Marisa very kindly forwarded a press release a couple of days ago regarding the shortlist for the Blooker Prize.Now if the idea of blooks (self-published books based on blogs) seemed a little ... self-indulgent ... when I first mentioned the idea some time ago, the quality of contenders for the prize has certainly made me think again.
Belle du Jour is, of course, up for the award. (Who could not want to read a memoir written by an intelligent, articulate hooker?) Apparently a film (or should that be a flook - film of the blook?) is in the pipeline.
And so is a book that I've been looking forward to reading since I first heard about it. Julie and Julia:365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen - part cookbook, part memoir, it's the story of Julie Powell's personal cuisinery journey through every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and how in the process she saved her soul. The book which has garnered excellent reviews grew from a blog on the salon.com website.
Another contender for the Blooker include Egg, Bacon, Chips And Beans, a quirky tribute to greasy spoon caffs by US-based Brit, Russell Davies. And here's his blog.The landscape of publishing is changing for sure, becoming through initiatives like this more democratic, more meritocratic, more ground up. And of course all the time my mind is working (as I hope yours is too, dear reader) ... might I also have it in me to be a blauthor?
If the answer could be yes, start here.
9 comments:
I have Julie & Julia!
I'll bring it along next Tuesday (that's the first class right?? I lost the schedule).
btw, I think your tagline would be an excellent cover blurb.
Why not, Sharon. I think all bloggers have it in them to become blauthors. We don't need to self-publish if we expand and polish up the blog entries into respectable shape for traditional publishers.
Of course. But who'd want to pay for something they can get on the net for free ?
..and speaking of "Belle du Jour" I have a memoir written by a former brothel owner.
Anon, there are those who don't have access to the net. Besides, reading a book and surfing through the net is a different experience. Some people prefer paper to VDU.
Hm.. if this was true I could just rip off every blog on the net, publish it and make money. It's not as if anyone can sue me, right ? although it can be said that you have a legal right to what you write, can you (or anyone) do anything if that happens ? I think most of what we might call "effective demand" already has Internet access anyway.
PS. Incidentally, there are cheap books in KL now. Saw some in Carrefour MidValley. Also in MPH.. I think it was RM10 or something, and not classics either but the type of book in which characters say things like "Maybe the PC is spoiled." yeah, spoiled like a ten-dollar prostitute.
You can't rip off every blog on the net. You can be sued.
Well yes, that's possible, but can you prove ownership of your blog ? how do you prove that you wrote what you wrote on your blog ?
Belle DU jour makes me think of a 60s Bunuel film with French actress Catherine Deneuve 'Belle DE jour'. A bored bourgeoise who wants to experience what is like to be a 'luxury prostitute', and gets hooked by love, if I remember well.
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