Gary Davison. Printed with blank pages, authors will be invited to complete the novel. The winning writer will win a publishing contract with Paperbooks Publishing.
This project is an exciting opportunity to find new writing talent, offering something a little bit different to the traditional submissions procedure. We are keen to develop innovative ways to find new authors and build-on our existing successful list by discovering new talent.
The competition will be open to all writers, whether established authors or previously unpublished. The project offers a new and interesting writing challenge, with authors invited to interpret Gary’s storyline and theme in any way they wish.
Lucy, Lauren and Tom
So, I’ve just finished my second stint of work experience at Legend Press and Paperbooks and I’m very glad that I decided to come back.
Since I first came here in January a lot has changed for me. I have now finished my degree at Kingston University (I got a first, a-thankyou), moved to a great flat in Mile End (luckily it’s a lot, lot nicer than the Pulp song makes out) and convinced my extremely generous parents to support me over a summer in which I won’t actually be earning any money (a decision which is possibly unwise considering the substantial tuition fees I need to pay for my Publishing MA in a month’s time...).
And now, with only a few weeks until I start my new course, I’m more excited and enthusiastic than ever about getting in to the publishing industry.
With that in mind, I can’t think of a better place to be than at Legend Press and Paperbooks HQ. Aside from all of the great stuff I’ve been able to do (reading through submissions, writing critiques, proof-reading manuscripts, etc.), the most valuable aspect of doing work experience here is just having the chance to listen, ask questions and generally try to understand how things work day-to-day at what I believe is one of the most exciting publishers in the UK today (even when you’re, very occasionally, doing work that, while still important, isn’t exactly captivating – I’m looking at you New Generation payment links internet coding!).
So for that I have to say a big thank you to Tom, Lucy and Lauren for having me in again for what has been brilliant experience and for making me feel so welcome, and hopefully it won’t be too long before I’m back again.
My highlights: 1) Reading some absolutely fantastic submissions that have now been left for Tom and co to look at. 2) Meeting Mark Kotting, the author of the upcoming Babble and Squeak, a novel that I read last time I was here and raved about so much that it led to a stream of jokes about Mark being my uncle and Babble and Squeak being my favourite book of all time. (It is AWESOME, though...)
My lowlight: Getting a virus on my laptop yesterday, resulting in me having to restore it to factory settings. But even this worked itself out and wasn’t really that big an issue.
Considering that’s the only lowlight I can think of, I think that pretty much sums up how good my time here has been.
Last Saturday morning I nipped to our local convenience store. The same store I swore I’d never set foot in a month ago because the father, who sometimes serves behind the counter, coughs and spits in the bin. Exactly.
I purchased the newspapers two packs of bacon and some buns and went away happy. Back home, Karen and Tara were in the kitchen chilling out, watching cartoons and reading magazines.
I opened the bacon, both packets, and it was lifting. I mean, I had to turn my face away from the smell. I shouted Karen over who confirmed my diagnosis and I hurled the lot in the bin and sat down with a coffee and the papers.
Half an hour later, I needed to go out. Some lame excuse, but I had to go and complain. You have to, don’t you? There are some things, no matter what the actual expense, that you can’t let go. Proper piss takes.
Here’s me waiting in line, and here we go,
‘You know that bacon I just bought?’
‘Aye.’
‘It was off. Absolutely stinking.’
‘Never in the world. Where is it?’
‘Well, in the bin, you couldn’t eat that.’
‘Oh, there’s nothing I can do, son, unless you bring it back so we can send it off.’
‘I’m hardly going to march around with stinking bacon in my hand, am I?’ (some serious jokes could come off that line).
‘I’ll have a word with him, see what he says.’
‘Okay then, I’ll be back later.’
I’ve shopped on and off there for six years or so. Say a tenner a week minimum. So what’s that, three grand-ish? And they’re going to see what HE says. I put the soap box in the back of the car and returned home.
Karen and Tara were even more chilled, so I quickly let the steam out of my ears with a short outburst, then slunk onto the settee with a paper. Half an hour passed and Karen turned her page and casually said, ‘I’m going to tell you something and you’re going to go of it.’
‘Course I’m not, don’t be ridiculous. What’s up?’
‘The buns you bought this morning are covered in mould.’
I examined them and they were mouldy. Green nasty filthy robbing ******* mould.
This can only end two ways. One, they see the light and be half reasonable and give me my cash back. Which is right, after all, because their goods were shit, or, two, I tell them to do one and that I’ll never step foot in the place again. And on top of that I will put the fear of God up them by telling them that a Tesco Extra is opening up the road.
After work I’m going to the post office, then to put the lottery on, then to collect my bacon-money. I’m not a jobs-worth and I don’t always stand up for the little man in the street, but you’ve got to admit, this is slightly annoying.
Gary
Follow Gary's blog at http://www.gary-davison.com/
Although Gary's book-signings normally go very well, Gary had a bit of an experience at Waterstone's last weekend. Where were you all? ...
'Yesterday’s book signing at Waterstones Sunderland was one for the scrap book. To be fair it was a hot sunny day and there weren’t a lot of people around, and even less people looking for books. Ahem. That’s my excuse for very nearly striking out and I’m sticking with it.
We managed to sell two books in the end and had to just about cosh the punters over the head and drag them to the tills. At one stage someone actually stretched over the top of me to get to another book. I was tempted to give him a leg up - no probs mate, why not stand on this pile of books scattered over the table here.
I came away feeling quite giddy, chuffed that I was on a book signing tour (yes it’s a tour now, I’m bigging it up), no matter what the outcome.
All credit to my mother, who has more front than anyone alive, who didn’t give up and actually started handing the customers copies of the book as well as bookmarks. Think I’ll take her and John for a bite to eat this week for all their efforts - somewhere cheap though, two sales is not a lot to live off. This time next year, we’ll be millionaires!'
Gary
There is so much to do today, this week, this month etc, that it is sometimes hard to look forward too far, but being the strange world of publishing, it is vital that we don't only have good books set-up now but for the next year ahead.
And 2010 is already starting to look very exciting. We have new titles recently signed up from our existing great range of authors, exciting new talent, and also have managed to attract some big-name writers who, thankfully and as reward for all the hard work, are keen to work with us.
In addition, we have plans to extend the range of titles and also the formats - an aspect of publishing that will play a vital role in 2010 and onwards.
And so, amid all there is currently to complete, we look forward to announcing the new titles over the coming weeks and months and hope an unbelievable 2010 can follow a fantastic remainder of 2009!
Tom
Order Overseas copy - £9.99 (inc P&P):
