Join us for Unbound Live at the Birmingham Library Theatre from 7pm on 10th July.

Pitching/performing will be George Chopping, Stevyn Colgan, Robert Llewellyn and Adrian Teal.

“The authors will be going head-to-head pitching to raise funding for their book ideas, in a cross between an election hustings and a literary Dragons’ Den. Listen to the pitches, the extracts, the carefully framed arguments, the wit , the passion, the pleading and then you - the potential reader - can decide which books you’d like to see published and pledge for them on the night.”

More details about each of the 4 authors, the event and how to get tickets: here.

John Simmons, of “26 Treasures” (a book that has now been fully funded and is on its way to publication by Unbound - click here to find out more about how that worked) has written a guest blog over at the bookstore Foyles’ website on how the book came to be:

The 26 Treasures project began with an exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 2010 and then spread to Aberystwyth, Belfast and Edinburgh. In each case, an exhibition of 26 artefacts reflecting national culture was accompanied by a booklet in which 26 writers each had 62 words to write about one of the objects. This autumn the concept is taken up by the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green, with writers picking one object for each year of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. New crowd-sourcing publisher Unbound publish a limited edition anthology of all the contributions shortly, with a regular edition following in September.

Here the co-founder of the project, John Simmons, reveals its origins, coins a new literary term and asks for the treasures from your childhood.

What’s your treasure? It might sound like an idle thought, a question from a conversation over a cup of coffee. Actually that was exactly how it started. I was sitting in the National Gallery café talking to Rob Self-Pierson. We’re both members of 26 www.26.org.uk a writers’ group - and we were wondering, just between ourselves, how we might write about the Gallery’s collection in a different way. We wanted to find a way that would be more personal, taking us (and others) away from that desultory state of mind when you trail around a gallery or museum, not really connecting with the objects you’re supposed to be looking at in a reverent way.

So the idea grew in and out of the conversation. We decided we would write about individual ‘treasures’ in a way that was not scholarly or academic. Just asking: what does this object say to me? We took the idea to Ben Evans at the London Design Festival and he put us in touch with the Victoria & Albert Museum. We refined the idea: we would ask each of 26 writers to write exactly 62 words (26 in reflection). And we would randomly pair writers and objects.

The V&A loved the idea and their curators chose 26 treasures from the British Galleries. ‘Treasures’ came in all shapes and sizes: the Great Bed of Ware (enormous), a locket (tiny). When we paired writers with objects sometimes it was love at first sight, sometimes it wasn’t. I didn’t warm to my 18th century Rococo candle stand that was almost hidden away in a badly-lit display case. But as I got to know it better, and think about its situation, I came to feel sorry for this curiosity fallen on hard times. I wrote 62 words in its rather petulant voice.

We had 26 pieces, each 62 words. I thought we needed a name for this form so I called it a ‘sestude’. The next thought was: can this go national? So we approached the National Library of Wales, the Ulster Museum and the National Museum of Scotland. The museums chose the treasures, we provided 26 writers to write a sestude each, and the museums then put our words alongside the objects.

That would have been it if I hadn’t had lunch with John Mitchinson. John’s an old friend, ex-Waterstone’s, ex-Harvill Press, founder of QI and now founder of Unbound, a new crowd-sourcing approach to publishing. www.unbound.co.uk I explained 26 Treasures to John, said that writers like Andrew Motion, Paul Muldoon, Alexander McCall Smith, Gillian Clarke and Michael Longley had taken part. Actually there were more - more than 100 writers in all. “Sounds like a great book.” It was a good lunch too. We agreed to publish 26 Treasures through Unbound.

Click here to read the rest.

Anonymous asked: Dear Sir/Madam, I'm currently in the process of writing a fantasy novel, the first fifty or so pages are complete. I have outlined the structure of this book along with another two books to follow and I am really enjoying writing it now the storyline is building. I know that you probably hear this question on a daily basis but it would be great if you could give me a few tips on getting this book published or in line for publishing when it is completed? Many thanks, Paul.

Hi Paul,

In the future we hope to do a series of interviews with our authors and editors to give more in-depth advice on this kind of thing for aspiring authors such as yourself, so keep an eye out for that.

For now, a few basic tips:

• First, this is rather obvious, but given some of the submissions we receive it needs to be restated: always follow the submission guidelines. Read and re-read them carefully, whether for publishing houses or literary agents. Make sure that you have formatted your work correctly, and that the content of your story is in line with whatever the publisher or agent is looking for.
  
  
• The Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook is always a great source of helpful information on getting books in any genre published, so if you haven’t got a copy yet, you should probably get one.
  
  
• The most important thing, of course, is the quality of your writing - which means that you should edit and re-edit (and re-edit again) as much as possible once you are finished.
  Give it to friends who love reading critically and try to consider their advice objectively (naturally, this will be extremely difficult to do).
  
  
• But since you are still in the process of writing the first draft, have fun with it! Difficult as it may be, try not to think too much about getting published, but rather, focus on making the book as great a book as you could wish to read.
  
  
• Furthermore, as a fantasy author, it would be a good idea to cut back on reading fantasy works for the period while you are writing, and focus on expanding your reading in a whole range of other genres. Assuming you have already read lots of fantasy and are comfortable with and clear on the genre, taking a step back for a short while could be a good move. This could help you to ensure that your writing doesn’t automatically emerge steeped in the tropes of the genre and instead is fresh/original/different.

www.unbound.co.uk

Comedian Katy Brand and the novel she is crowd-funding for publishing with Unbound, (Brenda Monk is Funny - a story about a woman who decides to try and be a comedian), have been featured in the Daily Mail this week. You can see an excerpt of the article below.

And you can click here to find out more about Brenda Monk is Funny, read an excerpt of the book, and also find out how to get involved with its publication of  (in return for anything from an e-book and signed first edition hardback with your name printed in the back of each copy of the book, to invites to the launch party and comedy advice from Katy herself).

The book where you’re the story: TV comedian Katy Brand offering fans the chance to be a character in her first novel… for £2,500

By Emily Allen

Comedian Katy Brand is offering her fans the chance to have a character named after them in her first novel - for £2,500.

Her startling offer, which includes advice on any comedy script or stand-up and an invitation to the book’s launch lunch, is featured on a pay-to-publish website offering writers a new way of connecting with their readers and funding their publishing dreams.

On Unbound authors pitch their book ideas directly to readers and they can stump up cash to contribute towards its publication if they like the idea - in return for rewards.

If the authors raise enough money, the book will be written and published. The author will get half of the proceeds and Unbound the other half.

The books will always be available in digital form but if enough money is raised then it will be published in a paperback or hardback.

Ms Brand, who has appeared in numerous films, TV, radio and live shows including Have I Got News For You and Peep Show, wrote on the website: ‘I have always wanted to write a novel about comedy, maybe even several novels, so here I am, just a girl, standing in front of an internet, asking it to pay.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2150626/The-book-youre-story-TV-comedian-Katy-Brand-offering-fans-chance-character-novel—2-500.html#ixzz1wALmKHLs

George Chopping at Unbound Live

For more videos of author performances at the event go to: www.youtube.com/unboundvideos

Hardeep Singh Kohli at Unbound Live

For more videos of author performances at the event go to: www.youtube.com/unboundvideos

Ex-Blue Peter presenter seeks funding for a book about the programme

by Tom Cole

Former Blue Peter presenter Mark Curry is seeking funding from the public to complete work on a book about the long-running children’s TV programme.

Trust Me I’m a Blue Peter Presenter is a project Curry has been working on for some time, in which he aims to tell the definitive story of the show and the people who made it over the last 53 years.

As well as exposing the realities of working on the programme, Curry aims to clear up various Blue Peter controversies in the book, such as whether or not ex-presenter Michael Sundin was sacked from the show for being homosexual.

He has already lined up interviews with alumni including Peter Purves, Sarah Greene, Janet Ellis, Peter Duncan, Yvette Fielding, Anthea Turner, John Leslie, Diane Louise Jordan, Liz Barker, Stuart Miles, Tina Heath, Tim Vincent and Lesley Judd, and hopes to persuade others to talk about their work on the show once the project gets under way.

However, owing to the fact that many former Blue Peter stars live in far-flung places, Curry needs donations from fans to cover travel expenses so that he can conduct interviews and carry out research for the book.

Anyone who contributes money via publisher Unbound’s website will have their name printed in every edition of the book, with further benefits available for particularly generous contributors.

Click here to read the rest of the article…

Come and see Chris Yates in conversation with Unbound founder Dan Kieran (talking about Yates’s new book, Nightwalk) at the Southbank Centre on 25th May.

Click here to find out more…

You can now see the story of how Robert Llewellyn got his new book, News From Gardenia, published via crowd-funding, relayed on Storify.

Author Jessica Jones, whose book, The Elegant Art of Falling Apart is being crowd-funded for UK publication with Unbound, has been featured in The Independent this week, where she discusses how her experience of being paralysed for a period at the age of 25 eventually led to her writing the book.

(You can click here to find out more about the process of “crowd-funding” a book for publication, and how you can get involved and support the publication of The Elegant Art of Falling Apart in return for anything from your name in the back of every copy of the book, a signed first edition hardback, photographic prints, a goody bag of natural beauty products (The Good Glamour Natural Beauty Bag) and even lunch with Jessica.)

Also, we’ve launched a Flash Fiction Writing Prize in celebration of Jessica and her book, and you can find out more about the competition and how to enter by clicking here.

Read on for an extract from The Independent’s piece:

1987 – I was twenty-five years old and holed up in the intensive care unit at the National Neurological Hospital in London, stricken from head to toe with Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Symptoms: total paralysis. Prognosis: uncertain.

Guillain Barré Syndrome is a bizarre illness. It attacks the myelin sheath that transmits messages along one’s peripheral nerves. One day my toes went numb. A week later I found myself in hospital, unable to move, breathe or speak. An unscratchable itch on my leg could propel me to the brink of insanity. Dust fell into my eyes and I couldn’t blink or wipe it away. I could not call out for assistance.

Upon learning of my perilous condition, my mother had dropped everything, packed a suitcase and flown from Sydney. Now she sat by my bedside for twelve hours a day, every day.

Each night mum grabbed a few hours sleep at her friends’ house; Chrissy and Ralph were devotees of an Indian guru by the name of Swamiji. When Swamiji heard of my situation he began to call my mother and tell her of his visions for me. ‘I see yellow,’ spake the guru. The next day mum arrived at the hospital laden with armfuls of daffodils and yellow tulips. She filled all the vases in the room with them. Two days later, Swamiji called again: ‘I see purple.’ Out went the daffodils, replaced by swathes of irises. Mum herself was dressed in a purple silk kimono that she’d borrowed from Chrissy. Then Swamiji made a personal appearance at the ICU, without shoes. Through his flowing grey beard he blew into my chakras. Matron tried to hustle him from the room but Swamiji resisted her. At that point Sister Mary entered the scene.

Sister Mary had been hospitalised for an acute attack of Multiple Sclerosis but was now on the bounce back. She busied herself by ambling from ward to ward with her walking stick, rescuing the souls of fellow patients. Some of those ingrates did not wish to be saved but in me she found a compliant mark. Being fully paralysed I didn’t have much choice in the matter.

Sister Mary visited most days and sprinkled my motionless body with Lourdes water that she kept in a plastic bottle. She left a specimen jar by my bed containing some small pieces of black stuff. ‘Relics of Padre Pio,’ Sister Mary said. Not being much of a Christian I didn’t cotton on to the significance of these. I was quite taken aback when I later learned that they were bits of the charred remains of a revered Catholic priest.

Click here to read the rest…

Unbound co-founder John Mitchinson on the London Book Fair 2012’s CEO Panel

In celebration of Jessica Jones’ book The Elegant Art of Falling Apart being crowd funded for UK publication by Unbound, we have launched a free to enter flash fiction writing competition!

All short listed entries will be published on the Unbound blog.
First place: A beautiful signed flower portrait by Jessica Jones (worth £200-300)

Second place: A signed first-edition hardback of The Elegant Art of Falling Apart

Third place: £20 of Unbound credits

Click here to find out the rules and how to enter the competition.

Good luck!

The next Unbound Live event (you can read Intelligent Life’s review of our last one here) will be on Monday 4th June at the Hay Festival.
Tickets are only £6.25 and you can get them from here. Read on to find out more about the event…

UNBOUND LIVE!

The award winning crowd-funded publisher Unbound, launched at Hay last year, celebrates its first birthday with a live event unlike anything else at the festival. Join a panel of Unbound authors competing to win the approval of the crowd to raise funding for their book ideas, in a cross between an election hustings and a literary Dragons’ Den. Featuring super-smart comedian Katy Brand, controversial polymath Jonathan Meades, novelist and developmental psychologist Charles Fernyhough, cult perfomance poet George Chopping, the inimitable Glaswegian Sikh writer, cook and performer, Hardeep Singh Kohli and others.

www.unbound.co.uk

Available now! : http://unbound.co.uk/books/how-to-have-an-almost-perfect-marriage