Josie Turner Wins Welsh Poetry Competition

The winners of the 7th international Welsh Poetry Competition 2013 were announced earlier this month. First prize was awarded to Josie Turner for her poem 'Rations'.
Competition judge, Eloise Williams, said of the winning poem: "I’m not sure there are enough superlatives to adequately praise this poem. Stunning, touching, moving, fascinating, beautiful…The poem, succinct in form, is far larger than its lines. Revealing itself more with each reading we are given a glimpse of the relationship between three people. 'Rations' touched me profoundly and I want to read more."
Second Prize was awarded to David E. Oprava for his poem 'Sleep is Mending' and third prize went to Gill Learner for her poem 'The Moneychanger and his Wife'. Eloise also chose another seventeen poems for the ‘specially commended’ section. All winning poems and judges’ comments can be viewed on the Welsh Poetry Competition website.

ROALD DAHL DAY: SEPTEMBER 2013 - GET READY FOR “MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM”!

September 2013 marks the EIGHTH annual celebration of Roald Dahl’s work, life and diverse legacy. This year’s Roald Dahl Day celebrations pay tribute to the MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM within the work of the world’s number one storyteller. We all love Roald Dahl’s more villainous characters, whether it’s the terrifying Trunchbull, currently wowing audiences in the multi-award-winning stage show on London’s West End and on Broadway, or the Grand High Witch – about to be immortalised in a new audiobook read by Miranda Richardson. And when it comes to MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM, nobody does it with more aplomb than Mr Willy Wonka, whether in the original book or played by Doug Hodge in the smash-hit musical which has just opened at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
Although we say “Roald Dahl Day”, in honour of the author’s birthday on September 13th, the festivities truly last throughout September.

For further information about Roald Dahl, please visit:

www.roalddahl.com - the official website of Roald Dahl.

www.facebook.com/roalddahl

www.twitter.com/roald_dahl

www.youtube.com/officialroalddahl

An Evening with bestselling author Chris Ryan

Thursday 29th August, 6.30pm
Peterborough Central Library
£5 (£4 concessions and reading group members)
Tickets from any Peterborough library, or Waterstones Peterborough
Tel 01733 864280

Meet bestselling SAS thriller writer Chris Ryan

Chris will be talking about his brand new novel, ‘Masters of War’ - the first in a new series featuring hero Danny Black.

In North Africa, young SAS trooper Danny Black is coming to the end of a gruelling tour of duty, or so he thinks. Danny has a new mission, which sucks him into the murky orbit of the private military, a world where death is dispensed by the highest bidder.

Chris Ryan joined the SAS in 1984 and served in military hot zones across the world. His books are authentic and offer a fierce snapshot of life on the front lines and beyond. He wrote about his own experiences in the bestseller ‘The One That Got Away’ and has since written fourteen bestselling novels. He has sold over 4 million books to date.

For further information please click here.

Call for Submissions: Creative Competition Celebrates East Anglian Museums

Are you passionate about your local museum? Do you have a hidden creative talent that's just bursting to be recognised? Then why not enter this fantastic competition?

As part of their work with local museums, the Atelier East Young Curators' Forum are putting together a booklet of creative art and writing to celebrate museums across the East of England, and we'd like to hear from you.

We need your short stories, poems and drawings inspired by your local museum. This is a great opportunity to see your work in print, and there are so many amazing objects to spark your imagination! You could write a poem about the mummified rat in the Whittlesey museum, tell the story about the 'Spong Man' at the Norwich Castle Museum, or paint a picture of old-fashioned computers on display at the Framlingham Museum in Suffolk.  

All the winning entries will be published in a special limited edition booklet, and the competition is open to artists and writers of all ages! So, whether you're a budding Piccaso, or an amateur JK Rowling, we'd love to hear from you!

This project has been made possible with the support of Cambridgeshire-based arts organisation Atelier East and funding from the charity, Young Lives.

If you'd like to enter, please send your submission to info@karen-harvey.co.uk with your name, contact telephone number, and the name of the museum and artefact that inspired you. Alternatively, you can pick up an entry form from the Wisbech and Fenland Museum, Museum Square, Wisbech PE13 1ES.

The closing date for submissions is Saturday 31st August 2013.

Cuckoo young reviewers masterclasses back for 2013

Following our very successful series of masterclasses in 2012, New Writing North and Juice Festival are partnering up again to bring together some of the UK’s top arts writers and young journalists from the North.

This year aspiring young journalists can choose from in-depth reviewing workshops with Guardian theatre critic Lyn Gardner and art critic for The Independent Zoe Pilger. Guardian features writer Laura Barton will lead a workshop on creative ways to write about music, and we’re pleased to welcome back Danny Leigh (BBC’s Film 2013) who will be exploring how to write features about film.

Taking place in some of the region’s most prestigious cultural venues over August and October, the free masterclasses are a unique opportunity for young writers (aged 16-21) to get invaluable advice from acclaimed journalists, develop their arts writing skills, and get their work published in Cuckoo Review, the UK’s online arts magazine written by young writers.

To apply and for more information, go to www.newwritingnorth.com/young-cuckoo-young-reviewers-masterclass-2013-page-2476.html.

University of the Air open call for arts commissions 2013

The Open University wishes to commission four artist/companies to design and develop new work that will promote and raise awareness of its research. The OU is looking for exceptional and engaging responses to the brief to present at high-profile events in Belfast, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Milton Keynes in October/early November 2013. 

For more information, visit www.open.ac.uk/research/main/research-impact/university-air

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Royal Baby Book Recommendations for Pre-School Age +

‘The Royal Baby’

By Tony Bradman and Tony Ross
Published by Oxford University Press
RRP £6.99 (large format paperback)
ISBN 978019273627
Reviewed by Lilly, aged 4, and her mum
A lovely book tying in with the expected arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s first baby – the authors take us on a illustrated journey about the royal baby – what will it look like, will it be musical, hard-working, sporty, fearless, strong, fair-haired …? When the baby is born, it is beautiful, as all babies are and we’ll have to wait and see what the baby is like as it grow up.
Lilly liked the pictures, thinks the baby will be a girl; “a beautiful princess” who will like dancing and baby dolls! It’s a great little book, very apt and celebrates a happy occasion for the nation. A cool keepsake too!
Recommended for readers aged pre-school +

'That’s Not My Princess’ and ‘That’s Not My Prince’

By Fiona Watt and Rachel Wells
Published by Usborne Books
RRP £5.99 (small format hardback)
ISBN 9780746073681 (Princess) / 9781409566557 (Prince)
These little “That’s not my …” books are well-known to parents with pre-school children! Just released are That’s Not My Princess and That’s Not My Prince, in their iconic, award-winning touchy-feely book format. With the world fascinated with the Duke and

Duchess of Cambridge and with their first baby due soon, being a prince or princess has never been so cool! These books are an ideal size for little hands, have different textures and fun to read to your child. My personal favourite – the prince whose hair is too fluffy … and of course the sparkling crowns both the prince and princess wear.
If your child is a fan of princes and princess, or the Usborne touchy-feely books, then these are a must-read!
Highly recommended for pre-school aged children

The James Berry Fundraising Project presents A STORY I AM IN: A Benefit Performance Poetry, Music & Spoken Word celebrating James Berry’s Life in Literature

FRIDAY 27th SEPTEMBER

The James Berry Fundraising Project presents
A STORY I AM IN:
A Benefit Performance
Poetry, Music & Spoken Word celebrating James Berry’s Life in Literature

The Tabernacle, London W11
7pm - 10pm

Acclaimed poet James Berry celebrates 90 years of poetry, stories and song in 2014. James was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease nine years ago.  He has been in residential care for over two years, and during that time has been in five different care homes and has spent four months in hospital. Despite the serious nature of his illness, he continues to enjoy listening to poetry and talking about everything under the sun.  In this special fundraising benefit at the Tabernacle, fifteen outstanding poets, musician, performers and wordsmiths will share a stage to mark Berry’s life in words and bear witness to his contribution to the transformation of the national, Caribbean and international literary landscapes.
Featuring

Roger McGough, Grace Nichols, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Ian Macmillan, Maura Dooley, Andrew Motion, Michael Rosen, Hannah Lowe, John Agard, Inua Ellams, Dean Atta, Susanna Howard, Myra Barrs, Melanie Abrahams, Keith Waithe and special guests.

Tickets £45 each - price of ticket includes entertainment and a food buffet.

A limited number of Early Bird tickets are available at £35 (offer ends 12th Sept 2013) BOOK a ticket HERE
All Proceeds from the event go to the James Berry Trust.  Event in partnership with the Tabernacle.

Writers Services launch new site with over 4,000 pages of free info for writers ...

www.writersservices.com has just launched a spectacular new site which offers over 4,000 pages of information for writers, together with a weekly update and a monthly magazine. The site covers what's new in the book world, publishing and the web for writers. Writers' comments and input are complemented by new articles on all aspects of writing commissioned for the site. Highlights include the 19-part Inside Publishing series, articles on
writing in different genres, UK , US and international agents' listings, the latest news on competitions and prizes, and an information bank for writers on everything from making submissions to finding an agent, from entering competitions to making the decision to self-publish.

WritersServices offers a range of 19 editorial services. Over the years its experienced team of professional editors has established a powerful reputation for delivering constructive advice and editing directly to authors.

It's free to register on the WritersServices site, bookmark your favourite pages, see a list of updates since you last visited the site, and to opt for the free weekly newsletter.
It's a time of unprecedented change for writers, publishers and booksellers, as the traditional book seems to be morphing into something else. Or does it? Everything seems to be changing at once and it's a scramble to keep up. Writersservices keeps writers up-to-date with what's going on in the book world and provides essential information and support.

For further information please visit www.writersservices.com

CALLING ALL ‘STATE OF THE ARTISTS’ 3BEARDS LAUNCH DIGITAL SIZZLE ARTHACK 2013

●      Following last year’s successful one night only show at Whitechapel Gallery, iconic London technology start-up event organisers 3beards announce an open call to artists to join in on the second annual Art Meets Tech Hackathon (Arthack) July 26th - 28th at the South Place Hotel

●      Once a year chance for artists to work hand-in-hand with technical developers, programmers and best minds in technology to turn any form of data into something artistic

●      All the projects will be displayed at a launch event on the 16th August, followed by a public showcase on the 17th and 18th August at the brand new D&D South Place Hotel

●      Winning hack projects will be displayed at The Barbican for two weeks in August

LONDON, July 16th 2013 - 3beards, London’s iconic start-up content, promotion and events company responsible for the weekly Silicon Drinkabout, monthly Don’t Pitch Me, Bro! and quarterly Digital Sizzle events in London, have today announced an open call to the artistic community to join forces with London’s tech start-up community for the second annual Art Hackathon.

From July 26th - 28th, the brand new boutique luxury D&D London-owned South Place Hotel will be transformed into the ultimate collaborative space for a mixture of 100 people - made up of artists, developers, musicians and creatives, guided by a variety of mentors - to just simply “create”. The challenge is simple - take any form of data and turn it into something creative!

Bryce Keane, 3beards co-founder, said, “Last year’s Digital Sizzle Art Meets Tech Hackathon was our biggest event to date, with over 600 people filling the Whitechapel Gallery for an evening to see the results. This year we want to make it even bigger and better, and continue our efforts to foster closer collaboration between two of the most creative communities - art and technology!”

As well as showcasing all of the resulting works across the South Place Hotel for a special weekend exhibition, three of the winning hack projects will be displayed in The Barbican for two weeks during the month of August. In addition to working closely with their fellow ‘Art Hackers’, participants will also have access to a range of high profile mentors. Those announced so far include:

●      Tim Regan of the Cambridge MicrosoftResearch Lab. Tim's current research is on information visualization, the future of the book, social software and mobile media.

●      Stef Lewandowski, Co-Founder of Makeshift the company making digital products that 'give a leg up to the little guy'.  Stef also particpiated in last year's Art Hack where he made the WSJ featured Data Necklace.

●      Ruth Catlow - artist and curator at FurtherField Gallery, Ruth has 15 years experience of making and co-creating networked media arts, artwares and interventions.

●      Santi Ortega - Freelance designer doing 3D design and programming for architectural-scale installations as well as being a visiting tutor in video projects at the Royal College of Art.

●      Brian Taylor Co-Founder of PixelPin

As well as all food and drink being included for the weekend, shared accommodation will also be provided* for the Saturday evening at the hotel. As an Art Hotel, South Place hosts a number of inspirational works across its seven floors. Created by D&D London and designed by Conran, it must be one of the most luxurious locations for a hackathon ever.

In terms of format for the event, on the Friday night 3beards will welcome everyone and facilitate ideation and team formation. If participants already have an idea, they can pitch it to the crowd and gather members for the project. If participants don't have an idea, they can simply join any team with a project that interests them. Teams are then invited to begin working on their projects whenever they are ready and throughout the course of the weekend, 3beards will monitor progress, and provide mentorship to make sure the projects are on track. On the Sunday, at around 4/5pm, the final project demo sessions will begin and judging shall commence!

Supported by simple, but powerful, cloud communications API Twilio, the Getty Images API and specialist hosting company Wirehive, the weekend is an experience not to be missed.

Tickets for this year’s Digital Sizzle ArtHack can be found at http://sizzle9hackathon.eventbrite.co.uk/ and a full list of projects and videos from last year’s Digital Sizzle Art Hack can be found at  http://thedigitalsizzle.com/sizzle6/index.html

Reviewers Needed for Inky Needles

Established by a group of multi-disciplinary graduates and postgraduates from London, Inky Needles are an independent online publishing group specializing in Philosophy, Poetry and Politics. 


We have recently redesigned and relaunched our website, and with this we would like to take on a number of regular voluntary reviewers. We aim to publish theoretical, critical and/or alternative reflections on cultural items that extend beyond a typical '4 out of 5 star' review. Our reviewers could explore new critical theory, philosophy, political and poetry work, as well as, London based exhibitions, plays and events. 

You will have the opportunity to see some exciting contemporary culture on behalf of Inky Needles. There is no set workload and you can contribute as you can. 

The reviews section allows for a broad range of subjects to be covered, so we can match items of review to your particular interests or specialities. We are looking for individuals  interested in the fields of philosophy, politics, culture, society, or the arts, who can offer interesting and reflective perspectives in short pieces of writing. 

This is a great opportunity to make that first step into the publishing world, to gauge how life as a journalistic writer works in the arts and culture industries, and to earn some valuable experience in order to further your continuing development in the literary, journalistic and publishing worlds.

If you are interesting in applying for this unpaid position, check out our reviews section at www.inkyneedles.com and please send an email with a brief outline of your interests and previous writing to Jessica Gregory at reviews@inkyneedles.com.

Class Writing Competition - Win a visit from children's author Tom Palmer

Win a school visit to your class from successful children's author Tom Palmer! Have fun telling together and creating in the classroom a single piece of spooky creative writing.  It could be either a story, cartoon, play script, film script or a poem, but has to incorporate 10 selected spooky words. 

Download your free Ghost Stadium pack for full details. http://www.tompalmer.co.uk/index.php?page_id=74

You can find out more about Tom Palmer and his work at www.tompalmer.co.uk.  You can also follow Tom on Twitter at @tompalmerauthor.

Good Luck!

CALLING ALL POETS, WRITERS & CREATIVES!

Hello fellow creatives!

I am about to embark on a new project and I need your help please.

I'm planning on compiling another charity anthology of poems and short stories, on the theme of "Unity In The Community," in aid of BBC Children In Need. All net profits from the book will go to the charity.

BBC Children In Need helps disadvantaged and disabled children across the UK. It is a very worthy charity.

What I need from you it your creativity, in the form of poems, lyrics, short stories for the book, on the theme of, "Unity In The Community."

If you'd like to donate up to two creative works then please submit them by filling out the submissions form that I've set up at:

http://poetrybyjae.co.uk/submit-a-poem/

Many thanks in advance for your kindness and generosity.

Jae-Alexander Linsey

PRESS RELEASE: DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE - BE PART OF THE SERIES TRAILER!

To celebrate the upcoming UK paperback publication of Days of Blood and Starlight, book two in Laini Taylor’s stunning Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, Hodder & Stoughton are asking Laini’s fans to feature in the series trailer and be in with the chance of winning fabulous prizes!

To enter, simply use your phone, webcam or digital camera to create content inspired by the book. This could take form of reading all of or part of the book’s synopsis, sharing your thoughts about the book or using visual imagery to convey your passion. Be as imaginative as you like! Images will also be accepted as valid entries.

Entries can be submitted directly to the Smoke and Bone Book Facebook page - www.facebook.com/TheSmokeandBoneGroup - or as a video response to the launch video on www.youtube.com/smokeandbonebook. Alternatively, Vine videos and images can be shared with @smokeandbone on Twitter or tagged on Instragram and Instagram Video using #smokeandbone. Entrants will need to include their name and country of residence in comments. Entrants must be 13 years old or over to enter.

ALL those who submit videos will see their names printed in the next book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, due for release in 2014! Hodder and Stoughton will also select 20 UK entrants, based on the content and quality of their submissions, to win 20 signed copies of Days of Blood and Starlight, and one UK entry will receive a star prize of £100 worth of Topshop vouchers!

The competition opens on 5th July 2013 and closes on 31st July 2013 11:59 pm London Time. Winners will be informed by the method of their entries and the trailer will be released in August 2013.

For the book’s synopsis and full terms and conditions see: http://on.fb.me/16R2DX3

If you'd like embed/share the trailer competition launch video, you can do so as follows:
Link to the video on youtube - http://youtu.be/JaXO9NNAGsQ

How To Find Literary Agent Representation by Writer's Relief

One of the toughest parts of writing and selling your book is landing a literary agent, but it is possible—and it fills us with joy every time we see it. Literary agents are very busy and they often feel as if they’ve seen everything you can throw at them. However, there are things you can do, and others you can avoid, to increase your chances of gaining representation.

Write the best book you can. It may be obvious, but it’s also the most important: If you don’t have full confidence in your work, it won’t show through in your correspondence, and your prospective agent won’t get excited about it. Make sure your manuscript is great from the very beginning—agents often only want to see the first chapter or even the first five pages, so you’ll be out of luck if your book doesn’t really “get going” until thirty pages in.

Stick with it. Don’t give up. You may feel ready to throw your hands in the air and abandon all hope after your fiftieth submission—but there’s always a chance that your fifty-first could be your winner…or your fifty-second. Get back on that horse and write an even better query letter. Speaking of…

Write a great query letter. It’s one of the hardest parts of the process, but it’s one that you don’t want to do halfway. Since it’s one of the first things every agent looks at (and sometimes the only thing), it’s the one single factor that decides whether he/she continues on to your sample pages or if your work winds up in the “round file.” Check out our Free Publishing Tool Kit for tips on how to write the best possible query letter.

Get your word count right. This is something else your prospective agent is going to be looking at very closely, so make sure it’s at the front of your query. Every genre has a different sweet spot. If your book’s a fantasy, agents are thinking of a number between 80,000 and 150,000. Non-series mysteries generally run 75,000 to 100,000. See more genre word counts here.

Follow submission guidelines. As previously mentioned, different agents will want different materials. Some will ask for your whole “packet”—query letter, synopsis, and sample pages—some will just want your letter, some will want 50 sample pages, and some will want 10. We’ve even seen a few that just want one. We know you’re proud of your synopsis and your manuscript, but if they don’t ask for them, don’t send them. No matter how much you think it’ll help your submission, if you’re not following the guidelines, it will only hurt your chances.

When preparing your book and query packet for submission to literary agents, it’s important to remember that they are looking for great projects and for red flags. Before hitting “Send” on your e-submission or putting your submission in the mail, try to evaluate your submission objectively. Have you followed submission guidelines perfectly? Is your book adhering to standard guidelines for its genre? Have you written a professional query letter? Have you proofread everything in your submission packet? If anything looks awry to you, you can guarantee a literary agent will spot it immediately. So put your best foot forward, and ensure that literary agents see your book in its best light.

Thank you to Writer's Relief for this very informative and interesting guest blog.

You can find out more about Writer's Relief using these weblinks:

Homepage: http://www.writersrelief.com/

Blog: http://www.writersrelief.com/blog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writersrelief

Twitter: https://twitter.com/writersrelief

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/writersrelief/

Tumblr: http://writersrelief.tumblr.com/

Google +: https://plus.google.com/106884530768944286582/posts

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7400591-writer-s-relief

 

Lummox Magazine calls for submissions, reviews and essays about poetry

LUMMOX issue 2 will be published in Mid-November of 2013. The reading period for  issue 2 is May 1st to August 1st 2013. 

The theme for this issue is PLACE. 

Poets are invited to submit 2-3 poems about PLACE for the next issue. The editors also looking for reviews, interviews and essays about poetry and poetry craft. This anthology is about poetry, not the poet.

Previously published poems are okay, just list where and when. 

Issue 1 contained the work of over 200 poets, 236 pages and in an 8x10 inch format. A sample of LUMMOX issue 1 can be seen at: http://issuu.com/poetraindog/docs/lummox_1promo-.

Deadline: 1st August 2013.

For further information, please visit www.lummoxpress.com.

Costa Short Story Award call for entries

Entry is now open for the Costa Short Story Award. The award is for a previously unpublished short story of up to 4,000 words written in English by an author aged 18 years or over. 

Entrants need not have been previously published but publishers and agents may submit entries on behalf of authors. 

The winner will be announced at the Costa Book Awards ceremony on 28th January 2014 and will receive £3,500, the runner-up will receive £1,500, while the author in third place will receive £500. 

Deadline for submissions: 2nd August 2013. 

For more information and to enter, go to www.costabookawards.com.

The Goose in the Suitcase wins £5,000 in the 2013 Cardiff International Poetry Competition

The much awaited results of the 2013 Cardiff International Poetry Competition were announced on Wednesday 26 June as part of an evening of poetry and music at Porters in Cardiff City Centre. 
The First Prize of £5,000 was awarded to Geoff Lajbrok from Cambridge for his poem The Goose in the Suitcase. Geoff’s poems have, until now, he says “remained unshared and undiscovered, except by his family and close friends who are forced to listen to every word he writes”. He is however currently working on his first collection of poetry which he hopes to publish in the autumn.
Second Prize of £500 was awarded to Rosie Shepperd from London for her poem My milkman comes from Sarajevo and has beautiful hands.

Hitting the Road with Frida Kahlo, by Valerie Laws from Northumbria, was awarded Third Prize of £250 in the competition. 
The five equal runners-up in the competition, each receiving £50, are: Penny Ayers from Cheltenham for her poem Museum of Curiosities, Bramber, 1963; Charity Novick from Cambridgeshire for her poem Marital Routine; Pascale Petit from London for her poem My Father’s Mirror; Judith Taylor from Aberdeen for her poem Daffodils; and Anna Wigley from Cardiff for her poem Collecting the Casket.
The hard task of judging the 2013 Competition fell to National Poet of Wales Gillian Clarke, former poet Laureate Andrew Motion and filter judge Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch. 
 
Click here to read all of this year's winning poems and to find out more about the winners themselves.

The Cardiff International Poetry Competition is supported by Cardiff Council.

Source: Literature Wales

Eat Our Words: submissions wanted

Organisers are looking for tea, chocolate cake and cheese-inspired poetry, micro sagas and flash fiction to be published, performed and eaten as part of the Speakeasy & Salon at NewcastleGateshead EAT! Festival 2013. 

Email your poems (maximum 10 lines), haikus, micro sagas (max 10 words) and flash fiction (max 100 words) to eatourwordsnewcastle@gmail.co.uk by 12 noon on 31st July 2013. 

If your work is selected, you will need to be available to read at the event on 25th August at 3pm. Maximum two submissions per person.

Further details can be found at http://www.newcastlegateshead.com/eat-festival/food-adventures/the-speakeasy-and-salon/results/the-speakeasy-and-salon-eat-our-words-p712081

Everyone's Invited to the Poetry Review Launch Party

 

Join Gilles Ortlieb, David Wheatley, Kathryn Simmonds, Sam Willetts, Jimmy Symonds and Guest Editor Patrick McGuinness at the launch of Poetry Review’s summer issue, ‘Poetry &’ www.poetrysociety.org.uk/events/event/2373/
TICKETS ARE FREE BUT MUST BE RESERVED IN ADVANCE BY EMAILING: marketing@poetrysociety.org.uk or call 020 7420 9886.

Wednesday 24 July 2013, 6.30pm–8.30pm.

Readings from 7pm.

VENUE: Nightingale Room,
Keats House
Keats Grove
London
NW3 2RR.

Cover stories: Bestselling authors augment book covers with Blippar experiences

New releases from Peter James and Seth Patrick will feature interactive covers unlocked using the Blippar smartphone app

Two new books, including the latest novel from bestselling author Peter James, will feature interactive experiences designed to bring the novels to life for readers and bridge the gap between hard copy and digital experiences. Once ‘blipped’ using the Blippar smartphone application, all copies of Peter James’ Dead Man’s Time begin to play a dramatic animated version of the cover and give the reader access to an exclusive interview with the author, as well as providing in-depth content exposing the Brighton underworld that forms the keystone of the book’s plot.

Peter James commented:

“I love that my readers can now dive into the Brighton underworld and access exciting material about the city and my research, simply by scanning the book. Blippar really brings my books to life for the reader.”

Dead Man’s Time and Reviver by Seth Patrick are among the first ever to be augmented using the unique Blippar technology, which doesn’t require any additional codes or references to be printed onto the book as it simply reads and recognises the whole image or page. The Blippar app, which already has millions of active users unlocking interactive content on items ranging from film posters to bottles of ketchup, is free to download and can be used with any iPhone or Android smartphone.

Jess Butcher, Chief Marketing Officer at Blippar commented:

“The capacity for Blippar to add another dimension to the printed media experience opens up a world of possibility for authors and publishers and these latest examples prove just how powerful a blippable cover can be. Far from simply animating the cover, these books bring the plot to life, offer insight into the research behind the book and bring the authors closer to their readers.”

The cover of Seth Patrick’s urban noir horror, Reviver, features bespoke video that conveys the claustrophobic nature of the plot and helps the debut author to establish an immediate connection with readers of the genre.

Jess Butcher added:

“More than simply loading a video or opening a web page, Blippar is able to interact with the cover content itself and load a broad variety of features from within the app – including social media sharing options.”

“By bringing an exclusive interactive experience to the printed book, authors are able to add value to the hard copy experience – for once, digital technology is not being presented as a replacement for print, but as an opportunity to breathe added life into the experience.”

Sara Lloyd, Digital & Communications Director at Pan Macmillan commented: “Working with Blippar has allowed us to give our readers not only a fun and engaging experience, but also quick and easy access to the wealth of extra content that surrounds our books. Implementing our campaign across book jacket, outdoor, online and press adverts reflects our belief that linking print with digital, online with offline, is a winning combination to drive discovery of our books and authors.”

Blippar is available to download for free from the Apple App Store for iPhone users and the Google Play marketplace for those with an Android smartphone.

Source: Press release