Category Archives: Publishing

Federation of BC Writers: Lower Mainland Regional Rep volunteer position

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Charles Dickens breaks through writer's block

Charles Dickens breaks through writer's block

Yes, I’m stepping down, not that my slightly insane schedule ever let me do a proper job of this. It’s a great position for someone who’s organized and community-minded, who likes to support and promote events, groups, and individual writers around Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. It’s highly social, and great exposure. I’d say the job takes four or five hours a week to do properly, since the Lower Mainland is so active and there’s so much to keep track of. Here’s the official posting:

CALL FOR LOWER MAINLAND SUNSHINE COAST REGIONAL REP

The Federation of BC Writers is looking for a member to serve as the LowerMainland/

Sunshine Coast Regional Representative. As a regional representative, your responsibilities

include:

• participating as a member of the Federation board of directors

• helping to organize Federation-sponsored regional events

• representing the Federation at regional literary events

• writing quarterly regional reports for WordWorks magazine and e-newsletters

• communicating regularly with regional members

• acting as a resource for member queries

• maintaining a regional email list

If you’re interested in serving a two-year term for this position, please send an email to

bcwriters at shaw.ca that includes your resume (attached as a Word document) with a succinct cover letter that tells us 1) why you’re interested in the position, 2) how much time you’re able to commit on a monthly basis, 3) a bit about your writing background, and 4) your skills and interests by Friday, July 30. Please put Regional Rep in the subject line.

This is as good a spot as any to mention that this Saturday I’ll be participating in Blogathon, a 24-hour, 48 blog post postathon, to raise money for the Fed. You can sponsor me by selecting “raincoaster.com” from the list of available blogs to sponsor. All the posts will be going up over there. After Blogathon, you just tote up your donation and send the cheque straight to the Fed, which will put it to good use on behalf of British Columbia’s home-grown literary talent.

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BookCamp Vancouver Opens Registration

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BookCamp Vancouver

BookCamp Vancouver

BookCamp Vancouver, a collaborative Unconference inspired by BookCamp Toronto, will take place October 16th at SFU Harbour Centre. Registration is open now, and a full day ticket is absolutely free. Given the interest in this, I suggest you sign up sooner rather than later; there’s also a spot on your registration form to pitch a session if you’d like to lead one.

From the BookCamp Vancouver wiki:

BookCamp Vancouver is a user-generated unconference that brings print publishers, educators, community builders and the tech community together – for free! BookCamp Vancouver is an opportunity to explore the present and future of books and book-like technologies. It’s open to anyone interested in the publishing industry and the potential dynamics of the reader/creator/publisher relationship.

Join us for a day of sharing new ideas, radical notions and engaging conversation! We’ll consider the future of the Book as an object; examine its ongoing role as a delivery mechanism for stories, information and entertainment; and examine how publishers can leverage themselves for success in the digital age.

Participants and self-selected guests will choose the agenda for the day, forming breakup groups to discuss and potentially create future book technologies, workflows, and grand schemes. Lend your passion and expertise to Bookcamp Vancouver by volunteering to facilitate a session.

Our plan is for this to be a day of talking and doing – of rolling up the proverbial shirt sleeves and tinkering with the publishing mechanism. We’re inviting authors, typographers, designers, printers, technologists, booksellers, literary agents, publishers and geeks of every stripe to come along and consider if and how technology can transform and perhaps improve on The Book.

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Shebeen Club: Launching an Independent Publishing House: Fab or Folly?

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Post number two on the new Shebeen Club Blog. I really MUST import the archives, mustn’t I?
Since from day to day it looks like I will/won’t be in town for the Shebeen Club meeting on June the 15th, I’ve asked Ian Alexander Martin to take over in my stead. Naturally, should I be in town on the evening in question, I’ll expect him to give up the scepter of leadership but retain all obligations to inform and/or entertain people.
Atomic Fez

Atomic Fez

  • What: Launching an Independent Publishing House: Fab or Folly?
  • Who: The Shebeen Club and Atomic Fez Publishing
  • When: Monday, June 15TH, 6:00–9:00 pm
  • Where: The Shebeen, behind the Irish Heather, 212 Carrall Street in Gastown
  • Details: $15 cash only, includes dinner and one drink (pint). No minors, please.
  • Blather: follows

MEET THE NAÏVE PROPRIETOR

The proprietor of Atomic Fez Publishing will engage the public in an all singing, all dancing event at The Shebeen Whisky House behind the Irish Heather Gastro-Pub in Vancouver’s Gastown district.

Ian Alexander Martin is expected to discuss his reasoning behind beginning a Small Press Publishing house in these days of financial turmoil which have seen several international houses drastically scale back their structures, frequently closing sub-imprints and selling off their intellectual assets like so much scrap iron. Likewise, when even local publisher Raincoast Books scales downsize their operation following the completion of the ‘Harry Potter…’ series, is there any point in trying to enter the market?

Additional topics will include:

  • why be a small-press publisher if you’re not also a writer?
  • what sort of books does Atomic Fez select?
  • the answer to the question “dead tree books or electronic books” is “YES!”
  • whither the future of independent bookshop?
  • why can’t people buy any small-press books at Chapters or Smith’s
  • why shouldn’t authors just self-publish and go straight to the readers and their money?
  • just how insane are you?

Come and hear a 20-minute talk about what Mr. Martin’s approaches are, and what he thinks the state of publishing is today. A question and answer session with follow the presentation after a short break.

Ian Alexander Martin

Ian Alexander Martin

ABOUT THE NAÏVE PROPRIETOR

For three years Ian Alexander Martin was a Director in Humdrumming, Limited—a very tiny publishing company registered in England & Wales—during the last ten months of which was acting as President and C.E.O., Managing and Editorial Director, plus also being responsible for the contracting, editing, typesetting, publishing, and marketing of twenty different titles. Meanwhile, Humdrumming continually earned the respect and admiration of writers and readers alike, as well as seven ‘short-list’ nominations from the prestigious British Fantasy Society’s annual awards (and more to come in a few months).

In addition to the above, Mr. Martin has previously been an arts journalist; editor; professional photographer; photo-finishing store owner; web-site designer and consultant; theatre actor and director, as well as being the Founding Editor and Publisher of the theatre web-zine The Boards. If you had told him at the turn of the millennium that he would have accomplished these things, he would have laughed so hard he would have been physically ill at your feet.

He lives in Burnaby with his wife and two cats, all three of whom frequently succeed in dragging him kicking and screaming from the computer keyboard.

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