The BookBlast® Diary
The BookBlast® Diary is the online journal which showcases independent publishing and writing from France. It is the offspring of BookBlast® writing agency, founded in 1997. Georgia de Chamberet was dubbed “L’enfant terrible of British publishing” by Le Figaro newspaper. BookBlast® has always been cosmopolitan in spirit, and gravitates towards the best independent-spirited and diverse writing.
A brand is your personality, so the saying goes. In the same vein as Flaubert’s statement that “Madame Bovary c’est moi“, I often say that “BookBlast® c’est moi“. I am an active idealist and a blasty kind of person when it comes to cross-pollinating ideas, connecting the dots and contributing to making major writing projects happen, by whatever means possible.
The agency’s early successes include Empire Windrush: Fifty Years of Writing About Black Britain ed. Onyekachi Wambu; and XCiTés: the Flamingo Book of New French Writing which showcased a new generation of French writers unpublished and unknown in English at the time — Frédéric Beigbeder, Tonino Benacquista, Virginie Despentes, Michel Houellebecq, Abdourahman Waberi among them. I have moved from a background in print anthologies to curate an ever-expanding online anthology showcasing the best of independent publishing.
BookBlast® Celebrates Independent Publishing
Books and writing and ideas are to be savoured as slow reads: an antidote to the demands of the hectic world around us. Independence matters in this increasingly corporate age.
Mavericks from a ‘traditional’ book publishing background, alongside newcomers, have embraced the new digital opportunities on offer. Indie publishers like Balestier Press specialising in contemporary Asian literature, Bluemoose Books showcasing new writers and working class voices, leading poetry publisher Carcanet Press, Comma Press releasing groundbreaking short stories by new and established writers, Dedalus Press showcasing contemporary English and European fiction, HopeRoad Publishing specialising in African and Caribbean writing, Istros books which publish and promote literature in translation from SE Europe and the Balkans and have had six winners of the EU Prize for Literature, Galley Beggar Press with their new British modernists, Peirene Press publishing world writing in translation, and Saqi Books the leading publisher for writing from the Middle East.
Other indie trade publishers which we have featured include: CB Editions, Galileo Publishing, Little Island Press, Charco Press, Les Fugitives, New Vessel Press, Dodo Ink, Eland Books, Gecko Press, Salt, Papillote Press, Gallic & Aardvark, Eyewear Publishing, Darf Publishers, Bitter Lemon Press, Hispabooks, Grub Street, RedDoor Publishing, Interlink Books and Aurora Metro.
And Other Stories, Unbound and The Pigeonhole are successfully applying new business models to their ventures. Many of the new breed of indie booksellers are releasing their own books thanks to the digital revolution. Book buyers who choose to support indie bookshops know they will get great service and stumble upon titles they have never heard of − with the added bonus that to support your local economy feels good. The Hive Network and Wordery offer readers a combination of high street and 24-hour online retailing. Whether reading printed books, on an e-reader or a tablet, we are lucky to have so much choice. Independence matters!
Continue reading Viva BookBlast! | est. 1997
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HopeRoad promotes inclusive literature with a focus on Africa, Asia and the Caribbean; and vigorously supports often neglected voices. Many of HopeRoad’s YA titles focus on issues dealing with identity, cultural stereotyping and disability. The talk has as its theme Trading Places: Bright City, Dark Secrets. Book Tickets
